Guide 2 the Good Life

Photo by iciwici at Flickr

My favorite gelato place in the whole world is this little shack right outside Vatican City in Rome. Haven’t been able to find a gelato line that compares to what I had in Italy, until now. But now I’ve found, what I think, is the best chocolate gelato I’ve ever had. Sorry Italia, but this one hails from NYC! It’s intense and decadent, only to be handled by a true chocolate lover. And, surprisingly, it’s available almost everywhere now!

Previously, I have talked about the greatness that is Valhrona chocolate (see post here). Ciao Bella Gelato has ombined Valhrona and gelato for chocolate perfection. The flavor of this gelato was so intensely chocolately, only a true chocolate lover can appreciate this.

Photo by roboppy at Flickr

At first taste, it was quite an explosion of concentrated dark chocolate on the palate, with a great harmony between bitterness and sweet. A very full bodied and thick use of chocolate, I would compare it to the body of peppery cabernet. Especially great in gelato form, due to the absence of excess airation of the dessert, which dilutes the flavor profile because of excess air making contact with the tastebuds. Yes, gelato costs more than ice cream but you are getting what you pay for. When you buy a tub of American ice cream, you’re also paying for all the air that has been injected to give it that fluffy consistency. Anyway, back to gelato… A pleasing finish lingered on the mouth for a quite a while, a sign of complex flavor development.

Ciao Bella Gelato is from NYC, but don’t be fooled. Their makers have created the most amazing lineup of gelato and sorbettos available for purchase all over the USA. Unlike other store bought gelatos, the texture is thick and creamy, without the gummy aftertaste nor tendency toward an airy consistency like American ice cream. This is honest to goodness gelato, made in small batches to ensure quality standards. And the ingredients they use are very fresh (no artificial flavors here), you can taste it in the way their flavors pop.

Here’s the good news. Ready made Ciao Bella is sold all around the US, you’ve probably seen it in your grocery freezer.

But here’s the bad news. They don’t sell the Valhrona Chocolate flavor in pint size! NOOOOO!! The only place you can buy it is by the scoop or hand packed pints/quarts at the Ciao Bella Gelaterias, in places such as the SF Ferry Building pictured on the top of this post. But, luckily Ciao Bella also has a new deal with Whole Foods Market, and many of the newer or renovated WF Markets feature a gelato bar with Ciao Bella specialty flavors. Horray! I sampled my first taste of this frozen delight at the enormous Whole Foods in El Segundo Plaza. Try it, you won’t be disappointed. They also have Scharffenberger pudding, but that’s a whole ‘nother story…