Boston Foodie reports on the spoiled birthday cake and rude service she got when she tried to return the cake that, it turns out, had been left in a store refrigerator that had died the night before.
Mike's is for tourists. My family has been going to Modern for years, both Medford Square and the North End. They've never let us down, and they're always the best.
They're so much better than Mikes, especially the cannolli. Problem is Mike's bakery looks beautiful and has a better location that pulls in all the tourists - Modern looks ho-hum even after their rennovations.
Still, if you want good pastry Modern > Mikes every time.
Also while i'm at it, Cafe Paradiso has the best tiramisu. There, I said it. Tiramisu + Irish Coffee = Ultimate North End dessert. Just slightly better than buying cannollis (from Modern) and eating them on the greenway.
I've only gone to Modern twice and both were bad experiences. One dessert was tasteless. It was like eating foam. The second time I gave it a try a year later, the cream had a nasty chemically taste to it. I guess I could have returned it, but who wants to stand in a 2 hour line twice? I assume some of their stuff must be good because otherwise there wouldn't be such a huge line in the first place.
I've gotten stuck with dried out pastries at Mike's once in a while, and some stuff I've ordered from them is disappointingly bland. Some of it is great. I guess you just have to luck out.
I've rarely seen a line and I've never had a bad experience at the Medford location.
My son was doing a school project detailing his "20 favorite places in Medford". He was stuck at 19, so we took him to Modern. Now he spends some of his precious allowance there on Farmers Market days.
There ... now ya done it ... I think I'm gonna grab a Spadafora slush on my ride home. I'll have to figure out how to achieve intact tiramisu and canoli transport with the panniers.
he tried to return the cake that, it turns out, had been left in a store refrigerator that had died the night before.
That's a pretty serious health code violation. Call the mayor's hotline at 617-635-4500, or report it directly to Inspectional Services Department at 617-635-5300 (ask for Division of Health Inspections) or email .
Modern IS better
Mike's is for tourists. My family has been going to Modern for years, both Medford Square and the North End. They've never let us down, and they're always the best.
They're so much better than Mikes, especially the cannolli. Problem is Mike's bakery looks beautiful and has a better location that pulls in all the tourists - Modern looks ho-hum even after their rennovations.
Still, if you want good pastry Modern > Mikes every time.
Also while i'm at it, Cafe Paradiso has the best tiramisu. There, I said it. Tiramisu + Irish Coffee = Ultimate North End dessert. Just slightly better than buying cannollis (from Modern) and eating them on the greenway.
Luck of the Draw
I think both places are hit or miss.
I've only gone to Modern twice and both were bad experiences. One dessert was tasteless. It was like eating foam. The second time I gave it a try a year later, the cream had a nasty chemically taste to it. I guess I could have returned it, but who wants to stand in a 2 hour line twice? I assume some of their stuff must be good because otherwise there wouldn't be such a huge line in the first place.
I've gotten stuck with dried out pastries at Mike's once in a while, and some stuff I've ordered from them is disappointingly bland. Some of it is great. I guess you just have to luck out.
Medford or North End?
I've rarely seen a line and I've never had a bad experience at the Medford location.
My son was doing a school project detailing his "20 favorite places in Medford". He was stuck at 19, so we took him to Modern. Now he spends some of his precious allowance there on Farmers Market days.
There ... now ya done it ... I think I'm gonna grab a Spadafora slush on my ride home. I'll have to figure out how to achieve intact tiramisu and canoli transport with the panniers.
Two words: Inspectional Services
he tried to return the cake that, it turns out, had been left in a store refrigerator that had died the night before.
That's a pretty serious health code violation. Call the mayor's hotline at 617-635-4500, or report it directly to Inspectional Services Department at 617-635-5300 (ask for Division of Health Inspections) or email .