Showing posts with label gelato. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gelato. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Gelato, Gelato-Filled Macarons at Amarino (Boston, MA)

A new gelato shop has landed in Back Bay. Amorino is a chain started by two Italians - but first launched in Paris - that's making its way around the US. They use a special spatula to scoop your ice cream and promises to let you choose as many flavors as you like, no matter what size you buy. Even all 16 if you want.

Amorino
The gelato itself was very good. I tried a bunch and really liked the chocolate (rich and dark, just the way I like it), salted caramel, and the mango sorbet. You can definitely taste that they use real mangoes.

They also have macarons, but not your run-off-the-mill maracons. They're filled with gelato!
Amorino Boston

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

My Vienna: An Austrian Gelato Cafe in Beverly Hills

My Vienna invokes an Austrian gelato cafe in the middle of Beverly Hills. Austrian former pro-tennis player Spin Mylnarik learnt the ropes of gelato making from a master in Austria for his wife, who loved the gelato she had in Europe.

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Don't you also want a hot pro-athlete to learn how to make gelato and open up a cafe for you?
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Here, you won't sit down with your gelato in paper cups. The gelato is properly served in tin cups with a glass of water. All paper cups are strictly for to-go orders only - that is, you'd have to leave the premises with it. He aspires to the cafes in Europe where people spend time sitting down and enjoying their gelato.

The gelato itself is excellent. The Nocchilone (chocolate hazelnut) is a bestseller here, and the European Cookies flavor is the staff favorite. I also like the fruit sorbets, especially the cantaloupe. In fact, I thought the gelato was so good that I had to get a whole styrofoam container to go (you can get 4 flavors to go for $14).

The coffee and teas served here are strictly Austrian.
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Sacher Torte and Austrian pastries are made in-house, and gelato cakes are available with special order.
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During lunch you can get salad, sandwich, and a small gelato for $10.95. There's a lot of metered parking in the back (which is free after 6pm).

My Vienna Gelato and Coffee
9461 S Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 246-0359
http://www.myviennagelato.com

Sunday, August 7, 2011

A Perfect Day in Malibu: Waterfall Hike, Malibu Seafood, and Gelato

The beach isn't the only reason to brave PCH traffic and head to Malibu. On a recent weekend, I hiked a 4.2 mile trail to Escondido Falls, feasted on fresh seafood overlooking the ocean, and finished off with some of the best gelato in town.

The hike to the lower falls is fairly easy and shady, good for a family hike. Once there, you can play in the water or take the trail to the right to the upper falls. It's a short hike from there, but much steeper. At some point you will have to climb an incline using some ropes, taking turns between the people going up and down. Take your time. Also, you will most likely get a bit muddy, but it's all worth it. You'll be rewarded with a beautiful three-tiered waterfall.

After the hike, we headed over to Malibu Seafood for a quick lunch. As always, there's a line to order food, but it moves fast. Take your food to one of their benches overlooking the Pacific ocean.
Malibu Seafood
Malibu Seafood has combo meals, tuna burgers, etc, but that day we decided to order a bunch of things a la carte.

Steamed large shrimp, 1/2 lb ($10.95)
Steamed Shrimp


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Grom is Awesome

I've found it. The best gelateria in LA, Grom. Yes, it's a "chain" (from Italy) but this is no Piccomolo.

Grom opened in Torino in 2003 to great success and expanded to shops abroad starting from New York City in 2007. Now it has finally come to LA in a shopping center in Malibu.

Grom gelato
Entering the store, you will notice the pictures of produce hanging on the wall that say where they come from (seasonal fruits, almonds from Avola, pistachios from Syria, chocolates from Venezuela or Colombia). Taste some of the 30 flavors of the day and you will be confounded by the selection. They're just all. so. good.
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The consistency is dense and creamy, and the flavors of the ingredients come out strong. There's none of those sweet red stuff that only vaguely taste like strawberries. Each of the fruit sorbets tasted like biting into a cold version of the fruit itself, the dark chocolate is rich and intense (they also have an extra dark chocolate one, which we didn't dare try). I may have to do a side by side tasting of their pistachio against Bulgarini, but at the moment I am actually leaning towards Grom. Overall: Excellence.

The only con for me is its location, all the way in Malibu. On the other hand, they are open until 11 pm on weekends, so you can make the drive at night traffic-free. I'd do it in a heartbeat.



Grom Gelateria Malibu
Grom Gelateria
3886 Cross Creek Rd
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 456-9797
http://www.grom.it/eng/index.php

Monday, May 30, 2011

Munching Around Santa Monica with Six Taste Tours

What better way to explore one area's food than a walking tour with an expert, tasting 4-5 places all in one go? Six Taste Tours, started by two USC alums, aim to do just that with their tours in various regions in LA, including Thai Town, Little Tokyo, Arcadia, and more. Each area's tour is guided by an expert in that particular area/cuisine. I was invited to go on the Santa Monica tour recently with their guide, Therese.

Godmother Sandwich
Godmother sandwich, with on ocean view.
I don't want to spoil all the fun of the tour for you, so I will just go through some of the things we ate and leave you with some surprises if you ever take the tour!

They said they consider the Santa Monica tour to be their international tour, and you will see why. Our first stop was Rockenwagner Bakery.
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Rockenwagner Bakery
12835 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 578-8171
www.rockenwagner.com
Röckenwagner Bakery on Urbanspoon

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Our guide, Therese

PhotobucketOther than the baked goods, Therese told us that Rockenwagner has a great Austrian coffee. We tasted some and it was indeed pretty smooth.

Apparently Hans Rockenwagner and his pastry chef invented the pretzel croissant by dipping a croissant in caustic acid, so of course we had to try some! Because of the pretzel-like crust, the croissant doesn't leave as much of a buttery mess on your fingers. 
Pretzel Croissant

Thursday, October 30, 2008

In for a Well-Crafted Meal, but Could be Better

I've been to, and liked, Craft in Dallas so I was pretty happy when Craft opened up in LA. I've actually gone there when they first opened but never took photos, so when we went there again it's my chance to blog!

We knew what we liked so we didn't get the tasting menu. Our meal started with a slightly spicy tartar amuse bouche.



I tried out their seared foie gras with mango and grapes.
The foie itself could be better, but I did like how the tartness of the mango cuts the fattiness of the foie.

We also got the quail with blueberries, which I had in Dallas and really liked.
I must say the one I had in Dallas was better, and I think it was due to the bird itself. These are a little on the small side (considering it's $16) and not as gamey and flavorful. I still like the preparation with the blueberries, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but having had a better version of it I was a bit disappointed.

For our main dish we got the Braised Beef short ribs with Root Vegetables
The short rib was tender and flavorful. I've had better short rib but this one is not bad at all. It's a nice, hearty 'comfort' dish.

And of course side dishes are important when you're ordering a la carte at Craft. Side portions are generous and they have a nice selection.
In case you haven't noticed yet, I love sweet corn.
The corn was sweet with a nice texture. They were also not too oily.

The other side dish we got was sweet potato, my companion's favorite.
Pretty good and creamy. I'm not a huge sweet potato fan, so I can't say much, but I still enjoyed it.

Now, the thing that really made an impression on me at Craft Dallas was their gelato sampler! The one here is more expensive! 3 gelato/sorbet sampler for $10 or 6 for $20! In Dallas we got 6 just for $12 *grumble* Granted the scoops are pretty big, but still ..
But we got the 6 anyway, which included chocolate, strawberry, concord grape, honey yogurt, and ... basil.
The basil was one of my favorite! Unique, but very refreshing and delicious. Honey yogurt is another highlight.

Instead of petit fours, we were served coffee cake and torrones, both delicious. I usually do not like torrone because they stick to my teeth but I enjoyed these ones.

Overall I enjoyed my experiences at Craft LA and I'll come back again - but I know it could better. Because Craft Dallas is, and cheaper too.


Craft Los Angeles
10100 Constellation Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067

(310) 279-4180

Craft on Urbanspoon

Friday, October 24, 2008

Truffle Dinner at La Terza

Last Wednesday Gino Angelini's La Terza bid farewell to summer truffles by holding a 7-course black truffle dinner. I thought for $75 this was a pretty good deal so of course I skipped class and went!

The server took quite a while taking our drink order and giving us the check at the end, but at least the dishes came promptly and smoothly - much much better than the 5x5. Of course they are not nearly as crowded. I guess Italians just like to take it slow ..

First course, we started with Scrambled eggs and black trufflesI don't know how he does it but his runny scrambled eggs are always so delicious. The intensity of the color also tells you how great the eggs themselves were as an ingredient - full of flavor.

Tuna tartar, assorted citrus, black truffles and Sicialian pistachio
An interesting flavor combination, with the citrus and the nuttiness (and slight crunchiness) from the pistachio. The truffles added to the nuttiness flavor.

Pan roasted whole quail, soft polenta and black truffles
The roasted quail was great. A pretty gamey bird that was flavorful and juicy. The skin is slightly crisped just the way I like it. The black truffles seem to be an afterthought here though since the quail already stands out so much and frankly needed nothing else.

Open ravioli, porcini mushrooms, black truffles and cream of parmigiano
I think the truffles worked the best in this dish. The combination of the truffles and the porcini mushrooms really make the flavors (and aroma!) stand out.

Veal Shank Agnolotti with Black Truffles
This may be my favorite dish of the night. The veal shank inside was just absolutely ... oh I'm at a loss for words. Basically I wanted them to put a pound of this stuff in front of me so I can eat it up! Not only was it flavorful and juicy, the tenderness was wonderful. The shank juice mingling with the black truffles also enhanced the truffle aroma, making the dish as a whole work so perfectly.

Beef filet, quail eggs, black truffles and port reduction
I was really stuffed at this point and trying to finish this filet was getting painful! :P
I liked the addition of the quail egg. Again here I felt the black truffles were just an excess addition - if it wasn't truffle night they could just serve this dish without them. Not that I am complaining about the abundance of truffles in this meal, it just would've been amazing if the dish and the truffles work together better.

The meal ended with Vanilla and Black Truffles Gelato
I was skeptical of this at first, but as it turned out, black truffles on gelato is an awesome idea. Second favorite dish of the night. Or maybe third after the quail, I don't know. The truffle aroma actually really enhanced the flavor of the vanilla gelato. It's hard for me to describe it, but I will say that I absolutely loved it.

And to think, this 7-course meal was cheaper than my one white truffle pasta dish at Angelini Osteria a year ago. I'll definitely be looking forward to more dinners like this one again! When I accept the fact that service at La Terza tends to be slow, I actually have a really enjoyable meal there.

La Terza
8384 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone: 323.782.8384

La Terza on Urbanspoon

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