25 January 2010

Coffee & Dessert... In One!

The other night, hubby and I decided to go out for dinner - a little "date night" to break our usual week-night routine. Well, a new pizzeria opened up in our neighbourhood, so we thought we should give it a try. Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria offers a very different dining experience than we are used to on this side of the Atlantic, and in that way, it conjures up wonderful memories of meals enjoyed in Europe. You seat yourself and peruse the menu, then go up to the counter to place your order. A server will bring you your beverages and order when they are ready. The ingredients are fresh and simple - the way food should be. Sauce made from fresh tomatoes and little else, fresh, fragrant basil, creamy, whole-milk mozzarella, on hand-stretched, thin crusts. It all adds up to one delicious meal. Oh, and if you want a nice treat to get your meal started, I highly recommend the Prosciutto wrapped Mozzarella, served with fresh-from-the-oven flatbread and their wonderful tomato sauce.

Now while the whole "sit down, but place your order at the counter" deal might be out of the ordinary here, it is quite common across the pond. The nice part is, when you walk up to the counter, you have to walk past the dessert cooler, filled with all manner of tempting treats - which quickly reminds you that you really must leave room for dessert! Tiramisu, along with at least a dozen different flavours of Gelato... thank goodness you can make your decision while you enjoy your meal.

Hubby went for his trademark bowl of fruit-flavoured gelato (sour cherry I believe), while I indulged in the Italian favourite "Affagato"; a shot of espresso poured over a scoop of ice-cold gelato. Creamy, cool, and electrifying all at once, I decided on the Walnut Gelato - excellent when paired with a strong dose of caffeine. While their gelato is no where near as good as Antonio's over at Da Capo (that man is a gelato genius!), it was the perfect end to a pretty darn good meal.

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