One thing I REALLY need to learn to do, is to write short posts. Which will give me no excuse to write so infrequently.
Anyway, the wife and I were in Paris last week, and we managed to have some really fabulous food. One of the things we had the pleasure of tasting, was Berthillon ice cream.
On Ile Saint Louis, down a small street about five minutes’ walk from Notre Dame, three generations of ice cream artisans have been making ice cream and fruit sorbets since 1954. (Isn’t it strangely appropriate that “artisanal” has the word “anal” in it?)
They serve/sell Berthillon at numerous cafés and bistros, but this is where it’s made, and where they have all the flavours, including special seasonal ones. Everything’s made from scratch with all-natural ingredients, and nothing contains preservatives. At 2€ a scoop, this is definitely one of the best bargains in Paris.
I’m usually not a huge fan of ice cream (my biggest complaint that it’s always too sweet). And the only other time I absolutely LOVED it was when we had “Fifty Bean Vanilla Ice Cream” at Spago in Beverly Hills, made with—no prizes for guessing, FIFTY vanilla beans. I have not tasted ice cream—in any flavour—like it since. Nor am I likely to.
But Berthillon comes pretty darn close. Especially my scoop of “Caramel au beurre salé” or Caramel with Salted Butter. I can’t tell you how delicious it was. If ever you needed proof that the human palate enjoys the taste of fat, this is it.
Had the queue not been so long, I would’ve gone right to the back of the line to get another scoop. Or gone inside for one of these:
Flickr photo by MomentstoShare
The scoop of “Framboise à la rose” (Pink Raspberry?) that Karina had was delicious too, or so she said. I was too busy enjoying the sweet, smoky, creamy, salty taste of cold, liquid butter.
Berthillon Glacier
Address: 31, Rue St. Louis en L’Ile, 75004 Paris
Phone: 01 43 54 31 61
http://www.berthillon-glacier.fr
Monday, 19 November 2007 at 3:30 pm |
how to count exactly 50 vanilla beans?
LIARS!
I want to eat what’s on that cone… oh, and the cone too. and that sundae! it’s evil.
Friday, 14 December 2007 at 12:42 am |
and if in rome, do as the pope does and check out giolitti. said to have been pope john paul II’s favourite gelateria, you get two scoops of your choice – dark chocolate and caramel in my case – topped with a generous dollop of panna for €3. slightly pricier than your average €1.50-€2 gelato cono piccolo, but trust me, it’s heavenly.
if farther afield in the medieval town of san gimignano, head to gelateria di piazza. the town is small, it’s in the main square, but if you still need directions, look for the neon lights and the sign “team italia member, gelato world champion 2006-2007″. ’nuff said.
giolitti
via degli uffici del vicario 40
roma
(39) 06 699 1243
http://www.giolitti.it
gelateria di piazza
piazza della cisterna 4
san gimignano (siena)
(39) 0577 94 22 44
http://www.gelateriadipiazza.com
(where can i attach pictures?!)