Shell Game

Rounding out this food run you started, I took a late stroll into an old pastry shop with red tile floors and warm powdered sugar in the air. Right on a glass display shelf sat a crisp, blistered cannoli shell resting on paper lace, piped fresh with sweet ricotta and tiny dark chocolate chips at the tip. Shell looked hard as terra cotta, but it needed an easy touch. I braced my boots against the glass rim, hooked the crispy ridge between two heavy fingers, and snapped off the end. Flaky, fried crunch gave way to cool, velvety cream and a bitter cocoa kick. No slop, pure balance. Five out of five stars. I leaned back against a glass espresso bell and let out an honest grunt.#TheThing(BenGrimm) #Foodie