Hot Dish Review

After spending a few hours at the Inman Park Festival, me, LC and his folks had a bite to eat at Pure nearby. Not surprisingly, LC had a sweet tooth and wanted to stop by Paolo’s (click here for my previous full review) for some gelato on the way home.

I knew it was a recipe for certain disappointment, having just returned from Germany where the best authentic Italian gelato can be found on every corner, like at Eiscafe Capri, a stone’s throw from my Oma’s haus.

Paolo’s is so quaint, just like a little gelato shop one might find in Italy. But I have always found the product to be too sweet, too rich, too American. Yet I continue to hope that someday the gelato will magically improve, but alas, it never has.

We went in, mesmerized by the display of gelato flavors behind the glass case. My favorite, stracciatella, was not available so I ordered a cup of cappuccino. LC tried a couple of mini cones and we got a cup of pistacchio for his Dad, which in hind sight, was probably the best flavor on offer.

As for me, my cappuccino was just like any other coffee flavored ice cream. Not bad, just not the light, icy texture of gelato in Europe. I’ve often thought it is the difference in ingredients available here that makes it impossible to duplicate, although it could also be America’s taste for fat and sugar that overrides the need for authenticity.

In the end, Paolo’s makes good ice cream, but it simply isn’t gelato to me.

1025 Virginia Avenue 404-607-0055