Yes, I Love Monteleone's, Too

I know I have previously blogged about my lifelong devotion to Court Pastry cookies but I think it’s high time to tell you all the things that I love about our other first-rate Carroll Gardens pastry store, F. Monteleone Bakery & Cafe. 

First off, Monteleone’s has excellent pastries, both full-size and the very convenient miniatures. When eating miniatures, you can enjoy your favorite pastries without as much guilt and without having to share one with anyone. Their pastries include not only the usual cannoli, sfogliatelle, pasticiotti (filled with chocolate or vanilla custard), eclairs, napoleons, rum baba, custard fruit tarts, and cream puffs but on weekends Monteleone’s has some really delicious Sicilian fried pastries that previously were only available in Dyker Heights or Bensonhurst (or Sicily). They are called iris and cartocci and are like sugar donuts stuffed with cannoli cream. Wow!! Another Sicilian pastry that they have is called genovese which is a delectable half-moon filled with custard cream, chocolate chips, and orange peel. They also carry non-Italian treats like lemon bars and brownies.

Monteleone’s even has miniature St. Joseph sfingi and zeppole which I have never seen anywhere else. They start making these special pastries after the Christmas holidays and carry them all the way through March 19th which is the Feast of St. Joseph. Even if St. Joseph Day is in the middle of Lent, you would be remiss to not indulge in a little sfingi or zeppole.

When I was a kid and we would take the F train home from the beach, it was a given that as soon as we turned the corner of President Street onto Court Street, we would stop for an Italian ice at the outside window of Monteleone’s. It was the perfect pick-me-up after a hot, sandy day at the beach. Back then they had typical lemon, chocolate and cremolata ices in addition to other fruity flavors like cherry and pineapple. Nowadays, they also carry a full line of creamy gelato with flavors like frutti di bosco (mixed berries) and Nutella. To mark the end of the summer last year, I indulged in a gelato in brioche which I shared with my husband. Now that’s what I call an ice cream sandwich!

While you can pre-order a special occasion cake (they were very patient when my sister revised her order for a Christening cake several times), Monteleone’s always has a great selection of cakes on hand: red velvet, chocolate mousse, carrot, strawberry shortcake, various cheesecakes, and an exceptional Italian cheesecake to name a few. They also have some very ornate cakes decorated with flowers and butterflies and even one that looks like a hamburger. I bought a fantastic raspberry mousse cake for my husband’s birthday. The whole cake was encircled with sliced jelly rolls filled with raspberry. 

Of course, they have tasty butter cookies and traditional biscotti.  And in the back showcase, there is a wide assortment of marzipan shaped like little fruits and vegetables. This is really reminiscent of an authentic Sicilian pasticceria as are the small cafe tables and chairs that allow you to actually sit down and enjoy your dolce on the spot, perhaps with a nice espresso or cappuccino.

So if you’re in the mood for a little something (or a big something) sweet, stop in at Monteleone’s. You’ll be happy that you did!

F. Monteleone Bakery & Cafe is located at 355 Court Street and their phone number is 718-852-5600.