My Mélange

Tour del Gelato: GROM

  By now you should know how I feel about gelato.

  If you don't, well, it is love.  No, it is beyond love.  It borders on obsession.

  But, if you are going to be obsessed about something, you might as well make it gelato.

Ms. Adventures in Italy, who hosts the Tour del Gelato, encourages people to review their favorite gelaterias for all the world to see.

I figured I would join in on the fun!

You see, once you have been to Italy and experienced the real thing, it is really hard to settle for anything less.  

And even harder to find anything resembling authentic Italian gelato.

So, when I realized we'd be headed to New York City , I was over the moon about visiting Grom.

Grom is a real Italian gelato company, that opened it's doors in Turin, Italy in 2003. They quickly established a reputation for high-quality, all natural gelato. Classic Italian flavors made with fresh organic ingredients, in season, grown on their own farms in the best areas of Italy.   

Many more locations sprouted throughout Italy and in 2007, much to my excitement, a New York City store was added to the list.

New York City now has two.  My visit was to the location on Bleecker and Carmine in Greenwich Village.

Normally, there would be a line snaked around the building, but since we visited on a weekday, we lucked out.  No lines to speak of.

This sign greeted us upon entering.  It is a good thing there was no line. Making a selection with this many choices was going to be a time consuming chore.

Nocciola, Fragola, Pesca, Pistacchio and Melone.  Some of my classic favorites.

But then Caffé Espresso and Cioccolato Extranoir were staring me right in the face.

Decisions, decisions.

And lookie here...

I am a huge fan of the salt and caramel combination.  This just made the choice much harder.

And since this gelato is not exactly cheap, the choice is an all important one.

The glass counter that typically displays the gelato selections like a rainbow of colors is strangely absent from Grom, much to my chagrin.

Instead, more of a modern, streamlined counter is acheived with the use of shiny stainless steel lids hiding the flavors below.

Maybe this keeps the gelato fresher, colder or germ free.   Who knows?

We watched others delight in their selections, trying to guess which flavors they were ordering, sneaking peeks under the lids as they were raised, all the while staring intently at the menu, hemming and hawing, trying to choose.

We finally decided to split a large coppetta (cup) for $6.75.  In Italy, I remember that you could squeeze as many flavors into a large as you desired.  This weighed heavily into our decision to share a large, thinking we would taste an abundance of different flavors.

But, then the Grom server snaps me back to the reality that this is the U.S. and a large cup would only allow us three flavors.

Three measly flavors?  Can you believe it?

Somewhat disappointed, we ordered Yogurt, Fragola and the flavor of the month, Caramel.

We grabbed a seat on a bright blue banquette in the area lined with mouth-watering photos of the gelato ingredients and quickly made short work of our gelato. 

 

All of my disappointment quickly subsided as soon as the cold custard hit my lips and the flavors burst forth in my mouth. 

All three flavors were delicious.  It should come as no surprise though that my favorite would be the Caramel.  That is not to say that others weren't great.  The Fragola was very ripe and sweet and the Yogurt has just the right amount of tang.

You could really taste the quality of the ingredients.  

So even though the location, the lack of obvious gelato display, the exorbitant cost and the three flavor rule were a stark reminder that we were far from Italy; the creamy, pure, natural taste and texture of the gelato transported me in an instant to the country I so love.  

And I would have it no other way.

Grom- Bleecker

233 Bleeker at Carmine

Greenwich Village

New York City

212.206.1738

Grom- Broadway

2165 Broadway

Upper West Side

New York City

212.362.1837

NYC...What is it about you?

You're big.  You're loud.  You're tough.

Some of you might remember those lyrics.  They are from a song from the Broadway play, Annie.  They hold a special place in my heart.  

Annie was the first Broadway play I ever saw, and I was lucky enough to play a part in our high school's production of Annie as a teenager.

My first trip down to NYC to see Annie convinced me that I wanted to live there when I grew up. People rushing everywhere, giant buildings, deliciously creative store windows, lots of shopping, hustle and bustle.  

What is not to love?

It looked so exciting. Everybody always in a hurry to get somewhere.  I wanted to be a part of it.

As I got older, I realized that I am a county girl at heart and am happy living close enough to NYC that I can visit anytime I want.

The excitement is only a train ride away.

Our day trip on my birthday did not disappoint.  

We arrived at Grand Central Station.  I made a bee-line for O&Co.  Tasted some goodies, including two of the most delicious and grassy Tuscan olive oils and purchased basil oil and green olive tapenade.

Then it was off to the Central Market. I must tell you, this food market located within Grand Central terminal, has the most wonderful quality produce.  I stood in awe.

We gathered picnic fare like cheese from the King of all cheese shops, Murray's, lobster puffs at Pescatore Seafood, a baguette from Zaro's, white donut peaches and raspberry plums from Greenwich Produce and a little treat from Li-Lac Chocolates.

From here we hopped the subway to Spring Street and exited up the stairs into the bright sunshine with no plan to speak of.

We wandered around SoHo and shopped at some of my favorites.  Sur la Table, Lush, Sabon, Kate's Paperie, Mango, Zara and of course, Sephora.

What girl's trip would not be complete without a Sephora visit?

Shopping bags in tow and stomachs growling, we strolled over to Washington Square Park, grabbed our bench and dove right into our most delicious picnic lunch.

You may ask why we picked this park?  Here, let me show you...

 

Look familiar?  It is a replica of the Arc du Triomphe.  

Always looking for signs of Europe.

Unfortunately, they are replacing the sidewalk here, so the area is fenced off.  This is the closest I could get.

After lunch, while walking along the park perimeter, I spotted this lovely facade.

Upon closer inspection, the plaque told me it was Eleanor Roosevelt's home.

Look at the delicious doorway.  Just lovely.

And another facade.  In honor of our upcoming Moroccan dinner, I thought seeing this was a good sign.

Those colorful mosaic tiles really stood out from the red brick.

Those ornate sconces and detail on the awning completed the look.

Next stop was gelato at Grom.  I will have a review on this in an upcoming post, but I can tell you, it was downright scrumptious.

We strolled toward the East Village in order to get to dinner and we passed some other tempting restaurants.

Oh, if we didn't have reservations already.

We stopped often to window shop at boutiques like this.  This was a great store and I just loved this retro vintage window display.  The church in the background was just as grand.

We were approached many times on the street by people either asking directions or in one instance, looked a bit lost ourselves, a gentleman actually offered to help us.

And people say New Yorker's are rude.  I beg to differ!!

Another observation revolves around change.  New York is a living, breathing, changing being.  

The cafe that once graced your favorite corner, is now an empty space, windows boarded up or whited out.  That boutique relocated and a new florist now occupies it's spot. Businesses come and go, only the best and most well-established carve out their niche and are able to withstand the ever-changing New York market.

We completed the evening with our dinner at Zerza.  Our Morrocan meal was just fabulous.  The spices, the flavors and the mint tea.  All were wonderful.

I would certainly recommend this place for the food.  The service is a bit brisk, so don't go for a leisurely meal, visit for the flavorfully spicy food at a great price.  Our dinner, with appetizers, main dish, drinks and mint tea to finish it off was under $80.  For two.  In NYC. That is a steal!

We were exhausted when we arrived home, after 11pm.  But such is life when you spend the day in the big city!

And it goes without saying that we can't wait to go back and see what the Big Apple holds for us the next time!

NYC: Scenes From the Train

I thought I would share photos taken from the train ride on our way down to NYC.  The tracks hug the Hudson River the whole way down.

Bear Mountain bridge

Old box cars

Sailboats at the Peekskill station

A lighthouse near Croton-Harmon

Can you guess which bridge this is?

It's the Tappan Zee bridge, taking many commuters from New York to New Jersey.

And there it goes...

This is a cool drawbridge near Spuyten-Duyvil.  The actual span moves up and down.  You can see Columbia University to the right.

Coming into the Bronx

Near 125th Street station, right before we go underground headed for Grand Central Terminal.

If your tootsies hurt after walking in the city all day, I found this for you.

Join me on Monday to hear and see what we did in the big city.

 

Have a great weekend!!