Traditional items from the Old World crowd the display. The view is enticing. So many pastries, tarts and pies! So many different kinds of bread!

I’m sold on German Apple Cake the second I lay my eyes on it. Granny Smith coated with cinnamon cake crumbs and enveloped in a shortbread shell. Amazing!

My 10 inches slice is packed with fruit. The apple chunks filling is excellent: crunchy, lemony and warmly spiced.

The crust is neither greasy nor syrupy, but perfectly friable and lightly sweetened with powdered sugar on the top.

The impeccability of this treat makes me assume that the other items are at the same level. I go for a second round. Bee Sting and Sacher Torte look pretty good.

Unfortunately, all that glitters is not gold. The first pastry, a square filled with Bavarian Creme topped with orange blossom honey and almonds disheartens me. Its extremely thin and inconsistent sponge base is spread with a foamy, bland, almost flavorless cream cheese filling.

A “sting” is supposed to be sharp, but this is just annoying, an actual insect bite.

The Sacher Torte doesn’t live up to its name. It is not that I expect anything close to the one you can eat at Café Sacher, Innsbruck (where I’ve had my best Sacher ever). But I’d like to have something close.

The paste is dry, the apricot filling oversweet, the chocolate glaze hasn’t even seen real chocolate. It is merely a brown topping surrogate that has nothing to do with the decadent bittersweet covering it’s supposed to have. As if it wasn’t enough, they pointlessly added a layer of hazelnut buttery mousse.

Why didn’t I opt for the Swiss rye bread?

It would have been better if… they had given the “chocolate” pastry another name.

With the highest expectations, I head to Sweet Potato Pie, a bakery that began its adventure as a farmer’s market’s stand and eventually turned into a shop.

I don’t even consider any other option. I skip the various Bread Puddings (traditional, blueberry and Pina Colada), Lemon Meringue and Pecan Pie and get straight to the point. “Can I have a slice of this, please?”, I ask pointing at a glittering, orange colored tart.

At the first bite I meet the filling: rich, creamy, delicately infused with cinnamon and vanilla. It’s really good, but… I am not completely convinced.

I nibble another morsel, savoring studiously, little by little. At the bottom, the crust is flimsy, soggy. On the edges it’s crunchy, but exceedingly salty. Really salty. It’s almost like eating a quiche. When I am finished I can’t say if I’ve had an entree or a dessert.

It would have been better if… I had started from the opposite side.

The little carrot that replaces the “i” in their logo seems promising. As I get in, I find out that they only use organic vegetables and all their dressings, soups and sides are made in-house from scratch. Not bad!

A huge menu covers the wall: you can choose among a vast number of salads and sandwiches, and if they’re not enough, you can create your own and pick your bread: Rustic French, Whole Grain Foccaccia or Whole Wheat Wrap.

I go for the Special of the day: the Jerk Chicken Sandwich, and a couple of sides (don’t worry, I am sharing).
My sandwich is hot, pungent, deeply savory. Together with the spiciness of my chicken, I detect a sugary flavor… Honey mustard? Maybe some kind of sweet glaze? …I ask. “Nothing, just the pickles”.

Their Roasted Potatoes, marinated with just a little herbs and rosemary, maintains a light and fresh flavor thanks to the intense taste of lime juice.
The Hummus is rustic and dense, and it fortunately comes without that annoying puddle of oil that they usually pour in the middle. The whole wheat Flatbread that is served with it is warm and impressively thin.

You can argue that I haven’t exactly ended up having a super-healthy post work out meal… but you also need some flavor, right?
… and, by the way, the sandwich was tiny!

It would have been better if… the only option they have for dessert had been something more exciting than a chocolate cookie.

Note: In the location I tried, on University Boulevard (there is another one at Millennia), the environment is calm and relaxing; they also have an outside patio free Wi-Fi, which is huge.

Their variety of items is impressing. Their baked goods display overflowing. Standing at the counter, one is really spoiled with choice. The people behind us aren’t that concerned about our research though. We have to pick. One salty. One sweet.

Huevos Rancheros, a poached egg with black bean chili, smoked gouda, marinara and diced papaya creates an interesting combination of flavors. A healthy alternative made with egg whites, this dish is not your typical one. If normally after an indulgent breakfast you feel heavy and full, after this you are light and refreshed. We could even have another.

The Apple Strudel is not bad. We don’t love it, but we like it. With all those apples and just a little, thin dough, it gives you the impression that you’re not indulging.

For lunch we get lucky. At the Laguna Beach location, the soup of the day is an healthier version of our favorite buttercup squash puree. Instead of sour cream, it’s thickened by a cauliflower bisque and flavored with nutmeg.

The warm rosemary bread that comes along with the soup replays it sweetness. If it wasn’t for the intensity of the herb, you could think you’re eating a muffin. We dip it in the squash. Toothsome.

Our Burrito Bowl consists in a rice and black beans salad, coated with melted cheddar cheese and pico de gallo (a Mexican fresh tomatoes and cilantro condiment). The guacamole they serve as a side, together with sour cream and fire roasted salsa, is abundantly scattered with big chunks of avocado, onions and plum tomatoes. The bowl’s taste is strong, intense. Perfect to awake our taste buds after the mildness of the soup.

At the end of the meal we are pretty satisfied. The only regret is that we haven’t considered the Zinc Burger our neighbor is eating. It looks pretty good…
Maybe we should check the Solana Beach location for dinner…

Just kidding.

It would have been better if… we had had the chance to try the third location.

Sometimes they’re chewy and stick irretrievably to your mouth, others they turn into batter as soon as they lean on your tongue. By chance, we found a couple of places in Orange County where these cute, tiny pastries deserve a taste.

At Bon Epi Patisserie & Café, in Irvine, the Black Forest Macaroon is a must. Despite its pink, gaudy color, this chocolate paste treat comes filled with a milky cream and a candied cherry that is absolutely amazing. In their simplicity, even the plainer flavors, such as hazelnut and chocolate, gratify your cravings, maintaining a perfect balance between crispiness and juiciness.

At Paris In A Cup, a French tea room in Downtown Orange, macaroons are boasted as the house’s specialty. Peppermint, the seasonal flavor, was not unforgettable (the one we had was stable [see 6th sign of a bad macaroon on Serious Eats], probably because instead of being kept in the refrigerated display, they were stored in a not completely sealed glass vase).

Their Mocha macaroon, however, was nothing but superlative. While macaroons generally thwart one’s expectations with their excessive sweetness, this coffee delicacy has found a way to harmonize the sugary dough with the well calibrated bitterness of the Espresso filling.

…..Bon Appétit!

It would have been better if… the Peppermint one had been moister and the Chocolate one had had a dark, more bitter filling.

“They are only awake at night,” he tells us.

“And what is it doing here, on a coffee plantation in the middle of Bali?”

“Have you seen The Bucket List?

These are the animals that are responsible for creating the famous coffee that Jack Nickelson craves.

It’s the most expensive coffee in the world,” he adds.

We follow our guide through the jungle to an outside seating area.

In the trees that surround us we hand pick bananas, tangerines and mango steens, a purple fruit with a sweet, slimy, milk center. All are delicious.

We are each served nine varieties of tea and coffee. I try their local brew first, a bit too watery for my taste. The hot chocolate, mocha, vanilla and coconut all have similar fates.

Onwards to tea. The ginseng has an energizing sparkle and it’s gone in two gulps. The lemongrass is sweetened with brown sugar and refreshing. The ginger is sharp, burning on the way down, but good for the stomach. I buy a bag of each.

“What about the Luwak?” I ask. “Very special cup,” he says. “The Lawak is a scared animal in Bali. He eats only the best coffee beans. The next day, we search through his poop, purify the beans and use them for coffee.”

As if that’s somehow convincing. Still, I came all this way and I’m not about to give up now. “I’ll take a cup!” What normally retails for $25 per cup in Australia can be had for just $3 here in Bali.

The Luwak’s left overs are potent and thick. Strong like Turkish coffee, I can still taste the ground through my teeth in each sip. When I’m through with the cup, I have the jitters. All that’s left are the grinded beans at the bottom.

“Mix this and drink the rest,” the man says handing me some water. I take the grounds with a spoon, a dense chocolate brown with the thickness of mud. I shake my head. “No more.” It’s worth a purchase. I pick up three cases for gifts.

Inside the coffee shop a man is nibbling. I peer over the counter. “What are you hiding?”

He pulls out a bar of chocolate. I raise my eyebrows.

He cuts me off a slice. Heaven.

Made of 80% cacao and 20% coconut sugar, this sweet and oily chocolate is the perfect after dinner snack.

I buy a bar and make the trek back through the jungled forest.

It would have been better if… the other coffees had been more pure, like the Luwak.

For more information on Bali Bike Tours visit www.balibike.com. A full day, including two meals and a coffee plantation is just $45.

In 1890 Giuseppe and Bernardina Giolitti opened a creamery where they used to sell milk from their own pastures in the Roman countryside. The store was immediately successful and during the 21st century it expanded to a gelateria and pasticceria. It now serves food, drinks and, above all, gelato, offering both indoor and outdoor seating.

Being renown as one of the best gelaterias in Italy, the madness at Giolitti begins long before you walk into the door. On the small, narrow street, tens of tourists are taking pictures and waiting in line. The range of flavors in the display is impressive: from Champagne to Papaya and Cucumber.

Among the best, the three flavors that deserve a mention are: ‘Fichi Carmellati’, ‘Opera’ and ‘More’. In the first one, the caramelization makes the fruit taste like it has a rum base, sweet but with a bitter-burnt kick. ‘Opera‘, a mixture of pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts and pine nuts is really rich and loaded with a generous amount of nuts. ‘More‘, a dark raspberry sorbetto is heavily seeded and it impressively reflects the tangy flavor of the wild berry. For the price of E 2.50, one gets a substantial gelato with three flavors. If you go, make it a destination and expect what you would at all tourist locations. Lots of people.

RIVARENO, Via Magna Grecia, 25, Rome, www.rivareno.com

The first RivaReno shop opened in Milan, in via Col di Lana in 2005, with the recipes of the gelato chef Leonardo Ragazzi. Their philosophy is: the best quality ingredients, no colorings, preservatives or artificial flavors, to combine Italian tradition with creativity and innovation such as their ‘Mango Heera’, an Indian mango and yogurth gelato that reminds of an exotic Mango Lassi.

The result is a really fresh product, prepared daily in the lab of every RivaReno store using the best Alpine milk from the Stura Valley in Piedmont. Their masterpieces are: ‘Crema Mediterranea’, made with the Sicilian liquor Zibibbo and raisins from Lipari, ‘Contessa‘, an almond and hazelnut cream sprinkled with amaretti and caramelized almonds, and ‘Otello‘, an eggnog infused chocolate with pieces of ‘torta Barozzi‘, a dark chocolate and coffee cake.

Not to miss are also their ’Crema all’Aceto Balsamico‘, a custard based gelato drizzled with a delicious, very thick vinegar glaze and the ‘Crema di Gianduia‘ they pour on top of your cone.

OLD BRIDGE, Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo 5, Rome, www.gelateriaoldbridge.com

Old Bridge opened in the proximity of  Vatican City 25 years ago. Since then, a noticeably long queue of people stand outside this shop, where the gelato is freshly made everyday using only natural products.

The ‘Ricotta e Pistacchio‘ here is one the most delicious and particular flavors one can dream of. A delicate milky base intertwined with a silky pistacchio cream and bristles of nuts.  

Other favorites are ‘Dolce Latte’ (dulce del leche), the gelato version of the South American dessert enriched by a burnt condensed milk sause and the luscious ‘Caffè‘, richly loaded with espresso. Among the sorbets, ‘Plantain‘ really stands out.

AL SETTIMO GELO, Via Vodice, 21a, 00195 Rome - www.alsettimogelo.it

Recommended several times by the locals, Al Settimo Gelo is not one to miss. For those longing for creativity in their gelato, this is the place to try. Their specialties include Anise sorbet, Chestnut, Papaya, Honey and Sesame, Greek Gelato with pistachio nuts and the house favorite, Iranian Gelato made with saffron, rosewater and pistachio.

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To phrase it, she proudly uses is a motto invented by her dad, who ran the gelateria opened in Florence by Patrizia’s grandpa, Raffaello Vivoli, in 1930. From its origins as a humble milk shop, a lot has changed in the last 70 years, and Vivoli became a symbol of the city, just like the duomo and the David.

The only thing that didn’t change are the recipes, that have been handed down orally: “My dad taught my sister Silvana and my husband Simone how to make gelato. There’s nothing written, it’s all in their minds. You can’t codify something that creative and unstable like gelato.

Each flavor has so many nuances that it would be impossible to enclose its secrets in a stable formula. Our strawberry sorbetto, for instance, tastes different every day, depending on the ripeness of the fruit. Silvana and Simone try it every morning, and according to that, they decide how to calibrate the other ingredients”.

“All our gelato flavors have their own story“, she continues. “This one for example – she points at the ‘Caramello e Pere‘ sorbet -, was invented after my dad had a heart attack. He spent five days at the hospital eating nothing but baked pears. When he came home, he was so ‘fleshed’ by his meals that he made a gelato out of it”.

To protect their ‘know how’ and preserve their family tradition, Vivoli’s, although attaining national fame, have never thought about turning their shop in a bigger business.

“We still have one, unique location, the one my great grandfather opened – Patrizia says – We’re a family, and we like our job to be centered around us”. “Look”, she points at the cash desk. An old lady, that looks exactly like her, opens her mouth and smiles.

“That’s my mom. And that is…” From behind the gelato display, a brisk and peppy voice interrupts the presentation: “Have a little break! Try a pastry!” Silvana Vivoli, although being one of the most famous gelato chefs in Italy, is bright and breezy: “No worries, we’ll share”. She asks a waitress to lightly grill a croissant and orders a cappuccino. I gape. It’s 7 pm. “It’s ok, we’ll split that as well”. A minute later we’re relishing over a golden, flaky shell folding a tart lump of blackberry jam. Warm, crispy, delicious.

“We make everything in house – she tells me sipping her foamy, hot drink – from gelato to pastries to the laundry of our aprons. The only two things we buy from outside are pistachios and hazelnuts”. This statement is not just a matter of speaking. Far from acting like a snooty cooking star, Silvana maintains the genuineness and simplicity of an apprentice, therefore it’s not difficult to run into her on the narrow, medieval alleys of Florence while she’s delivering gelato to the restaurants with her white golf cart.

“I am getting ready to leave to for New York”, she begins to say nonchalantly, “they want me to make gelato for a charity dinner at Rockfeller Center. $700 per person, isn’t it crazy?”. Silvana is not new to these kind of experiences: not only has she been flown to Hollywood at “Divino” to prepare gelato for Dustin Hoffman and Harrison Ford; in 1999, the American consul in Florence contacted her to amuse Mr and Mrs Clinton with her delights.

“I’ll show the Americans some real gelato!” she claims. “Ice cream is so fake… What are all those flavors, such as ‘Rainbow’ or ‘Cherry Garcia’? Even the most simple strawberry tastes artificial, because is made with powder instead of real fruit”.

After analyzing the lacking of a ‘gelato culture’ in the US, Silvana expounds: “Gelato doesn’t take off over there because it was born as a ‘dessert da passeggio‘, something to enjoy strolling around town. In the States, except for the biggest cities, there’s nothing similar to the Italian walking culture, and gelato has been declined in a frozen, mass produced treat, that can be purchased in big quantities in a supermarket”.

“Unfortunately – she continues -, recently, the palate of the Italians has also been shifting out of the habit of true, decided flavors. This derives from a general bastardization of the food industry, that, in order to lower prices, proposes sauces made with tomatoes imported from China, or mass produced ravioli filled with breadcrumbs instead of meat. Nowadays, the only people who still have high standards are the farmers, who eat what they grow in their fields without any additives or preservatives. They are the only connoisseurs of real flavor!”.

Silvana actually lives in the midst of this reality: the idea of her ‘Lemon Caviar‘, the flavor entered in the contest of the Florence Gelato Festival, was born in her orchard, while savoring white peaches. She guessed they would have been a good match with some mint leaves and the citrusy pulp or ‘lemon caviar’, a fruit in between a lemon and a lime. The result was worth a mention for the originality from the technical jury of the event.

The gelato eneterd in the Festival 2011, called ‘Temaki Ice” was even more particular. Silvana, collaborating with the Japanese restaurant Kome, created a hand rolled soy bean cone topped with a rice based gelato, flavored with black sesame and an azuki sweet bean glaze. Even that time, the result was outstanding.

Silvana’s dedication in defending the craftsmanship of gelato culture also emerges from her commitment in ‘I Gelatieri per il Gelato‘, an association of gelato makers, born in 2010 to defend a typical Italian homemade product.

Besides fighting for the future of gelato, Vivoli also committs to protecting its history. The family was on the front line for the opening of the first Gelato Museum launched by Carpigiani, the world’s top producer of gelato machinery, committed to divulgate history, culture and technology of this artisanal product in the 5 continents.

Since Patrizia’s dad established a solid collaboration with the brand, testing their new machines and helping them in correcting their defects, Vivoli donated a batch freezer from the ’50′s to the museum, as well as photographic pieces of the history of gelato in Florence.

Some of them hang on the wall behind the counter. Patrizia looks at them opening the memory book: “Our grandpa used to say that gelato is like the snow: beautiful when it’s fresh and compact, but in a twinkle it turns in a mush. For this reason, he would compare himself to a sprinter that competes for the 100 meters, and has to give his best in a few minutes, before his creation starts melting”.

“I am less philosophical”, Silvana breaks in. “I think gelato is just life. Not life in a metaphysical sense, it is actually my whole life: what I do and eat every day and what I earn my living with”. Three generations, three different way to perceive gelato, just one unmistakable, impeccable way of making it.

It would have been better if… they hadn’t removed the Temaki Ice from the menu!

The challenge is not easy. Coconut sorbet is one of my favorite flavors and it is hard to make something exceptional. As he opened the display case to spoon a sample, I wondered: “what can he do that one hasn’t seen elsewhere?”

At Settimogelo, Andrea, a confident artisan just 24 year old, opened his gelateria two years ago. In addition to serving over 20 delicious flavors of gelato, Settimogelo offers an entire case is made with soy, four freezers for pastry, a sorbetto popsicle display and a place for smoothies and fresh fruit.

It’s too bad there was only room for three flavors:

“Novi? …No Settimo Gelo” is the best rendition of Nutella I’ve ever tried. Filled with tons of fresh hazelnuts, it’s incredibly rich, almost too rich. So ask for a sample first or order it as an accompaniment to something sweet or savory, like a fruit or pistachio.

It is usually hard to be impressed with a caffe’ gelato. Too often its not intense enough because the flavor is masked by the use of milk and cream. Not here. Its taste resembles a sorbetto and the coffee has an authentic, bitter aftertaste. If you love traditional Italian espresso, don’t miss it.

The reason I only tried those three flavors is because, after a spoonful of the best coconut gelato ever invented, one that I genuinely feel cannot be improved, I had to have it.

Whereas a typical coconut sorbet is made with a prepared base (coconuts are expensive) and the actual fruit is substituted with dried flakes, Andrea uses only coconut, water and sugar. And the product is life changing. Bites of fruit, unmistakable in every bite, bursting with flavor. So do what I did: order an entire cup, or two. Then take one to go.

With a history like Turin’s one expects a harmony of mastery and tradition. Apply that to gelato and one notices that nearly every parlor maintains the style of “Pozzetti” or “Carapine”, metallic containers that are used to better preserve the product and also prohibit it from being seen.

On my quest for the cities best, I glossed over most of the recommend places, both to find the newest, latest trends in the market, and because when I visited many these historical landmarks, they seemed more famous than good.

Listed below are the highlights of my journey. Four gelaterias, four experiences.

#1: PREGIO, via Stampatori, 19H, Torino, Italy

In Italian, the word ‘pregio‘ means excellence. “It’s an ambitious name for a gelateria,” Silver,  co founder and gelato maker, admits. “But to prove it, you have to try my whipped cream.” How can one decline such an offer? They just can’t. And I didn’t have the heart to tell him that, on every other occasion, I loath this fatty garnish. However, when I try one spoonful of Silvers magical creation I am reborn. Saying it’s the best I’ve had isn’t enough. This was other worldly. It was excellent, wondrous, objectively incredible. So good that I didn’t want to eat another gelato without it. Fortunately one can order a side of his legendary “panna” for a mere E 0.30. Savor it with a scoop of mango sorbet. Do not miss it.

Along with producing a fantastic gelato (my favorites were mango, pistachio, soy bran & vanilla and peach & papaya), Silver and Co. have big plans. “You’re going to see me abroad,” he tells me with a confident smile. In fact, despite opening just two months ago, he’s one step ahead of the game.

Equipped with what he calls a “perfected base mixture“, Silver has found what he thinks is an opportunity to revolutionize the typical gelato business. “We needed a way to export our product while still maintaining the quality and consistency.” They didn’t have to look far. One of their partners works in the import/export business. The result of their quest is three unique bases (one for chocolate, creams and fruits), each with a shelf life of six months equipped for world wide distribution.

What’s their secret? Instead of pasteurizing the milk to the standard 80C, they heat it to 140C, killing all traces of bacteria to better preserve the product. Then, its mixed with the precise proportion of ingredients to complete the base (sugar, water, stabilizer, etc) and stored until needed. Once in the gelateria, the artisan puts the product in the machine and works with the variegations, fresh fruits and toppings.

Only time will tell if the franchise model works, but the signs look promising: their gelato is great, their store is classy and they are extremely friendly. For a year and a half, Silver tested his product to perfect his recipe, making over 100 kilos of gelato a day. The result, Pregio.

 #2: VASA VASA, Via Giovanni Amendola, 4, 10123 Turin, Italy

The only bad thing I can say about VasaVasa was that it was closed the second time I went. A Sicilian gelatiera (also with a couple of location in Milan and one in Paris) offers traditional flavors, a classic theme, and is home to one of the world’s best Cassatas.

Made with ricotta, chocolate, candied oranges and honey, it has a rich cream base with an superb disparity of flavors. Topped with a scoop of mandorla (almond) granita, it’s even better. Visitors beware: they close for winter.

#3: LAIT, Via Lagrange, 5, Turin, Italy

A small stand located in the heart of the city center, I nearly dismissed it as a tourist trap. What a mistake. Serving a mere six flavors, they chose quality over quantity, but it’s a welcomed philosophy. Lait offers something few other gelaterias have: not only does it promise just the most local and fresh ingredients – they use milk of “Bianca Piemontese” cow from Cuneo valleys farms - but they use no artificial colorings are used, so their latte-mint, a rich whole milk made with real mint, is white instead of green. For unparalleled possibility of freshness, they serve their product directly out of the batch freezer.

While a typical gelato, after exiting the machine gets put in a shock freezer (left to harden at -15C for 20 minutes), this gelato is consumed directly from the device it is made from. One flavor, one machine. The result is the freshest, purest gelato on the market. The consistency is soft like yogurt, which means it melts immediately. Not to worry, it won’t last long.

# 4: VANILLA CREAM & FRUITS, Via Palazzo di Città, 7  10122 Turin, Italy

Aside from serving an outstanding gelato and being located right next to the King’s Palace, Vanilla offers a few things you won’t find elsewhere. First, a hot zabaione cream spiked with your choice of rum or moscato. The combination of alcohol and eggnog are perfect for a cold winter day.

Second, for those who can’t decide between their multitude of delicious gelatos, Vanilla offers a genius idea. For E 0.50, one can have a small scoop sandwiched between two crostitini’s (a crispy, flat cookie). Don’t miss their ‘Mele Cotte‘ (baked apple gelato)!