Hi @TheCookie,
Yah that’s the one. 
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For our first time out the lovely wife and I hit up Leo’s for pasta and gelato. We dined on the patio, easily six feet or more away from the other three parties there when we arrived. Leo was in a great mood, more effusive than I have ever seen him. The food was wonderful, of course. I chose the two item and gelato option while my wife had just a pasta. We added foccacia and the wine pairing.
I started with the pici,
which was excellent.
Of course we had foccacia,
,
which was perfect. I am a pretty good baker, but I am just not sure how he does this. This dough is definitely a slow rise. He must put an egg wash on it to get the crust and douse it with olive oil, butter and salt. Has to be a very wet dough to get that kind of texture. Whatever he does I am in awe.
There were two raviolis on the seasonal special menu tonight. My wife got the carne with assorted meats and cheeses sauced with an arugula pesto,
,
excellent!
I ordered the seafood option stuffed with assorted fish and shellfish sauced with a lobster reduction,
,
this was excellent as well. The wines Leo served paired wonderfully with each course, although as a red person I liked the full bodied red served with my wife’s meat ravioli better than the light red served with my seafood.
We finished with an order of peach sorbetto, which may be the finest peach dessert I have ever had. I didn’t take a picture because it was getting dark, and it wasn’t exactly photogenic, but we both kept wondering if there was anything other than peaches and a bit of sugar in it. So good! @paranoidgarliclover this will be your holy grail.
As a bonus Leo was giving away jars of pesto for Father’s Day.
I know a lot of us are worried about eating out again, but Bulgarini is about as safe as it can be, and the ambience was wonderful. Happy to report that Leo’s business is hopping. Besides the dining crowd there were at least six gelato walk-up parties, and several take-out orders while we were there.
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Glad you two had such a nice meal out with the now-even-more-ebullient Leo!
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He mentioned you, and (don’t get a swelled head) how much he likes you. He is very disappointed he can’t do the Tuscan food tour this year, which sounds wonderful.
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Hehehe… I was there not too long ago. I still have half a kilo of his finest stuff remaining in my freezer. My head isn’t swollen - but I do admit I get sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia more these days. ;-D
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Too much gelato…
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HI @ebethsdad,
Thanks for the great report back. So glad you enjoyed your meal on the outdoor patio with Leo.
I love his peach sorbetto as well!
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Hi @J_L,
How is this possible?! Wouldn’t you have finished it off within a few hours (or maybe a day) of bringing it back from Leo’s? 
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How many kilos did I buy? 
#SubZero>Scorpion
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Oh, gawd, I gotta pace myself! But I do wonder, sometimes, if sorbet works better for fruit flavors that can have some tartness.
BTW, did he change the focaccia recipe sometime back? I remember when I first went there many yrs ago, the focaccia looks similar to the stuff Pasta Sisters makes (no shiny, cripsy crust). And then maybe 1-2 yrs ago, the shape and crust changed (looking like the stuff you photographed). I agree that the focaccia is marvelous (I really could just eat a whole meal from that).
Glad you had a great meal!
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Update 6 (To-Go):
With Summer (and the heat) arriving, it was time for a revisit:
Bulgarini Gelato is slowly opening up for limited dine-in (outside with a few tables set up and a nice cloth overhang):
Looking over their current offerings, FTC alert:
- Leo is offering all 4 of his incredible Nut-based Gelato right now (Pistachio, Almond, Hazelnut and Macadamia Nut)!
We failed in the @J_L @PorkyBelly OOE, but it was still worth the drive. 
Strawberry Sorbetto:
Probably the most incredible Strawberry Frozen Dessert to enjoy right now! 
The intensity and aroma of however many thousands of fresh local Strawberries somehow distilled down into Leo’s masterful frozen Sorbetto form! It’s SO GOOD!
Hazelnut Gelato:
I don’t even know how to do this justice any more: If you have never tried Leo Bulgarini’s Hazelnut (or Pistachio, or Almond, or Macadamia Nut Gelato) it is a must order. Take one bite and you will understand why @J_L @PorkyBelly @ipsedixit @kevin and so many other FTC veterans count this is a culinary highlight of L.A.
Taking a bite: It’s like the most intense, stunning, beautiful concentrated flavor of outstanding Roasted Hazelnuts but somehow in a delectable frozen form. (@TheCookie @attran99 @paranoidgarliclover @Ns1 and others!)
Peach Sorbetto:
It’s stone fruit season, and that means Leo Bulgarini is bringing back his incredible Peach Sorbetto! Taking a bite:
It’s as @ebethsdad said: This is hands down the most concentrated flavor of pure in season fresh Peaches in frozen form in L.A. / O.C. right now! It’s just lovely Peach all the way through, not weighed down by cream or fat. For all the Peach lovers out there. (@paranoidgarliclover @hanhgry @J_L @PorkyBelly and others.)
Stracciatella with Lemon Gelato:
Leo’s legendary Stracciatella (Chocolate Chip) is now served with fresh Lemon, and somehow it makes it even better! You get the lovely light, creamy, Stracciatella, the chunks of Valrhona Dark Chocolate chunks add beautiful texture and lovely real Chocolate taste, but the fresh Lemon elevates and lightens each bite!
It is incredible!
Zabaglione Gelato:
Delicate, nuanced, Leo decides to make his version of Zabaglione in Gelato form, with a wonderful eggy, creamy Custard and Marsala Wine! 
Sicilian Almond Gelato:
As mentioned previously, we found out that Leo sources these Italian Almonds from the same farm in Sicily, Italy that he sources his incredible Pistachios from. The fragrance of these Roasted Almonds is absurd.
It tastes like thousands of Roasted Sicilian Almonds somehow distilled and concentrated in every bite of this incredible Sicilian Almond Gelato!
And as before, we decided to do a hack: Leo’s Sicilian Almond with his Stracciatella (Chocolate Chip), and it’s like the most ridiculous (much better) “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup”.
I can’t decide if I like Bulgarini’s legendary Pistachio Gelato (that J. Gold waxed poetic about), or the Sicilian Almond, or the Hazelnut or the Macadamia Nut Gelato.
Then again, the Strawberry Sorbetto is out of control. With stone fruit season, his Peach Sorbetto is crazy. He has Tuscan Melon in right now as well(!), and even something as seemingly simple as his Vanilla Gelato is the most incredible Vanilla you have ever tasted!
The only solution is to order one of each.
Hours (during Pandemic):
Tues - Sun, 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Bulgarini Gelato
749 E. Altadena Drive
Altadena, CA 91001
Tel: (626) 791-6174
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Beautiful pictures as always! You and @PorkyBelly are keeping this site
alive more than any of us. Still not sure how you can eat that much frozen dessert without developing
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It looks it. I read a Nancy Silverton quote about a strawberry or a strawberry dessert “It tastes red”. That Sorbetto looks like it tastes red.
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Hi @ebethsdad,
Thank you for the kind words. It was your reminder that Leo had Peach Sorbetto that got us out there again. I’ll have to try the new pastas next time.
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Update (To-Go 3):
And just in time for the scorching heat, it felt like a revisit to Gelato Maestro Leo Bulgarini was in order.
Bulgarini Gelato has opened up a whole patio section with covered awning for partial shade during the day. It actually was inviting and relaxing to sit in the open air.
Cannoli con Ricotta Romana:
For those that haven’t had it before, Leo Bulgarini makes his own Cannoli from scratch (of course he does!). The Cannoli shells are crunchy, fresh-tasting and the special Ricotta he gets from Rome, Italy is incredible! He mixes that with Valrhona Chocolate chunks and some fresh Orange Zest to create a light, airy, creamy Cannoli!
Tuscan Melon Sorbetto:
For all our FTC’ers wanting to try some chilled Melon Dessert, look no further than Bulgarini’s Tuscan Melon Sorbet:
First, there’s an incredible fragrance coming from the chilled Tuscan Melon Sorbet before you even take a bite. Then you take a bite…
Stupid good! Pure, powerful, gorgeous, big Tuscan Melon flavors come through in every bite. As @J_L discussed earlier, there are issues with Melon in Ice Cream, but then that’s why Leo Bulgarini realizes this and serves his Melon-based offerings in Sorbet form and extracts the most incredible natural flavors from it.
Hands down the most concentrated Melon flavor we’ve had in frozen form since I can remember! Incredible!
(@J_L @PorkyBelly @attran99 @TheCookie @paranoidgarliclover @ebethsdad @js76wisco @A5KOBE @hanhgry and others.)
Chocolate Gelato:
As before, Leo uses 85% Cacao Valrhona Chocolate(!) This is the most intense Chocolate Gelato I’ve ever had.
Hazelnut Gelato:
And Leo is still offering all 4 of the incredible Nut-based Gelatos on this visit (legendary Pistachio, Hazelnut, Sicilian Almond and Macadamia Nut Gelato!). The Hazelnut Gelato is so cool and refreshing, beautifully fragrant, the sheer intensity of Roasted Hazelnuts just makes you roll your eyes and smile.
SO GOOD!
And mixing a bite of this Hazelnut Gelato with the previous 85% Cacao Valrhona Chocolate Gelato = Sophisticated “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” in frozen form!
(Off Menu) Kona Coffee Gelato:
Leo had just finished making a batch of Kona Coffee Gelato (it wasn’t listed on the menu yet)! We had to try this.
It’s like amazing frozen “Ice Coffee”, so well-rounded, deep Coffee Bean flavors, but with that incredible aroma that Kona Coffee has. It was also not very sweet, just cooling, chilled and excellent!
Vanilla Gelato:
Leo’s Vanilla Gelato is our favorite Vanilla frozen treat in L.A. When you take a bite of Bulgarini’s Vanilla Gelato, you realize what real Vanilla Bean flavor should taste like. Outstanding!
Peach Sorbetto:
And on this visit, the Peach Sorbet was so sweet and bright and fragrant! Like the Melon Sorbet, Leo’s Peach Sorbet is the most concentrated frozen Peach Dessert we’ve had in recent memory. Our favorite celebration of Peach in frozen form. Do not miss this.
Hours (during Pandemic):
Tues - Sun, 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Bulgarini Gelato
749 E. Altadena Drive
Altadena, CA 91001
Tel: (626) 791-6174
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Does anyone know if Bulgarini is keeping relatively regular hours? I just called to see if they were open today (was hoping to stop by), and, the first time I called, the message said to call a diff # for the gelateria (which was # I had called) and, on subsequent attempts, the number didn’t ring at all.
Our friends in Pasadena just went maybe 2 weeks ago and said it was still the same 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. hours that they set during the pandemic. Strange. Hopefully everything is OK.
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They’re open. 
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Gosh you all weren’t kidding. This gelato is super intense! Almond gelato tastes like half almond butter, half gelato. Chocolate gelato has more chocolate flavor than any ice cream / gelato I’ve tasted.
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