Tag Archives: gelato

Balena

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I am loving all the amazing restaurants in Chicago, and Balena is most definitely one to add to the “amazing” list. I went there last week and was blown away by it. It was sort of a last minute decision, so we didn’t have reservations and ended up sitting at the bar – which didn’t really matter; it was still a great dining experience.

I went with two friends and among the three of us, we shared one bottle of wine, two pizzas, and two desserts. Everything was excellent.

For the pizzas, we chose a simple one with mozzarella, basil, and tomato and one with spicy sausage, red onion, tomato, and mozzarella. Both were good, but the sausage one was my favorite. They weren’t kidding about the “spicy” part either and, while I generally don’t like spicy foods, it worked here. The spiciness gave the pizza a nice kick and made it memorable.

For dessert, we had the affogato, which was vanilla gelato and espresso with cinnamon sugar donuts on the side. The donuts were delicious and the perfect thing for dunking in the affogato.

We also ordered the vanilla gelato sundae, which came with a chocolate chip cookie, malted chocolate sauce, and “toasted milk.” The menu lists the “toasted milk” in quotation marks, and I’m not quite sure what that means or what it is, but I’m almost sure it was what made the sundae crazy delicious. Seriously, I wasn’t that excited about the prospect of a vanilla sundae, but it was amazing and I would definitely order it again.

Before we went, I read an incredibly over-the-top rave review (using phrases like “whale of a restaurant,” “pastas dazzle,” and “desserts are created by Amanda Rockman, whose compositions are so beguiling she might consider changing her name to Amanda Rockstar”). So, needless to say, expectations were high. But you know what? Balena met them.

The Details: Balena | 1633 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60614 | 312.867.3888

Iorio’s Gelateria

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I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but in Ann Arbor, spring has come ridiculously early. Of course, it’s possible that spring hasn’t come early and we’ll be getting a lovely April snowstorm soon. I’m choosing not to dwell on that, however, and am opting to love this weather.

Seriously, the last few days have been glorious. I’ve had two classes outside (classes outside? I feel like I’m in middle school again!), the Quad is jam-packed with people playing soccer, reading, and lounging around, and Dominick’s is open. Dominick’s! In mid-March. I feel this is unprecedented.

You know what else is good in warm weather? Ice cream. And not just your average ice cream, but gelato, which is clearly the best kind. I’ve been meaning to check out Iorio’s Gelateria ever since I got back to Ann Arbor last fall, and this week the weather seemed perfect for it.

I ordered a combination of creme de menthe and Italian coffee. My review? Freaking delicious. Every time I walk down East William now, Iorio’s will be calling my name. Dangerous.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for real gelato from Italy, but this was one of the best I’ve ever had stateside. Honestly. I’m glad I can get this treat so close to home, although it does make me want to go back to Italy (like NOW) for times like this:

The above picture was taken in 2005, in Siena. The beginning of my gelato obsession, you might say. And seriously? That trip feels like it was yesterday, and yet somehow it was SEVEN years ago?

Where does time go? How am I in my mid-twenties already? I need more gelato.

Mirror Me

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I found a cool webiste, Mirror Me, that allows you to create a word cloud based on who you follow on Twitter. I thought my results were kind of amusing.

  • Do I really follow that many figure skaters on Twitter? And is that embarrassing? (yes)
  • What the heck does “a lot” tell me? That one was strange.
  • Some of my favorite random small words: grosgrain, tyrant, and dramatical. Dramatical? Whaaaaa?
  • Totally not surprised about these words: author, tennis, comedian, Olympic, and Entertainment Weekly. And, even though it’s a tiny one, gelato. Mmmm, gelato.

A2 Bucket List: Zingerman’s Deli

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Number 1 on my Ann Arbor Bucket list was to have a sandwich at Zingerman’s.

What can I say about Zingerman’s that hasn’t already been said somewhere by someone else? It’s an Ann Arbor institution. It’s delicious. It’s a tad bit pricey. Aziz Ansari loves it. And, it is fantastic.

First, I spent some time browsing around the shop. So many cool products for sale. It’s times like these I wish I was still employed and could spend $40 on a bottle of olive oil.

Then, while I waited for my sandwich, I stopped by their bakery next door and grabbed some gelato. Back story: I read in People magazine that Mario Batali loves their ginger gelato. My first reaction was: that’s disgusting. Ginger gelato? I mean, doesn’t that sound kind of strange? My second reaction was: I’m going to try it and find out for sure.

Verdict: it’s pretty tasty, actually. A little too ginger-y for me, but I guess that’s kind of implicit in the name. It’s definitely not a gelato I’d select on a regular basis, but it was an interesting experience. I’d give it an unexpected thumbs up.

Finally, the main reason for my visit – a sandwich. I chose the #27, “Pat and Dick’s Honeymooner,” which is described as “smoked turkey breast, Wisconsin muenster & sweet-hot honeycup mustard on grilled challah bread.” It was yummy, but the “sweet-hot” mustard was a little heavy on the “hot” for me. I also got a gigantic pickle. When they asked me if I wanted a “big” pickle, I forgot that when they say big, they aren’t kidding. That thing was huge. But delicious. (I really want to say “that’s what she said” right now, but that’s way too immature, right?)

Anyway…here it is:

And that was my glorious day at Zingerman’s. 6 down, 54 to go!

Travel Notes: Cefalu

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In May and June of 2011, I spent 5 weeks traveling around Europe. This post is one of a series chronicling the different places I visited on that trip.

After Palermo, our next major stop on our tour of Sicily was Cefalu, a lovely, small seaside town. We arrived in the late afternoon, stopping just outside the city to get a few pictures. It was spectacular:

On our first night, we took an orientation walk around Cefalu and then stopped with our group for some gelato in the town’s main square. This seems as good a time as any to proclaim that, much like cannoli, gelato in Italy is damn near perfect. It’s also super dangerous, because what with all the walking you do while exploring places, it’s easy to convince yourself it is okay to have gelato whenever you want.

Our walk continued until we reached the shore, and we arrived just in time to see a gorgeous sunset over the water. Also right around that time, a wedding party was taking pictures nearby, and our tour guide got us all to chant “bacia, bacia” (kiss, kiss!). It was a cool moment, and the bride and groom were good sports about it. The whole wedding party seemed quite amused by us, this group of American tourists chanting and taking pictures of them.

The next morning began with a climb up La Rocca, the big rock fortress Cefalu sits at the foot of. We didn’t go all the way to the very top, but we did get to a nice bluff pretty high up with great views of the town, harbor, and cathedral below. I’m not a huge fan of hiking, but – like most hikes – once we got to the top, it all seemed worth it.

After our hike, mom and I headed to a restaurant near the water for lunch. The place we ended up picking was a little too touristy for my tastes, and the food was unremarkable, but it did serve up a nice, strong midday cocktail – so at least there’s that. Then, we walked around near the water for awhile, just relaxing. It seemed too cold to swim, so we just dipped our feet in – and even that was a little too chilly for me!

Later in the afternoon, we visited the Duomo (cathedral) of Cefalu. It was beautiful but not quite as remarkable as other churches I’ve visited around Italy. However, one thing I do find remarkable is how such a small place can have such a big cathedral – and, it seems, you find these lovely churches in towns all over Italy, no matter how small the place.

Then, as our reward for our morning hike, we grabbed some gelato and sat in the square for awhile (okay, full disclosure – we probably would have eaten gelato even if we had slept all morning instead of hiking).

In the evening, we all met up on our hotel’s terrace for pre-dinner drinks. Then, we headed to dinner at Al Porticciolo, where we ate out on the deck, overlooking the water at sunset – which is obviously a pretty spectacular dinner ambiance to have. And – continuing a glorious theme on this trip – we had another feast of a meal, including this:

And this:

And of course this:

The dishes were:

  • Primi: 2 kinds of pasta: a risotto with asparagus and shrimp and a penne with swordfish, tomatoes, artichokes, and other assorted goodness
  • Secondi: a gigantic piece of swordfish (“very delicious,” I wrote in my journal that night.)
  • Dolci: a cannoli AND a piece of very rich, very sugary cake (because why would they give everyone just one dessert?)

As I write this, I realize my entries for Rome and Palermo ended the exact same way – with a delicious meal. We were very lucky in Italy, indeed.