An Italian bakery can be presented in many ways. A coffee shop added on here, a patio there, and suddenly you can serve just about anything and most of the customers will still enjoy themselves. But the accoutrements are nonexistent when you step up to the counter at Palermo Bakery. In fact, there's nothing else in the store but the counter, leaving you no choice but to step up and gaze at the various feats of pastry and cookie goodness inside.

Palermo’s range of options is impressive: Your average pastry shop will probably have butter cookies, but they probably won’t have Anginetti, Pignoli Amaretti or Quaresimale (or if they do, they’ll call it biscotti). And the variety of pastries is daunting – sfogliatelle (lobster tails), pasticiotto, and cream cheese cups all loom with flaky crusts and cream oozing out to taunt you. But Palermo shines with the cannoli – the staple of any Italian bakery is their pride here, and they have a mouthwatering flagship product. The fruit version, with (blueberries, candied orange, and Marciano cherry) is particularly delicious – think of the fruit pies you ate as a kid, adjust the price to about $1.50, and set the taste to simply divine.

The bakery has a range of soft drinks to wash down your meal, or you can get a cup of espresso to complement the sweets. If you want an actual meal, you’ll have to make do with pizza. Palermo sells huge pieces of cheese, pepperoni, and sausage sheet pizza for about $4 a slice. Don’t have more than a slice though - you’ll need every last inch of stomach for the desserts.

Centerstage Reviewer: Dan Morgridge