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PrintGrom Gelato: The New Drug
On Wednesday Serious Eater Lia posted about Grom, an Italian gelateria concern opening its first U.S. store on Saturday the 5th of May. What Lia didn't tell all of you is that Grom is a mere 50 yards from my house.
When I left my house at 10:30 on Saturday morning there was already a short line to get into Grom, which was opening at 11. When I returned five hours later, the line was longer—much longer, a full city block long in fact. I noticed a friend, Mindy, standing with her significant other midway through the line. I asked her how long she had been waiting in line: 45 minutes, she said. "The gelato is free," Mindy said. Ah, yes, combine a little New York Times hype and the promise of free, artisanally made ice cream, and you have the makings of a long line in Gotham.
I chatted with my friend catching up for another half hour. By then she and I were at the front of the line.
The friendly fellow in the back of the counter informed us that you could have any two flavors in your free small cup of gelato, "unless you want to pay for your gelato. Then you can get all the gelato you like." I fished out a ten dollar bill.
"I'll pay, I'll pay," I told the guy . I ordered my small freebie cup of pistachio and capuccino. The man behind the counter offered me three paid sizes. I pointed to the largest. He didn't say how much a large cost, and not wanting to suffer sticker shock, I just plowed ahead. I ordered lemon sorbet and this raspberries and cream that my friend Mindy was contentedly eating. I was paralyzed with indecision about my third flavor. At moments like this, much like a world leader does, I feel the weight of the food world on my shoulders. My counterman came to my rescue. "Do you like grapefruit?" I nodded. "Have the grapefruit, he said. "It is fantastic. It will make you happy."
The small cup was free as advertised, and the large paid cup was a whopping $9.75.
I started muttering obscene things related to rip-offs, but then I took my first bite of pistachio. It tasted like fresh-roasted pistachio nuts whipped into an ultra-creamy consistency. It was a quasi-religious experience it was so good. The capuccino was just great, but did not rise to religious heights.
I then started in on the large cup. The guy was right about the grapefruit. It was like biting into the sweetest, juiciest, coldest grapefruit ever. It was more than a religious experience, it was a miracle of modern gastronomy and deliciousness. The lemon was also astoundingly good, but it paled in comparision to the grapefruit. The luna, was sort of a raspberries and cream. It tasted like the creamsicle of my dreams.
Halfway through the large cup I realized how difficult Grom was going to make my life. I had just gotten on the scale that morning to find that I had gained five pounds in the last month. I immediately vowed to go on a monastic, ice cream-free diet. Now I had to walk by Grom twice a day with summer approaching.
I thought about going to some weight-loss 12-step program. "Hi, everybody. I'm Ed, and I'm a Gromoholic."
I noticed a beaming man looking very ownerly. It was Mr. Grom himself. I asked him about the line: "It's because it's free, right?" He smiled and shook his head: "In Italy we have lines half as long every day. The free thing today, what can I say, we think our gelato is like a drug. Once they have their free taste, they'll be hooked."
He was right. It was the crack method of marketing, and I was among its first victims. I imagined standing up before my fellow twelve-steppers and saying, "You see, I couldn't help it. They were offering free gelato right on my corner. Could anyone resist the siren call of that pistachio gelato, or the grapefruit sorbetto?
The next day the line was noticeably shorter. I had to meet a friend for lunch at noon. I quickly figured out I would only be twenty minutes late if I waited on line. And I'll get my friend some. He wouldn't be mad at me for keeping him awaiting if I arrive Grom in hand. I order a lemon-grapefruit sorbetto cup for me (I'm trying to watch my weight, you know). and a pistachio-capuccino combo for him. My cup was gone by the time I reached the subway. His was gone by the time the train pulled into the station. Oh, boy, I think I have a problem.
Grom
2165 Broadway (at 76th St.)
New York, NY 10024
Ph: 212-
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18 Comments:
This is so well-written, and very very funny---especially at the end. Are there Pulitzers for food blogging?
Teachertalk at 11:51AM on 05/06/07
So it finnally opened! I haven't yet try the one in Milan, but soon!!! Bring Robyn with you next time!!! ;-)
Sara - Piperita at 1:06PM on 05/06/07
Ed you are retarded. I love you.
norman at 1:24PM on 05/06/07
So you cut half the line?
Aoife at 2:52PM on 05/06/07
I need a Grom in Indiana!
JEP at 3:49PM on 05/06/07
I need a Grom in Seattle! :-)
paris221966 at 9:15PM on 05/06/07
Try the zabaione...it's to die for. Totally worth the wait.
MegB at 10:05PM on 05/06/07
On the bright side, I think gelato has fewer calories than ice cream. Do they post caloric content.? I AM starting my diet tomorrow but hope to be able to get a small fix of Grom some time in the next couple of weeks.
izzy's mama at 10:06PM on 05/06/07
Hey Ed, just curious - did you notice how many varieties of "white" flavors were available? By that I mean, gelateria staples like panna (cream), riso (rice), and fior di latte (my favorite - sort of like a heart or "flower" of milk). These subtle flavors, typically white/ish in color, are bedrock. Looking forward to trying - didn't want to compete with the Spiderman 3-sized crowds last weekend.
Sandro at 10:10AM on 05/07/07
I waited until noon on Sunday, when the line was only 5 deep, and tried the extranoir chocolate and the hazelnut. Both were very good but not crazy good.
Sandro, they do have fior di latte.
Cathy at 11:52AM on 05/07/07
I'm sure that the gelato is fine, but it seems to me more than a little sad that the food situation in this town has gotten so bad that people will wait on line, and get so excited, over gelato made from a mix (as per the NYT article, nothing is made on premises, but the mix is shipped from Italy pre-made). For me, this is the real story behind Grom. Its a new low, not a new high. A victory for happy mediocrity.
If anybody wants to support a real artisinal -- or at least something approaching it -- product, the guy selling gelato in Chelsea Market actually makes the stuff himself.
Makanmata at 7:12PM on 05/07/07
Fresh isn't always best - it's just fresh. It's already mediocre to you for that reason - whoa! Just had the displeasure of trying B & J's Cinnamon Bun the other night, probably made more locally than Grom, and it was pretty much the worst-tasting thing I've ever put in my mouth.
Sandro at 5:29PM on 05/08/07
B&J is junk, plain and simple, please don't get me started on that. Haagen Dazs is quite a quality product though -- at least the simple flavors -- and probably should be more appreciated than it is. But that's rather besides the point.
Its not that Grom is bad (I don't know whether it is or isn't), or not better to any number of alternatives like B&J. Rather, its sad to me that the quality of available foods in New York is such that we have to celebrate a place like this. This gelato might very well be fine, despite the fact that its made in a comissary and shipped long distances. But still, if that's the best available in this town, it doesn't make it any less mediocre, and its sad that we don't have better stuff available. It says a lot about our society and our values that nobody wants to take the effort to do better. I also find it dispiritting that a little song and dance from a PR firm can convince people that a product like this is somehow "artisinal." Flash has so overcome substance that I'm afraid that if a real artisan would appear, he or she would be unlikely to rise (DiFara-like) above the PR noise from the pretenders like Grom.
Your right, that fresh is not necessarily the best, but its no less true that a commercial product like this is virtually certain not to be the best. There is no reason not to enjoy it. There is though, ample reason not to celebrate it too effusively.
Makanmata at 6:47PM on 05/08/07
Read this just before going to Milan, turned out to be a great tip. Ate there 3 times on the same day. Favourites flavours: yogurt and coffee, both things I had never felt could be made into good ice cream, and for sure not as good as this.
Blip at 3:55AM on 05/14/07
Hey, Makanmata, I can't agree with you more. I have tasted Grom gelato. The best thing I can say about it is: better than it's hyped up to be-ome super-duper PR at work. On that front, bravo! Grom says they grow their strawberries in Piedmont and shipped them to NYC, really!! I guess you can't call them "fresh" by the time they arrived! Grom' effort to be present in NYC is laudable,but they should at least be truthful about what they are really selling: mediocre gelato.
uffa at 7:22AM on 06/02/07
Well, I just went to Grom in Firenze for pistachio- heavy, dense, delicious!
In New York, for fresh local made gelato, you must try Batali's Otto restaurant (near Washington Sq. Park and 5th Ave) and try the olive oil gelato coppa, laced with EVO oil, sea salt, and the fruit compote of the week. Many other flavors as well, but the olive oil is one of a kind.
alasnoaxis at 3:03AM on 06/19/07
I do not understand what and why people are going crazy over Grom Gelato? Have any of the reveiwers ever been to Italy? If they have or have not there is something missing, Great Gelato. I have been traveling to Italy for most of my adult life and can say that the gelato served in the US is just like the cappucino's served here. There is a difference, a huge difference in the product and the presentation. Grom had an anticeptic feeling when I walked in with my wife. We made a special trip from the eastside ( yes I know the trip isn't the end of the work, but we trecked across ther park for what we had heard was the best gelato.) Forget the price, when one pay $800+ per sqaure foot you need to charge an arm and a leg to cover your costs. Still we were disapointed and walked away thinking about Italy and when we were going to book our next trip.
I will end my review with this note, travel to italy enjoy a real gelato experience and then think about how good Grom's Gelato realy was. When in Italy you can find a shop on almost every corner just like we can find a Starbucks in NYC every 5 ft.
jahreswagen at 2:02PM on 06/28/07
I was born in Turin, worked in Milan in the last 2 years, and now in NYC. Grom was my favourite gelato in Torino, always long lines but excellent flavour. I'm addicted probably so I continued in Milan the consumption of their gelato and again long lines with very good quality. When I left Italy to start to work in NY I was dubious about Grom in the UWS, but I discovered the same quality they have in Italy. I was impressed about that and I wonder how they can do. It's not the classic arthisanal italian method, but for the moment it's my favourite gelato. I cannot eat anything else. The only problem? It's very expensive, even more here in NY. But I prefer to pay a bit more when I decide to eat something looking for quality.The perfect combination? Raspberry with whipped fresh cream
kkiss at 2:34PM on 12/25/07