Sweet spots in Tel Aviv offer Italian gelato and Swiss pastries
Review: Arte Gelateria offers 30 flavors of ice cream made of fresh ingredients, including no fewer than five variations of rich chocolate; while Gerald Patisserie offers over a dozen varieties of croissants and pastries, along with some healthy options.
For many people, if not most, the dream of quitting one’s profession in mid-career to pursue their passion remains just that: an unfulfilled fantasy. For Marco Camorali and Sissi Pagano, however, it was an inevitability -- fortunately for those of us in Israel who enjoy quality ice cream.
Several years ago, the Italian couple quit their jobs as marine biologists in Bali and returned to Tuscany to study the art and science of making gelato; last year they moved to Israel and opened Arte, selling their handcrafted gelato on the Nahalat Binyamin pedestrian mall in downtown Tel Aviv. This month, to celebrate their first anniversary, they held an afternoon of workshops and tastings.
The good news is that customers can always enjoy tastings as they try to decide which flavors to order among the dozens that are on offer on any given day.
There is no doubt that Marco and Sissi mastered their new craft: within months of finishing their training, Marco won first prize at the gelato festival of Viareggio, Tuscany, for his creation Marco's Cake: cheesecake with berries and crumble.
“All of our ice creams are made from scratch on the premises, using only the finest natural ingredients, and no industrial products,” says Camorali. “Moreover, our fruit flavors are seasonal, for maximum freshness.
“We do our best to source our ingredients locally,” he adds, “but do not hesitate to import them when the best quality is available only from overseas.”
Arte’s website publishes a complete table listing approximately 30 flavors, including no fewer than five variations of rich chocolate. In addition, the table contains detailed information on possible allergens, as well as noting which flavors are vegan, alcoholic or gluten-free.
Arte’s owners also traveled to Sicily to learn how to make granita, and the results are on display in eight icily refreshing flavors, including several for adults only. In the summer months, from now until October, Arte is open seven days a week, from 11am to 11pm.
Arte
Nahalat Binyamin 11, Tel Aviv
Tel. (055) 895-4868
Gerald Bopp was a master patissier in Fribourg, Switzerland, when he moved with his family to Israel in 1993. Business took him back to the continent, but his son and daughter stayed here and studied architecture. Yet dreams die hard; and just last year, the two generations of the family opened Gerald, a bakery/restaurant in the finest European tradition, in the heart of Tel Aviv’s Ibn Gvirol Street.
Initially, Gerald opened strictly as a patisserie, featuring cakes and pastries that are a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. At the behest of customers, however, the menu was expanded; the restaurant now serves meals all day seven days a week, opening for breakfast at 7:30am and not closing until 10:30pm (4pm on Fridays).
Naturally, Gerald’s baked goods take center stage even at mealtimes: there are more than a dozen varieties of croissants and pastries on offer at breakfast time (breakfast itself is served all day long). Still, there are healthy options as well, including vegan choices.
Starting at 9am, small plates (“apero”) make their appearance, savory specialties unique to Gerald. More substantial courses are served beginning with lunch, as well as sandwiches and salads. The sandwiches are made with the house rolls known as délices, baked from pretzel dough.
I could not resist tasting the quintessentially Swiss gruyère cheese sandwich. The soft and chewy oven-fresh délice was stuffed with generous slices of the nutty cheese, along with cornichon, tomato, baby lettuce and Dijon mustard. It came with a nice side salad dressed in a pleasant vinaigrette and sprinkled with crunchy toasted almonds. The delicious sandwich was paired nicely with a refreshing glass of rosé wine.
The highlight of my visit, however, was the arrival of two of Gerald’s signature treats: the Jennifer and the B-Bopp. The former is a lemon biscuit smothered in panna cotta mousse and a confit of berries, enclosed in a delicate pink shell. The rich, sweet mousse combined with the succulent fruit to melt in the mouth before exploding in flavor.
The B-Bopp is Gerald’s chocolate creation par excellence: chocolate mousse and pralines atop a Lotus cookie crunch encased in chocolate ganache. It doesn’t get better for any lover of chocolate.
For all its excellent bakeries, Tel Aviv is fortunate to have this lone outpost representing the best in Swiss culinary arts.
Ibn Gvirol 36, Tel Aviv
Tel. (03) 506-3135
