A Taste of Home

It's a little pricey. It's a lot classy.

If you're trying to impress your date, a California Pizza Kitchen gelato ball (Tartufo) is the perfect end to a romantic evening.

You have your choice of the white Chocolate Tartufo in real raspberry sauce and the Cookies & Cream Tartufo in a foamy chocolate sauce. We couldn't decide which was better.

The white chocolate gelato ball was light and mild, surrounded by richer white chocolate chips. The raspberry sauce, probably homemade, could stand alone. This gelato ball would make an excellent dessert option, summer or winter.

The cookies & cream gelato ball was one of several varieties of the ice cream flavor we tried in the Square. It was well mixed, with little hint of vanilla and few chunks of Oreo. But the gelato ball itself was rolled in cookie pieces and dark chocolate. The gelato was soft and chewy, and its fluffy sauce was the perfect touch. The Tartufo was lighter than we expected.

California Pizza Kitchen is located at 16-18 Eliot St. across from the Kennedy School. Both Tartufos are $3.50 and could easily serve two. Go for the yellow formica if nothing else. For Californians stuck in Cambridge for the summer, it's a great taste of home.

Ice Cream in Beantown

Brand new and tucked underground on JFK St. across from the Sony Janus movie theater, Scoops & Beans features Christina's homemade ice cream. You no longer have to trek to Inman Square to find this ice cream lover's delight.

Christina's offers a Cambridge original: Burnt Sugar ice cream, a flavor developed by a Lesley College professor who came here from Cambridge, England. Burnt Sugar tastes just like the top of a Creme Brulee. Its texture is firm, smooth and dense--just what an ice cream should be. Like some of the other flavors we tried, it would be just as tasty in the midst of a cold, icy Harvard winter. You do need to know, though, that Burnt Sugar is not overpoweringly sweet--in fact it has a bitter edge.

Christina's Guava Pineapple sorbet is the perfect summer choice. Though we couldn't taste the pineapple, we didn't mind. The icy confection doesn't contain any dairy products, and it melts in your mouth.

A small serving costs $1.95, which puts Scoops & Beans at the upper end of the price range, but it's money well spent, particularly since you get three scoops. Guava Pineapple sorbet and other "exotic" flavors cost 35 cents extra. The store will also carry soybean ice cream and is planning a frequent tryers club. If you're willing to walk to the Christina's in Inman Square at 1255 Cambridge St., the ice cream sells for $1.35 a scoop.

O-R-E-O

It's a bit of a hike for those housed in the Yard, but if you live in the Quad, it's a five-minute walk.

Emack & Bolio's is the inventor of Oreo Cookie ice cream. And we could tell--it's arguably the best around.