Anyone know where you can get good gelato in Chicagoland?

I'm not expecting the luscious creamy real fruit gelato like you get in Italy, heaven knows I've never seen anything like that in the US, but is there any descent gelato at all in Chicago?


I know its winter, but I have a craving!

Liz

Caffe Gelato, 2034 W. Division has excellent gelato.
See the Metromix entry on it.

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/sear ... 8999.venue

Not strictly gelato, but enough browsing to keep you busy till spring

The definitive list of ice cream shops

Jane wrote:Caffe Gelato, 2034 W. Division has excellent gelato.
See the Metromix entry on it.

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/sear ... 8999.venue

...or one of the two LTHForum threads:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=40334
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2178

Also, I'd recommend Freddy's
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3723

eatchicago wrote:Also, I'd recommend Freddy's
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3723

I stopped by Freddy's Saturday afternoon and picked up berry, chocolate and pistachio gelato and thought they were all very good. That said, I must confess I am not expert in the ways of gelato, but Freddy's stuff is supposed to be made in house and it tasted pretty good to me.

Hammond

Jane wrote:Caffe Gelato, 2034 W. Division has excellent gelato.
See the Metromix entry on it.

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/sear ... 8999.venue

I haven't had a chance to try Caffe Gelato yet, mostly because they are closed for the season.

SSDD

To be honest, the two I have enjoyed most in Chicago have both been "imports". Capogiro from Philadelphia at Bouffe (which I learned about from LTH) and Talenti from Dallas at Eatzi's. The Capogiro is actually significantly better but I have a soft spot for Talenti since it used to be my favorite gelato when I lived in Dallas. The founding owners sold the business and the quality has since declined noticeably but I still prefer it to the very few gelaterias I have found in Chicago.

These guys make pretty good gelato:

http://www.algelato.com/cafe.html

Thanks Everyone! I'll satisfy my craving this weekend and you have all given me some great choices.

Liz

Italo-Americano, I noticed you're from Deerfield.... I'm not sure if it's still there, but at the Glen Shops in Glenview, there used to be a big eatery/grocery store. At one end of the store, they sold some pretty good gelato. There was also another little cafe further down towards El Jardin restaurant that sold gelato too. I haven't been there since 2004 so I'm not sure if those stores are still there. Might be worth a look if you're nearby.

HI,

Close to home, there is a gelato sold by the scoop at Bacio's in Highwood. If you will scroll down on the link provided, there is a picture of the gelato bar and address.

Regards,

foodie1 wrote:I'm not sure if it's still there, but at the Glen Shops in Glenview, there used to be a big eatery/grocery store. At one end of the store, they sold some pretty good gelato.

That place closed about a year ago. Not sure what, if anything, is in there now.

Thanks Cathy,

I will try Bacio's Gelato soon. I noticed your thread about Poeta's and your Will's special sandwich. Very interesting. ..

Personally I really enjoy Poeta's sausage. Dominic and Lucca, (the brothers who own Poeta's) are from Abruzzo if I'm not mistaken. I wonder if Italian Sausage, like other Italian foods have regional flavors, or if they all use the same sausage seasonings. I do know that fennel in the Sausage is a regional taste, and not all Italians like their sausage with fennel.

italo-americana wrote:
Personally I really enjoy Poeta's sausage. Dominic and Lucca, (the brothers who own Poeta's) are from Abruzzo if I'm not mistaken. I wonder if Italian Sausage, like other Italian foods have regional flavors, or if they all use the same sausage seasonings. I do know that fennel in the Sausage is a regional taste, and not all Italians like their sausage with fennel.

Yes, there is a very substantial degree of regional variation in sausage making in Italy, though typically only a relatively limited range of that variation is commonly represented over here. That said, one can find a reasonable number of different (fresh) sausage styles made in the salumerie around Chicagoland.

There are, I think, a couple of older threads on the board in which this topic is discussed to some degree.

Antonius

I'm no gelato expert, but I passed by The Penguin Gelato and Pizza on Lawrence today and was compelled to stop because I saw this thread earlier. This may fly in the face of authentic Italian gelato, but the owners are Argentinian, and the flavor I sampled (sabayon) was mighty fine. Lots of interesting flavors (cherry cream, raspberry, dulce de latte, almond cream, nevado, ferrero rocher, coco cream) and a nice selection of sorbets (lemon, pineapple, grapefruit, orange, peach, strawberry).

The guy behind the counter said they were all homemade, on site, as are the pizzas and empanadas, and "nothing comes out of a can". I saw a Slow Food plaque on the wall, too, if that counts for something.

The Penguin
2723 W. Lawrence Ave
(773) 271-4924

If you noodle around the site a little, there is plenty about the Penguin and the strong Italian presence at all levels in Argentina (and Slow Food Chicago). Indeed, Argentina is very likely the most Italian country outside of Italy. Having eaten gelato in both countries, I have to give my personal "best" to the gelato by the Recoleta cemetary in BA and Argentine gelato generaly, if only for the once-rare but now ubiquitous innovation of dulce de leche gelato.

NB, feelings about the Penguin are mixed here, at best. I'm a fan.

Kind of far from Deerfield but Canady le Chocolatier makes a really nice gelato in house and even packs it in a little styrofoam container if you buy by the pint.

Canady le Chocolatier
824 S. Wabash

I've also gotten good gelato at The Pasta Shoppe in Oak Park - I think they buy it from another vendor but the pistachio is very nice.

There was a fun post from June 05 - I don't know how to link it - but search: Giro del gelato[/url]

You might like Dessert Gourmet in Glenview.

Thanks for everyone's input!

I tried Bacio's in Highwood for an after Mexican treat, but alas... They were closed. Soon I'll try the Dessert Gourmet, and the Penguin.

I appreciate the recommendations!

Liz

In this other thread, there was some mention of Istria Cafe, including the gelato.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... ght=istria

I stumbled across the place while walking around the 57th Street Art Fair today. I couldn't help, but pop in. The staff was very friendly and explained that it's all made in-house, and even pointed out the gelato making guy, who was also behind the counter. They insisted that we try their orange flavor (can't remember the particular name), and it was delicious. A great, tangy orange.

We didn't order anything from the cafe today, but we plan to make a trip just for the gelato. We were told that the flavors change frequently.

Hubby and I finally returned to try the Istria Cafe gelato, and we were not disappointed. They have about a dozen flavors, which change frequently, and the gelato is made daily.

We tried about half the flavors between the complimentary sampling and our selected flavor combos. The flavors we tried are chili chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, chocolate cheesecake, pineapple, and green apple. I really enjoyed the pineapple and green apple. The pineapple had a true pineapple flavor and the green apple was nice and tart while not tasting too confectionary/candy-like. Hubby's favorite was the chocolate cheesecake.

The staff was very nice, they sell a good range of sizes, and the prices seemed fairly reasonable. We'll be back for more.

I have been disappointed twice with the gelato produced by Talenti I found it both way too icy and cloyingly heavy on the tongue.

Spiaggia Cafe and Southport Saloon, actually! The pistacio is fantastic.

Gelato is back at The Italian Coffee Bar in Evanston -- their freezer has been kaput for months, and finally got replaced. ICB is also opening a second Evanston location on Church Street where Marble Slab Creamery used to be.
>>Brent

The Italian Coffee Bar
1549 Sherman Ave.
(corner of Sherman & Grove)
Evanston, IL
847-328-7164

YourPalWill wrote:I have been disappointed twice with the gelato produced by Talenti I found it both way too icy and cloyingly heavy on the tongue.

I just tried Talenti gelato (coconut) for the first time and I have to agree with your assessment that it is somewhat icy, far too much for gelato. On the other hand, it was also generally creamy and I appreciated the real coconut flavor. Overall, I liked it but the "icy" factor definitely detracted some.

I am a fan of Ventrella's gelato, particularly the biscuit tortoni, which is studded with macaroons. I thought it better than Cafe Gelato's.

Ventrella's Caffe
4947 N. Damen

There is an excellent new place called Bellezza Gelato on Harlem Avenue near Addsion. I had the opportunity to stop in there last week to buy an afternoon treat for my office.

The store sells 10-12 different flavors of gelato ranging from traditional (a dark and intense chocolate or a sabayon) to flavors designed to appeal to the sweeter preferences of American ice cream eaters(an incredible dense and flavorful banana/caramel and an old fashioned rich butter pecan).

Each flavor that I sampled was rich and sticky the way that good gelato should be, creating a ribbon of richness running between the spoon and the cartonwith each spoonful that was spooned from the pint containers that I bought.

My favorite was a berry combination that was both creamy and deeply flavored with bluberries, raspberries and blackberries.

I spoke with the owners for a while who seem to have a real passion for their product. This is definitely a place worth going out of your way to check out if you're gelato lover.

Bellezza Gelato Cafe
3637 N. Harlem Ave
773-545-1239

This answer technically belongs in the Shopping forum, but a good store-bought gelato (IMO) is a brand called Angelo's that is sold at the Apple Market on Clark St. in Lincoln Park. It's made in Bensenville. I've only ever had the pistachio.

BR wrote:I just tried Talenti gelato (coconut) for the first time and I have to agree with your assessment that it is somewhat icy, far too much for gelato. On the other hand, it was also generally creamy and I appreciated the real coconut flavor. Overall, I liked it but the "icy" factor definitely detracted some.

Slightly off-topic, I guess, since it's not gelato -- but if you like coconut, you owe it to yourself to try the macapuno ice cream at the Village Creamery (Skokie, Niles). Their best flavor, by far.

Re Capogiro: It is/was also available at Julius Meinl, albeit in only a few (standard) flavors. (I say "was" because the new menu no longer specifies the supplier's name, so it could have changed.)

I ,live in Elmwood Park and we go to Massa at least once a week, on North ave just east of Johnnie's.

In Lakeview Panini's? On Waveland between Halsted and Broadway, had an incredible Pistachio Gelato there after dinner. One of my favorite Italian restaurants on the northside. one of many.

Joey B