Gelato Delighto

Among my friends, I am known for inhaling desserts in record time and not feeling the slightest bit of guilt about the overwhelming amounts of sugar I consume.

I decided to put my sugar cravings to good use and visit a dessert shop or bakery in the Boston area each week, sample anything and everything, and then inform the Boston University community of my verdict. My first endeavor led me to satisfy my gelato craving.

For amazing gelato not too far from campus, head to Piattini's located at 224 Newbury St. Piattini's is mainly a wine café, but also has a walk up gelateria where customers can order gelato to go.

Be prepared to spend quite some time deliberating, however, because it's definitely difficult to choose just one flavor.

There are 170 flavors total, but they rotate daily, with sometimes as many as 24 flavors a day, among them basil, orange with peaches, hazelnut, and banana dulce de leche.

The customer service is outstanding and servers are happy to give you information on the flavors and allow you to sample as many as you like (and that I did).

Among some of the flavors I tasted were milk chocolate with chocolate chips, a sweet, safe bet; cupcake, a sugary confection containing pieces of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes; sea salt, a butter cream gelato with the slightest hint of salt; mango, a fat free sorbetto with a full, fruity flavor; and of course the dark chocolate, a deliciously rich and creamy must for any chocolate lover.

Although all of the flavors were delectable, I must say the dark chocolate was by far the best.

According to Raia Sdoyanova, who has been working at Piattini's for three months now, I'm not the only one who feels this way.

"Dark chocolate is definitely the most popular flavor. It's 70 percent cocoa. People love it," she said.

Pairing the dark chocolate with the sea salt makes for a contrast your taste buds will love, but feel free to mix any combination of flavors you wish.

The only drawback to Piattini's is that prices aren't cheap. A small cup of gelato costs $4.99 and a medium costs $6.15.

While it may be irresponsible to blow your work-study money on gelato every night, it's certainly worth the occasional splurge to indulge in one (or more) of Piattini's various delectable gelatos.