We visited our favorite gelato place in New Orleans, La Divina Gelateria. Gelato is the Italian version of Ice Cream, made with milk (rather than cream) and sugar. According to the New York Post, La Divina on Magazine Street in the Garden District of New Orleans has some of the finest gelato in the United States. The flavors are absolutely sublime, and are made on site from scratch from top-shelf ingredients, both local farm fare and imported spices. You won't find any Polysorbate 80 in any of their creations!The shop is immaculately clean, and very family friendly (the owner is a member of the La Leche League). The staff is always attentive, friendly, and unhurriedly eager to share suggestions and samples.
In addition to gelato, you can get sandwiches and espressos.
La Divina is quintessentially New Orleanian. They are a sponsor of (and thus a supplier of) the satirical newspaper The New Orleans Levee ("we don't hold anything back"). To call the Levee "biting" is to describe a pitbull as "snappy."
I enjoyed a bit of prose on the tables. Though it didn't come from The Levee, it nevertheless reflects the uniquely plucky N'wahluns joie de vivre and self-deprecating sense of humor that typifies the spirit of our people.
So, if you come to New Orleans, be sure to make a trip to Magazine Street for a divine experience. Meanwhile, you can vicariously enjoy a bit of a NOLA "dessert" from a table at La Divina:
Living Well is the Best Vendetta
Tony Soprano was a great Bacchus, but he's got this revenge thing all wrong.
Mother Nature and Uncle Sam may have tried to wash us away. The politicians and bureaucrats may be trying to tie us up with red tape. For all we know, the sky is falling too.
Who cares when you're lingering over a cold, creamy gelato and rich and authentically Italian espresso?
It doesn't matter what they try to do to to New Orleans or who's trying to do it to us. We the people declare that our beloved city is here to stay - and we're going to enjoy it to the max! So, if the frustrations of life are starting to get to you, allow us to be the balm on your wounds, the cool hand dabbing your fevered brow, the refreshing breeze whispering through the hot summer day of your aggravation.
Show the world what we're made of, treat yourself to another five minutes of divine relaxation here in La Divina.
Mmmmmm. Gelato and espresso together. Haven't tried that. Yet.
ReplyDeleteWhen I visit Boston, I like to get gelato at Quincy Market. Gelato and a canolli. I love the nut flavored gelatos (hazelnut and pistachio, though preferably ground so you don't see any), especially.