Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Puttis freak me out
I have a feeling this is going to be a hot summer, given the rate that new ice cream and gelato places have been opening up in New York. One of the newest places to open up is Amorino gelato on University. Amorino is an French (yes this threw me off) gelato chain making their first United States debut in New York. I guess if the United States can export Mickey Ds and the Colonel’s chicken, Italy has to fight back and export gelato chains. Gelato places are sprouting up like Baskin Robbins and actually…there are probably more gelato places in the city than Baskin Robbins, someone should research that, not me of course, because I am too busy eating frozen confections. Amorino sets itself apart in which they allow you to have as many flavors as you want. No matter what size cone, cup you get you can get as many flavors as you please so for those indecisive people and abuse the ice cream sampling, this is going to be your downfall.
Amorino spacious with a good amount of seats and has a coffee house vibe going on. For those “writers” out there that work on their “novels” in coffee shops, this could be a summer “office” space change for you. The only downside I personally see to Amorino is the décor which has the Romanticized Tuscany/Roma décor to it and a step above the Olive Garden. It has the aged looking marble and puttis everywhere. Puttis are those naked little baby cupid looking “things” prominent in Renaissance/Baroque art. Every time I see them, I cringle and shudder, I know they are suppose to be like little angel dudes, but they creep me out. However, I ignored my weird fear of puttis and forged through.
After paying, you give your receipt to one of the…wait is there a name for the gelato people scoopers? I feel there is a cool name for them, if anyone knows let me know. Anyways, I opted for a medium cup and I decided to only go for 4 flavors. Sure by theory I could have gone with a scoop of each but I was not in a mean mood and there is a point of diminishing returns if you load up on too many flavors. I think the 4 range was a good balance for the medium and if you go larger, 6 flavors should be where you limit yourself. Amorino has a vast array of flavors and had the most selections of chocolate gelatos. I went for the salted caramel, the pistachios, amoretto and speculoos which are one of the most awesome flavors/treats that people need to be made aware of. Speculoos is a gingerbread-like spiced shortbread cookie originating from the Netherlands and are a delectable treat. Amorino is also known for; according to their website is making petals with your ice cream so that your cone or cup looks like a budding rose. As you can see from the picture, although the gelato is a bit neater in presentation, it does not look like a budding flower of any sort maybe I needed to get it in a cone or I got a gelato scooper person that was still learning? However, I was more interested in how the gelato tasted rather than if it looked like a flower.
 |
| Does not look like a flower...but it is tasty |
Overall, the gelato at Amorino was the creamiest gelato I have ate by far. Although it was creamy, the flavors were still distinct and clean. The salted caramel had right sugary depth, but I did not really have the saltiness I was looking for. The pistachio flavors were subtle and I would have liked a bit more of the nuttiness to come through. The Amoretto was packed with almond goodness but I personally thought it was a bit too sweet. The Speculoos though lived up to the expectations and tasted like speculoos spread (love peanut butter but speculoos spread is in another league). Sprinkled with bits of speculoos cookie, the gelato had a hint of ginger to it and the warm speculoos spices and tasted exactly like speculoos. Despite the décor and the lack of flowering gelato, Amorino is a solid competitor with its multiple gelato flavors. I heard that their ice cream sandwich with brioche is quiet good and served warm, bread and gelato, two of my favorite things together? Of course I will be back!
Amorino
60 University Pl.
New York, NY 10003
http://www.amorino.com/en/
No comments:
Post a Comment