Passersby on Alvarado Street may have noticed the colorful new Italian cafe tucked into the Monterey Gallerie, Pazzo’s Italian Café. Alongside the splashes of radiant orange, blue, purple and pink paint, and strings of lights in the otherwise muted space, one takes note of the menu, with a range of classics like chicken marsala and pork shoulder brasato at head-scratchingly low prices.
After indulging in the affordable dinner options with a glass of red or white, grab a gelato cup. Mocha Roma is a vanilla gelato with espresso and Guittard chocolate chunks. The Prince draws its character from balsamic reduction and strawberry puree. The lemon liqueur-flavored Limoncello gelato is notable for chunks of caramelized lemon rind that one could almost mistake for apricot in appearance, and which serve as a way to cut the bite of the liqueur with a touch of sweetness. The fruit bits are almost peachy in flavor and also serve as a welcome complement of texture to the gelato itself, which is smooth and velvety.
The sensory experience may drive one into a brain freeze-inducing frenzy, but slow down, swirl the gelato on the palate, and wait for the gummy fruit to unfreeze in your mouth to get the full spectrum of its unique flavor. By the end, you’ll find yourself fat and happy, scraping the bottom of the cup, unsure if you’re feeling euphoric from the atmosphere of bright colors, the red you had with dinner, or the liqueur-infused delicacy itself.