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My favorite movie quote is: “Dessert is the whole point of a meal.” In my case last night, dessert was my dinner. (Mothers, nutrionists, and skinny supermodels all over Los Angeles just shuddered for some reason.) After a trip to Al Gelato, I’m glad I skipped a complete meal and went straight for dessert. Al Gelato is a tiny little cafe that’s been around since 1978 (according to their menu). Their desserts have been recognized by Zagat, Time Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, and The Hollywood Reporter. Desserts include: gelati (plural for gelato), homemade tiramisu, deep dish apple pie, cannoli, bread pudding, and various pies. On my visit, I went straight for the gelati.

So what exactly is the difference between gelato and ice cream? Well, even though gelato means ice cream in Italian, gelato is actually creamier than American ice cream. If I recall correctly - readers, feel free to jump in with comments here - this occurs because when combining all the ingredients, less air goes into the mix in making gelato than in ice cream.

So the following is what I learned about selecting gelati at Al Gelato: Skip the pear and go for the orange if you want something fruity. If you want something very chocolaty, go for the chocolate hazelnut. If that’s too rich for your taste buds to handle, add a scoop of french vanilla in and mix it together. You can never go wrong with chocolate chip or mint chocolate chip. Here’s the best advice I have to offer: Find out what you want for yourself with the free tastes! Just like at Baskin Robbins, Al Gelato will give you a little spoon to sample the flavors. I was really happy with my experience there, and the gelato made my night.

I do have some words of warning though. Al Gelato is not cheap. Two scoops in a cup to go was about $3.75, but if you want it in the wafer cone with whipped cream, it’ll be $4.95. No matter what, I strongly recommend buying to go because in addition to dessert, Al Gelato also serves sandwiches ($7.75-$11.50), pasta ($8.95-$13.95), soups (small $5.50, large $9.25), salads ($9.50-$9.95), and pizzas (small $9.50-$15.95, large $12.50-$19.95). The cafe tries to make room in their already limited space for them, which can add to the cost of dessert diners. The menu clearly states:

Al Gelato is a full service restaurant. Accordingly, cones, styrofoam cups, pints and quarts are carry out items only, and will not be served at the table. This policy is strictly enforced! Only children, ages 10 and younger, will be allowed to occupy a table with a cone or a cup. Adults will be charged the full table service rate.

This means even if all you’re having is just dessert, you may wind up paying over $10 plus tip if you want a table. You should also know that Al Gelato is cash only.

Parking there is miserable. Robertson is a very busy street, and the much desired metered parking spots are often taken. When my friend and I went last night, the parking gods were smiling down on us and gave us a spot right in front of Al Gelato’s doors. Your best bet when the parking gods don’t see you is to try the cross street, Gregory Way.

Al Gelato is open Tuesdays through Sunday from 10am until midnight. Personally, I think their gelati is worth all the inconveniences. If you’re just not that big of a dessert fan, Al Gelato’s potato gnocchi, rigatoni, and meatballs with anything were all highly recommended to me.

806 S Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035-1601
(310) 659-8069

By the way, bonus brownie points to anyone who can identify which B-flick my favorite movie quote comes from.

By Pauline (see more of her posts).