Barista AJ and owner Corrado Palmieri at Bishop Arts Palmieri Cafe by CHB
Since summer, we’ve been anticipating the opening of Palmieri Cafe, a gem of an espresso, Italian pastry and gelato concept operating in Dallas Farmers Market since 2016.
The adorable storefront at 307 North Bishop, formerly the Skin and Beauty Solutions Day Spa (under construction for many months) is finally open — look for the red lettering and ballerina logo — and, if lucky, you might meet owner Corrado Palmieri.
I dropped in for a hot beverage while doing some shopping and, first, was pleased with the price, under $6 for a quad espresso with almond milk and sugar-free vanilla.
I was even more impressed with the taste and quality of my drink, prepared by AJ the barista. The coffee is roasted at a torrefazione north of Dallas, which Palmieri launched in 2017.
Then the whole sugar-free thing was blown once Palmieri offered me a pasticciotto — a shockingly delicious, warm, soft and dense pastry with generous vanilla cream filling, egg brushed, baked to a rich burnt umber hue.
The staff at Palmieri makes everything from scratch and adheres to the slow-food philosophy (after tasting that ‘ciotto, sign me up).
Palmieri is a native of Salento, a strip on the heel of Italy’s boot, who initially came to Dallas for his MBA at SMU’s Cox School of Business.
A post-graduate return to Southern Italy gave him a chance to fine-tune the culinary skills he learned as a youth, from his grandmother.
Back in Dallas, Palmieri started testing out his offerings at Dallas Farmers Market. Even then, he says, he was on the lookout for the perfect location for a free-standing Palmieri No. 2.
He found it. The place is tiny, but there are a few barstool tables, and plenty of places to stroll or sit on Bishop street. They sell espresso by the bag, which would not make a bad stocking stuffer.
I did not try the gelato yet, but can only surmise that it will also be as hazardously addictive as the espresso and pastries.
