barry reflects on gelati in all it's glory.

and oh how glorious it is!

i'm sure, just like anything, there must be bad gelati in italy, but i'm guessing it's really difficult to find. instead of having the good, the bad and the ugly while sampling my way through the frozen concoctions presented to me, i experienced the good, the better and the oh-my-god! varieties of gelati.


i tried the traditional milk gelati, the sorbetti, new-fangled soy and even a granita or two. all were created using the best ingredients, and all delighted the senses in ways that should not be legal without a prescription.

the great thing about gelati that we get less and less of in north america, is that it tastes real: peach gelato tastes like fresh peaches, not like some chemical compound created to mimic what a peach tastes like. unlike those of us who live in a world where mad science experiments such as the grapple exist and are for sale, italians are sticking to fresh ingredients and some places, like perche no!, even follow the slow food regulations, exponentially increasing their deliciousness factor.

even better than freshness - the flavours are RIDICULOUS. sure there's peach or the ever-present national obsession of nutella, but how about pine nut or toasted sesame and honey or even ricotta and fig (thank snoopy's in cortona for that gem of a flavour)?

so for your next gelati summit meeting, might i suggest firenze's:

vivoli for some really good gelati, such as their peach

perche no! for some truly outstanding delights (the tiramisu flavour will make you want to weep)

and after a quick road trip to the south, gelateria snoopy in cortona for mind blowing tastes where the ricotta and fig is just the beginning.

barry’s angry.

aarrgghh!

has anyone read the march 2009 issue of avenue magazine? they have an article by gail hall of the 25 best things to eat in edmonton. my co-worker showed me the article, knowing full well what i am (an edmonton foodie, dammit!) and that i would appreciate something like this. i start reading; okay the ural burger at high level diner. good burger. is it the best? dunno, but i appreciate the suggestion that this could potentially be a top 25 food in edmonton. i keep reading. a lot of items and restaurants that i haven’t tried yet, but this intrigues me to go out and see if they deserve to be on the top 25 list…but then i arrive at page 38. there noted is the only gelati to make it to this illustrious list and it comes from fantasia gelateria e caffe.

w.t.f.

has the writer ever had real gelato? has she heard of eclectic edmonton gelaterias such as da capo or leva? apparently not, because she seems to think that the best gelato around is supposed to taste like crap and have a terrible grainy texture and is made of various syrups instead of fresh ingredients. maybe she really thinks that’s what good gelato is, but come on people! argh!

okay. okay – i’m okay. breathe.

i could barely read the rest of the 25 bests without scepticism. i mean, how could i trust the writer’s judgement after such an outrageous remark?

For example:

• she lists the shrimp lollipops at wild tangerine (several people have told me they’re overrated, although i haven’t tried them myself to find out)
  
• the turkish egg and spinach pizza at sofra (tried it; WAY better choices at sofra to choose from)


• and other picks she makes seem scandalous in other ways (read: culina highlands)

i don’t know what to feel other than saddened that of all the culinary wonders edmonton has to offer – and it has a lot, believe me – she chose to highlight some of edmonton’s less than stellar choices.

tears.

do you think i’m crazy? let me know what your favourite gelati in edmonton is and why, or what your thoughts were on avenue’s 25 best things to eat in edmonton.