Sant Ambroeus

For almost a year now, I have been following a list. I love following lists - I'm watching all the Oscar winning films, reading all the Pulitzer Prize plays, and eating all of Time Out New York's Top 100 Things We Ate and Drank. Thanks to TONY, I have discovered some great dishes all across the city and I'm almost complete (besides the closed restaurants and seasonal items that are now long gone).

This project has finally brought me to some gelato. The other night, I went to Sant Ambroeus, an Italian bistro, in the West Village (there's also a location on the Upper East Side), in search of another of my list items: gelato!

I have eaten brunch at Sant Ambroeus a few years ago and enjoyed the ambience and the food. The most memorable moment was being watched by a little boy from inside, who surprisingly turned out to be the precocious son of Matthew Broderick. And now I've come back during a busy Friday night to try nothing be gelato.

At the side of the bar, they had a small little gelato freezer and it definitely was not your typical take-out window. Amongst West Village diners, we picked our flavors from about ten options that the bartender told us verbally. There may have been the sampling option, but due to the unique environment, I felt it may not be appropriate.

I settled on traditional Italian flavors: mint chip and hazelnut. For $3.50, the one scoop was quite small. But the gelato was creamy and soft and very enjoyable. The mint flavor was not as authentic as I expect but the chip pieces were well distributed. The hazelnut was nice and nutty, if a bit artifical.

Overall, this is a pretty standard gelato option. If you're having a meal at the restaurant, a gelato serving is worth it. But if you're just walking by, Grom is a few blocks away and, in my opinion, a better gelato destination.