PrintPistachio Gelato Smackdown: Grom vs. L'Arte del Gelato
A cup of pistachio and hazelnut gelato from Grom, and a cup of vanilla and pistachio gelato (with a extra "sample" of strawberry) from L'Arte del Gelato.
Gelato lovers in New York City will be hard pressed to find an area with more choices than Bleecker Street in the West Village, and New York magazine has officially dubbed it "Manhattan's Gelato District" in this week's issue. Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite tried out all six and gave their impressions, which in turn sparked a mini debate here at SE:NY.
While we all agree pistachio is the way to go, we couldn't agree on who serves the best version, newly opened Grom or L'Arte del Gelato. L'Arte has our resident Sugar Rush experts Kathy Chan and Robyn Lee in its corner, while Raisfeld and Patronite—from the sound of what they wrote—and I all tend to lean toward Grom. (Let it be noted that I am a cheapskate, and my willingness to pay Grom's exorbitant prices is only a testament to how good it is.) For final judgment we turn to the serious eater out there. Let us know what you think in the comments.
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10 Comments:
I like certain flavors at each place. I think that Grom is a little more consistent than the rest. For what is truly the best gelato in that general vicinity you will have to go to Otto and have the olive oil gelato.
Ed Levine at 1:44PM on 06/16/08
I totally agree about the olive oil gelato -- I think its genius! My personal favorite is the pistachio at Grom - its so natural tasting and not too sweet so you can really taste the pistachio flavor. You can even tell by the color - its a more yellowy green than the fake dyed green pistachio color that you normally see.
spsheldon at 2:41PM on 06/16/08
I second that, Ed.
wanderingeater at 2:42PM on 06/16/08
Olive oil gelato is my fave! I also love Otto's caramel gelato. However, their pistachio was surprisingly disappointing. :( Just didn't have that buttery roasty flavor that I love so much. (But the olive oil and caramel made up for it.)
I wonder what Mario Batali's fave gelateria on that list is...
roboppy at 3:18PM on 06/16/08
roboppy is right about the pistachio at otto. it's not great. the caramel is exceptional, as she points out. spsheldon is correct about the pistachio at grom. it tastes like pistachio nuts mixed with cream. in other words, like heaven.
Ed Levine at 10:46PM on 06/16/08
None of them (except Otto's olive oil) compares to Il Laboratorio di Gelato.
vegny at 1:58AM on 06/17/08
I think Grom is good, but overpriced. I have to say i love the gelato at L'arte, it really reminded me of the stuff I ate in Italy. I like the stuff at other places, like Laboratorio (though I think they're a bit overrated), and Cones, but L'arte really made me believe I was in Italy wandering Rome. Being a coffee flavor nut, I had that flavor, and it was delicious.
GorillaBob at 2:05AM on 06/21/08
the best gelato i have had in new york has been at otto and lupa. caramel {to die for} coffee, and meyer lemon {to double die for}. the waiter at otto strongly recommended the olive oil gelato but i was too chicken to try it.
cybercita at 8:08AM on 06/21/08
All I know is the pistashio I ate last fall in Rome WAS the best I have ever had, before or since that November night. Don't know the name of it. My host, who liuves there, took me to this tiny shop in the north part of Rome.
And since I live in Portland, Oregon, I have never had the pleasure to eat at any of the places mentioned in NYC. Darn! But Portland now has a dozen gelaterias.
andshecooks at 11:05AM on 06/22/08
The gelatoS I had at L'Arte del Gelato are definitely the best ones I've had in my life. And I'm Italian!!!
I do not know what Grom's lovers are on about- the cinnammon and pistachio I tasted there were horribly tasting of frost and butter.
Now go and try the pistachio at L'Arte!! You can't go wrong there, and they have so many fabulous flavours.
I still dream of the pumpkin flavour, and what about the ginger??
From the simple vanilla to the dark chocolate sorbet, they all are orgasmic, it's like biting the real fruit with no additives. (By the way, try the white peppermint, if it's still on one of their displays).
They also give you free samples! What more can you ask for??
mirka at 12:50PM on 09/18/09