The title is a little more optimistic than today’s weather, but yesterday’s unseasonable warmth had many Pittsburghers feeling like it was summer (or at least spring). It may be raining while I write this, but yesterday I took advantage of the weather by heading over to Grasso Roberto Café to try out their newest menu item: spaghetti ice cream.

Last week, the Post-Gazette wrote about about this addition to Bloomfield’s culinary offerings in their “Fresh Find” column. I watch enough Iron Chef to not be shocked at a pasta-flavored ice cream, but I was pleased to read in the PG article that spaghetti ice cream only looks like spaghetti, but tastes like ice cream.

Actually, the confection is made from Grasso Roberto’s homemade vanilla gelato (Italian-style gourmet ice cream), squeezed through through a press into pasta-like strands, then topped with a strawberry sauce. Brownie “meatballs” and shaved white chocolate for parmesan cheese top off the spaghetti effect.

Photo Copyright Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette

Dana Acton, the new owner of Grasso Roberto, found out about the Spaghetti Ice Cream Company while looking for new gelato recipes online. According to the company’s website, the dessert is based on a traditional European dish made with gelato. Dana has brought it back to its roots with Grasso Roberto’s famous homemade gelato, and what better place than Little Italy for this unique Italian treat?

If spaghetti ice cream sounds at all familiar, you may have seen The Classic Spaghetti Ice Cream Maker^® on The Food Network special Gotta Get It: Entertaining from June, November and December 2007:

Grasso Roberto Café is located at 4709 Liberty Avenue, across from St. Joseph’s church in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Little Italy. Outside seating is available during the warmer months, but the café’s large windows offer diners a view of the eclectic action along Liberty Avenue. During yesterday’s lunch, what appeared to be a small fender-bender brought out several emergency-response vehicles and a total of three tow trucks. I snapped a shot of the action with my MacBook:

It wasn’t exactly Little Italy Days, but standing on Liberty Avenue without a jacket for the first time in months made me hungry for more warm weather and cool desserts. Dana filled me in on two other treats she is getting ready to launch: Neopolitan ice cream layered with a liqueur-soaked cake which she is calling Napoleon, and Raspberry Kiss, lemon gelato dashed with Chambord. I had the pleasure of sampling the Raspberry Kiss yesterday, and I was surprised by how creamy the gelato tasted when contrasted with the sharp richness of the black raspberry liqueur.

These and more high-end desserts will be offered as Grasso Roberto extends its weekend hours to 9 PM Thursday–Saturday, starting March 13th. I look forward to seeing you there.