THE BEST: Gelato

[Fat Guy]

Okay, having recently tried every place I know to try, I'm ready to come down in favor of Cones as the richest and creamiest, with the most pronounced flavors, and served at the ideal gooey temperature. What are other opinions? Let's settle this, and if we can't then somebody set up a taste test.

[LaNiña]

Okay, having recently tried every place I know to try, I'm ready to come down in favor of Cones as the richest and creamiest, with the most pronounced flavors, and served at the ideal gooey temperature. What are other opinions? Let's settle this, and if we can't then somebody set up a taste test.

FG, did you go to the new laboratory place downtown?

What places did you sample?

[Steve Plotnicki]

Cones, I always go there right after eating at the Rrrizzahtoerhea. Seriously, Cones is good? When we were renovating our apartment a few years back and we sublet in Tribecca, I used to walk over there in the evening. It was good but it didn't rock my world. I guess I have to go try it again. It's also a good place for dessert after a leisurely lunch at Shopsin's.

[Fat Guy]

Nina: Yes, it was good but it didn't approach Cones. It's run by the original founder of Ciao Bella and tastes similar; in other words it's a lot farther along the spectrum towards American-style ice cream and doesn't have the lusciousness of the more Italian-ish gelato. Also have tried Ciao Bella, Il Gelatone, and a couple of others not worth mentioning. Il Gelatone is the only serious rival to Cones but I think it has a more commercial taste and doesn't carry the flavors as beautifully.

[LaNiña]

What about that one on 4th Ave, I think near 11th St?...people rave about it. I know they use the same flavor bases as Il Gelatone. I haven't been yet. I agree, Ciao Bella is bad. I have to try the laboratory place and this place on 4th Ave., and reivsit Cones and Il Gelatone at close intervals. What a fun experiment.

[Fat Guy]

I haven't been to the one on 4th Ave.

Info?

[LaNiña]

It's called Bussola. The ricotta flavor has been mentioned to me a couple of times. They use starters from a company called Elenka, same as Il Gelatone does. Apparently it's been open 12 years, and the owner is a serious gelato maker, has been to Japan to teach "real" gelato making, etc.

[Fat Guy]

http://www.elenka.it/eng/default.htm

[Jason Perlow]

Ciao Bella is pretty good, at least the one we have here in Tenafly.

Provided any kind of ice cream is properly temperature controlled and doesnt form ice crystals, its going to be good. I don't care how supergourmet of origin the product is, if they dont properly monitor the storage equipment its going to be yucky.

I've been to Cones, but no comparison to Bertolotti's of Cliffside Park in its day (which hasn't had a store in almost 2 years, but still commercially produces some damn good stuff for restaurants and high end supermarkets). See http://www.bertolottidesserts.com

I also wonder why Arthur Avenue doesnt have a kickass gelato place. Enzo's is OK, and Arthur Avenue Cafe doesnt serve gelato to my knowledge.

[Fat Guy]

Absolutely; if it melts and refreezes, or if it's served too cold, there's not much about it that's going to be desirable. Then again really crappy ice cream with all those gums and fillers isn't going to taste good no matter how carefully you handle it. Italian-style gelato seems even more sensitive to storage and serving conditions than American-style ice cream, though, which probably has something to do with the lower percentage of dairy fat.

[Stephanie]

I went to Bussola a few weeks ago. Pricey, but I recommend whichever flavor I'd tried that had marsala wine in it.

[LaNiña]

I went to Ciao Bella downtown Manhattan this past week, had pistachio, and espresso - ate the pistachio which was lousy but edible, but the espresso was so bad I actually threw it out after a few bites.

[dimitri steinberg]

I was also at the downtown Ciao Bella this weekend and had a cone of the malted milk ball gelato. I concur with the view that their product is much closer to American style ice cream. I haven't tried the pistachio or espresso, but I sure do love the malted milk ball.

Where is Cones located? I need to try it as well.

[laura]

The ricotta flavor at Bussola is good as well as peach and strawberry.

[marcus]

I've tried Il Gelatone a number of times and found it good but underwhelming, the flavors lack the clarity and intensity of great gelato. I found it about as good as an average artisanal gelateria in Italy. It's not anywhere near the level, probably 3-4 distinct steps down from the great gelaterias such a La Sorbeteria in Bologna (my favorite) or San Crispino in Rome. I'm interested in trying Bussola, but would like to know whether people find it significantly better than Gelatone.

[wingding]

Il Bussola-no.They are using the same bases as Il Gelatone,and they are good,but not memorable.Once again,real artisinal gelati are impossible to find here,and are becoming ever more scarce in Italy as well.

[Fat Guy]

Marcus & Wingding, have you tried Cones?

[wingding]

I admit it,I haven't;I saw that their pistachio was a screaming green color,which indicates either lots of paste,or food coloring,and I distrusted their product immediately.Real pistachio is a light brown color.I will stop in soon,I promise.

[Fat Guy]

Well, give us your appraisal when you do.

Also, folks, we needn't limit this to actual gelaterias. I've has some nice restaurant gelato as well. Restaurants often make great ice cream/gelato and sorbet (they also sometimes make it poorly and would have been better off buying from a commercial source!).

[marcus]

Fat Guy, I've never tried Cones, but will when I'm in the area.

Wingding, I don't know much about how gelato is made, but I assume that the commercial base is not the entire product and that the fresh fruit or nuts used for the primary flavor are added by the gelateria. There is thus considerable opportunity for custiomization and enhancement of the final result. Am I mistaken in this assumption?

[wingding]

The companies that make the bases also sell a lot of flavored pastes,crunchy stuff,etc.-there is room for customization,and the utilization of real fruit,nuts,etc.

[marcus]

On Aug 7, Ed Levine in the NYT described Bussola as producing probably the best gelato in the city and referred to their artisanal techniques. I stopped by yesterday, and discoved that Elenka plaques where plastered all over the shop, many with the names of individual flavors. I questioned the head guy as to what they do in the shop versus their use of the commercial Elenka base and he became quite defensive. He kept pointing to the ice cream machine in the back room, but I couldn't get a clear answer as to whether they do anything more than whip up the ice cream. I tried the pistachio and strawberry, which were good, quite intense, but not brilliant. I don't think that it's any better than Il Gelatone, but I haven't been there in quite awhile. Il Gelatone has a much larger number of flavors, the flavors at Bussola are quite basic, but those are the ones that I actually like the best when they're well executed. I am curious as to whether anyone knows whether Bussola produces just a commercial product, or whether they do add their own ingredients.

[wingding]

Finally made it to Cones,and tried the hazelnut gelato,which was tasty and stretchy,pretty damn good.I think that it's probably made with hazelnut praline-which is certainly a consistent way to get a good product.I still was put off by screaming green mint and pistachio gelati,but I'll give them credit for decent product...transcendent?no.Also waddled over to Il Laboratorio for coffee gelato,which had good flavor,and a nice chewy consitency,but not particularily gelato-like.I don't think that there is a 'best' in N.Y.,at this point in time...