FOOD: Building Instant Nostalgia at Dolcezza Gelato [DC]

[Photos by Carrie Epps]

I’ll admit -- when I realized that the long-vacant Mid City Fish Market space on the corner of 14th & P St NW was going to become a branch of homegrown gelato chain Dolcezza, I was more than a little skeptical. After all, there’s another gelateria not a full block away. But one month in, it feels like it’s been there forever. Or maybe I wish it had been there for ever; in any case, the brisk business the new shop does shows that a lot of people agree with me. Dolcezza’s gelato is as great it’s ever been, but the loving attention to detail seen in at their newest shop, and at their newish factory in northeast’s newly christened NoMa neighborhood, sets the brand apart, ten years after its launch. Fitting, considering that it famously got its start as a young couple’s passion project.

Antique touches abound in both spaces. The wooden booths, the classic parlour stools at the adjoining bar, the tile flooring leftover from previous incarnations, the white marble table- and countertops at the 14th street shop give it a sense of age, like an idealized 1950s soda fountain, but with fancier coffee (beans from Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Chemex coffee makers). There are sundaes, called copettas (Italian for little cup) with silly names like “Fruity Pebbles,” but featuring serious ingredients like house-made candied citrus zest, tequila-spiked whipped cream, and Maldon sea salt. Nostalgia can also be seen in Dolcezza’s genius push-pops, made eco-friendly with recyclable plastic packaging.  allowing for a one-handed and mess-free experience for a customer on the go. But why leave when the cozy, sunlight-filled and airy shop begs you to stay? (Although, admittedly, the store’s frigid temperature doesn’t make you want to stay long.)

The factory is just as cozy as the store, if not moreso, despite its cavernous size. Knickknacks, vinyl records and cookbooks (a sampling: Tartine Bread, the two Momofuku cookbooks, and Gabrielle Hamilton’s masterful memoir Blood, Bones, and Butter) line the factory’s focal point, a massive shelving unit made from fruit crates emblazoned with the brand’s name, attached to the wall behind a handsome bar with a backsplash of patterned tiles. In a nod to their neighbors at Galladuet University, a pendant bearing the school’s name adorns one shelf and a hand manikin signing the letter “D” appears on another. A large windowed garage door provides ample light and opens out to a small concrete patio. Industrial metal stools at the bar provide seating for about 15, with additional seating provided by a small reception area next to the bar and the patio. I can easily see myself lingering over a coffee (and witnessed others doing exactly that) for a lazy hour or two on a weekend afternoon.

Of the two, a visit to the factory is probably the best way to experience Dolcezza’s gelato. It serves whatever flavors are being made that day, so it’s the absolutely freshest product you could hope to taste. The white nectarine I had on an initial visit was bursting with so much pure nectarine flavor that it captured the very essence of summer. The aforementioned copettas are also available here, as well as gelato flights, which are served in china with silver spoons. If you didn’t already feel like you were in someone’s home, weekend afternoons also see a once-daily tour, allowing customers to get an up-close-and-personal look at how Dolcezza does what it does so well.

Dolcezza Factory and Coffee Lab is located at 550 Penn St. NE. The factory offers tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30pm. The 14th & P shop is located at 1418 14th St. NW. Visit Dolcezza's website for more information.