On the way to a Kentucky Derby Party, we screeched to an unplanned stop at Chocolate Cartel, which also includes fabulous Van Rixel gelato, as the custom gelato and chocolate were beckoning despite an unprepossessing industrial site. I succumbed to lime/lavender gelato, and Ray had some sort of hazelnut gelato. I’m afraid there were no leftovers for our dog, Owen.
The gelato brought us back to our time testing a different gelato on every corner in Italy; I won’t mention how much weight I gained on that trip. The Van Rixel (now Chocolate cartel) gelato was sublime; perfectly balanced and melting on the tongue. This despite an urban-industrial-grunge style to the storefront — it’s technically a factory, after all. We are already plotting our next visit, even though it is on the other side of Albuquerque from us. Still, gelato nirvana is worth the trek across town, and yes, I’ll be using a credit card for the amount of gelato I plan to buy on the next visit.
Travels with Owen 