Ever since Siena Tavern opened in early 2013, diners have been raving about the delicious desserts, specifically the range of fun gelato flavors (red velvet! birthday cake! krispy caramel fudge! cinnamon mascarpone!). So when the good folks over at Siena contacted me to see if I would be interested in a little gelato taste-testing, I just knew I was in for a delicious treat.
The gelato at Siena Tavern is a result of their mastermind pastry chef Amy Arnold. Chef Arnold's mother was a home economics teacher and made nearly everything from scratch - it was in her late mother's recipe box that she found the formula that served as the basis for her impressive range of gelati. After years of concocting, taste testing, and tweaking, Arnold finally perfected her recipe and implemented her amazing product at Siena Tavern (where she hand churns each flavor nightly!). Thanks to the newly available pints to-go, you can now enjoy Arnold's handiwork not only in the restaurant but also from the comfort of your own home (just check the menu for the daily flavors).
I invited Diana to join me for the taste-testing (because as much as I would love to, I really don't need to eat four pints by myself). ;-) We kicked off our night with one of the featured summer flavors, Crème Brûlée. The rich vanilla gelato with crunchy pieces of caramel won Diana's heart early on; ultimately, she proclaimed this to be her favorite of the night.
We then moved on to the one I was looking forward to the most (and the one that ended up as my top pick!): Brown Butter Peanut Fudge. I don't know what I liked more - the nutty, creamy brown butter gelato, the massive fudge core, or the salty peanut mix. So much goodness!
After a mini water and Cooking Channel break (we got sucked into an Extra Virgin marathon), we reconvened to check out the final two flavors. Diana remembered that she had some sugar-free Albergian blueberry compote (sold at Eataly!) and thought it would pair well with the rich Vanilla gelato... so, so perfect together!
Finally, we closed out the night with a little Salted Caramel. We both *loved* the potent saltiness of the caramel ribbons (the salt is really at the forefront, unlike with some other brands). Such a perfect ending to a delicious night!
Gelato pints are available for purchase exclusively at Siena Tavern: 51 W Kinzie St., Chicago, IL.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary meal to facilitate this post. Review and all opinions are my own.
Holy crap, that brown butter gelato sounds fantastic!
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