Fortunato Brothers, Italian Bakery in Williamburg, Brooklyn, NY

Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

 

Continuing my discovery of Brooklyn, I gladly accepted the invite I received from Fortunato Brothers Bakery in Williamsbug, an all Italian bakery that opened in 1976. Family business for sure, the establishment's name reflecting the association of three brothers from Naples, Michele, Mario and Sal. Today, they transmitted their passion to their sons, Biagio and Biagio, as well as Frank, another member of the family, and another Biagio! I admit that I met with Biagio, but I have no clue which one!!!

So, as we approached the bakery, we could not miss the delicious smell coming from it, as well as the small Fiat cars in front if it. 

The shop is fairly big, with a seating area on the side that is perfect to enjoy an Italian espresso, a homemade gelato (they have twenty different flavors, my favorite being nocciola or hazelnut), or a cake. 

But of course, the best part was the display, where we could salivate in front of the large choice of cakes and cookies:

As we were close to Easter, they had plenty of items prepared especially for the occasion, some sweet:

and some savory, such as the meat pie that we tasted. 

It was a delicious combination of ham and ricotta wrapped in a crumbly dough. 

So we sat in the seating area, waiting for our tasting, when we noticed a cat sitting (or shall I say sleeping) next to our table.

His name is Rocco: he is the bakery's owners cat and you might see him either sleeping, walking around, or coming to you to get pet or to play. 

Biagio served us a combination of pastries that were mouth watering. Small size though, when possible. I have to say that I love when bakeries offer pastries in a smaller size, as it allows us to try several.

The first I tried was the baba au rum.

It was fantastic: soaked in rum and light. 

There was also a Napoleon:

Similar to the French mille-feuilles, I was glad to see that it had icing and not sugar on top (the best part) and crème pâtissière inside.

The only problem: too small: it was so good that I would have eaten several of them!

Next was the Sfogliatelle (Italian for small, thin leaves/layers):

What is interesting about this pastry is the multiple layers that wrap around a filling made of ricotta, almond flour and candied fruits.

I liked it, but admit that, with a similar dough, I preferred the lobster tail:

It is bigger, but lighter.

In fact, this pastry was invented by Italian-Americans in the 1900s. So, the same dough, but, inside, the filling is made of a cream similar to whipped cream.

Then we got a cream puff that was glazed with a thick layer of dark chocolate.

Inside was a vanilla custard that was delicious and had a perfect consistency.

Following was a classic: cannoli.

It was very good: the ricotta filling was fantastic, not too sweet, and the shell tasted fresh and was crispy. It was my second favorite after the baba.

Last was a cookie called Deliciosa.

It was made with a moca cream. I admit that, although I love coffee, I did not like it.

These pastries could not be eaten without a shot of Italian espresso.

You may think that it was it, but it was not: Biagio proposed to bring home whatever we wanted to try. As Jodi put it, it was like bringing a vampire to a blood bank...

So I went in front of the display and simply (?) asked for some Italian cookies.

So our visit was followed by a cookie tasting.

Here is what we tried:

Rainbow cookies:

Pignoli:

With the equivalent made with pistachio:

Biscotti:

And various cookies.

My favorite were the rainbow cookies and pignoli, maybe because I love any cookie or pastry made with almonds.

So, Fortunato Brothers was definitely a nice discovery of an Italian bakery that seems to stay true to itself, serving customers with traditional Italian specialties, all homemade. Not to mention not too sweet, allowing me to try all of these without falling into a sugar coma!

Enjoy (I did)!

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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Restaurant Information

tabelog.us

	* Restaurant Name
	Fortunato Brothers Cafe
	* Overall
	★★★☆☆
	* Neighborhood / Cuisine
	Williamsburg / Italian
	* Street Address
	289 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11211
	* Phone
	(718) 387-2281