The second Gelato Cafe in the valley held its grand opening March 20 at 7240 W. Azure Road in Tenaya Village.
The cafe, which serves up a lot more than the dessert it was named after, is designed as a place for locals to come in and spend some time.
The seating area includes many tables and a few couches for customers to get comfortable. There are free wireless Internet access and a variety of board games available.
"We are Las Vegas-based and geared towards the neighborhoods," said Brian Murtaugh, project manager.
Along with the surroundings, the real attraction is the authentic Italian gelato. The 22 flavors available each day are made in the original Las Vegas cafe at 8550 W. Desert Inn Road. Over 50 flavors of gelato and sorbet are rotated throughout the week.
Gelato is a frozen dessert that was developed centuries before ice cream. Using base products imported from Bologna, Italy, the chefs at Gelato Cafe, led by Italian Consultant Angelo Cavallo, create the mixes combining ingredients such as ripe bananas, natural chocolate and real nuts.
"A lot of places use a pistachio almond mix," said Murtaugh, describing how the cafe's pistachio gelato is made. "The pistachio flavor overwhelms the almond and it's cheaper. Our pistachio gelato is made with pure pistachios. You feel like you're dipping your hand in a bag and eating pistachios."
The cafe offers many ways to top off a scoop or two, including fresh fruit, homemade whipped cream and a variety of candies and sauces.
"Our gelato is so good you don't need all that," said Matt Sands, the store's manager.
Using a batch freezer equipped specifically for gelato production, the dessert is created and cooled in a method which churns only 30 percent air into the product. The lower air content is what provides gelato with such a distinct flavor as compared to traditional ice cream, which is composed of 80 percent air.
Gelato is a much healthier product than traditional ice cream, cafe officials said. Because of lower air content, the product is much denser than ice cream and gelato production requires no added butterfat. A standard serving of Gelato Cafe gelato has around 4 percent fat content, while a premium ice cream ranges anywhere from 14 to 25 percent.
Gelato Cafe also offers a variety of deli platters and food options using imported Italian meats and cheeses.
The Grande Antipasto Deli Platter includes Bresoula beef, two types of prosciutto (Italian ham), mortadella (imported bologna with pistachios), Genoa salami, fresh mozzarella, Swiss and fontina cheeses garnished with cocktail onions, olives and crackers. Other platters include the Bresoula salad, Caprese salad, prosciutto and melon.
Platters and gelato can be ordered for special events. The cafe has a 12-flavor mobile gelateria that is available for parties, weddings or business events.
The store is open from noon to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
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