Over the last two weeks, Alli and I have attempted to live a healthier lifestyle. Which means there will be no fried foods, ice cream, or any other unhealthy meals for a little while. The plus side (aside from loosing a couple pounds) is that Alli and I get to try some new delicious food that is also good for you (hence the Merge post).
This summer a new dessert place opened in the village of Orchard Park; across the street from David’s Grill and next door to 5 de Mayo and Mangia is now Vincenzo’s Italian Ice. A really small and simple location that serves Gelato (an Italian variant of ice cream, imported directly from Little Italy, NYC) and Italian Ice (imported from Philadelphia). Both of those menu items are considerably healthier options then a hot fudge sundae, but they still taste phenomenal.
For those who don’t know, Gelato has about half the fat as ice cream because they generally use water or regular milk instead of heavy cream in the mixing process. They had about 6 flavors ranging form Vanilla, Chocolate, Duche de Leche, etc. For other health “benefits” check out this pretty informative website. They had even more flavors of Italian Ice, and we found out that when you order, you can mix and match them together. Italian Ice actually has no fat and is also non-dairy for those lactose intolerant fans out there, however, it still has a high amount of sugar.
Here’s what we tried, and they were both fantastic:
Chocolate & Duche de Leche Gelato
Strawberry and Banana Italian Ice
Alli loved her Chocolate Gelato but the Dulce De Leche was very rich (so make sure you really love caramel if you order this flavor), the italian ice was fantastic and the strawberry/banana combination tasted like a great smoothie. If you are driving through Orchard Park, I recommend stopping by. It’s a great, and healthier, treat.
how can alli survive without her blue cheese cf subs & mozzarella sticks?
yes this gelato looks somewhat what i got at rome (including the tiny spoon) there’s a gelato shop on every corner in inner-rome and there’s little to no difference between each gelato place. also, you can’t really add condiments on it like hot fudge, whipped cream, caramel, etc. which most people don’t think about. it reminds me of sherbet that way.
Do you knwo if they use water or milk in the gelato at Vincenzo’s? Do they have calorie and fat info available that you know of? Thanks!
Milk. They have a small “about” sign that says they use milk and while there is no nutritional information it does say there is “a lot less fat” than regular ice cream haha..I am not sure what “a lot” is but the owner, who seems to be there most nights, seemed very nice and informative and could probably give you a more detailed answer.
I’m not sure, they had a “about Gelato” sign posted that I didn’t really read in depth, next time i go i’ll make sure to take a closer look.
Wow! Thanks for the fast response!