Here Comes the Grom

Grom founders Guido Martinetti and namesake Federico Grom started their first gelato venture five years ago in Torino (Turin).  Since then, they've added more than a dozen stores in northern Italy.  Last year, they opened the first Grom outside Italy, on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  Last month, another new Grom began serving its frozen delights farther downtown in the West Village.   I visited the latter shortly after the dust had settled.

If it's not the best gelato or sorbet I've tasted, it's pretty darn close. While one could debate whose flavors are best,  Grom's consistency is undeniably supreme.  The gelato is silky and creamy; the sorbet is velvety smooth—more so than any sorbet, sorbetto, sherbet, or sherbert I’ve tried in the United States.

The combination of luscious flavors and rich texture need not be a guilty pleasure, however.  Grom uses natural ingredients and maintains that its gelati contain less cholesterol, fewer carbohydrates, and half the fat of super-premium brands.

The menu changes monthly.  I tried a small cup of limone (Sfusato lemon from Amalfi) and pompelmo rosa (ruby red grapefruit from Florida).  The scoop: it was delicious, refreshing, and not too sweet—I could really taste the essence of the fruit.

Grom's motto, Il Gelato Come Una Volta means, "gelato as it once was."  While that may be true, the prices aren't quite so old-fashioned.  Cones and cups:  small ($4.75); medium ($5.75); large ($6.75); extra large cup ($9). Quality comes with a price.

 

Grom

Upper West Side:

2165 Broadway (between 76^th & 77^th Sts, near 76^th St), Manhattan

(646) 290-7233

By train: 1,2,3 to 72^nd Street
By bus: M104

 

West Village:

233 Bleecker Street (NW corner Carmine St), Manhattan

(212) 206-1738

By train: A,C,E,B,D,F,V to W 4^th Street
By bus: M5,M6 (uptown)

http://www.grom.it/eng/index.htm