Jealous of my Gelato

A new little gelato place has opened up across the street from my P street Whole Foods. When I read about it on DCist, I knew I needed to try it since it sourced local ingredients and was around the corner from my apartment.

I decided to stop by Pitango on a rainy Sunday a few weeks ago with several friends (including Betsy G. who is a proud and loyal W and CP reader, hi Betsy!). It seemed that the buzz about our new frozen treat hot spot had spread through the District as most people I spoke to were dying to try it.

The store itself was pretty plain the day we were there. Hardwood floors and an enchanting wall covered in polished signs boasting the day's flavor selection. One lonely orchid sat on the counter in the corner of the shop and everything else was unadorned. DCist will tell you all about the special way the folks at Pitango cool the gelato but I was more interested in the way they make their products.

The website explains:

At Pitango Gelato, we invest our time and resources in instilling our products with the wholesome, distinctive flavor that only real milk and real fresh ingredients can provide. We use nothing artificial; no coloring, flavoring or chemicals, and no excessive fats or sugars because we believe that our customers can taste the difference.

Okay, I'll go for that.

I was also intrigued by DCist's mention of a special local farm that had been tapped by Pitango to supply all their dairy products. Mr. Pitango, also known as Noah Dan, found a Mennonite farmer in Pennsylvania to partner with his burgeoning gelato empire. A dairy was built at the Spring Wood Organic Farm in Lancaster County to supply all their dairy products.

So, now that we know the gelato is free of hormones or artificial things, we can discuss the delicious flavors. I had chocolate and hazelnut which was fabulous--others had some of the fruit sorbet options which also received good reviews. The flavor selection was plentiful and the combinations almost endless.

One downside, my tiny cup of gelato was almost $5! Not super recession (or resesh, as I like to call it in an effort to downplay the depressingness) friendly. Then again, there was a line the entire time we were there so perhaps a $5 cup of locally sourced frozen splendor is a replacement for other, more pricey, luxuries.