Recipes
Browse by: Dish Type Ingredient Cuisine Cooking Method Diet Season Menus Recipe Collections Quick Dinners View All
How-Tos
Cooking Techniques Ingredient Guides Equipment Kitchen Tips Entertaining View All
Product Recs
Equipment Reviews Taste Tests Buying Guides Editors' Picks Books Shop View All
Culture
Cuisine Guides Food History Food Science Personal Essays Podcast Travel Diaries Profiles Food Industry SE HQ View All
Dining Out
Boston Chicago Los Angeles New Orleans New York Philadelphia Portland, OR San Francisco Washington, DC View All
Game Day
Chili Dips and Spreads Drinks Guacamole Mains Nachos Salsas Snacks Sweets Wings View All
Your account
Saved Recipes > Newsletters >
Follow us
Recipes
Browse by: Dish Type Ingredient Cuisine Cooking Method Diet Season Menus Recipe Collections Quick Dinners View All
How-Tos
Cooking Techniques Ingredient Guides Equipment Kitchen Tips Entertaining View All
Product Recs
Equipment Reviews Taste Tests Buying Guides Editors' Picks Books Shop View All
Culture
Cuisine Guides Food History Food Science Personal Essays Podcast Travel Diaries Profiles Food Industry SE HQ View All
Dining Out
Boston Chicago Los Angeles New Orleans New York Philadelphia Portland, OR San Francisco Washington, DC View All
Game Day
Chili Dips and Spreads Drinks Guacamole Mains Nachos Salsas Snacks Sweets Wings View All
Saved recipes > Newsletters >

Search for recipes and articles

Popular Searches

Staff Favorites

  • Burgers
  • Korean
  • Corn
  • Brooklyn
  • Williamsburg
More Breadcrumbs
  • Dining Out
  • New York City
  • Brooklyn
  • Dining Out
  • New York City
  • Brooklyn
  • Williamsburg

First Look: The La Bella Torte Pop-Up Bakery

Sugar Rush

Your daily dose of something sweet.

Kathy YL Chan
0 Printer-Friendly Version
Published: December 3, 2010 Last Updated: August 12, 2019
2010123LaBellaTorteCannoli.jpg

[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

Joe Glaser is the owner of La Bella Torte, an Italian pop-up bakery right off the L train Graham stop. He was a plumber, but is now a pastry chef—and we all should be mighty thankful for that.

Inside a vacant Uncle Louie G's, Joe has a pop-up bakery set up till the end of December. Expect to discover Italian classics, including sfogliatelle, and mini cannoli filled to order at $2 each (three for $5). He's mighty generous with the sweet ricotta filling, and the soft, subtle chocolate chip is my favorite. Rainbow cookies, biscotti, and pignoli will be introduced next week, alongside Italian butter cookies. And don't pass on the anisette cookies! All cookies are priced between $10-$18 a pound. Tiramisu is available by the single serving (or pre-order a 10" serving for $40), an easy to love crowd pleaser of espresso-soaked ladyfingers and alternating layers of mascarpone, with a cocoa-powder top.

2010123LaBellaTorteBananaNutella.jpg

What's New On Serious Eats

But you'll find more than just traditional goods. In fact, some of the best sweets from La Bella Torte are much more modern. These include Spiced Brownie squares with heat from red chili pepper flakes ($1.50), and the petite Nutella Cakes ($4) pictured above, iced in a whipped banana frosting.

The Nutella isn't overwhelming, but delicately blended into the batter, making for tiny pockets of melty indulgence and an overall light cake, almost Oreo-like in flavor. Bananas and Nutella? I can't think of a more likable pairing. Joe also makes Strawberry Shortcakes and a Chocolate WOW cake—his take on a bold devil's food.

I passed those and headed straight for the Olive Oil Rosemary Cake ($4). I'm a sucker for olive oil cakes, and these almost border on savory, though a dose of blood orange brings it right back to the dessert realm. Moist with a crumbly and dense body, this could be breakfast every day. The pop-up is open until December 31st. What happens after that? You can order via Joe's online shop, though his goal is to have an Italian dessert truck... now, that would be just dreamy!

La Bella Torte

341 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11211 (map) 718-208-0984
labellatorte.fatcow.com

All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.

Kathy YL Chan
  • Profile
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Contact
0 Printer-Friendly Version
Tags
  • bakeries
  • brooklyn
  • first look
  • italian
  • williamsburg
  • Brooklyn
  • Williamsburg
More Breadcrumbs
  • Dining Out
  • New York City
  • Brooklyn
  • Dining Out
  • New York City
  • Brooklyn
  • Williamsburg
HIDE COMMENTS
Sign In or Register
No comments
Comments are closed
HIDE COMMENTS

Popular Recipes

Cinco de Mayo

Classic Margarita Recipe

The perfect margarita is all about fresh, crisp flavors, barely tempered by sweet triple sec.

The Serious Eats Team
Chinese

Singapore Noodles

Stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp, pork, and vegetables.

Shao Z.
Chicken

Homemade Pollo Campero (Central American–Style Fried Chicken)

Here's how to make this Central American classic at home.

Karla T. Vasquez
Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres

Jamaican Pepper Shrimp

That red color tells you what you need to know: They're HOT!

Jillian Atkinson
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest recipes and tips!

More Brooklyn

The Brunch Dish: Eggs Rothko at Egg, Brooklyn

The Brunch Dish: Eggs Rothko at Egg, Brooklyn

The Vegetarian Option: Lomzynianka

The Vegetarian Option: Lomzynianka

First Impressions of Hometown Barbecue in Red Hook

First Impressions of Hometown Barbecue in Red Hook

Serious Eats
  • Latest
  • Masthead
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Jobs
  • Sitemap
  • FAQ

Follow Us

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your California Privacy Rights
  • © 2021 Serious Eats Inc., by Dotdash

Welcome! Please sign in.

Forgot password?