Most delicious gelato--Grom Malibu -- gelato made the old fashioned way

[fdb]

Gelato fans: If you ever get a chance to drive up the coast, be sure to stop by this amazing place in the Malibu Country Mart for the most delicious gelato and sorbet (I've ever tasted) outside of Italy.

The quality of the ingredients, mostly grown in their own farm in Italy, are top notch. They even have their own bee hives!

Price is a little high, $5.25 for a small cup, but totally worth it in my opinion.

I have been dreaming of their Pistacchio (made with Syrian pistachios) and the April Flavor of the month Crema pasticerra al torrone di nocciole ( custard with organic egg cream and nougat chips from Piedmont) since I tasted it last week. I am seriously thinking of making a special trip out there this weekend with a cooler to bring some back!

I don't understand why they open such a nice place in such a remote location. It would have knocked Angelato out of the water if it was opened in Santa Monica.

Check out their website: http://www.grom.it/eng/index.php
And their farm: http://www.mura-mura.it/eng/

[wienermobile]

I went to Grom today and since summer is finally here It was actually busy with a line out the door. I meet two groups of people today like me who found Grom in Italy and couldn't wait to have it again. It's taken a long time but the good word seems to be finally spreading around LA. If you are ever in the Malibu area it's really worth a taste.

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Grom Gelateria
3886 Cross Creek Rd, Malibu, CA 90265

[goodhealthgourmet]

i was *so* tempted to drive up there today & treat myself to a birthday scoop (or two!), but i couldn't bear the thought of how bad PCH traffic must have been on such a beautiful sunny Sunday. i had my eye on the flavor of the month - ricotta & almond - have you tried it?

[wienermobile]

No haven't tried it yet. Today I had the Melon and it was just like it tasted in Italy, so fresh, light and fruity. (P.S. traffic was pretty bad but it was worth it).
Happy Birthday!

[goodhealthgourmet]

aw, thanks! it's been such an enjoyable weekend i didn't want to risk ruining it by schlepping up there...i sometimes get a teeny bit impatient (ok, psychotic) in traffic. maybe i'll go for a belated indulgence during the week :)

[wienermobile]

The June flavor list is up and they have my favorite Melone (melon) with melone pulp. It's so light, fresh and fruity, a great summer flavor, refreshing on a hot day.

http://www.grom.it/eng/gusti_mese.php

[fdb]

Thanks for the heads-up. Can't wait to try the melone flavor but I dread the traffic on PCH especially with the construction going on. Wish they would move closer.

[wienermobile]

They slowly grew to 3 locations in NYC, so I hope the same is planed for the LA area.

[mrsjoujou]

We tried it this past Sun and because of the holiday weekend it was busy. We had%3

ark chocolate, great as usual

Strawberry, great berry flavor without being too sweet

Salted caramel, good but not as great as Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco

Pastiera Napoletana, good and reminded me of Casata cake

Pistachios, pretty good

Espresso, very strong

The only thing that is missing, is some seating, like they have at Bleeker st. They certainly have room for it.

[manku]

Checked it out yesterday at lunchtime...was the only customer for over thirty minutes...my guess is it won't survive...too expensive (6.25 for medium is not cheap...though less than a plane ride to italy!)

as for gelato, thought it was ok, but something was missing...can't put my finger on it...realized afterwards that I had also tried the Grom on bleecker st in nyc...liked the other gelato place in nyc much better (just north of bleecker on 7th avenue)

i'd probably return if i'm in malibu next time only because I love gelato....personally, i much prefer gelato paradiso in the oc.

[mrsjoujou]

Well if you like gelato Paradiso, you won't like Grom. GP is all about sugar and not much else. I used to like thier berry flavors and bacio, but last time I tried their gelato and sorbetto, it was too sweet.

[Wolfgang]

We recently tried Grom. I loved the staff. They were very friendly and very generous with the samples.
I really really enjoyed the Crema de Grom. I wish their generosity extended to the scooping for the orders. The 2 scoops could be eaten in 6 bites without a problem, 4 if you were pushing it. It was $5.25 for that fleeting moment of pleasure.
I don't have the gelato credentials of some of the other posters beyond not liking most that I try because it is way too sweet. I thought Grom got the sweetness close to perfect.

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Crema Cafe
322 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740

[manku]

it wasn't the sweetness, but rather the texture that i wasn't crazy about...a little gummy perhaps...

[OCAnn]

Went today and had the cream & mint and the crema di Grom (after sampling quite a few); both were extremely luscious and delicious. While I understand the ingredients and methods to be the same, the gelato here seemed much creamier than I remember the Italian Grom to be. I was also surprised at how empty it was inside. All in all a fun visit.

BTW, we asked about the hot chocolate; it's only offered during winter. They said they want to replicate the complete Grom experience just like their stores in Italy and would be doing as those store do (seasonal items)....

[mrsjoujou]

I can't wait to try it soon. I really enjoyed their gelato in Italy and NYC. If they were in Santa Monica they would be packed.

[OCAnn]

My thoughts exactly regarding location! I asked them why Malibu and not Third Street (or elsewhere). The staff mentioned that the owners wanted the cachet of Malibu. Interestingly, they brought a number of staff from Milan to work here.

[dharmathug]

cachet of Malibu? They could have had the kaching of Beverly Hills

[epop]

exactly. But they've got great ice cream. Not sure about that Malibu decision though.

[wienermobile]

I wanted to pass along Grom's new flavor of the month for May, Pastiera Napoletana. It is organic egg cream with ricotta cheese mixed with organic biscuits and candied lemons, oranges and cider.
I've never had anything else like it.
http://www.grom.it/eng/gusto_mese.php

[ipsedixit]

Was it good?

From the description alone, I can't say that I'm all that tempted.

[wienermobile]

Very rich, kind of tastes like an Italian birthday cake. Very unique. Don't think it would become my regular flavor. Their Summer Melon is my favorite flavor at Grom and it will be there soon.

[ipsedixit]

The Pastiera Napoletana almost reminds me of a fruitcake in gelato form.

[wienermobile]

Perfect way to describe it (but no nuts).

[ipsedixit]

I guess since we are talking about gelato, it should be a panettone (and not a fruitcake), which typically has no nuts.

[Ogawak]

I would think the new Market at the Santa Monica Place third floor would be perfect for a store like Grom. Looking forward to comparing it with Bulgarini.

[LATrapp]

Had a very good tart yogurt at Grom's. Beat out their famous dark chocolate for me that day.

[Joe Blowe]

I've been to Grom in Bologna, and it's very good. Not excellent, but very good for Italy.

Of course, in L.A. that means they probably blow the doors off the competition!

I've been to Bulgarini, and I thought it was probably the best gelato in California. Eatalian in Gardena is much closer to me, so that's where I usually end up when I need a fix.

Will have to hit Grom on my next trip up PCH...

[tissue]

I love Grom! They have hot chocolate too!

[goodhealthgourmet]

i LOVE that they use straight-up cane sugar, and that they have such a solid Allergy Awareness policy in place *and* offer certified GF flavors. gotta get up to Malibu soon to check it out...

[wienermobile]

I am a big fan. Really enjoyed Grom all across Italy and France last summer. Great fresh and natural flavors. Melon, which is a summer flavor is my favorite. Really good stuff. They already have 3 stores in NYC and I believe their plan is to slowly grow here in the Los Angeles area. They also have a great salted carmel flavor.

[fdb]

I'm so looking forward to trying the melon flavor when summer comes. I haven't been to Grom when I was in Italy or France but my favorite gelato is the honey flavor at San Crispino in Rome. I haven't been able to find anything close to it in LA. When I actually tasted honey in the Crema pasticerra al torrone di nocciole flavor at Grom, I was in heaven. :)

[ipsedixit]

I've been meaning to try Grom for a while now as there have been much plaudits from 'Hounds about the place, esp. their dark chocolate.

But, like you mentioned, it's so darn far away.

Have you tried Bulgarini to compare?

[fdb]

Haven't tried Bulgarini yet. It's also a bit of a distance from the westside but I have its address in my Blackberry for when I go to that part of the city next time.

[ozhead]

Speaking for my fellow Topanga Canyonoids, I must ask: darn far away? Darn far away from what?

[fdb]

Made it to Bulgarini last week. Boy, what a drive! I had a few samples including yogurt with sea salt and olive oil which I didn't care for very much. My three scoops consisted of almond, pistachio and pear sorbet. Only one I really liked was almond. The texture of pear was too coarse for me. As for pistachio, I have to say I much prefer Grom's. I like my gelato (or ice cream) very cold. Somehow Bulgarini's didn't feel quite as cold as I like it, and I personally think the quality and aroma of Grom's pistachio can't be beat. All you Bulgarini lovers, I would love to hear your verdict if you would trek down to Malibu and give Grom a try.

[dharmathug]

Grom is very good. I came upon it by chance a few months ago. I tried Bulgarini several times previously and particularly my first time, thought it was outstanding. I would have to have a side by side comparison of the 2 or go to each on consecutive days to decide and hope that they both sell the same product to really decide. As I recall, Bulgarini is more creative, unconventional and experimental. Personally, I love their yogurt with olive oil, which you do not. Grom is more "polished". They both are very good and definitely the best 2 places in LA for serious gelato. A fun throwdown. But as Bulgarini is all made here (with some imported Italian ingredients- the almonds for example come from Italy) while Grom is all imported, if it was a tie in flavor the nod would go to Bulgarini. I also love his passion and dedication to his art.