Wednesday, March 30, 2011

BEARS SPOTTED AT CAPOGIRO!!


BEARS! They have run rampant at Capogiro! They are terrifying, monstrous, and... DELICIOUS!!??? What kind of BEARS are these you ask? None other then Blissingers own gourmet gummy pandas. These mouth watering organic edible animals have overrun CAPO and they are not going anywhere! I called in animal control last night due to BEAR related worries but they told me I was crazy and there was nothing they could do. So there is only one way I can think to deal with this delicious problem.

Bear-Nana split

(a fun take on a classic dessert)
Fresh Champagne Mango Sorbetto
Fresh Avocado Sorbetto
Fresh Blood Orange Sorbetto
Fresh Banana
Fresh BEARS
Finally! Calm, passive, and delicious BEARS. The fresh sorbetto combined with the fruit is a refreshing and fantastic way to subdue BEARS. All of the textures and flavors work so well together so these BEARS cannot help but be happy. I bet animal control would find me a little less crazy if they tasted one of these bad boys.

Capogiro, home to fresh ingredients, fresh ideas, but most of all...
BEARS!!!!!!

-Joe
(Barista/BEAR expert)

Ataulfo (God Bless You!) Mangos


At 13th street we make enough noise when we catch wind that mangoes are coming back, that you likely knew it weeks before we had mango in the case. I know mango is a fairly common frozen dessert flavor all over the world, but I really and truly have found nothing that bests the Champagne Mango sorbetto at Capo.

Ataulfo mangoes (which we'll now refer to as Champagne mangoes since that's what we call 'em at Capo) are full of surprises. They have a light yellow-gold skin and a deeper gold flesh. If you've ever cut open a regular mango, you know that that damn pit is huge, and sort of disappointing considering there's so much potential for more fruit under the skin. Champagne mangoes have a beautifully thin pit. Seriously, they're smaller than their standard mango counterpart, but you're getting the same amount (if not more) of fruit with the little guy. Aside from their wonderfully sweet and tangy flavor, Champagne mangoes are awesome for the following reasons: they're high in vitamin C, high in dietary fiber, high in natural sugar (so don't get your skivvies in a bunch), and have been known to improve moods upon consumption of any product starring their deliciousness. Ok, that last part was embellishment, but I believe it.
Anyways, come by (any store, but 13th is reeeaaaally cool) and have some Champagne mango sorbetto. It's ok if you want to pair it with something, but it does hold its own like nobody's business ;)

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Grilled Cheese, a Spellcaster's Dilemma

Much like the dragon, grilled cheese is a hot crispy foe that has to be dealt with carefully. Many a wizard has felt the sting of failure when faced with this legendary beast, but thanks to the efforts of a group of youths working at a gelateria in south philly, taming the grilled cheese might become a reality for people who don't even have powers. Wouldn't that be something? No more relying on super humans and spell casters to provide for the helpless masses!


Pictured above, popular superhuman, spider's man, attempts to slay a dragon to obtain the grilled cheese it's guarding.



In a great display of courage and valor these heroes blend cheese and bread in a way that would make many a sorcerer's beard tremble. Made with care and grilled to perfection on their shiny new panini press, then magically treated with who knows what kind of incantations these are surely some of the finest edibles available to the average South Philadelphian. With the Passyunk scoop shop open for business again and this hot treat on the menu literally everything anyone could ever want is contained within this cozy location. The best part is you don't even need a magic staff to access it.


Even beast-children love a hot cheese now and then.



Throughout the ages people have always wanted grilled cheese, but most are not willing to face the life threatening situations that arise in every attempt at obtaining it. In solving this dilemma Capogiro's own Passyunk scoop shop is a beacon of hope for all cheese wanters, cheese likers, and cheese seekers lucky enough to discover it. So, put down the wizard's scroll you're probably reading this on and come see us for the safest and most delicious cheese experience of your life!



-Miles

Friday, March 25, 2011

I'd still rather make a cappuccino.


Listen, lemme tell you secret. (Keep it between us, okay?) If you asked me what the one job was I’d like to do for forever and a day, provided I made a living wage?

I’d throw dough.

Maybe that’s a bit cryptic, sorta behind-the-schenes cook lingo. What I’m trying to say is that I could happily take a well-tempered ball of dough and turn it into a beautiful base on which to build a pizza, using equal parts ninja dexterity, Mitch Williams anatomical chaos, and Jedi mind tricks, many times in an hour and for hours on end. (Let me stipulate right here that I get tickled in very nearly the same way by running a busy espresso machine, especially one as excellent as the Adonis at CapoPenn. Rhythm, repetition, result.) I’ve trained people to throw dough, and it became clear over an extended period of time and considering a wide group of subjects that, as in so many different little ways in our lives, some people can learn how to do a thing only to discover that, somehow, they always knew how to do it. Others…others have to study. And practice. And succeed once, then fail for a few weeks, then succeed in a small way again.

It’s surprisingly meditative, once you learn to toss confidently. And the bugger of it is that you’ll never get the opportunity to really throw dough unless you’re working in a pizza restaurant. If you’re making pizza with friends and/or family, you’re going to make, what, three pizzas? Maybe four? So, like a run of a couple dozen espresso drinks crafted on a true, professional machine or throwing a knee-buckling eyeball-to-kneecap curveball, throwing dough for both quality and quantity is not something you’re going to do outside of a professional setting. Which is a shame, because I think I could probably create a yoga regimen inside a pizza restaurant.

And it’s true—like people who try to pitch a baseball, some people who try to throw dough just have an intrinsic set of mechanics that provide them both towards quality and durability. On one hand you have to be able to feel the tips of your fingers and the tips of your toes simultaneously. On the other hand, the entirety of the motion has to be sufficiently organic within your being that you’re anatomically capable of doing it for long periods of time. I’ve worked with people that can spend five consecutive hours producing four identical pizza crusts every minute. I’m not quite that good. I can only throw three crusts a minute, though my stamina is second-to-none.

So no, Capogiro doesn’t make pizza. And sometimes I get a little nostalgic for ending a shift coated in an arguably unappetizing layer of sweaty flour. But knowing that I work with people who use similar Jedi mind tricks to produce the awesomeness that is our gelato? Highly satisfying.

So the outdoor seating’s out. Our mangoes are back, and so are our starfruit. The Bluecoat and Blueberry Sorbetto is right around the corner. Sure it may snow again, but we all know that’s a temporary hiccup. The weather’s warming, the sun’s out more…it’s a good time to be at Capogiro, even if we don’t make pizza. Yet.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

No Italian grannies were harmed in the making of this granita.

To preface, I was pondering what to blog about today whilst eating a delicious snack. As I was thinking, I kept getting distracted by the frozen goodness I had in my hand. It was then I realized that I should devote my post to my favorite icy treat - GRANITA: Back with a Vengence!

Although the weather outside is terrible today, Spring is definitely on it's way (c'mon buddy, any day now!). One of the tell tale signs that winter is over at 20th Street is that we start to make granita again! Starting off strong with orange and lemon, Ryan and I intend on wowing you all summer long with different variations of this slushy masterpiece.

Granita is a favorite of several of our regulars. One of whom is a soft spoken gent we ingeniously refer to as 'Granita Guy'. Last week I actually ran down the block to yell "WE HAVE GRANITAAA!!" at him. He was obviously on his lunch break and his coworkers must have thought I was a lunatic.

Another regular, "Espresso Guy" (yeah, we really need to work on our nicknaming skills), comes in every day for solo espresso shots. He is a small Italian man who speaks very little English and thinks it's amusing to try to get me to speak Italian. He will point at things like spoons and sugar and force me to repeat after him. It's like our little game, although I don't remember signing up to play...

In any case, I asked him to try our granita and he was thoroughly impressed. Again, we were having communication issues, but from what I could gather, he wanted to know if we had his old Italian grandmother chained to a radiator in our kitchen. This was meant as an accolade to our granita, I'm fairly certain.

In any case, no matter what kind of 'Guy' you are, pop on over to 20th Street and getcha some before I eat it all. Kthxbai.

My tasty treat, orange granita
with champagne mango sorbetto.
Nom nom nom nom nom nom.

Jon Stewart deserves his own flavor.

So, Jimmy Fallon AND Stephen Colbert BOTH have their own flavors of ice cream (made by a very nice company that we need not name...).
It's not to say that we don't think Stephen and Jimmy are deserving, (although, we took a vote and decided that a Questlove themed ingredient should've, at the very least, been a predominant influence in Jimmy's flavor BUT, we digress.) Wait, no we don't.... Jimmy, we love you. We think you're great but, you're more like that high school friend that we hung out with every night in hopes of catching a glimpse of his hot older brother slayin' the drum-set in the basement.

As for Colbert... THAT prima-donna TOTALLY bumped into our very own Saint Stephanie Reitano skiing once and didn't even KNOW that he was in the immediate presence of a real live Philebrity... Not to mention he didn't even have the cojones to ask for her autograph. Phhpht...

Furthermore, we think it's absolute malarkey that Jon Stewart wasn't the frontrunner in this dessert themed frenzy. After all John has done for Stephen... and Jimmy AND AMERICA. To think of the HOURS that we waste devote to enriching our minds in the office watching Daily Show clips..... to send Jon off, bat in hand, with his tail between his legs and no cream dream crown upon his glorious head... well, it was just too much for our hearts to bare. No delicious dessert for our fearless leader of fake news?! Not on our watch, sister.

So without further delay.... we proudly introduce not one but, TWO Jon Stewart inspired flavors of gelato that we're trying desperately to get to someone from the Daily show. If we get in, we'll totally sell it at the stores but.... we sorta kinda have to have their permission. (Our lawyer loses so much sleep over our shenanigans...) We think these flavors do Jon justice, as he does justice every night to the good American television viewers, all in desperate need of honesty, laughter and more fresh, local produce. Bless you Jon Stewart and we hope you like Halvah. Halvah from Russ and Daughters! Your favorite!






Monday, March 21, 2011

CANDY!



So much candy I can hardly fit it all in the photos. What's your favorite candy at 13th street?

Friday, March 18, 2011

I'm feeling much better now, thank you.


Sooooooooo...we've been a little dormant from the west side of things for a couple of weeks, bloggily. See, I lost a fight with a wine glass. Well, maybe it was more of a draw, given that I didn't end up in the garbage, shattered into bloody pieces. But it left me at somewhat of a typing disadvantage, given the...stitches. I'll go light on details, for the sake of the squeamish. And I DEFINITELY won't post the picture I took in the ER. But! Tally ho.

And things are warming up! Like, for real now! Know how I know? NO, it's not because the Champagne Mango sorbetto is back! (Hey, did you know the Champagne Mango sorbetto is back?) It's because my mom got us Phillies tickets for the first home series. Go Mom!

See, this is a tradition for us, given that both of our birthdays always fall around the start of the baseball season. And we've been going to games together for years--it was really my mom who instilled in me my love of the Phillies and baseball. She's an old Philadelphia girl who grew up in East Landsdowne, and it was her desire to get back closer to her hometown that brought the two of us to Delaware when I was a kid. So that first spring that we were here, she knew I was miserable, having left all of my friends in West Virginia and struggling (as was to be expected) to make new ones. And Phillies Phranks (back when they used to be around and you could buy packs at Acme) carried coupons for cheap tickets. This was a couple of years before the World Series run in '93 and the Phillies were still firmly ensconced in the Vet, so there were always plenty of good seats available. I'd only ever seen pro ball on television, so when we got to the stadium I was blown away by how BIG and REAL everything was. I mean, the Vet was HUGE from the outside--and obviously on the inside as well. (We never did sit in the 700 level, though our first visit to the 600 level did inspire us to bring binoculars to the next game...not a glove.) And that infamous AstroTurf was so GREEN in person! And you could see Lenny Dykstra's chaw-spit stains on the turf around him in center field!

That squad of Phillies--Dykstra, Daulton, Terry Mulholland, et al.--they weren't maybe the best role models. Shoot, most of them weren't really even particularly good ball players. (Pete Incaviligia, anyone?) The picture of Mulholland on the computer desktop at Penn...totally ironic. And I'm not going to pick at our collective Mitch Williams scab. That would be cruel.

But time passes. I moved to Vermont and then Seattle, so what had been two or three games a year for my mom and I became two or three in eight years. We did see a couple of great Mariners games, believe it or not, the couple of times she could make it out during the season. (Quick aside: Jamie Moyer is a Seattle institution, even as popular he is in Philadelphia. So watching him finally win a World Series after being the best all-around guy the Mariners had for so long...it was really sweet. Seattle was collectively really happy for him.) But ultimately it wasn't the Phillies, so it wasn't the same. But now I'm here! And she's close by in Cape May, so it's easier than ever for us to go to games together. And of course Citizens Bank Park is a great stadium. But it's hard not to be a little nostalgic for the old days when the team sucked, the stadium sucked A LOT, and we could get face value tickets for a random Tuesday night game and have a section to ourselves. The hot dogs are a whole lot better these days, though...

Thursday, March 17, 2011

St. Patrick's Day, Hot Fudge, Strawberry Pepper Sauce and Passyunk will not keep you from staring at that guy.


Today is St. Patrick's Day! It's also the NICEST day Philadelphians have enjoyed in well over five months. As we here on Passyunk enjoy the incredible weather (going to the bank quickly became one of the finest parts of my day, Nico got to go on a bread related bike ride), I began to think a lot about hot fudge.
I have no idea why this became my train of thought, hot fudge has nothing to do with the holiday or nice weather and the idea popped into my head while I was admiring the fine marble counters at our store. But man oh man did my mind take off with the idea of hot, gooey, decadent, drippy and sweet fudge! For those who know me this is quite a rare moment as I am not particular to chocolate in most forms (I'm always the guy going for the Thai Coconut Milk gelato or AWESOME Pomegranate sorbetto). Nonetheless this idea began swirling in my head and soon I lost control.
Much like a kid in a candy store (or a man-boy in a Gelateria) I began to bounce and race around trying to figure out what could satisfy my choco-lust. Being the oblivious guy I tend to be it took me a good five minutes before realizing, "OH MAN I'M AT PASSYUNK!!! WE TOTALLY ARE THE ONLY CAPO WITH TOPPINGS!!!!!". I quickly scooped some (of the best) Thai Coconut Milk into a cup and let the chocolate fudge sauce flow!
I probably spent a good 30 seconds admiring the tension between the melting gelato and the ever powerful fudge mass in my cup. In the fifteen seconds it took me to inhale this radical treat the one thought that was ever present in my mind was, "We totally need to let more people in on our Passyunk toppings secret!". For the rest of the day I could no longer concentrate on writing this blog entry, I pretty much have just been thinking about chocolate sauce and how rad it is.
This may seem a little bit of a scatter-brained rambling, but my point is this:

EVERYONE COME TRY OUR TOPPINGS,
IT'S LIKE A WHOLE NEW GELATO EXPERIENCE!!




CapoYunk: Our Toppings are 'Tops'






Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Everything Irish has booze in it...

It's St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, and all of us here at 20th Street are getting stoked. Last weekend we were lucky enough to have throngs of intoxicated co-eds slamming into our windows and trying to befoul our customer bathroom. Thanks, Erin Express! You always bring such a classy crowd to Center City. We adore their cheeky shenanigans, yes indeedy... Sigh.

In any case, we do love some parts about this holiday. And, as we all know, nothing is more Irish than gelato. For example, here are two of my favorite St. Patrick's Day flavors.Fancy a pint of the black stuff? Yup, we've got Guinness up in her'. It's delicious. I love this dry stout, and it warrants an amazing flavor when paired with our gelato. It's robust, with that distinct Guinness aftertaste. A cup of this guy and you'll feel like you were back at St. James Gate in Dublin. Goes great with corned beef and cabbage!
My other favorite flavor is our Irish Coffee gelato. Made with sweet coffee and Irish whiskey, this gelato always pairs well with everything (especially Bacio!). A serving of Irish coffee with a shot of Jameson is always a great way to start any St. Patrick's Day. So unless you're a drunk frat boy, come and see us tomorrow for a myriad of Irish-inspired goodness. Slainte!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Ugli Fruit

There's been a odd new flavor showing up on the menu, or rather, in the case, at Capogiro Gelato 13th street lately. This flavor causes many confused stares followed almost always with a series of inquires. This flavor is like any other flavor, and it fills you with the love of a thousand Beiber fans. This flavor is Ugli.

While most people read our label, which says "Ugli: Pomelo's love child," and assume that "Ugli" is just our playful name for a Pomelo, I must pronounce that it is indeed its own fruit. I swear. There's even a Ugli.com, go look for yourself!

So what is an Ugli fruit, you ask? Ugli fruit is a Jamaican tangelo, a citrus fruit created by hybridizing a grapefruit (or pomelo), an orange and a tangerine . . . See, I told you it was it's own thing!

And yes, as evident by this man's one-of-a-kind grin, Ugli fruit will make you smile with delight. So, what are you waiting for? Come try it out!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Brewer's Plate!

Booze, food, and playing hard, don't mess with us, guys, we take em all pretty seriously. This weekend we're gearing up for an event that's sure to be a blast for all involved, and one we're doing with some of our favorite people, Fair Food Philly. Brewer's Plate is Fair Food's annual fundraiser that brings together restaurants, farmers, artisans and brewers located within 150 miles of Philadelphia for a giant food loving tasting fest of goodness. This year we really pulled out all the stops...we've got a super special flavor featuring a super special spirit from Philadelphia Distilling that I couldn't BE more excited about...Also in the liquor category, we're going to be featuring a super summery sorbetto made with cucumber and VeeV, a distilled (NOT infused!) Acai berry liquor that's not only sustainable but with every sale donates money to Sambazon's Sustainable Acai Project. Awesome.
Beer? Oh yes, we'll have beer flavors. We called on our friends at Rogue and will be using their Chocolate Stout (Hi Sebbie!) as well as (my personal favorite) their Chipotle Ale to mix things up a bit. We're mixing up a batch of Lancaster Brewing Company's Strawberry Wheat Ale for you fruit lovers...and don't forget about DOGFISH HEAD! (Delaware hollllller!!!!) Super stoked about this, we snagged a bottle of Red & White from the Foodery. Stoked? How stoked!? SO STOKED!!! It's gonna be crazy. You can tell when I get excited because I turn into one big exclamation point, and I'm pretty sure from a grammatical perspective, this blog could be categorized as one big yell.
Hopefully we'll see you on Sunday! Tickets are going fast, there are only VIP's left but that means you can still come hang with us! The Brewer's Plate will be at the Penn Museum, this Sunday, March 13th from 5PM-8PM....

How excited?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The time I was in Paris for 27 minutes

So, as I've stated in earlier posts, I've never been to Italy (see blogpost, "Send me to Italy!"). I have, however, traveled across Europe several times in the past. It was during my last romp across the pond that I received a good lesson in self-determination and personal wherewithal.

It all began when I was stranded at the Madrid airport. The British Airways baggage handlers had chosen to go on strike, effectively shutting down flights all over the world. I was at the end of a whirlwind tour through Europe, which had started off in London, then off to Barcelona with a brief stop for debauchery in Amsterdam, and finally settling down in Madrid. I was completely broke, and had almost maxed out my 'just for emergencies' credit card buying beer and souvenir toreador pants (thanks, Mom!). All I had to do was make it back to London to catch my Virgin Airways flight back to the states the following day. My night's hostel in London was already paid for, and I had 13 cigarettes and a sandwich in my bag.

I got to the airport around 6am, only to find that it was CHAOS. Most of the airlines that flew out of Madrid were either BA or their subsidiaries so no one was going anywhere until the strike broke. Some people were yelling, some were sobbing. Others were setting up tiny tent settlements in the corners and drawing straws as to who would be eaten first should cannibalism ensue. I waited in line for 12 hours only to be told two important things by the overworked woman at the desk; that there was no news of when, if at all, I would be able to get to London, and that they would most definitely NOT be refunding my Virgin ticket should I miss my flight the following morning.

I panicked. I smoked approximately four and a half cigarettes. I ate one-third of my sandwich, then decided that I should save the rest in case the cannibals grew restless. I was about to break down and cry when a couple of uppity Brits walked past me, sneering "We should have taken the bloody Eurostar..." (for those of you who may not know, the Eurostar is a train that goes from Paris to London under the English Channel).

It was a eureka moment. I grabbed my bags and my sandwich and ran up the escalator to the Air France desk, where a bored looking woman was filing her nails. I asked if they had anything to Paris. She lazily replied that they had a flight leaving in 20 minutes for 80 Euros. I took it.

I arrived in Paris about an hour later, feeling completely smug. I had left all of those other suckers stuck for days in that airport in Madrid. I had at least a half an hour to make the last Eurostar train of the evening. My feeling of superiority was soon ripped away when I realized that the train station and the Paris airport are NOWHERE near each other. To make matters worse, the subway into the city was down that weekend. Panicking again, I ran outside to the awaiting cache of taxi drivers. Not even trying to speak French, I screamed at one of them that I would give him 50 Euros if he could get me downtown in 15 minutes. I knew it was impossible, but damnit if i wasn't going to try.

Scariest cab ride ever. Screeching through the streets of Paris, sweating profusely in the back seat, I couldn't even look to notice the cafes and amazing architecture whizzing by. The driver got me to Gare du Nord station in 27 minutes, which I'm sure was some kind of record. I now had three minutes left before the last Eurostar departed.

I saw it, waiting on the tracks like some kind of mechanical messiah. I ran up the stairs to the ticket booth just as they were closing the shades on the window. I threw cash at the poor teller and begged for mercy. She scolded me in French for another two minutes, sweat and tears pouring off my face. I could hear the train revving up to leave. She finally succumbed to my plea, sold me a ticket, and yelled "RUN" to me in English. I thought everything would be alright, but then I saw the last obstacle I thought to imagine. Customs.

The train was literally starting to take off. Slowly, the wheels and pistons were gearing up and revolving. I tore off my belt and shoes and threw all of my stuff into the x-ray machine, crossing my fingers that I didn't forget about anything left over from Amsterdam. The security guards waved me through and I ran along the platform, holding up my pants with one hand and trailing my bags and shoes behind me in the other. The train was starting to pick up speed. I made one final push, lobbed my bags into the last open door, grabbed the handle and hoisted myself on board with a mighty whomp.I had made it. I had defeated the odds. I felt so proud of myself in that moment that I had complete disregard for anyone else and yelled "I F**KING RULE!!" at the top of my lungs. I then looked around to see all the other passengers blinking at me and quickly calmed down. I found a seat, ordered a beer, and lit another cigarette. Then, as I watched the sun set slowly in the distance, I pleasantly finished my sandwich.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Diet Schmiet


Saturday evening over a huge, delicious burger with deeeeeeply fried fries, my friend Derek introduced me to a cleansing diet created 25 years ago, (supposedly) by General Motors. Why General Motors was interested in creating a diet, I don't know... but Derek sent me the description and after downing 1000 calories at dinner alone, we decided to give it a shot. I won't go into too much detail since you now have the link (http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/~jajoo/gmdiet.html), but I probably like you, so I'll share my thoughts thus far.

The cleanse is a week-long program in which you start with exclusively fruits and vegetables for days one and two, and then slowly begin re-introducing dairy, meat, and grains into your diet. Portions don't matter (Colleen and I STUFFED ourselves with fruit yesterday), but there are a few seemingly safe foods that you actually have to wait to introduce until a specific day such as bananas and fruit juices.

Now, you can call me crazy. Really, go for it. I'm usually in support of eating balanced meals and making exercise fun over following a diet, but a week won't kill me, and... I'm curious. I can't help it! Anyways, yesterday was day one. I thought a day of eating fruit and fruit alone would be heaven, but in truth, by 8pm, I'd sworn off fruit salad for a good three months, and I've never craved simple things like toast and rice so badly. Today is just veggies, starting with a baked potato for breakfast to get our complex carbs for the day. I kid you not, a potato has NEVER tasted so good.

Check out the link to see what the rest of my week will entail. I've had some close calls at 13th street today... Sorbetti doing their darndest to convince me to sample them... All those gorgeous new panini asking me to just give them a try! TOAST, laughing in my face. Regardless of whether or not I lose a few pounds or feel immensely healthier, if I make it through the week, I will have survived a serious test of will power, and I'll settle for that any day :)

Monday, March 7, 2011

Oh, It Feels So Good!

Yunk is open, my friends. So nice. So good. We are home. Sarahthebest texted me Saturday and said, "All of South Philly is coming in!!" It was awesome. We were going to wait until the warm weather was truly here to open, but John said, "NO MORE WINTER! That's it. We're done. Open Yunk. Now." Yes, m'lord. Right away, m'lord. So glad I listened this time.

My aunt was in the city with my cousin for the Flower Show. It is an incredible event, but I have a hard time with crowds of that size. Suddenly, I feel that I cannot breath. Honestly, the last time I was there I was pregnant. Was it hormones or was it the throngs of people and the scent of gardenias? Hard to say. It is a shame that I am so crazy. I miss the show each year, but my Aunt does not. She has not missed a show in years and years and years. We went to Jones for lunch and then she asked, "Is the store with the old photos open, yet?" You see, those old photos at the Yunk are old pictures of John's family and my family. I had forgotten that she had never been there. Off to Yunk....

She walked through the door and her entire face lit up. There she was, probably only 19 years old sitting on my father's, her brother's lap. My aunt's eyes scanned the room and she slowly walked forward into the cafe. Her mom, her father, and Uncle Bernie. Some long lost relatives that are truly hideous (I don't think they have teeth) made her laugh, then her eyes filled with tears. I quickly put a cup of Orange Cardamom sorbetto in her hands. She does not like to mix flavors.

It was Sunday and the rain was falling outside. A few couples and a family were sitting about and enjoying some gelato. Ezra was working and he said that the day was slow with the rain. That's what happens in a neighborhood joint. Rain or not, it was glorious to be open on East Passyunk Avenue. We missed it. Thanks for coming in South Philly!



Friday, March 4, 2011

Imagination! Innovation! Creation!

So.... yesterday I received an extremely disturbing picture from Sarahthebest taken from somewhere in Philly that if I had to guess, was the side of a bus. It seems that our brainstorming and birth of the tagline "Spring It On!" and subsequent plastering said tagline on our website, in the stores and in a print ad in the South Philly Review was not original text! Chevy or Ford or GMC (all the same to me baby) is using it to sell cars this spring in print! Plagiarize did we? No way, man! Each day is a reaffirmation that there has never been an original thought in some 5000 years. Someone, somewhere has thunk it and if you are smart enough to take legal action to make it your own, it's yours!! You win as the owner and proprietor of a not original idea, most likely. There is a Capogiro music store in Italy and a lesbian discoteca in Milano, Italy sharing the name as well. Head spinning all around!! Anywho, we are abandoning "Spring It On!" like the jeggings trend. It looked good for a while, but now that the entire school is wearing them (including the cute boys) they seem cheap, unimaginative and disappointing, if you know what I mean.

Ahhhhh, innovation. Not so easy is it? Sometimes it is just as challenging to create a new product with a twist on something tried and true. We have all seen Top Chef, no? They are always trying to invent something new from something old. Padma: "Take this disgusting inedible Hot Pocket and please make something that Grant Aschatz would serve and make sure you eliminate the gas, bloating and self-hatred aftermath. Our guest judge is....Paris Hilton." Paris: "Make something Hot." Cut to Paris trying the "new"amazing haute cuisine pockets. A Comprehensive Glossary Of Gifs

It is truly impossible at times. So, we have taken the King Cone. You know the King, right? Well, we are making the King Cone. So delicious, even when you realize after you have peeled off the paper, bit into the icy ice cream and noticed that the cone is slightly soggy and chocolate tastes like chocolate flavored crisco. You have to be careful, because sometimes even if YOU think it is awesome, some may not. They like the original hot pockets and shun the haute. The original can be absolutely awesome, BUT we can improve, we can make it better, we can make it....BIONIC?

BIONIC CONES! So, what do we have here, taking into consideration that the King Cone did not have a parachuting accident? How could we possibly improve? Take an imported hand rolled cone from France, coat the interior with Valhrona dark chocolate, fill with Nocciola Gelato made with Italian hazelnuts, cover with same Valhrona chocolate and top with sliced toasted hazelnuts. I would say that we have improved (even though our cone cannot pop tennis balls) and kept the essence, the idea and the integrity of the mighty King Cone intact. Yes, sometimes it is hard to improve on things you love, even when they might not be that delicious. I love my cheeseburger with American cheese. Sure, a molten center of blue cheese is awesome, but when it comes down to a cheeseburger, which I grind my own meat (I am that serious, yo) I want American. John always wants provolone. You have to be careful. I think this King Cone is worthy. Looks good no?


I just have to say one last thing about jeggings. Please stop. They are not sexy. If I were 17 and a guy was wearing these, I would run. Run away like Jaime Sommers.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Fun with markers

This week's post is a salute to one of the behind the scenes heroes of Capogiro, without whom so many tasks would not be possible to accomplish. I would like to give a shout out to the Sharpie. In addition to allowing us to label pint stickers, date bags of delicious coffee, and create cute tags for our tasty treats, this little soldier also provides hours of cheap entertainment. Go out and purchase a box for yourself today, it's fun for the whole family!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

If ya' aint heard... ya bettah' axe somebody!

Did Someone Say Lunch?

New sandwiches popped up at each of our cafes over the weekend, and here are a few of my favorites so far. Mmmmm, even just looking at that photo of the All Veggie is making my mouth water.

Not a fan of any of these? Well don't fret. There are 12 new sandwiches in total, and I'm sure you'll find one you fancy.

Our heads aren't just spinning over gelato these days. Why don't you come see what all the fuss is about. :)