Limoncello Fest - Vallozzi's

Christy loves his 'cello

If you've been following my posts, you know that I love Vallozzi's. They offer excellent food, a wonderful atmosphere, and just once a year a totally banging limoncello festival! Included in the price of your  festival ticket you can expect to receive one cocktail, access to a fantastic buffet and unlimited limoncello.

Before discussing the 'cello I would be remiss if I did not mention that the food offered by Vallozzi's for the festival was outstanding. Hand breaded chicken, pizza, salads, cheese, and a ton of other options. Vallozzi's pizza is fantastic. I do not believe it would be an exaggeration to say that I had close to eight slices while sipping on some 'cello. My only regret was missing the ice cream/gellato ladies as they were walking out the door. (These are the things that keep me up at night.)

Now, to the 'cello. By my count Vallozzi's had at least fifteen different varieties available to try. Some of the flavors I can recall are cherry, kumquat, apple, lemon, blueberry, strawberry, grape, orange, mixed berry and my favorite, the HOT Fresno chili.

Boy did this stuff pack a punch. In fact, it was so potent that representatives were on hand to warn folks before having a taste. I loved the spiciness of the chilies coupled with the sweet sweet 'cello. The heat added a level of complexity that went well beyond your classic limoncello.

If you are curious about the origins of limoncello, you are not alone. Like all things Italian, they aren't sure if it dates back to the early 1900's or the middle ages. Classic Italians! All we know for sure is that the trademark for limoncello was registered in 1988. At it's most basic level limoncello is just lemon, alcohol and sugar. You can even make it at home if you feel like it.

In addition to offering an outrageous amount of 'cello samples, Vallozzi's opened their back alley where they hosted a DJ, more tastings, a prosecco tent and pop-up cocktail offerings from Mr. Spencer Warren, the proprietor of our new favorite bar, the Warren. Mr. Warren was on hand making these fantastic grapefruit drinks we simply adored. (Also, he agreed with my assessment of his restaurant's chimichurri sauce which brought me great joy.)

This is what you might look like before or during the festival.

This is probably what you can expect to look like after the festival. With so many varieties to sample this festival will wear you down! For the price point, Vallozzi's Festa di Limoncello is a real knockout. It is a really great event that I believe will only continue to thrive. This was only the second year and I cannot wait to see what they come up with next year. (Personally, I plan to rock one of these sick lemon-print male rompers next year.)