Uploaded to Flickr.com by Mr. T in DC.
Hoping to cool down a bit this weekend, my family and I made the short trip up to H Street NE for a visit to the new Rita’s for some frozen treats. I was a Rita’s newbie as well as a big fan of dessert, so I was curious. Rita’s opened its H Street location on Saturday, and will be open year-round from noon to 10:00 p.m. daily. We arrived to find a short line (which got longer as we enjoyed out treats), a large staff behind the counter, and lots of options for cooling down.
This week for the grand opening customers can get a free Italian ice. Other concoctions are available for regular price. My daughter wanted/demanded the chocolate frozen custard. My wife ordered a “Gelati”—a layered mix of Italian ice and frozen custard. I opted for a “Blendini”, the somewhat nonsensical name for a mix of ice, custard, and a crunchy topping. Overall we enjoyed all three. The Gelati mix of fat-free vanilla custard and sugar-free tangerine ice tasted like a Creamsicle, and because of the selected ingredients the treat was no-fat, and low-calorie. My calorie-laden blend of chocolate frozen custard, mint chocolate chip cream ice, and crushed chocolate cookie was satisfyingly cold and decadent, though I would have liked a little more mint flavor in the mix. Judging from the silence from my two-year old, the chocolate frozen custard was also a hit.
Each day Rita’s offers around fifteen flavors of ices (including sugar-free options), chocolate and vanilla frozen custard, and fat-free vanilla custard. These ingredients can be combined in any number of combinations and frozen treats. Prices are pretty reasonable and as the staff gets more comfortable with the store and the menu I’m sure service will speed up. They weren’t accepting credit cards over the weekend but the machine is there so I’m sure paying by plastic is imminent.
Now, it must be mentioned that Rita’s moved in right down the street from the Philadelphia Water Ice Factory, which has been on H Street for seven years. Offering a variety of Philly-style foods including water ice (which as fellow THIHer Tory points out, sounds redundant), ice cream, and cheese steaks, the Philadelphia Water Ice Factory is asking you, the consumer, to see if you can taste the difference in Italian Ice and their traditional water ice. For the rest of the week, PWIF will be offering free samples from their “water ice truck” from noon to 7:00 p.m. The truck will be conveniently parked next door to Rita’s.
So, take advantage of the free sample offers in this hot weather to see if you can taste the difference and cool down with DC’s variety of ice treats. Which flavor is your favorite? And which brand?
Rita’s is located at 1014 H Street NE. The Philadelphia Water Ice Factory is located at 1204 H Street NE.
Italian ice mixed with soft serve is not a gelati! That’s all I have to say about Rita’s.
I know, I know…
Then what is gelati, Kyra? I know it as gelati, and so does wikipedia and urban dictionary. And I believe so does Philadelphia Water Ice Co. The only definition that I found that was not ice and soft serve/custard was just being plural of gelato (wikipedia)
@Dave B, I know gelati to be the plural of gelato. I don’t know what this mess of ice and custard is. Of course, I had no idea wtf “water ice” was either. I’m assuming it’s regional, just not sure what region. (I’ve lived in DC most of my adult life, grew up in Western PA and have traveled all over and this is the first I’m hearing of this “gelati” nonsense.)
@Tory – agreed! As far as I can tell, people in Philadelphia had to have their own name for Italian ice, and that’s what they came up with. Lame…
@Dave B Wikipedia does not define gelati as a mixture of italian ice and frozen custard. Gelati, which is plural for gelato is an Italian-style ice cream. The wiki article explains it pretty well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelato
Gelato is churned at a slower speed than ice cream, so it’s denser because not as much air is whipped into the mixture. (Gelato contains about 25 to 30 percent air, while ice cream can contain as much as 50 percent air)
Gelati is Italian and is the plural of gelato. Any use of Gelati as a term for something other than copious amounts of gelato is misleading.
As for “water ice,” it seems to be a Philly thing, maybe as far east as the Jersey Shore. I grew up with Italian ice in New York, the one true ice. Maybe it’s just a Philly food thing, having redundant names for your foods. Like enjoying a water ice after eating a dinner of your meat burger and potato fries.
I was lucky enough to be a part of a two week exchange program in Italy during my junior year of high school. There I lived on Nutella and gelato. I actually don’t like ice cream, but gelato is a wonderful Italian frozen treat that is like a mix between ice cream and sorbet. And I’ll always remember fondly that single scoop of honeydew gelato I shared with a cute boy in a piazza in Rome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelato
This may be the one thing I am a food snob about!
Jon… maybe you can refresh my memory. What is the Italian Ice that begins with an “m”? Or is it an “a”?
I remember the fabulous treat I would get every day at the Jersey shore. I think it’s probably more in line with what you remember. I just don’t remember the name.
Of course, gelato is not custard mixed with water ice. Gelati can be the plural of gelato, but it can also be what Rita’s calls it.
@Claudia I’m sure this is the entry Dave was referring to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelati
@Kim I see. But technically, that’s not an article or “wikipedia’s definition.” It’s their attempt to direct you to a more correct term when your term hasn’t earned its own article yet. You can’t give me a bowl of frozen lima beans, call it ice cream, and expect people to know what you’re selling. When I see “gelati” on a menu, I expect gelati!
If you were from Philly perhaps you’d expect milk gelati.
I’m tired of water ice. Blech. I wish them both well of course and my kids will continue to eat it but I want one of these tart yogurt places.
Sigh, sorry for the outburst.
I realize since the Hill only recently got any fro yo in the new sweetgreen than H Street might need to wait five years…
Sadly if you are from Philly you expect soft serve and water ice. I’ve been complaing about this gross naming error since mom and pop places and big chains started serving the things back when I lived in Jersey! It’s the one thing about my home land that I don’t fully support. I also don’t like ice cream or fireworks, but more on my unamerican ways later.
@ Jen – Sweetgreen on PA Ave has the yogurt you’re looking for!
I don’t get this obsession w/ Philly food, but whatever – I’m not willing to trot down that path this afternoon.
Why can’t we steal from our nearer neighbors to the north and have snowball stands like in Baltimore?! Or even Hawaiian shave ice?
Down with water ice, up with everything with a less stupid name!
Can was call them water snowballs?
I never saw it as a philly food, until I started looking for ways to prove Dave wrong.
I’m down with any frozen treat that requires one to poor a sugary syrup all over it before serving. Was it you who suggested alcoholic versions?
That settles it, I’m going to put on my short pants and set up a water snowball stand on my corner.
Kyra – Tory was telling us about Art & Soul’s summer snowcone drinks. I am eager to head over there and try, especially since they have such a dog friendly patio.
The last few times I’ve been at Target I’ve eyed snowcone machines with the intention of making grown up snowcones. If the summer continues as it has, I’ll be doing this sooner than later. Makes me wish I’d saved my old Snoopy Snowcone Machine from when I was a kid.
Ah the Snoopy Snowcone Machine! Bring on the un-identifiable blue flavoring. I can hear the jingle now. And a side of Easy Bake Oven brownies please.
Oh, don’t bake the broxnies… simply eat the uncooked batter. That, for me, was always the best part. It’s also what gets me into trouble as an adult: the batter!
yes, in new jersey its called italian ice. “water ice” is a philly thing.
they were calling that combination of water ice and softserve “gelati” before any one you ever heard of gelato. it may be incorrect, but its a longstanding stuck tradition.