Noci Gelato, Dessert, Mill Valley
May 28, 2016
P:
Sweet cream and black cherry
J:
Milk chocolate and salted almond
Notes:
Where do you go on a hot, sunny day in Mill Valley? Plenty of places, I'm sure, but we stumbled across this gelato place and had to give it a try.
The first time I ever had gelato, I was in Italy with my family. It was very warm, we were there in late spring, I believe, and we came across an ice cream a gelato shop. I was drawn to the hazelnut flavor, nocciola, over a more familiar one like chocolate or vanilla; perhaps I liked the challenge of a foreign word, or maybe I had Nutella in mind at the time, who knows. But, when I took that first bite, ice cream frozen dessert as I knew it changed forever. This was richer, creamier, and more full-flavored than any ice cream I'd ever had - and I knew good ice cream - I grew up eating fresh strawberry ice cream right out of the churn during hot Kansas summers. After returning from Italy, I was on a mission to find gelato, but couldn't. It wasn't until I moved to California about 10 years (?) later that I found anything that came close (at Gelateria Naia).
Surprisingly, gelato is actually less rich in fat than ice cream. It uses more milk than cream, but it's churned at a slower speed resulting in a less airy, more dense texture. Because it's lower in fat, it's served at a warmer temperature, ready to melt in your mouth. When it does, the flavor is more intense, since there's less butterfat to coat your palate and interfere with your taster. Don't get me wrong, ice cream is still an amazing thing, but gelato can beat it at its own game.
Except this stuff at Noci; I was pretty disappointed with this place. They did not have hazelnut flavor (WHA?!), so I settled for salted almond (which sounded perfectly delicious) and milk chocolate. The salted almond had an unpleasant, grainy texture and no discernible salt or almond flavor; the milk chocolate tasted like frozen chocolate milk, lacking body and richness. Patrick's choices were more successful; both the sweet cream and black cherry had a nice flavor and texture, though in my view, it still didn't compare to what I know it can be. And surprise, it was expensive.
Next time we're in Mill Valley on a beautiful, hot, sunny day, we'll probably try to find an ice cream shop (or..?) before we'd come back here.
Bi-Rite Creamery, Dessert, The Mission
May 6, 2016
P:
Chocolate with TCHO Chocolate
J:
Salted Caramel
Notes:
Bi-Rite Creamery is a neighborhood ice cream shop that has been in operation since 2002. It's so popular that it's not unusual for there to be a line out the door and down the block, day or night, no matter the weather.
That night, we'd had dinner at the restaurant next door. It was a slightly disappointing experience, and we decided the only way to turn things around was with a scoop from Bi-Rite.
Long ago, Bi-Rite was recommended to me by a friend who is a die hard fan of their salted caramel ice cream. Before you say that flavor is "so last year" you should know that they've been doing salted caramel ice cream since before salted caramel ice cream was a thing. And it is hands down, by far, the best salted caramel ANYTHING I've ever had. I've probably been to Bi-Rite only about a half-dozen times. Once, I got a scoop of "ricanelas", cinnamon ice cream with bits of snickerdoodle cookies. It was good, but it was no salted caramel. Another time I had a scoop of malted vanilla with peanut brittle and milk chocolate pieces, along with a scoop of salted caramel (smart, eh?). But the malted vanilla, also good, was no salted caramel. Ever since, I haven't bothered with anything else. Their salted caramel ice cream is divine. Ultra creamy and rich textured, the caramel flavor is deep and smoky, bordering on burnt, and the saltiness is just right. It's HAY-mazing.
Patrick went with chocolate on this visit. He's a big chocolate fan generally, and TCHO is an exceptionally good local chocolatier. The ice cream he describes as having a deep chocolate flavor, almost as if there were chocolate extract added to the mixture. I had some, and it was delicious, but it was no salted caramel.
SALTED CARAMEL.
