Rene Nardone
Apple Tarte with Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce
Dean & Dan – Glace sirop d’erable, cranberry, coulis de framboise, sirop d’erable, pancakes, fruits rouges, Chantilly
Suggested by some to be the best parlor of frozen confections in Lyon, and no doubt a ‘hot spot’ for locals and tourists as temperatures in central France reached record highs throughout the majority of the week, it was just after 15:00 that seating was found within artisan glacier Rene Nardone…and another twenty minutes before anyone even acknowledged my presence as servers seemed absolutely overwhelmed by a growing throng of patrons outdoors.
Founded in 1899, and now with two locations including the updated Vieux Lyon location where parking is best allocated within riverside garages due to a decided dearth of streetside meters, Rene Nardone offers no shortage of flavors or concoctions when compared to other artisanal parlors, and with scoops only served at the outdoor kiosks while sundaes, coupes, fantasies, an more are offered for tableside service it was only after approaching the window to request service that an order was made – the “Tendance” and “Classique” arriving perhaps ten minutes later already part melted, with a snooty young server demanding immediate payment, credit card machine in hand.
Having pointed out the quickly forming vanilla puddles, brushed aside by a statement about the Tarte as well as the weather being ‘hot,’ it was after signing the receipt that I was finally allowed to take a taste and immediately polishing off the subpar vanilla before moving to the better-formed scoops comprising “Dean & Dan” neither the Maple Syrup ice cream nor the cranberry sorbet was particularly memorable, the toppings far outperforming the ice cream itself while the ‘pancake was dense and flavorless aside from the syrup, a return to the apple tarte proving the best bites of a snack that cost nearly 20€ for food I should have skipped or at least sent back.
http://glaciernardone.com/