At 205 Commercial Street, near the foot of Carver Street, tucked away in the back of the little food court in the old Aquarium, you'll find the finest gelato on American shores. It's well worth the few extra minutes you might spend finding the place the first time you visit. Once you find it, you'll definitely be back. This is quite likely the best gelato you'll ever taste.
I Dream of Gelato is now in its 7th year, serving up the most delectable frozen confections, specialty coffees, fresh fruit smoothies, custom milkshakes made to order, and more. Of course, the real star here is the gelato, homemade Italian ice cream made right here, every day, one small batch at a time. Over the years Michelle has absolutely perfected more than 160 flavors of gelatos and sorbets, ranging from the creamy smooth Pink Grapefruit to about three dozen different chocolate flavors. At any given moment you'll find two dozen flavors in the display case, with each flavor rotating into the spotlight several times over the summer. Actually, you could just close your eyes and throw a dart to choose a flavor, and you would walk out happy every time. Try the Caramel Apple flavor, or the White Chocolate Coconut, or the more exotic flavors like Rose or Jasmine.
Gelato is actually a lot better for you than conventional American ice cream, which can have a butterfat content of as much as 26 percent! Gelato is made with milk rather than cream, and no eggs are used, so the fat content is cut way down, and the flavors in the gelato really shine through without all that butterfat clogging up your tastebuds. But the texture of gelato is still incredibly creamy because of the way it's made. It doesn't have nearly the amount of air whipped in the way ice cream does, so it is denser and smoother, giving it a creamier feeling in your mouth. Without all that air whipped in, gelato also lets you taste more of the flavor of the fruit, or whatever ingredients are used to flavor it. Gelato is also made and frozen at a temperature a bit less frigid than ice cream, so your tongue and your tastebuds can actually discern more of the flavor of gelato.
My very favorite of all the choices is the Pineapple Basil Sorbet. Did you know that sorbets are made without any dairy ingredients? So there is even less fat in a sorbet, but you wouldn't know it from the taste. Each one I have tried has been absolutely delicious. By the way, you are invited to taste a couple of flavors to help you choose the one you want, or order your cup or cone with more than one flavor. And then you can come back the next day for different flavors.
I don't look forward to the next streak of hot, humid weather predicted for the next few days, but as long as I can dream of gelato after a long day working in the heat, I'll survive this weather just fine.
By the way, I Dream of Gelato has a brand new sister shop across Commercial Street and a few doors closer to Town Hall. Look for Sips and Lix at 212 Commercial Street, where you'll find fresh juices, a smoothie bar, wheat grass shots, frozen yogurt and modern soft-serve ice cream. Look for an upcoming post about this terrific new shop.
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