Gettin' my Philly on at Capogiro

It's no secret that I love gelato, and when I'm in Philly, it's no secret that I love Capogiro. In fact, every time I've visited the city, I've made a point of getting Capogiro gelato, sometimes multiple times in one trip. Well, now that I'm here full-time, I've been making the few-block walk from my apartment to Capogiro on 20th Street on an, ahem, regular basis. Here are some highlights of recent indulgences:

Creme Fraiche was a surprise winner when I tried it a few days ago. It's light and almost refreshing with a slight tang.

I think the other flavor here was burnt sugar...

Stracciatella and Nutella are both superb. The stracciatella has a nice sweet milky base, and the chocolate bits mixed in are texturally addictive. The Nutella tastes just like Nutella (and the snozberries taste like snozberries).

Gelato mountain!

Most recently, Salted Bitter Almond truly surprised me. I almost didn't try it-- despite its label's claim that it was back "by popular demand," it simply sounded gross. But then I had a sample, and I was hooked. It was also a light flavor and didn't taste at all like either salt or almonds to me, but it had a haunting flavor that I couldn't quite put my finger on. And then, about two-thirds of the way through my cup, I nailed it: it tastes just like Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia frozen yogurt. I swear. I have no idea how that's possible, but it really, really does, and my is it tasty. There are occasional whole almonds buried in the gelato as well, and paired with their regular chocolate gelato, it was a mellow and gobble-able treat.

Isn't it pretty?

Oh, who am I kidding. Stay tuned for more updates from Capogiro. Most likely soon.

Capogiro
117 S. 20th Street, at Sansom
215-636-9250

And we're off: Fork eases us gently into Philly

After the big move down to Philly, my mom stuck around for a couple of days to help me get set up. Thanks Mom! And so of course we made time for some meals, including Saturday night dinner at Fork.

It's a welcoming dining room with a vibrant open kitchen, and especially when it's 100+ degrees out and it's air conditioned inside, Fork feels like heaven. The vibe is casual and slightly eclectic, just on this side of "fine dining."

To start, we were offered a choice of three breads. Mom took the fruit and nut with a devilish look on her face, and she gobbled it down. Mine was a multigrain roll, and it was hearty and studded with all kinds of yummy seeds that I gracelessly picked off the top.

Fruits and nuts inside

Yeah, this is a terrible picture, but you get the idea

To start, we split the baby lettuces salad. This was very simple, with two fried balls of lemon ricotta- surprisingly lemony, and a nice touch. Sadly, the leaves themselves were a touch oversalted, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Lettuces, y'know.

For her entree, Mom went for the halibut, with parsley-garlic puree, wax beans, and parisienne potatoes (essentially little potato balls sauteed in butter). She enjoyed it, noting that the fish was well cooked and not dry at all. I do also applaud the kitchen for putting a textbook golden-brown sear on that puppy. Check it out:

Pretty fish

My entree was the pickled beets and garden vegetable salad. This was decent, but it didn't blow my mind; the vegetables (beans, radishes, beets) and tangle of micro-greens were fresh, but there wasn't anything particularly special about the dish. Every now and then, I'd get a bite of pickled beet, and the burst of vinegar was the tastiest thing about the dish.

There are veggies under there

On to dessert. We debated going elsewhere for ice cream, but instead we decided to stick it out at Fork-- which may have been the wrong choice, given that pastry doesn't seem to be the restaurant's forte. Mom went for the malted chocolate cream cake, which packed layers of flourless chocolate cake, caramel mousse, and malted vanilla cream, all enrobed in chocolate ganache and paired with blackberry gelato. This got the job done-- it was chocolatey, after all-- but the plating seemed to be a bit of an afterthought.

I guess?

I went for an order of salted caramel gelato, which came with a cocoa nib shortbread cookie. The gelato was mild and sweet, which was good, but it was the shortbread that was the surprise winner: crumbly, sugary, and buttery, all interspersed with little bursts of bitter chocolateyness from the nibs. I could have gone for just a plate of those cookies, frankly.

Welp, it's gelato. Plus cookie.

So all in all, Fork was decent. We agreed it didn't blow us away, but I'd certainly return if the opportunity presented. So therefore I award fork my inaugural Philly three OS rating, with an eye toward many more ratings to come.

Fork
306 Market Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets
215-625-9425

Eataly's gelato? Yes, please!

With my time in NYC dwindling to a close and my mom in town, we did the usual-- headed out to dinner. Unfortunately, said dinner was only mediocre, and rather than have my last NYC review be negative, I'll focus instead on dessert.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we raided the desserts at Eataly. Gelato for me, thanks: half hazelnut, half coconut, in a comically large "small" portion. The texture is the winner here, incredibly creamy with nary an ice crystal in sight. But the flavors don't disappoint, either, with the strong hazelnut overpowering the rather more retiring coconut. On a 90+ degree day, it couldn't be better.

Overflowing gelato

Mom went for a small hazelnut cake. The texture here surprised me: it was stiff and springy, almost like a slightly overbaked chewy brownie. It tasted good, don't get me wrong, but I was happier with my gelato.

Hazelnut brownie cake?

Delicious.

Eataly
200 Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street
212-229-2560

LWF&D goes to Napa and chills with Michael (Chiarello) (not really)

Our last dinner in Napa was at Bottega, famous chef/food personality Michael Chiarello's Yountville restaurant. It's a palatial complex, a huge house-style restaurant with a lovely semi-wraparound patio for dining outdoors, and it was crowded in the way Cheesecake Factories are crowded... that is, it was enormous, and it was packed with people. Fortunately, we had a reservation, and we were seated at a large table set for four, which meant we had plenty of space for the two of us.

Wine comes in quartinos here, so I chose a quartino of grechetto, a light Italian white, to complement my food. Unfortunately (especially since this was our last dinner in Napa), I really didn't enjoy this wine... it was somewhat insipid and the flavor was flat and harsh. Oh well.

A half-loaf of crusty, flaky bread with a dish of some sort of cheesy spread landed on our table (literally on our table, too; there was no plate for the bread, which sat directly on the butcher paper covering our tablecloth). But there was barely time to eat it, since our shared appetizer arrived barely a second or two after the bread. This was a delicious salad of fresh ricotta, arugula, stewed peaches, pecorino, and some sort of peach gel. There's usually coppa as well, but I ordered it vegetarian-style for the two of us. And while the portion was pretty small, this was a very tasty dish; while the smear of ricotta on the side of the plate wasn't especially tasty, the rest of the ingredients were fresh and vibrant.

Bread on table

Greens on ricotta smear

For entree, Mom ordered the fish of the day, which was a white fish similar to red snapper whose name we both missed. The server came and finished filleting the fish at the table, a service note that is probably better in theory than in practice. But nonetheless, Mom enjoyed the fish.

Without head and tail, too

My choice for entree was the insalata del bosco, which was mixed greens, sliced pear, candied hazelnuts, and pecorino. While the pear wasn't much of a presence in this salad, the hazelnuts especially were quite flavorful. Again, the portion was on the small side, but otherwise this was delicious.

Pretty greens

We also shared a side of asparagus, which was both pretty and tasty, although I ate a little too much of it. But that's my own fault.

Too much asparagus. Hoooooboy.

Finally, we decided to have dessert at the restaurant. Mom chose a simple scoop of salted caramel gelato, which was really tasty. It also came with this slice of peanut-butter feuilletine-fudge-like confection, which I really enjoyed (but Mom, not so much).

Plain, unadorned

My dessert was the tiramisu profiteroles, three puff pastries split and stuffed with tiramisu & sponge cake gelato, all drowned in chocolate sauce (the menu also listed "cocoa puff," but I'm not sure what that is and don't think I had it on my plate). This was a well-executed rendition of profiteroles, although the gelato-- chock full of chunks of espresso-soaked lady fingers-- was too strongly coffee-y with me, especially with the bitterness of the chocolate sauce as well. I definitely would have preferred vanilla gelato, but I'm glad I tried the dish as is. And it was very, very rich; I only downed two of the three profiteroles before having to stop.

Pretty, no?

On balance, we did enjoy the food at Bottega, and the service was friendly and professional. It's worth a stop if you're in Napa. But-- how to put this-- it wasn't the most personal of our dining experiences. For better or for worse, Bottega is so successful that it's perennially packed and feels sort of like, well, a factory, churning diners out in a fast and efficient, albeit tasty, fashion. That said, you can get a great meal there, and if you don't necessarily want to linger or aren't out for a romantic, personalized atmosphere, it'll fit the bill.

Bottega
6525 Washington Street, Yountville, Napa
707-945-1050

L'arte del Gelato comes to the rescue

You may have read about a certain dessert debacle at a certain parents' anniversary dinner at a certain "Kitchen" in Soho. Well, clearly something had to be done; I couldn't end my evening on such a disappointing note. So after the last bite had been eaten and our time at the restaurant was up, I set out with the parents for a walk into the West Village. The destination: gelato. Any gelato.

We first stopped into Cones, but the long line and "one flavor per small" policy made it a no-go. So around the corner we went to L'arte del Gelato, which was the winner.

I really wanted the olive oil gelato, and there was a label for olive oil in the case-- joy!! But when I got to the front of the line, the scooper told me they had run out of some flavors and hadn't changed the labels. This, of course, included the desired olive oil. Disappointing. I tried tastes of nutella and what was described as "cookies"; both, strangely, had weird textures and odd flavors (like freezer burn?). And due to the two-sample-per-person limit, I couldn't vet any other flavors before I dug in. Ah well; I gambled with a small cup of half hazelnut, half peanut, and fortunately it was successful.

Savior

They were both pleasantly nutty, with smooth textures and no distracting chunks or bits of nuts. While it may not have been the best gelato I have ever had, it satisfied and left me happy in the way that certain Kitchen's ice cream most certainly did not.

L'arte del Gelato
75 Seventh Avenue South
212-924-0803

Otto satisfies once again

The challenge: a venue for dinner with AS and his girlfriend, during which I would cast judgment on whether she was good enough for one of my oldest friends. Harsh, harsh judgment. (Spoiler: She is. By a long shot.) The place needed to be fun, not too expensive, upbeat, non-threatening, and most importantly, offer Otto's olive oil gelato for dessert. What's that? The only option would then, obviously, be Otto? Roger that. A reservation was made, and we arrived to dine.

The traditional paper-wrapped wedge of bread and tiny Italian breadsticks were offered, though we had to request olive oil for the bread. And then, a reasonable time after we placed our order, came the entrees.

For me, the escarole and sunchoke salad. This was a sprightly and surprisingly filling salad, thanks to its sprinkled cheese and ample handfuls of crushed marcona almonds. The escarole and sunchokes were bland but crunchy, serving mostly as vehicles for the lemony vinaigrette. This is a quintessential spring salad, perfect for a blistering hot day.

Pastel salad

And then came the pizza. For delightful couple, one pepperoni pizza and one quattro stagioni pizza. Both were received with raves and exclamations.

Good 'roni coverage

Artichokes, mushrooms, swiss chard, cotto.

Then came what we were there for: dessert! I've been having weird cravings for the olive oil gelato, and as such it's been on my do-before-I-leave-NYC list. Welp, consider that checked off. The two ladies at the table went for the gelato: for me, olive oil, hazelnut stracciatella, and caramel; for S, olive oil, hazelnut stracciatella, and milk chocolate chip. The caramel, the only flavor I hadn't tried before, was pleasantly bitter and a good counterpoint to the sweetness of the other flavors. The olive oil was just as intriguingly herbacious as ever, and the hazelnut stracciatella was mild and alluring. Unlike the in-yo'-face hazelnut flavor that most gelatos go for, this one is demure, letting the crunch of the chocolate offset the pleasing nuttiness. Delightful all around.

Caramel on the left

Milk chocolate chip on the left

Oh, and AS got an affogatto. 'Cause he's classy like that.

I mean, dainty, but classy

Otto is the perfect restaurant for this kind of occasion-- casual but incredibly delicious, not too expensive but high quality. And the gelato is out of this world. If you're one of the four remaining people in NYC who haven't tried it, go. And get the olive oil gelato. Even if it sounds repulsive, you won't regret it, I promise.

Otto
One Fifth Avenue, at Eighth Street
212-995-9559

A gelato craving duly addressed at Grom

Earlier this week, I had a killer gelato craving. Insistent and persistent, it wouldn't let me rest until I had gotten some of that cold, creamy goodness so appropriate for delightful spring weather like this. I had had grand plans to check out one of the gelato places downtown that I haven't yet tried, but once I finished dinner on the appointed day, I kinda wanted it, like, now. So I set off for the nearest high-quality gelato place nearby: Grom. Sigh.

Grom is kind of like Pinkberry in my book, in that I always leave just ever-so-slightly unsatisfied. While Grom (unlike Pinkberry) at least isn't mostly air, it does have the same skewed dollar-to-amount-you-get ratio (I think in some circles that's also known as "value"). I've been to Grom a few times now, and while the gelato is quite clearly made of the highest quality ingredients, you truly only get about five or six bites of it before your $5.25 is gone. At least if you get a nice counter staffer, which I did this time around, you can sneak in several samples before making your choice.

Interesting biodegradable spoons

My selection was a small cup of half Bacio, half Torrone (nougat). After tasting that insane dark chocolate at Capogiro, I've been in search of the same brownie-batter flavor, which Bacio was not; instead, it was a slightly bitter milk chocolate studded with nearly whole hazelnuts (and a lot of them!). Combined, the flavor fell slightly short of the desired Nutella, and quite a bit short of the luscious richness of Capogiro's Scuro. The Torrone, however, was quite nice, a smooth nougat-y base filled with another kind of nut (almonds, I think)? The sweetness offset the slight bitter edge of the Bacio, and alternating tastes of each provided a perfectly delicious dessert experience. And while I still left feeling ever so slightly ripped off, the beautiful evening and the chance to eat some tasty ice cream while sitting outside offset it. Sort of.

Grom
1796 Broadway, between 58th Street and Columbus Circle
212-974-3444

The best Capogiro yet

So last week I found myself in Philly once more doing a whirlwind, one-day househunting trip for my apartment next year. I needed to get the job done that day, and fortunately I did, leaving me with just enough time to grab a bite (and a dessert) before boarding my train back home. And if you think I WOULDN'T visit Capogiro yet again for my dessert, you clearly haven't been reading this blog for long enough.

I tried a bunch of flavors, but I keep coming back to the hazelnut, for good reason-- it's spectacular. This time, I paired it with Capogiro's scuro flavor, which is their version of dark chocolate. Usually I don't go for chocolate ice cream, but it looked so dark and delectable... Well, this stuff nearly blew me away. It's a dead ringer for brownie batter, rich and really sweet and intensely chocolatey, the perfect foil for the nutty hazelnut.

Like a gelato black-and-white cookie

This combination was by far my best yet, the perfect way to celebrate my apartment-hunting triumph.

Capogiro Gelato
117 S. 20th Street, at Sansom
215-636-9250

Another tasty, tasty taste of Philly

Last weekend, I was in Philly for the visit weekend of my future home and school for the next two years (hurrah!). It was a jam-packed bill of events, but did that stop me from making room for dessert? Absolutely not. Back to Capogiro I went.

Sunny, warm, and beautiful!

Like last time, this stuff is seriously delicious. I got a small with two flavors, my go-to gelato move when it's possible, and filled one half with the intense and nutty hazelnut flavor that rocked my world on my last visit. This time, its mate was burnt sugar, a caramelly, just-this-side-of-bitter delight that turned out to be a sophisticated twist on the traditional caramel/toffee/butterscotch flavor family. Grown-up but still sweet enough to satisfy: perfect.

Capogiro
3925 Walnut Street, between 39th and 40th Streets
Philadelphia, PA
215-222-0252

Finding the love at Love Gelato

A couple days before AC left the country for a months-long stint in Uganda, we met up for the last time in a while at Love Gelato in the West Village. It's an attractive little gelato shop, bright and white with large windows facing the bustle of 7th Avenue South. The decor is uncomplicated, and the focus of the room is a small gelato case holding a dozen or so flavors. AC and I sampled our way through the menu before deciding on our flavors.

A small cup is really small, and you can only have one flavor because, as the scooper told me, it's "one scoop." So after sampling a few flavors, I settled on a scoop of the hazelnut flavor. AC went for the tiramisu, with the scooper kindly including one of the ladyfingers garnishing the gelato tub upon request.

Light 'n' fluffy

Swirls of coffee

While this clearly isn't the most authentic gelato in town-- the scoopers use an actual ice cream scoop rather than a paddle, and they give out faux-silver plastic spoons rather than the traditional gelato mini-shovel-- it's pleasant enough. The hazelnut wasn't in-your-face, but it was pleasantly nutty. The tiramisu, on the other hand, smacked you in the mouth with its powerful, bitter coffee flavor. Texturally, Love's gelato is a little lighter than others around town, with an almost whipped appearance and a slightly plasticky, buttery, glossy sheen to it.

I wouldn't return to Love for the gelato alone, especially with so many outstanding options nearby (Grom, L'Arte Del Gelato...). But if you're looking for a place to sit and linger, Love fits the bill: with a handful of tables, it's a good place to linger over a cup of uncomplicated frozen treat.

Love Gelato
167 Seventh Avenue South at Perry Street
212-929-2870

Nearing the Wine Century at Lupa

Last Tuesday was the designated Fancy Meal Night during my dad's vacation. To nobody's surprise, I was given free rein to pick the restaurant and precious few instructions beyond "Tuesday." After a quick perusal of OpenTable, I hit upon an odd but somehow spot-on choice: Lupa.

Yes, Lupa is highly acclaimed and known as one of Mario Batali's best, but for some reason I'd never been there. So on a slightly chilly and blustery Tuesday evening, I met Dad at the Spring Street subway stop and we headed to Lupa.

It's a cute little place, charmingly rustic and highly crowded, with throngs of after-workers crowding the front bar. If you mind being packed in next to your fellow diners, don't go here. But if you can get past that, you'll likely have a surprisingly enjoyable-- and surprisingly reasonable, given what it is-- meal.

Our server, it's worth noting, was incredibly friendly and accommodating, even getting into the spirit when I presented her with my Wine Century Club challenge. See, at that point I was 97 wines in, and given my limited knowledge of Italian wines, I basically posed the challenge for her to find some varietals I hadn't tried within their by-the-glass menu. Magic: a glass of Frascati Superiore (white) and a red with nebbiolo, and I was magically at the 99 wine threshold. (Stay tuned...)

98...

99...

What better to sop up all that wine than their focaccia, eh? Two conjoined pieces of pillowy, oil-soaked bread, spotted with rosemary on the crust. This fairly begged for a sprinkling of coarse salt to bring out the flavors, but even without it, it was some gooooood carbin'.

Mmmhmmm.

To start, Dad had the misticanza salad, which he prounced good for what it was, a mix of slightly bitter upscale lettuces and some fennel to round out the mix.

I'm clearly still getting used to this camera

I chose the broccoli rabe with ricotta verdure, an ample tangle of the veggie slicked with creamy ricotta. Surprisingly, the overwhelming flavor of this dish was lemon: there were bits of lemon rind hidden in the mixture, and it gave an otherwise potentially heavy dish a truly light flavor. I wish there had been some more punch in the ricotta (perhaps a bit of ricotta salata thrown in?), but overall, this was quite enjoyable.

Quite pretty, actually

And then the mains. Dad went for a daily special, pappardelle with pork ragu. In typical Italian fashion, it was a small portion, but Dad raved about the taste and quality.

Homely but tasty

My choice was the escarole, walnut, red onion, and pecorino salad, sans red onion. This turned out to be a light and almost refreshing salad, with the bed of shaved pecorino adding a salty bite to the crunchy greens.

Lots of shades of white

And all this, of course, was a mere prelude to dessert. Though there are choices on the dessert menu, look around the dining room and you'll see nearly every table chooses one thing only: the signature Lupa tartufo. It looks innocent enough, but it packs a true wallop. A thick, yielding chocolate shell-- not shatter-hard but almost the texture of milk chocolate-- gives way to pure, intense hazelnut gelato. A shower of hazelnuts crowns the orb, and the baseball-sized confection sits in a pool of hazelnut-studded chocolate sauce. Push through to the center of the tartufo and you'll find a brandied cherry amid a protective case of what seems like chocolate cake (or maybe a bit of brownie?). No matter-- it all disappears in the work of a couple bites.

Oh. Yum.

Lupa was a pleasant surprise. The prices are reasonable, the service friendly and laid-back, and the food (ahem, dessert, ahem) worth returning for. It's the perfect place for a classy meal when you don't feel like going through the classy-meal rigamarole. Go. You'll enjoy it. And isn't that what it's all about?

Lupa
170 Thompson Street, near W. Houston
212-982-5089

A gelato nightcap at Capogiro

After my salt fest at Gia Pronto in Philadelphia, I still had a few moments before I had to take off for the train station. And if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time at all, you'll know that that can mean only one thing: time for dessert! So out I went, walking up Walnut Street, until I found the University City location of Capogiro Gelato.

I've actually had Capogiro before, bizarrely enough, at the NYCWFF a few years back. But I've never been to their stores, since they're mostly located in Philly. This time, I plunged into the cafe/coffee shop-type shop and made a beeline to the gelato case.

The guy behind the counter was truly patient with me as I tried nearly every flavor. Finally, I made my way over to the table with a small cup of half Thai Coconut Milk, half Hazelnut gelato. I was five dollars poorer, sure, but I was also happy as a clam.

A tower of tastiness

The Thai Coconut Milk was an intriguing flavor. It tasted like coconut, of course, but it wasn't the bold, in-your-face coconut that a plain "coconut" flavor would bring to your mouth; it was more, well, milky, a bit smoother, a bit subtler. The Hazelnut was all nut, though, silky in texture and tongue-coating in nutty flavor.

The small may be pretty small, but I struggled to finish it-- palate fatigue set in near the last few bites, with all that rich milkiness sating me (for the time being, at least). Capogiro may not be the absolute best gelato I've ever had, but it's good stuff, and their interesting flavors keep the gelato-complacent on their toes. If I'm ever back in Philly again, you can rest assured I'll return.

Capogiro
3925 Walnut Street, between 39th and 40th Streets
Philadelphia, PA
215-222-0252