March 27-31, 2007
Cuisine: Gelato
119 S 13th St, Philadelphia 19107
117 S 20th St, Philadelphia 19103
Phone: 215-351-0900, 215-636-9250
Website: www.capogirogelato.com
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I went nearly two years living in Philadelphia without trying Capogiro and now I’m kicking myself as I type for not going sooner. I have made it my personal mission to encourage everyone I know to try this place immediately. To misquote Jack Handy, “When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or Capogiro heaven, choose Capogiro heaven. It might be a trick, but if it’s not, mmm, boy.”
To make up for lost time, Luscious and I went to Capogiro everyday from March 27-31, sometimes we went twice a day, and once, we visited four times in one day! I may be a good eater, but Lush is far and away the best eater I’ve ever known.
On my first trip to Capogiro, I tried a sample of the Pineapple Mint sorbet and was completely blown away. The mint actually tasted like it was derived from an herb! I can’t believe I’ve put up with faux mint/artificiality for so long. In addition to being ridiculously tasty, the sorbets are completely fat free.
On another visit I ordered a piccolo (small) gelato with Kiwi and Mojito ($4.25). The flavors were wholesome and refreshing. It’s truly incredible how the pure essence of each ingredient is creamily captured in the gelato.
On yet another visit, I tried the Gelato con Brioche with Nocciola Piemontese ($4). A scoop of gelato was sandwiched between a freshly toasted brioche roll. The warm bread and cold gelato was amazingly decadent.
Over the course of five days, Luscious, The Astronomer and I tried a plethora of flavors. Here are some of our favorites:
- Arancia con Cardamomon—Sweet oranges with spicy cardamom
- Cassada—Dark chocolate with candied orange peels
- Dark and Stormy—Lemon and Ginger with Sailor Jerry Rum. Don’t get lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
- Mojito—tart lime, cool Overbrook Herb Farm mint and rum
- Pepino Melon—Originally from Peru, this thin skinned melon is as sweet as a cucumber, but taste like a cantaloupe. You have to love winter melons!
- Nocciola Piemontese—Hazelnut gelato made with nuts from the Piedmont region of Italy. When this is your first choice, you have your Italian Citizenship
- Uva Rossa—Tart red grapes
- Thai Coconut Milk—Sweet smooth coconut gelato made with coconut milk from Thailand and a hint of coconut rum
- Moro—Sicilian Blood Orange
- Rosemary Honey Goat’s Milk—Local goat’s milk infused with local rosemary and honey
Now that Luscious is back in Hawaii, I think she misses Capogiro more than me ;-).
Now that you’re converted, you should make a point of going in all seasons. One thing I love about Capogiro is that some of their flavors, especially the produce-based ones, change with what’s available. Winter is more bearable since I know that it will bring pomegranite sorbetto to my neighborhood.
Comments on differences between the two? I frequent the one on 13th, but recently I joined a friend at the Rittenhouse location. Not only did they have hibiscus sorbetto, which I have never seen before, but their staff was altogether more charming!
for dessert, i pick this.