Like tourists on the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, New Yorkers have been making the journey to the Upper West Side to sample the rich, dense gelati at Grom, a newly opened micro-chain founded by Guido Martinetti and Federico Grom, two natives of Torino, Italy. Principled and high-quality, Grom offers authentic gelati with Slow Food cred. Their fresh, seasonal and organic ingredients, combined with a storefront that feels very Italian in design, adds to the pleasantly sophisticated experience at Grom.
Gelato is made from whole milk and with less fat and air than American ice cream. This generally yields a denser texture and more concentrated flavor. Grom sells gelati and sorbetti (icy gelato without dairy), and immediately following a couple exalting articles about the shop, the lines wrapped around the block. While I’ll rarely cross a street to investigate a media-manufactured food craze, I recently found myself in the neighborhood of Grom with two friends, and we decided to check it out.
Grom’s laid back but efficient staff will serve up to three different types of gelati per cup. Trapped between my staunch one-food-at-a-time dogma (one pizza topping per pizza, thank you) and my desire to try as many flavors as possible, I opted for both the Crema di Grom which contains Piedmontese Battifollo biscuits and Ecuadorian chocolate chips as well as the ultra-dark Extranoir Chocolate flavor. I was satisfied with both. Friends tried the Zabaione (a sweet custard) flavor, Cappuccino, and the Chocolate gelati. They remarked that a couple of the flavors were not as intense or flavorful as they would have liked, but all were enjoyed on that warm June evening. Other current flavors to check out: stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate shavings), cinnamon, nougat, and the beautifully simple fiordilatte and mint. Grom also offers an appealing range of sorbetti including lemon, made with Sfusato lemons, an intensely flavored fruit grown in Amalfi, Sicily and Calabria sometimes used for making limoncello. Likely among the better gelati in New York City, we discussed whether Grom compares to experiencing this cool and classic treat in Italy. Perhaps a trip to one of Grom’s dozen or so shops in Italy would give some perspective. While I may not go out of my way to visit Grom again, (Is this foodie phase of “destination dining” going to be over soon?) it offers one of the more Italian-feeling experiences I’ve had in New York City in some time. And the line moves quickly.
