Dallas Haute Spot: Paciugo Gelato

Photo Credit: PaciugoI scream, you scream, we all scream for . . . Paciugo Gelato?

If you find yourself walking by the empty shelves in the freezer section of your favorite grocery store just to see if by some act of God Blue Bell is back you aren’t alone. Most of Texas is in mourning over the loss of the National Ice Cream of Texas.

Now is the time to look on the bright side, embrace your inner adventurer, and use this ice cream void as an opportunity to try new things. Gelato, for example.

Paciugo makes gelati and sorbetti in the tradition Italian way. It’s full of fresh fruit and all-natural ingredients and it has, if you care about these things, 70 percent less fat than ice cream. Some flavors are even sugar free. Unbelievable!

Photo Credit: Paciugo West Village

Not just any gelato, either. Imagine a place where you could experience hundreds of exotic flavors like —

• Strawberry Chocolate Lavender
• Sweet Potato Organic Maple Syrup
• Violet Chocolate Chip
• Mango Lychee Sorbet

And of course, Chocolate Jalapeno. The company owns over 300 recipes and each location has 30 to 40 different flavors, which change regularly.

Paciugo (pronounced (Pa-choo-go), which means messy concoction in Italian, was founded in Dallas by Cristiana Ginatta and her family. Ginatta studed at her family’s gelato shops in her native Italy, perfecting the technique for this popular confection. Now there are dozens of locations but you can still find the gelato right here in Dallas where it all started. There are three locations but consider the West Village location on McKinney. You’ll be able to savor your favorite gelato, people watch, and shop your heart  out at one of the trendiest chunks of real estate in Dallas. And hey, if you get overheated you can drop back in to Paciugo for another round of brain freeze.

This stuff is rich so plan to get a small serving –at least until you know what you are up against. Can’t decide? Ask for a sample, the friendly staff will be happy to provide it.