Having been wowed by 2nd St. Creamery’s Can’t Tell Me No Cookie Dough, I could only say yes to trying at least one of their other flavors. Cannoli di Nonni’s description compared to the rest of 2nd Street’s lineup seemed the most enticing. Described as Mascarpone Ice Cream with Pistachios, Fudge and Caramel Swirls and Cannoli Pieces, it sounded like a unique experience. I was also curious how this flavor would compare to Ben and Jerry’s Cannoli flavor.
The base, similar to their cookie dough flavored Ice Cream in Can’t Tell Me No Cookie Dough, is a unique flavor that doesn’t allow much comparison to other flavors. It is actually very similar to the base in Ben & Jerry’s Cannoli, but without the subtle chalky texture. It’s sweet, creamy and has the similar mascarpone characteristics that Ben and Jerry was capable of delivering. It isn’t absurdly rich, which allows you to fully taste the laundry list of swirls and mix-ins. With Ben and Jerry’s version, the similarly light base leaves room for only one seemingly tasteless swirl (that I had a hard time finding in my pint) and their un-remarkable Cannoli pieces.
2nd Street’s mix-in and swirl variety set this pint apart from most premium flavors; especially since it’s not common for a premium ice cream to contain two solids and two swirls. The combination of all four mix-ins creates a remarkably delicious dessert. The pistachios are salty and create a sweet and salty contrast that everyone tends to appreciate, but taste exactly like pretty much every other plain pistachio you’ve ever tried. There were around 15 in this pint. The cannoli pieces are soft, chewy bits of something close to cannoli, but without the substantial richness of the actual dessert. With that being said, is traditional cannoli crust bursting with flavor? In reality, 2nd Street’s cannoli bits are more like soft, uniquely seasoned sugar cookie pieces. Even without a chocolate covering, they basically match the success of Ben and Jerry’s Cannoli mix-in; but they’re nothing to write home about. There were around 12 in this pint.
The last components, the caramel and fudge swirls, add substantial flavor and complexity to most of this pint. While they didn’t traverse the entire 16 ounces, they were definitely the most abundant addition of them all. As for their quality is concerned, the caramel is average and doesn’t come close to the quality of the caramel in flavors like Haagen Dazs’ Pralines & Cream. The fudge tasted similar to Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, and was on par with Ben and Jerry’s fudge swirl for the most part. The combination of the cannoli pieces, pistachios and these two swirls tastes just as pleasing as it sounds.
While this pint isn’t as groundbreaking as 2nd Street’s Can’t Tell Me No Cookie Dough, it’s certainly a strong contender as 2nd St. Creamery builds up national credibility. At a minimum, it definitely deserves the Cannoli crown.
Where Winston Found It: Super Wal-Mart
Winston's Grade: B
