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November 22, 2009

Donate blood on Wednesday, and get a special gelato treat to "recover"

You know how when you donate blood, they always want you to drink some juice or eat something afterwards to replenish your strength.


Well, on Wednesday, you can donate blood and receive an entire pint of all-natural gelato from Walnut Creek's Gelateria Naia. If anything can get you back on your feet, it will be a pint of this gelato. Our family has been known to indulge from time to time, and it is really good stuff.


Store Manager Kelly Enman says Gelateria Naia is sponsoring this "Pint for a Pint" blood drive, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m Wednesday, in conjunction with the American Red Cross. The Red Cross will be bringing their blood drive bus to our store location in Walnut Creek.

"The need for blood is highest around the holidays, so we're trying to reach as many people as we can to raise awareness," she says.

You will have 44 flavors to choose from, which Enman describes in extremely tempting, dangerous ways below. You can make an appointment for the Pint for a Pint blood drive at the store at 1245 N. Broadway (in between Jamba Juice and Il Fornio), over the phone at (925) 943-1905, or online at http://www.givelife.org/, using the sponsor code GelatoWC.


Okay, now the good part. Gelateria Naia has just started its holiday flavor line: gingerbread, eggnog and something called Snowflake (rich white chocolate gelato with sugar crystals and white chocolate flakes). The store also has some of its usual favorites: Dark Chocolate made with Guittard chocolate; Espresso; Pistachio; and the very unusual but wonderful, Rose, which is made with rose petals soaked in water and sugar. Oh, and then there is the store's "king of chocolate" flavor, Cioccolat Mortale, which, yes, means "death by chocolate" in Italian.

Okay, for the more health conscious (not me, but I should be), they also feature non-dairy sorbetto flavors, usually made with locally grown fruit, and gelato made with soy.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great cause -- and what a fabulous temptation! I've gotten gelato from Naia's downtown Berkeley location a number of times (they stay open late, so it works out perfectly to go there after a show at Berkeley Rep theater less than a block away).

The flavors are very imaginative and each one I've tried has been a delight. Saffron, rose, violet, the different varieties of chocolate, hazelnut, coconut. Yum, yum.

And they have a terrific buying system, where even a small serving can contain as many as three flavors -- because you know you're going to want to try a bunch of them when you see those flavors. They also offer tiny-spoon samples for those trying to decide.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this! And thanks Naia's.

Anna, The Lemon Lady said...

There are so many wonderful shops/restaurants in Walnut Creek. Today, after the Farmers' Market, our family ate at Katy's Kreek. I was almost thinking of walking further down Locust Street to look for an ice-cream shop.

This Gelato establishment sounds tempting - maybe next week!

Anonymous said...

"There are so many wonderful shops/restaurants in Walnut Creek. Today, after the Farmers' Market, our family ate at Katy's Kreek."

That may be true, but Katy's is most certainly not one of them. Just read the awful reviews on Yelp. That place truly sucks.

Treebeard said...

A pint for a pint. What a great idea!

Now there isn't any tie-in with the release of the new vampire movie, "New Moon" is there???

Anna, The Lemon Lady said...

9:43am,
I will read Yelp. Thanks for the tip.

We have a very active 3-year old and find it hard to sit down at any restaurants. Any suggestions within walking distance of Locust Street - for lunch on a Sunday?

Anonymous said...

9:43
So you've not actually been to Katy's? That's a pretty nasty comment if you don't have first hand experience.

Also, anyone using Yelp as a guidepost should be aware of the many complaints about Yelp's ethics and review processes. (ie, a pay-for-good-reviews program and no way to remove reviews that are known to have been falsely posted or posted by a competitor.)

Anonymous said...

"So you've not actually been to Katy's? That's a pretty nasty comment if you don't have first hand experience."

Oh, I've been there several times, trying to give it a chance, and I've had some of the worst food in my life there. I also wrote an earlier review on Yelp. I suggested Yelp because it's not just me, lots of people are complaining about that overpriced place.

I recommend hubcaps a few blocks away. Cheaper, and great for kids.