The best I ever had...

(gelato, that is!)

Alright, you're probably going to think I'm a bit gourmande (a glutton who loves to eat; not to be confused with gourmet, which is someone who loves haute cuisine) when I say that the next stop we made after our divine coffee at La Caféothèque was at a gelato shop.

Pozzetto is in the 4e arrondissement, and is "simply the best gelato in Paris," according to none other than Monsieur Lebovitz. And I have to agree.

I'm a big fan of all things mint-flavored (my mother once had to talk me out of a bottle of peppermint body lotion - she said I would smell like toothpaste and no boys would like me), especially ice cream/gelato/anything sugary and frozen. Messieurs Ben & Jerry have done quite well by me in the past with their Mint Chocolate Chunk - after all, the ice cream is white (not unnatural green dye), and it loaded with huge rectangles of dark chocolate. And let's not forget Mint Chocolate Cookie - the blessed lovechild of mint chocolate chip and cookies 'n' cream.

[By the way, you can get Ben & Jerry's in Paris very easily - they have stand-alone shops, stands, and it's found in some snack shops, too.]

But Pozzetto outdid even my favorite ice cream making men from Vermont. This gelato was flecked with dark green-brown somethings - I realized that these were in fact pieces of actual mint leaves.

My other flavor pick was pistachio, which Pozzetto does just right. The dull green color means they used REAL pistachios, not syrup and dye. What's more, according to David [Lebovitz], Pozzetto uses "Sicilian Bronte pistachios." I don't know exactly what that means, but I'm guessing based on the taste that it is indeed something quite special.

I also appreciated the fact that Pozzetto gave decent portion sizes; often in France even deux boules (two scoops) seems pitifully small to this ice cream lover!

I'll have to go back and try all the other flavors very soon...

~

We wandered with our gelato cones into Le Marais (which I've already for its unrivaled falafel) and came upon this place: a wine cellar/bar/book store. Alcohol and literature - what's a college student not to love? La Belle Hortense came with the seal of approval of a creepy toothless bouquiniste (bookseller) that we met on the banks of the Seine, but has nevertheless been added to our list...