The day we went for gelato was overcast and sporadically rainy, more appropriate for hot chocolate than chocolate ice cream. But Piccomolo, straight down Westwood Boulevard, with its bright orange wall and light display cases, serves up a little Italian summertime.
According to the literature at Piccomolo, Italian-style gelato differs from regular ice cream by using 90 percent milk rather than a more even mix of milk and heavy cream. They claim this mixture then give gelato two-thirds less fat and one-third less calories than ice cream.
Despite being low-fat, the dessert manages to taste rich, though that may have been a trick of the presentation. The gelato is served in small plastic cups with miniature, flat, square scrapers instead of spoons. This requires one to take small bites and, by default, savor the gelato. The miniature portions don’t seem so much like a rip-off after eating the whole thing, and, as with rich desserts, you feel satisfied after smaller amounts.
And as it was a rainy day, there was nobody in the narrow shop when we went, so with only one employee behind the counter, we got to taste as many flavors as we liked before settling. I chose a small gelato with half chocolate and half tiramisu, while my friend chose half almond, half hazelnut.
The tiramisu flavor is one of the more popular gelatos, according to our scooper. Tiramisu is a hard flavor to pin down; the Italian coffee and mascarpone cake can taste different, but this gelato variation had too much of a buttery taste that overpowered the hints of coffee flavor.
The almond gelato was complimented by actual almonds. The almond flavor was delicious and one of the few surprising flavor options: Most choices, such as pistachio and rocky road, could be found in ordinary ice cream shops.
The most memorable thing about the chocolate gelato was the smooth texture. But with anything chocolate, it should be about the flavor not the consistency, and the taste didn’t stand out.
When in Rome, Americans are happy to eat any gelato, as long as we can be strolling down the Spanish Steps with a waffle cone. But back home, the gelato doesn’t have the romance to cover for the flavor.
E-mail Crocker at acrocker@media.ucla.edu.