Last December, we decided to become members of the National Aquarium. Though unfortunately we don’t receive free passes for family or friends, those we take get a slight discount.
Naturally, we wanted to bring Jon for not only the aquarium, but the entire Baltimore experience.*
*I may or may not have blasted “Good Morning Baltimore” from the musical Hairspray upon arrival to excite him.
I decided I would tell you my absolute favorite part of this trip straight away. In case my summer want to list wasn’t clear enough, my obsession and the thing that makes my days sparkle right now is ice cream.
At the end of a day filled with heat and humidity, what could be better than ice cream?
Fells Point is one of my favorite areas in Baltimore. It was food that brought us there and food that continues to draw us in. The main street is cobblestone, not my favorite to drive on, but so adorably picturesque. The street is lined with local food offerings and independent shops that tempt me every time I visit.
Pitango Gelato was among the top listed ice cream stops for the area. For those of you new to the world, gelato is the Italian word for ice cream. The churning process is slightly different than the American way of making ice cream, and the milk fat content is also lower. I learned from the Pitango website that while ‘ice cream’ is specific to these high milk fat content treats, gelato refers to ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and custards.
The bottom line? You’re getting some pretty fantastic stuff.
I knew immediately that I wanted to try an affogato.
Friends. If you love coffee…if you love ice cream…you MUST find a place that serves affogato and make it your life purpose to try it!
Affogato: gelato topped with a shot of espresso
Translation: The best cup of coffee of your life.
Alternate translation: The best scoop of gelato of your life.
While affogato is traditionally served with vanilla gelato, I ordered mine with a scoop of stracciatella. Though I’ve had this Italian version of chocolate chip ice cream a few times before, it was during our cruise that I fell in love with stracciatella gelato. The restaurant we went to for second dinner most nights had it on their dessert menu and I ordered a scoop of it every single day.* While the name ‘stracciatella’ is actually associated with an Italian egg drop soup, the gelato ‘stracciatella’ is cream based gelato with chocolate shavings mixed in. It is glorious.
*With no guilt felt for my thighs whatsoever.
Whoever it was that first poured espresso over ice cream changed the course of history. The richness of the espresso mixed with the creamy cool ice cream creates this blend of flavors that, caffeine and sugar content aside, is addictive! Normal espresso based drinks are ruined for me and now, whenever I find myself somewhere that serves gelato, affogato will be a must.
The boys went pretty basic with chocolate and vanilla, but they were all smiles with their choices.
Lance also bought a frozen bottle of their Italian sipping hot chocolate which is basically the ingredients in their chocolate gelato bottled up. They sell it frozen so that you can take it home and enjoy it at a time of your choosing.
Ours* is currently in the freezer. I’m guessing we are waiting for the first cold day of fall to bust it out.
*Yes, I did say ‘ours’ even though my previous paragraph said that Lance bought it. Whether he knew it or not when he bought the bottle, he will most certainly be sharing it with me.
Our American ice cream with its high fat content and chunky mix-ins is wonderful and it does the job on a hot summer day, but if you’re looking for a place that obsesses over creating wholesome flavors starting with the cow and leading to the consumer, then Pitango is the place for you.
Pitango
Fells Point Location
802 South Broadway
Baltimore, MD, 21231
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