Capogiro in Philadelphia, which National Geographic wrote about, above, is one of the top 2 or 3 gelato places I’ve ever gone to. www.capogirogelato.com
My favorite in Rome is Settimo Gelo, which is on the Via Aurelia on Vatican side of the Tiber. http://www.alsettimogelo.it/
My best was in Buenos Aires. Everything dairy there was amazing. If you ever have the chance it might give you one more good hit.
I’ve also tasted some pretty good gelato in Italy, but the best ever was in the small city of San Gimignano, where they regularly win world contests:
http://www.gelateriadipiazza.com/english/master-gelato-maker.html
I still remember the taste and have never tasted anything as good in my life.
I don’t live down near the Gelato district, so don’t shop for my gelato on Gelato Avenue. But if I did, I’d be wary of missing out on the best gelato simply because I thought it was too brightly coloured.
The article suggests being cautious about places with bins heaped high with gelato, but man, displays like that are PRETTY.
I never saw a place with towering heaps as shown in the photo, but many had “mesas” of the stuff, gloriously streaked or specked or marbled.
How do you know daneel isn’t your dog?
For wonderful pontificating on gelato, few beat Calvin Trillin’s essay 'Gelati Fever; in “Travels with Alice.”
My trick is the color of the pistachio. Its a dead give away. Sorry to day, after living in rome I cannot eat ice cream in the us anymore.
I can’t afford to go to Florence in a hurry, either, unless I rob a post-office by mistake or something.
“They told me I was in an episode of CSI UK, m’lud”
It’s a bit of a tangent, but your comment reminded me of a video about foie gras being made in Extremadura, Spain. The foie gras from factory raised and force fed geese is bright yellow (which supposedly shows its quiality), but Eduardo Sousa’s family has very rigorous standards and free-range geese, which gave the liver a grayish color. In the end, he sowed lupin around his farm, which gave the livers a more vivid yellow color than the regular kind.
I know that’s you, cat, stop trying to get in my head.
One of the best gelato experiences I’ve ever had was in Quito, Ecuador. We got to help make it, stirring the mango puree mixture in a huge copper bowl set over ice & snow from the mountains. Perfect consistency, perfect flavor. I think the copper actually made the difference.
There’s a new-ish Schweppes “Dry Grape” ginger ale. It has only the barest hint of ginger but what it really is, is a less-cloying grape soda for grown-ups. It’s delicious! I’m sure that they noticed that some focus group liked grape soda because of nostalgia, etc., and they angled on it.
You are all wrong. Come to Britain. Head west to Cornwall and then either take the ferry or fly to the Scilly Islands. When you arrive in the main island in the archipelago St Marys take another little ferry to St Agnes, one of the smaller islands. Get off the ferry at the pier in St Agnes and walk across the island to Troytown farm. You have to walk, the only transport on the island are tractors and quad bikes. Its only a mile or so anyway.
Go into the dairy there and get some ice-cream from Mrs. Hicks. The milk and cream comes from the cows you saw in the fields on the walk there. You passed the fruit bushes that provide most of the flavours too. It is quite simply the finest food I have ever eaten.
The only thing that stops me eating it all day every day is that its a little tricky to get hold of.
Sorry, but you’ll never spot the best gelato until you ask the gelato jerk to open the lid and see what’s hidden inside. Gelato that’s displayed has NO egg ingredients and has to have conservatives to survive exposure to light.
So it’s imperative that you go beyond the color of gelato’s skin and interior designers’ store displays to get to the really good stuff.
Nice try. But if you want the real deal, set sail for the Grey Havens. Once landed, head east and make your way through Lindon and the Shire to Bree. Take the Great East Road to Rivendell and then cross mighty Caradhras, the Redhorn, into Azanulbizar. It´s a bit of a climb, but in fair weather conditions you should make it without any trouble. From there you can catch a ride on the Anduin all the way down to Osgiliath (get off and walk for the steep bit at Rauros).
Then it´s basically just a leisurely stroll to the Cafeteria at Cirith Ungol. There you will find Mrs. Shagdub´s lovely little shop, where she sells the world´s best ice cream. Every flavour is coloured a deep, sickening black, but don´t be diconcerted by that, it´s the natural colour that comes from the fruit of the dried out, dead thornbushes and the cream of the two-headed demon cattle in the region. It is without a doubt the finest gelato I´ve ever had the pleasure to taste. Mrs. Shagdub may be out shopping every so often, so you may have to wait a bit. Her husband Ugluk takes over the stand when she´s away, but he´s not nearly as pleasant to deal with.
Edit: The only thing that keeps me from eating there every day is the watchful, judgmental eye of Sauron.
Good gelato makes living on Long island bearable.
I used to go and watch the Scillonian go out from Penzance harbour when we were visiting my grandparents. I miss Cornwall.
I used to live in Rome. My favourite gelato place is west of Piazza Navona called Gelateria Quinto. Can’t say it’s the best, I’ve only tried about 20 different places in Rome and about 40 places across the country. But Quinto gives me fond memories. Friendly staff.
Actually, this article is a inaccurate. There are 2 types of pistachio gelato - one made with pistachios, another made with candied pistachios. The ones made with candied pistachios gives a brighter green and more aroma. They are actually more authentic, much like dried spaghetti is more popular than fresh ones.
An authentic gelateria would always have Zuppa Inglese, and they use a scraper rather than a scoop.
The problem with the article is confusing authenticity and quality ingredients with taste. You like what you like and there is nothing wrong with it.
My suggestion about gelato is to observe the scraping marks left on the tub. High fat ones will leave almost no ripples, high fruit content ones will have some ripples but never as much as with American ice-cream. Remember what you like, and pay attention when they scoop it will help you pick it in the future.
