Amy Scattergood of the LA Times, on the city's new wave of deliciousness: "It's not the first time gelato has been in the spotlight in Los Angeles — in the late '80s there was a gelateria craze. But this generation of artisans, joined by an ice cream maker or two, is taking the craft to something that seems more like an art. They're perfecting techniques to get the purest flavor and creamiest texture, seeking out the ripest peak-season fruit, the best chocolate, the most flavorful, freshest nuts." Gail Silverton and her partner Joel Gutman invent new flavors, like "cinnamon basil or black sesame gelato, or a vanilla gelato with ribbons of dark chocolate and candied orange peel." Milk's Joel... More

By Robyn Lee | After a failed early afternoon trip to Gelati d’Alberto which didn't open until 3 PM, my friend Jessie and I went to Damman's Glacier for dessert after scarfing down some sadly sub-par gyros at Saint Michel. Although my soul usually writhes in horror at the idea of not getting a creamy, dairy-based flavor, my body screamed for something with fruit or at least a slight presence of beneficial nutritional value. Of course, strawberry basil sorbet isn't exactly recommended by doctors; it just seemed less doom-full than Jessie's orange chocolate ice cream. A hint of basil mixed with strawberry made for a refreshing dessert, but it would've been better if the "small" wasn't the size of... More

All right. Listen Up. From here on out we're changing the name of the upcoming holidays in order to focus exclusively on chocolate gifts. From now on Christmas will be known as Chocomas. Hanukkah becomes Chocokah. Kwanzaa, Chockwanzaa. I'm not trying to be blasphemous here. I'm just trying to help all of you give your loved ones what they probably want—namely chocolate in all its forms. Here are twelve places to order truly extraordinary chocolate items online. Those of you celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanzaa will have to pare down these choices to eight or seven, respectively, unless you want to double up on four or five of the days. Day 1: John & Kira's | johnandkiras.com John and Kira are... More