by Franklin on May 7, 2012
It’s official. The Italians got it right again and gelato is the perfect “ice cream”. It always seems like the beach and the ocean always makes me want some ice cream. The sunshine and the ocean breeze all can be enjoyed a little better with a nice velvety, creamy treat. If you couldn’t tell by the name, Geltao Paradiso only serve gelato. It may not be ice cream, but if its frozen and it’s creamy, it’s ice cream. The quaint little gelato shop in Laguna Beach was a nice find and an even better treat. Nearby the vicinity of one of my favorite Laguna Beach restaurants, Nick’s, it turned out to be a nice treat at the beach. Gelato at the beach is a win-win.
I opted for the largest cone and shared. After trying many different flavors (I must have tried more than I can count on one hand), I chose 3 of my favorite — dark chocolate nutella, tirmisu, and Italian cream. The Italian cream was neutral and sweet, the dark chocolate nutella was strong and intense, and the tiramisu met both of them half way. The flavors in itself were nice and rich. Gelato in its dense flavor profile, each bite was perfect. Having all of this on a giant waffle cone made it even better. The waffle cone never let up — It was thick and crunchy and was always crispy. Enjoying this at one of my favorite beaches in Southern California, things couldn’t have been better.
Gelato Paradiso is tucked away in a little alley (Peppertree Land) surrounded by small shops. The price was reasonable and their selection is classic, but perfect. What is better than ice cream at the beach? It doesn’t get any more All-American than that. Well in this case, it’s mixed in with Italian, but you get my drift. You can’t help but enjoy yourself in the perfect beach city with a nice big scoop of all the flavors you desire. Give me my ice cream, give me my beach and the perfect sunset. Consider me happy.
by Franklin on July 2, 2011
Mochilato is gelato inside of mochi. You’ve seen mocihi ice cream at the stores, but this one takes it a step further and uses gelato. Whoever thought of these things is a genius. The mochi around the gelato keeps everything clean with your fingers — it is all in a nice little package. Think of chicken nuggets, but mochi and gelato.
The texture of the mochi is a little weird at first. It feels like a really thin layer of raw pizza dough. The taste is very neutral, until you reach the gelato center. I had mochi ice cream from other places, and this place has the best mochi I have ever had. It is so stretchy and chewy and tasty. Other places, the mochi kind of breaks off as you chew it. Mochilato some how made their mochi so fresh and gooey.
Their gelato inside is really tasty. My favorite is the mango. I really feel like I am eating a frozen mango, the actual fruit. It really takes the essence of the mango flavor and puts it in the gelato. The green tea is also one of my favorites. They offer so many flavors, I want to try them all.
The place is an interesting shop. It is an ice cream shop and a coffee shop. They offer coffees and teas and of course, mochi gelato. Students are there usually studying, taking advantage of their WiFi, or families are enjoying shaved ice. Everyone has their reasons for coming here, but mine is for that tasty mochilato. Perfect for those hot hot summer days and nights.
by Franklin on May 23, 2011
Gelato, ice cream’s less fatty Italian cousin, is one of my favorite desserts. It is such a perfect ending to a great meal. It’s tasty, and has a lot less fat than ice cream. One of my favorite places to get gelato is Frati Gelato in Downtown Fullerton.
Their signature flavor, Frate, is one of my favorites. It is creamy in taste (marscapone cheese). It is really good. The Frate all by itself is good too — it has bits of pine nuts and pistachios. I know the ingredients sound weird together, but it is really delicious. I like to mix it with a citrus like their lemon or blood orange gelato. The creaminess and orange flavor make it taste like an orange cream or an orange bang.
Speaking of pistachios, my favorite gelato there is the pistachio. 
This one is a little more expensive than the rest because they import their pistachios from Italy. I know — legit! The taste of the pistachio gelato is amazing. You can actually taste the quality of the ingredients and have actual pistachio pieces inside. I sometimes don’t like gelato that is overly sweet. This one is not overly sweet, and it has that really good pistachio flavor. Amazing.
Freshly made on-site by master gelato maker Dr. Anthony LuPriore (not pictured above), it’s no wonder that these little cups of joy are so delicious. The flavor is so pure and clean, it really puts regular ice cream to shame. I am happy that I found my sport for gelato. Everyone needs their Italian ice cream fix sometimes., and I got mine.
