Piattini Cafe and Gelateria (Newbury Street)

Our first questing stop, Piattini on Newbury Street, was the most expensive on our list ($4.99 for a small gelato) but had a pretty funky flavor selection and a charming location. Although there was no indoor seating for gelato purchasers (it's also a restaurant - we assume they save the seats for people who order real food), we found a table outdoors that we were able to sit at, undisturbed. We even heard an operatic rendition of "Happy Birthday" emanating from the restaurant as a bonus.

Upon our arrival, an incredibly helpful gelato man allowed us to taste Basil, Sweet Potato, and Mango.

All three flavors were absolutely delicious.  The basil was sweet and basil-y, a refreshing and unexpected flavor. The sweet potato was reminiscent of pumpkin and had a creamy consistency. The mango was also delicious, but we ultimately decided to order "small" cups of Chocolate-Peanut Butter, Nocciola (Hazelnut), and Scuro (dark chocolate). We'll have to save eating an entire cup of a wacky flavor for when we're a little more experienced at this. Kday, purchaser of the Chocolate-Peanut Butter, was a bit disappointed.  Her gelato seemed dry and crumbly and the flavor was not particularly sweet or chocolatey. The hazelnut was an improvement, though its texture was a bit grainy.

The winner, by a long shot, was the scuro - apparently Piattini's most popular flavor. It tasted like brownie batter, but cold and without that pesky risk of salmonella.  It was much runnier than the other flavors, and there was some un-ladylike licking of the cup (not pictured) before I got the situation under control. After discovering the nocciola-and-scuro-on-one-spoon taste sensation, I was reluctant to share my spoils with Kday (but I did, of course).

Piattini gets good marks for their adventurous flavors, their operatic waitstaff, and their amazing scuro gelato. They lose points for lack of indoor seating, high prices, depressing chocolate-peanut butter gelato, and for providing us with impossibly small spoons. Though the tiny spoons made the entire experience feel a bit classier and more European, they were not useful when it came to the main goal of the excursion (namely, eating a lot of gelato rather quickly).

Despite the drawbacks it was, all in all, a successful kickoff to the fall quest!