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This Issue 11/03/2005

Also in this issue

• My kippah's cooler than yours
• Let's make a deal
• Half dollar, whole story

South Philly hardly ranks high on most students' list of hangouts, so Isgro's Italian Bakery is relegated to being a destination spot. Whether its pastries fulfill the corresponding expectations is debatable.

Despite the less-than-charming surroundings, the bakery itself is spotlessly clean, and the employees down-to-earth (a bungling of the word sfogliatella passed without a flinch). The ricotta cannolo ($2.25) tasted on the spot (to test the crispiness, since it was curiously pre-filled) offered the proper crunch and a gently sweet, creamy and cheesy filling.

I limited myself to just seven other treats, difficult as surely the glass case is cleaned of drool marks every night. They carefully packed the pastries in a generously sized box and out I went, looking for a cab. This may be of interest: unoccupied taxis come by at a rate of three per hour on Saturday morning.

Back home, I bit into the chocolate cannolo ($2.25). Even after a few hours, the shell held its body, but, surprisingly, the filling had the consistency and flavour of chocolate pudding. Next came the sfogliatella ($3.25), which was also impressively crispy but displayed too little of the candied citrus fruit that is so essential to its character. "That one missing thing" was Isgro's leitmotif: the ba ba rum ($3.50) was nearly dry from want of rum; the beautifully made cappuccino coffee cup ($3.95) oddly had nothing related to coffee beyond a single bean garnish; the cr‹¨«me brulee lacked that crispy caramelized crust and thickness, feeling flimsy (though it tasted agreeable); and the luscious-looking pesche alla crema ($3) would have benefited from more peach schnapps and less cream. As for the swan ricotta cheesecake ($3.95), I enjoyed the soft cheesecake base once the tower of whipped cream toppled.

Isgro's makes gratifying pastries in the mold of a good doughnut, albeit prettier. However, besides the ricotta cannoli, they're deficient of any complexity. It's quite a hike for a sugar fix.