Little Italy: Gelato Amore Does Savory Gelato, Sorbet

Real Italian gelato is rich, creamy and can be the exquisite simplicity of just one flavor or a layered m & #233;lange of custom blended tastes.

Orange County has a new place to savor Italian ice creams, Gelato Amore in University Center in Irvine. The gelateria setting also is authentic, offering a simple but engaging place conducive to socializing.

Gelato Amore only uses the finest nuts, chocolate and liqueurs. They are imported from a family factory in Milan, which has been producing ice cream ingredients since 1929. The freshest fruits and highest quality cream are bought locally for the gelato, which is made fresh daily in small batches. Absolutely no artificial ingredients or coloring is used.

State-of-the-art equipment brings technology to a new level in producing the creamiest, richest flavors, even though the gelato contains about 60% less butterfat than typical American ice cream. The equally suave sorbets are free of dairy products, fat and cholesterol.

Traditional Italian flavors such as stracciatella (chocolate shards), tiramisu (reminiscent of the national dessert), cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e and pistachio join trendy custom flavors making use of ingredients such as blueberries, cabernet wine and even ginger.

Gelato Amore also offers take-home desserts in pint or quart sizes, as well as catering services. Gelato Amore: 4187 Campus Drive, Irvine, (949) 872-2488. The store is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Speaking of European desserts, here’s a personal travel thought: If and when you are next in Paris, you must go to l’Ile St. Louis, one of the islands in the middle of the Seine, to have Berthillon French ice creams and sorbets that are famous all over Europe.

These ice creams are of the French custard variety: decadently rich, as creamy as a confection can be, intensely flavored with prime ingredients and loaded with calories.

But never mind the extra calories in the scoop or two we consume since we don’t do this all the time, only whenever we happen to be in this gloriously beautiful city. To my mind, it’s ridiculous to miss Berthillon.

If you go to the Berthillon shop, there will probably be a line, and you will be required to buy at least tea or coffee along with the ice cream or sorbet.

But there are several pastry shops on the island that also serve Berthillon ice creams, many of them offered at to-go windows.

On one of our trips to Italy, which we ended with a few days in Paris, we were talking to locals in Florence when the subject of gelato came up. The manager of the restaurant we were in, of course an Italian, offered that while Italy is partially famed for its gelato traditions, there was nothing on the continent quite equal to the ice cream of Berthillon.

On our first day in Paris, I made my husband Patrick walk five miles round-trip from our hotel to Berthillon with me. We’ve been repeating it on each subsequent trip.

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Who would have thought that the debut of a parking structure would make big points in this column? When it’s right outside one of our favorite restaurants and when it’s in a center that needed extra parking badly.

We’re speaking of Thaifoon, Taste of Asia at the Irvine Spectrum Center. This better access to Thaifoon means that you can take advantage of yet another particularly generous dining offer without the annoyance of driving around the parking lot in search of an empty parking slot.

You must visit Thaifoon before the end of November to get $10 off your bill of $25 or more. It’s the restaurant’s way of saying thanks to customers.

Actually, since there’s also another Thaifoon in Newport Beach, you can take advantage of the offer there, too.

Just in case you are one of the few who have never been to either of Thaifoon restaurants, here’s a bit of what you are missing.

Featured is some of the best Asian fusion food and beautifully envisioned surroundings. Their stylishness relies on the finesse of Asian sensibility and serenity balanced with just the right amount of energy (lively places but sophisticated enough for controlled noise, so conversation always can flow easily). Stainless steel and walls of waterfalls and bamboo meet old and new Asian artifacts adorning it all.

While the name leads us to believe these are temples of Thai food,and there are plenty of Thai dishes on the menu,there are Chinese- and Japanese-influenced dishes as well as plenty of signature dishes that blend Asian cuisines of more than one culture.

This food is mild and delicious to the American palate and both concept and taste have won it the highest accolades in the restaurant industry awards and recognition categories. Most restaurants only can dream of getting the positive national press from the harshest critics that Thaifoon continues to enjoy. Really, it’s like treating your tastebuds to a special party.

So, do not let the next few days slip away without saving some money on a great meal. Go to www.firedrum.com/00000116/coupon.html and print out a coupon to take along with you.

If you know the Thaifoon menu, then you know what kind of dishes to expect. If not, you will be treated to meat and poultry dishes, fresh seafood and shellfish, noodle and pasta creations that give new meaning to the genre, and vegetable dishes that fully compete on their own. Can you tell that these are among our very favorite restaurants?

On another Thaifoon front, any time you want to wind down, take advantage of after work “Easy Hours” each day with appetizer specials for $1, $2 and $3. Thaifoon in Newport Beach continues its happy hour scene at the bar seven days a week. Appetizers are $3.95 and the drink specials are worth celebrating. At this time of year, you also should know that Thaifoon is the place where you can book your special events and holiday parties starting at $15 per person. From a social cocktail party to a full-fledged Emperor’s Feast function, possibilities for an impressive gathering abound.

Remember to print and use your $10 discount coupon before the end of the month at either Thaifoon in Irvine Spectrum, (949) 585-0022, or Thaifoon in Fashion Island, (949) 644-0133.

Upon hearing that Lawry’s Carvery in South Coast Plaza is serving a heftier version of its signature prime rib original sandwich, I did what comes naturally. I called a few friends who always are happy to go on the discovery trail with me and we met at the restaurant.

We munched quite enthusiastically on the bigger and better prime rib sandwich that got us there. But we also branched out and tried several other things. In some cases, we were retrying the food, since a few of us had done all this before and kept coming back for more.

From the opening two years ago, this more casual take on the famed Lawry’s Prime Rib houses has been a success story. Quicker service than a full-scale restaurant, convenient access and good food make it a stop for a meal amid shopping or strolling the glamorous wings of South Coast Plaza.

For those of us who consider a service-intensive, silver cart meal at Lawry’s in Beverly Hills an occasional must, this is a pleasant way to get an easier fix in between.

(Incidentally, everyone does know that the Five Crowns in Corona del Mar is our local Lawry’s touchstone for fine full-service dining?)

Lawry’s Carvery has kept quite true to the quality for which all Lawry’s restaurants are known. But, in the more casual atmosphere it evokes, we order from a blackboard menu that includes several varieties of hand-carved sandwiches, a few entr & #233;e platters, lots of salads, barley or turkey noodle soup and wonderful prime rib chili.

After ordering, you take your numbered marker and sit wherever you like at any of the tables honed from attractive wood. They quickly find you and deliver your order. I especially like sitting on the front fenced “terrace” that faces the walkway where Williams Sonoma is ensconced across the way and Saks is just a few steps further down the corridor.

Sandwiches, all served on artisanal breads and with fresh house-made potato chips, are generously stacked with prime roast beef (done as rare or well as you wish), rotisserie turkey, maple glazed pork that’s also from the rotisserie and barbeque beef brisket.

The rotisserie turkey sandwich sports a cranberry-pear relish; the Lawry’s original turkey version sandwich has Gruyere cheese, tomato and a slathering of both Dijon mustard and mayonnaise. There’s a fine version of a turkey club. The pork sandwich comes with bacon strips, apple chutney, roasted onion, arugula and mayo.

The newly enhanced prime rib sandwich is stacked with thinly sliced meat, with both an au jus sauce for dipping and creamed horseradish sauce on the side.

As fond as I am of the definitive tasting prime rib that’s stacked on the big bun, I am equally smitten with the tender, juicy, really terrific barbecue brisket of beef. Either sandwich style or as an a la carte entr & #233;e with choice of side dish, the smoky barbecue sauce on the brisket and the meat’s inherent rich flavor make it one of the best sandwiches around.

Turkey and pork entr & #233;es join prime rib as platter meals. Side dishes of coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, horseradish mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and cool asparagus spears with lemon aioli sauce, which I usually order, are worthy accoutrements.

Salads are ever popular, of course. From a medley of greens and vegetables on a plate to enhanced versions with meat and all sorts of other added items, they are sufficiently satisfying. Going from greens to goodies, meals can be finalized with a vanilla bean br & #369;l & #233;e, assorted cookies or a really nice version of bread pudding bathed in a rich caramel sauce.

Soups and salads are $3.50 to $9.99, sandwiches $7.99 to $11.99, entr & #233;e platters $11.99 and $12.99. Lawry’s Carvery is unpretentious, but it is quite good and delivering on Lawry’s promise of quality. Be sure to check out the bigger, revamped, prime rib sandwich, which speaks for sure of perfection.

The restaurant is located on the upper level of South Coast Plaza, next to Macy’s Men’s Store, (714) 434-7788.