Treats As Tradition

One of our sponsors on The Food Show is the iconic Angelo Brocato’s Ice Cream. We are honored to have them with us on the show. There is no place like it anywhere. We are so lucky in this city to call it our own. 

That long-held feeling was amplified over the holiday weekend, as our family played tourist in our hometown. Our son and his family are actually tourists, but we checked into the Windsor Court with them and visited places we should go to more often. Jude had a list as soon as he landed. He hasn’t lived here for half his life now, and he misses the food between his too-rare visits.

The vacay/.staycay was so short the schedule was practically laughable, At one point we dropped in on Mr. B’s right before a big catered party. Brocato’s followed a big meal at Drago’s. But I can’t quibble with his selections.

We traveled in a pack of nine, so there was a wide sample of offerings. Just opening the door to Brocato’s is like opening to a fairytale world of treats. The kids were wide-eyed. So was I. Cases of Italian sweets unique to Italy are filled and emptied each day by the hordes of admirers who visit. It is wonderful to browse. 

A jar of taffy sits by the register, made by the Roman Candy man who used to peddle his wares by horse-drawn carriage. Such traditions define a place. 

One of the most enchanting things on our table was a butter cookie shaped like a Christmas wreath, with green and white frosting and colorful sprinkles that seemed like ornaments. They were light and buttery and flaky. I could have eaten a ridiculous amount of these, but, oh, wait, we had just had a big meal.

Mary Leigh got gelato, and here at Brocato’s it is real gelato made with the essential Italian flavorings that make it authentic. She chose a simple chocolate, which is very dark. It was so rich and dense that she needed my help to finish it. I was happy to oblige. 

We got Tom a cannoli, since he loves the dessert, and especially here. It comes in two sizes and he got one of each. The shell is so crispy and the pistachio at each end offsets the ricotta nicely. Tom gets cannoli whenever he sees it but he always says this is hands down the best. 

But he didn’t stop there. He got a slab of spumoni as well. He is nuts about the triangle-shaped striped log, and again, he gets it whenever it is offered on a menu in an Italian restaurant. He even has a special way of eating it and likes to show any waitress that brings him one how to eat it. A fork is required to hold it in place and a spoon scoops up the bite.

Someone else in the group got the Baked Alaska slice, which we were all surprised to see. It was quite lovely, with small dollops of meringue dotting the top, and a light toasting on each dollop. The yellow cake inside was perfect, light and buttery, with a large layer of homestyle vanilla ice cream frozen in place.

This was much better than the one served at its place of origin, Antoine’s, where it is a signature menu item, and the centerpiece of any birthday party or celebration there.

We enjoyed just sitting at the little cafe tables which filled the space upstairs and downstairs. And the kids loved looking into all the cases to see the tremendous assortment of cookies available, both frozen and not.

And now that holiday season is upon us, the Italian imports have greatly expanded their footprint here. It is fun to explore all the unique items from the old country.

It’s hard not to feel grateful that Angelo Brocato left his homeland to make a new life for himself in America in 1905. We are privileged that he chose New Orleans as his new home. This 118-year-old legacy remains in the family. His great-grandson Arthur and his wife Jolie are wonderful stewards of the operation. Visit. Often.