| rev:text
| - I was initially considering copy-and-pasting my review for the Amorino at Town Square. We'll see if this is actually a carbon copy shortly...
The second of its chain to open in Vegas, the Amorino boutique at the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets is between Vilebrequin (whatever that is) and Pandora. It's most readily accessed from parking garage B (the northernmost one), which I learned the hard way when parking at garage A. While I've heard it promoted/hyped as a brick-and-mortar alternative to the kiosk that is the Town Square location, this is actually almost the same deal except for the two seats inside of their window. Therefore, expect to have to use outdoor seating in the middle of the corridor. Aside from the sorbet drinks, which I have yet to try, the menu is the same as the Town Square location, and prices appear to match.
After I stated my express interest in gelato to the employee, she asked me to pay up front. Afterward, I could feel free to sample and order as many flavors as I wanted. I chose the second-largest cup, which ended up being $10.50 after tax for about 10 oz worth of dessert. The flavors were mostly familiar, although the te verde alla menta (green tea w/ mint) and the seasonal cantaloupe seemed new to me. Samples that tasted fine but that I later refrained from ordering include the green tea w/ mint (tasted mostly minty, not tea-y enough), mango (one of their best flavors, just didn't feel like it), two chocolate flavors (a little too milky), Amarena cherry, pistachio, and agrumi (a blend of citrus flavors).
I ended up with six flavors. That cantaloupe was very true to a sweet, ripe cantaloupe, and it was refreshing as a sorbet recipe/texture. I also had the passion fruit sorbetto, which may well be my favorite in Vegas currently. They don't have seeds like Messina does, but the flavor isn't as saccharine sweet, which is a good thing for a tart fruit. The chocolate sorbetto had the purest chocolate flavor for me and was smooth despite lacking milk. The speculoos (basically, cookie butter) was delicious and had a bit of the crunchy biscuit to complement the smooth gelato. The hazelnut, one of my already established favorites, was rich and had a few actual hazelnuts mixed into it. Finally, the tiramisu was pretty nice but got a little lost due to its positioning and my forgetfulness. Perhaps I had one flavor too many...
There is no debating that if you want a traditional gelato with perfect texture and rich flavors, you have to visit an Amorino. However, simply having the highest-quality product isn't enough for me. Here are the drawbacks of this place that I've already mentioned:
- The lack of indoor seating still plagues this Amorino shop for those who aren't fortunate. It's an important issue not just because it sucks to be outdoors in the Las Vegas heat, but also because the gelato will melt more quickly.
- Almost all of the great gelato and ice cream shops that I've visited allow you to sample their frozen products freely. This shop forces you into shelling over money before giving you the same unfettered access to samples. This may not be a problem if you already know that you'll buy gelato, but it places too much weight on the first-time visitor. It's just not a very customer-friendly practice, no matter how apologetic the employees might be (they were more "matter of fact" today, but not negative).
- Speaking of which, the pricing also can't be ignored. Yes, the product probably does merit the premium, but few people are just made of money. Starting at $5.50 for a tiny cup and escalating rapidly, the pricing scale just doesn't suit most frequent gelato eaters.
Finally, there is a lack of variety here that just doesn't suit the particular type of gelato junkie that I am. Maybe it'd take longer to happen here, but I can tire easily of the same flavors, as I've realized recently with another local spot. In fact, my gelato fatigue kicked in after visiting them just once a month, not even weekly. Anyway, other places are more inventive than Amorino and churn out new flavors out weekly, and knowing that I'll have something new to try in addition to or even in place of my old favorites is what suits me.
Despite all of the negatives that I've just rattled off, Amorino has a wonderful and seemingly consistent product that largely overcomes those significant issues, so "I'm a fan" is a great description of how I feel. But although "As good as it gets!" might work for the product in a vacuum, I'm not fully sold when considering this store itself and the overall business model.
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