New Love Blooms in the West Village
by Alissa Merksamer


Photo courtesy of Love Gelato

        Love Gelato opened its heart and freezer in the West Village last week.  After months of planning, recipe testing, and renovating, the shop sparkles like a new apartment before move-in day. Unscarred cherry wood tables, gleaming stainless steel espresso machine, and lab coat-white shelves lined with fluted soda glasses gives it a contemporary yet old-fashioned appeal.
 
         Perhaps it is the shop’s lack of color that makes the gelato appear oddly bright. Smatterings of hazelnuts, drizzles of dark chocolate, and glossy purple cherries pop from behind the glass display case. The raspberry resembles cherry laffy taffy. The banana looks like buttercups. Each, however, smacks with the freshness of of pure fruit, the muted lemon particularly puckery.
 
         While pistachio, hazelnut, and stracciattella are reliably present, Love also offers a few creative options.  Mascarpone with nutella and almonds tastes remarkably like mascarpone. Millefoglie, based on the French layered pastry, includes swirls of chocolate and shards of pastry.  Its flavor mirrors that of sweet cream, so kindly ignore the employee who tells you it's "cake batter."
 
         Even though the gelato at Love is quite good – texturally like velvet, and the three varieties of chocolate are  Valrhona – that may not be enough to distinguish it in a neighborhood saturated with gelateria giants. Grom, L’Arte del Gelato, PopBar, and Cones are a few blocks away.  Love  compensates by doubling as a café.  Wanderers looking for a quiet place to laze can choose from a selection of croissants, brioche, and focaccia panini (all breads come from Balthazar) as well as a full menu of espresso drinks.

         167 Seventh Avenue South at Perry 212 929 2870

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