6 hours Ago By Emily Turner
By Jillian Dara As one of Boston’s two 24-hour eateries, Bova’s Bakery is a symbol of the North End ’s late-night scene . It has been since Bova’s opened in 1926, when distributors coming to pick up their bread welcomed the chance for an early morning bite of freshly baked bread. “We had to stagger the pick-up times because of the narrow streets, which is how we got our 24-hour license,” shares John Kluse, longtime manager of Bova’s.
The bakery used the license to their advantage as they gradually became known as the hotspot for shift workers, who clocked out at odd hours when most of the city was long asleep, to grab a sweet or savory bite. Though Bova’s began as a bread bakery, selling wholesale to super markets and restaurants throughout Greater Boston and some surrounding suburbs, Kluse says the bakery’s undergone “a lot of transformation in the last 30 years.” From wholesale bread to a brief deli era — “that was just chaotic,” says Kluse — to their contemporary menu that focuses on pastries, Bova’s is as famed for their day-time cannolis as they are for their late-night croissants.
Whether you’re an early riser, late night owl or something in between, here is a selection of the best pastries to order at Bova’s according to Kluse. Almond, butter, sugar and honey are used to create the Florentine cookie shell for this signature cannoli that’s filled with traditional ricotta, a recipe Kluse’s great grandfather brought over from Calabria, Italy—and one that’s been on the menu since the beginning. “It gets overlooked at first but as people try it, they like it and come back for it,” shares Kluse.
He describes this cannoli as labor intensive as they need to make the dough for the Florentine cookies, refrigerate it for 24 hours, cut, weigh and roll the dough out, bake them and roll them out again as they cool. “We can’t make too many all at once because if the dough cools, you can’t roll out the shell,” he shares. “On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, we’ve been known to run out of shells because there’s only so many we can make at a time.
” One of the newer items on Bova’s menu still brings with it over a decade of history as Kluse shares the pistachio macaron was a product of trial and error about 15 years ago. “We’re always looking to add something new to bring more folks in,” he says. It’s not a French macaron, but similar in style to the traditional coconut macaroon.
This version, though, is “denser,” describes Kluse, with a “melt-in-your-mouth pistachio taste when you bite into it.” This recipe is a labor of love, prefaces Kluse on this sponge cake-based tiramisu. “We had to tweak the recipe many times,” he says, with the most notable difference being the use of a rum extract mixed with the espresso because they don’t have a liquor license to use actual rum.
“This took us a little while, but it was worth it,” he says. The sponge cake absorbs the rum extract and espresso and the lady fingers are stacked in between the mascarpone cheese for a cake that Kluse describes as “an experience.” When it comes to savory items, the arancini are a hit, says Kluse.
The fried rice balls are part of the all-day menu but are also one of the items they focus on past midnight on their late-night menu. “On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we go through about 500 of them each day,” he shares. The arancini are available in four different fillings — meatball and cheese, spinach and cheese, steak and cheese or pepperoni and cheese — of which are wrapped in rice, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried.
Exclusive to the late-night menu — that’s after 12:30 a.m. for any non-regulars — Bova’s offers three flavors of savory croissants: steak and cheese, buffalo chicken, and chicken parm.
“It’s a good grab-and-go option,” says Kluse on these items that have been a Bova’s staple since 2002. The butter croissants are homemade daily, offering a soft and flaky vessel to which the fillings are rolled into. “It’s not like a sandwich or stuffed,” explains Kluse.
“It’s almost like a hot pocket the way the filling is rolled into the dough.” Sign up for The Dish Stay up to date on the latest food and drink news from Boston.com.
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