Where Everybody Knows Mike's Name

BOSTON---Eyeing cases filled with cannoli and tiramisu, the after-church crowd stands in long lines at Mike's Pastry, waiting to indulge in sugary desserts and fond memories.

To them, a visit to Mike's brings back a slower-paced era of Sunday picnics and day trips to Boston in huge, gas-guzzling American cars.

Yet part of Mike's staying power is that it also appeals to a different North End group: tourists on the prowl for history and culture.

Whether patrons stop in as part of their Sunday routine, or just happen to stop by the North End shop for a snack, they make Sundays at Mike's friendly, inviting and memorable.

For almost 35 years, Mike's has been one of the most popular destinations along Hanover Street, the heart of the North End.

Because the crowds never thin at Mike's, the restaurant opens seven days a week at 8 a.m. and stays open until at least 9 p.m. The long hours have resulted in a loyal customer base and name recognition among visiting tourists.

Joseph Valarese, a 10-year-old seated at a cozy 1950s-style table, is one such loyal customer. He proudly proclaims that Mike's is a family-run business as well as a friendly meeting place.

Seated near the door, Carmine DiMascio seems to affirm Valarese's claim.

He sips coffee with his wife Susan and son Bob, who he had brought to the store so they could enjoy the desserts and spend an afternoon together.

DiMascio makes a special trip to Mike's from his home in Hyde Park once a month.

He first came to Mike's to taste the shop's famed cannoli, which remains a high point of his visits.

Beyond the pastries, though, DiMascio's Sunday trips to Mike's bring his family together for good conversation.

Consuelo E. Donohue also chooses Mike's when her family wants good desserts.

Like many other patrons, she praised the quality of Mike's cannoli, although she said that every pastry she has ever had there has been excellent.

Still, for Donohue, Mike's biggest appeal is not the food.

She likes the bustling and noisy atmosphere, which give the restaurant a warm and friendly feel.

Most importantly, though, she says she knows Mike's as the place where her mother has been sending her to buy pastries for many years, in what has become a very appetizing family tradition.

Joseph M. Fiorentino, the manager of Mike's, says that the restaurant draws its customers from many places: Boston, the suburbs and out of town.

"Mike's is one of the best pastry places in the city," notes Bostonian Frank G. Palmentino. Palmentino's uncle makes a priority of visiting Mike's every weekend, all the way from Lowell, Mass.

After a visit to the new penguin exhibit at the New England Aquarium and lunch at a nearby restaurant, a trip to Mike's Pastries was the natural conclusion to Mike J. Bshara's Sunday trip to Boston.

"You just drift in here for coffee and something," said Bshara, a Fall River, Cape Cod resident.

Back in 1992, the shop drew in another out-of-towner: it was one of President Clinton's favorite rest stops while he was on the campaign trail.

Next to the president's photograph is his pledge to the workers at Mike's---a pledge that, laughingly, Fiorentino says the president managed to keep: "If I win the presidency, I'll come back here myself. I promise."

According to waitstaff, the president kept his promise: he not only returned, but also ordered several pastries for the road.

Beside the presidential portrait, a picture of Frank Sinatra (a remarkably common item in the North End) and a portrait of the Virgin Mary line the walls.

Vintage silverware is also placed throughout the small store.

Adding to the cheerful atmosphere, Mike's waitstaff displays a remarkably friendly and cheerful manner toward their customers.

Serving tourists and North Enders alike with her friendly smile, Jennifer K. Saint Germain of Medford has been employed at Mike's since June.

Wearing a blue kitchen coat with Mike's Pastry written on the lapel, Saint Germain smiles when she says she enjoys the experience of working at Mike's. She "likes meeting people," she explains.

Mike's Pastries is located at 300 Hanover St. in Boston's North End.