Affogato: simply amazing. Rulli's espresso is perfect for their homemade vanilla gelato. The gelato had a good dense texture, and wasn't too sweet. I did notice some icy parts. Maybe I got the bottom of the barrel. Either the gelato or the coffee had a faint taste of lavendar as well. It was strange to pair lavendar with coffee, but somehow it worked.
Panna cotta: I've never had panna cotta before, but as a fan of flan I think I'm going to stick to egg yolk based desserts. I don't like the chewiness of gelatin as much as the rich creaminess of yolk. Still, I'll have to try Delfina's panna cotta before writing anyone off. And the version we had was very tasty; it had a strong burnt caramel flavor and was deeply milky. I didn't like the nuts and raisins served with it, however. Too distracting.
Espresso: I didn't order the espresso, but was horrified to see it didn't have the foamy crema cap indicative of a good bean and skilled barista. A mocha at our table also looked sub-par.
Wine: they were out of barolo by the glass, and the server initially brought me something I didn't love; thin, a little too green tasting. I asked for something more full-bodied, and he brought me an Allegrini La Grola. I'm going to have to look into this grape more--the wine was delightful for sipping on its own. And at $9 for a huge glass (the bottle retails for $22-24), the markup was very reasonable. The restaurant sells the wine for $24, but I'm currently trying to find a local supplier closer to where I live. $24's not bad; it's what I saw the la grola going for online as well.
(Incredibly dorky insight warning) I thought the Allegrini label sounded familiar, and it finally it struck me: Tyler Florence visited the Allegrini winery in Italy on one of his shows. He went to the winery and made butternut squash risotto with amarone wine. The amarone costs $60. No wonder that risotto kicked ass. I bought a (cheaper) amarone once; it was incredible with Morrocan style eggplant spread.
Emporio Rulli
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