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Vaccaro’s Cannoli is the best

By Sophia Gromek

Dinner at Chiapparellis

I started my trip with a nice dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants Chiapparellis.
This is a cute family-owned restaurant located at 237 S. High Street, quite easy to
find given the blue awnings and the elegant exterior. Inside it’s cozy
with rustic brick walls and vintage wooden furniture. The restaurant
has a lunch and dinner menu that feature a variety of Italian dishes from Italian cold
cut subs to Pescatore, a fancy seafood pasta dish.

My meal began with some freshly baked bread that I drenched in olive oil with spices.
Honestly, I ate too much bread, but I knew I had to make some room for the eggplant
parmesan I ordered as my meal. It came with a big side salad that had iceberg lettuce,
tomatoes, onions, pepperoncini’s and a delicious homemade Italian dressing. So
of course, I had to eat the whole thing. Finally, the eggplant parmesan was crispy and
cheesy, and the marinara sauce was fresh with almost a little tang to it. Overall, I definitely
enjoyed my meal, and I will be going back.

Chiapparellis Side Salad Features Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pepperoncini’s, and homemade Italian dressing.

Vaccaro’s Pastry Shop

Following dinner, I decided to take a short walk up the street, which I needed after all of
that food. Once I made some space I stopped at Vaccaro’s, a family-owned pastry shop
located at 222 Albemarle St. They sell a variety of Italians cookies, cakes and other pastries
that you can smell baking from a block away–along with espresso, wine and an assortment
of gelato flavors. At this point, it was getting late and the dine-in section was crowded so I
opted to get my things to go. However, I do love the cozy café set up with small dining tables
and a huge bakery display counter.

Finally I decided to get some mint chocolate chip gelato which is my favorite flavor. The gelato was smooth and refreshing–the
perfect sweet treat to end my night. Vaccaro’s also has the best cannolis I have ever eaten
so, I had to get some as well for later. My favorite is the chocolate-dipped cannoli. The shell was crunchy and almost flakey, and the filling is so sweet and smooth. I was already a fan of
Vaccaro’s, and this trip made me love it even more. I have never had something bad from
there.

The food is a great way to begin a visit to Little Italy, but there is also the
culture, community and history to explore.