I could start this blog very simply and just answer the question — Ah YEAH!  But I really think Carlo’s deserves more than that.  So here goes…..
Carlo’s Bakery for those of you who don’t know is located in Hoboken NJ and is the subject of a reality show called “The Cake Boss” on TLC.  Carlo’s Bakery is run by Buddy Valastro and his family.  Buddy is a fourth generation accomplished baker as well as a master baker and cake decorator, so to say that he knows about baking is an understatement.
Carlo’s Bakery has been in the same location since 1920 and brings patrons from all over.  While standing in line I heard one woman say she was from Texas and another was from California.

We went right before Thanksgiving (as part of our trip to meet Rachael Ray) and as you can see there is quite a line outside.  We walked up to what we thought was the end of the line and was asked by someone else who was waiting if we were waiting to go to the bakery.  We said yes and she pointed behind her and across the street “There’s the line.”she said.  The line was almost 2 blocks long.  But there were bakery employees outside making sure that the line was orderly and moved as quickly as possible.  We were probably in line for about 45 minutes, even though it was New Jersey in November  it actually wasn’t that bad outside.
Once we got to the front door we were given a number then we made it inside the bakery.  The scent when we walked in was one of sugar but not so overpowering.

Seems like we weren’t the only ones who had that idea.

 The bakery was crowded with people waiting to be called and other people ordering.  Behind the counters employees scurried back and forth filling orders as quickly as they could, people wanting cookies, cupcakes, cakes and holiday pies.  When it came our turn to order I wasn’t really sure what we wanted.  I had a request for cannolis from my daughter and cookies from my son.  So I was actually glad there was a little bit of a wait before our number was called.  That way I got to look at all the pastries, cakes and cookies available.  We finally settled on 2 pounds of cookies, 12 cannolis, 4 lobster tails (which is a pastry that looks like a lobster tail but is filled with the most luscious cream and a Happy Thanksgiving chocolate, chocolate cake.

Don’t get me wrong, Carlo’s is not cheap in price or quality so everything we bought came to close to $100.  But I wanted to whole experience and even though we were a couple hours from home everything made it back just fine, that is until we actually got it back and the pastries and cookies started to disappear.  I remembered a tip from the man we met in line at the book signing that if you put the pastries or cookies in a ziploc bag then into a plastic container they will last up to 2 weeks — that is if no one gets to them first.  I really enjoyed the lobster tail.  Its reminded me of a pastry we used to get back in St. Louis called a cream horn, but this pastry was a lot lighter and the pastry itself was quite a bit bigger.
The cookies were buttery and melt in your mouth good.  Not sure how many adjectives I can come up with to describe the deliciousness of all the products we got at Carlo’s.  
Was it worth the trip?  Well we were nearby anyway — but YES!  Would I go back?  Most definitely even if its just to go to the bakery and for no other reason.

This photo doesn’t do the cookies justice. They looked beautiful and tasted even better

So the next time you go on a day trip or even just take someone to the airport, why not try a new restaurant, bakery or other point of interest.  And if you do it might be a good idea to invest in a GPS!  Lastly I’d like to apologize for the quality of these photos.  They were taken with my phone and well…. it takes crappy pics.

That’s Mauro, Buddy’s cousin.  Fans of the show will recognize him.