We can’t visit Utica without stopping in at the Florentine in the old Italian neighborhood for our pusty fix! For the uninitiated, pusties are what Uticans call pasticciotti, which are small filled tarts. They’re a Utica passion. The fillings are usually some kind of pastry cream or ricotta cheesecake. The crust is gently sweet and the cream fillings are exquisite, especially when fresh.
Look closely and you can see that each flavor pusty has its own identifying mark on the top crust.
Our favorite flavor is vanilla, with the chocolate and Italian cheesecake versions close behind. The Florentine also makes raspberry, apple, coconut, and lemon pusties, and pumpkin pusties in the fall. We also love that flaky clam-shell-shaped pastry called sfogliatelle (shfoo-yuh-dell in Soprano-ese), which has that great crust which is vaguely like Greek phyllo pastries, but sturdier, with a semolina/ricotta filling.
We say this every time we visit the Florentine, but once again we vow to try some of these other pastries next visit. The eclairs and cream puffs look especially promising although perhaps not ideal breakfast food. And that peanut butter bomb!
The folks serving our foursome must have thought we were all heading for a post-breakfast execution based on our gluttony, but what can we say? We’re in Utica once a year, at best.
An Italian cheesecake pusty
Since 1928!
Enjoy your pastries in the adjoining dining area. Cappuccinos and espressos are available.
Utica’s old Italian neighborhood has long since become multicultural. The Florentine, open since 1928 (what an inauspicious year to open a business!) is still going strong.
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