Even on brisk January days, New Yorkers crave ice-cold sweet treats after their savory lunch breaks. My friend Alonso Manon from Boston University visited Manhattan for a week, and we both craved dessert.
This month is international student appreciation month, and many vendors in the New York University area are offering discounts to all students to celebrate. Manon, from Mexico City, was ecstatic to join me in tasting the various flavors that Amorino had to offer. The dessert spot, located just around the corner from the main NYU campus, specializes in their coned, creamy gelatos.
To start, I enjoyed a thick hot chocolate topped with a mountain of whip cream and chocolate drizzle. Manon ordered a large sage-green pistachio latte.
“The pistachio flavor was not overly strong, and blended well with the coffee,” Manon said. “You can taste that they use real pistachios. It wasn’t very sweet and had a nutty aftertaste. For the price and quality, I would definitely go here for a latte over major chains like Starbucks.”
Before the main dessert, he also indulged in their unique hot chocolate affogato. One staff member poured the hot chocolate over the ice cream in front of us, enhancing our experience at the quaint shop.
“The hot chocolate was rich but went really well with the ice cream,” he reviewed. “I usually don’t like chocolatey things, but this might have been my favorite item.”
Our main events were the macaron signature cone and gianduiotto signature cone. My personal favorite were the hazelnut and dulce le leche petals of the gelato flower, though the blueberry cheese cake and caramel were also delicious flavors. My cone had a chocolate rim, while Manon’s cone came with a singular pistachio macaron.
“I got straticella, coffee, coconut, and pistachio,” he noted. “The flavors went together perfectly, and I love the way they serve the ice cream like flower petals. Even though I might not want to pay more for the macaroon, mostly because the ice cream is filling enough, I still would recommend trying it at some point if you are looking to try one for the first time.”
