East(Passyunk)bound & Down: The Scoop On The New Capogiro

We’d very much like to tell you we didn’t cream our pants when we heard Capogiro was opening a gelateria on East Passyunk, but that would be a big fat lie. The thought of not having to venture into Center City for Cap absolutely boggles the mind of the downtown addict. It’s like in season three of The Wire, when the cops round up all the drug dealers in one are and let them sling with impunity. This is going to be dangerous; having to schlep to Rittenhouse or Midtown Village was pretty much the only deterrent that kept us from a 24/7 gelato coma. With ciocolatto scurro, baby kiwi, blood orange, Saigon cinnamon, Thai coconut milk, ricotta and tangerine gelati and sorbetti right in our backyard, it doesn’t look good for us, kids. But enough about us; here’s what Stephanie Reitano, who owns Capogiro with husband John had to say about moving to P’unk Ave.:

“Everyone here at Capo is so excited. […] The neighborhood is amazing. John and I have been spending a lot of time there, eating lunch and dinner at the Cantina (love the sweet plantains), Paradiso, Izumi and the Pope. We are so excited to be in the same area and cannot wait to try the other places. The Passyunk area is a gem and the local businesses amazing.”

Here are some more breaking details about the new gelateria that Reitano shared exclusively with blogalicious:

- Location: next to Paradiso, in the space that housed RoseLena’s quaint ice cream shoppe. The Reitanos painted and unearthed and refinished out the original hardwood floors hiding under formica. Local glass artisan (and neighbor) South Philadelphia Stained Glass did the charming transom window that spells out ‘gelateria.’

- Hardware: a special gelato case imported from Italy designed to keep the creams at the ideal temperature. This is the same case used as San Crispino in Rome, considered one of the best gelaterias in Italy.

- Coffee: La Colombe, brewed in a Victoria Arduino Venus Century espresso machine

- Flavors: fresh and seasonal, with all the classics and creatives we’ve come to expect and love from Capogiro. (Izumi co-owner Lynn Rinaldi told us Reitano is already working on a wasabi flavor for them. Can’t wait for that.)

- Extras: granitas, Italian sundaes, pastries and candies

- Aw-How-Cute-Freaking-Factor: The café will feature a sidewalk window you’ll be able to stroll up to and order a cone to go. Aw how freaking cute!

There’s no firm opening date, but last week Reitano told us their equipment would be arriving from Italy in two weeks. So that means, next week everything gets here. Figure another week for installation and finishing touches. Ipso facto, we’re looking at fourth week in April for an opening. (Reitano says their U. Penn location in the Radian should premiere around the same time.) We can’t wait.

Photo: Gastronomyblog