Gelato and Coffee in Austin

[foodie52]

Hey, Austin egulleteers! There's a new place called Babbo's in 26 Doors , at 35th , just across from Seton Hospital. Check it out. It's owned and run by Matthew Lee: his mom runs the CM cooking school in Houston.

Matthew has his recipes down! His gianduja gelato is to die for, as was the melon ( imagine pairing a melon gelato with some prosciutto....) The coffee is excellent: it's not the canned coffee variety. Ask him about where he gets his beans.

I stop in every morning on my way to work for an espresso. I really want his business to make it, purely for selfish reasons! Try it out. Tell them I sent you.

[coolranch]

Cool! The Mr. is in that area as I type. He's been instructed to bring home gelato.

[pat]

I read about this place today in the Austin Chronicle...made me hungry for gelato.

Maybe we can sample some of his best offerings at the Sept. ice cream social.

[NewYorkTexan]

Foodie52, thanks for pointing Babbo's. This place is getting an incredible buzz around town.

We went there today and it is hard not to really like this place. The patio was packed and there was a line 6 -7 people deep waiting to order. It was slightly frustrating waiting in line as each person sampled an average of 6-7 different flavors before deciding on their selections. It took us 25 minutes to finally place our order, but well worth the wait.

The gelato and sorbetto selection is impressive. They allow you to pick two flavors with the small dish and I went with a combo of Chocolate/hazelnut and zabaglione….I was a happy camper. Sharon had cappuccino and dark chocolate, both flavors were excellent.

Can not wait to go back and try different flavors and the coffee products.

It will be wonderful in the Fall when Babbo’s fire up the fireplace on the patio.

Edited July 13, 2003 by NewYorkTexan (log)

[foodie52]

Sorry you had a long wait, but on the other hand, I'm delighted the place was busy!! As business picks up, I bet they'll hire more people.

I only hope they can stay in business. Please spread the word...

[NewYorkTexan]

Another thought is that they might want to raise there prices. $2 for their generous sized small is like they are almost giving the gelato away.

Maybe I will go back tonight to try a few more flavors....

[sunone]

hey, all.

i work at the school for the blind just down the street and imagine my delight when i found a coupon for a free serving in my inbox this morning.

as soon as i can convince my friend to join me for a lunch treat, i'm there!

[NewYorkTexan]

Interesting article in the paper today:

Statesman (scroll to the bottom)

Babbo's needs new name -- can you help?

Celebrity chef Mario Batali's food empire may be based in New York, but its tentacles are reaching here.

In a "cease and desist" letter, Batali's lawyers demanded that Matthew Lee change the name of Babbo's, his Austin gelato and coffee shop. Seems that Batali has trademarked the term, which is Italian for "papa."

So Lee is putting his best scoop forward. He's holding a contest to come up with a new name for his place, and the winner will receive free gelato or coffee drinks for a year (up to $40 a month).

Just stop by the shop in 26 Doors on 38th Street (across from Seton Medical Center) to register your suggestion.

And while you're there, you also can sample the coffee Lee is importing from Caffe Piansa, one of Italy's top, limited-production coffee roasters.

Lee had been visiting Pietro Staderini, the owner of Caffee Piansa in Florence, seeking a deal to directly import the product to Austin. While there, he and his brother, who was his translator, got into an argument.

Staderini laughed, told the Lees they were more Italian than his family and asked Duncan Lee to be his North American distributor.