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Buenos Aires
212
213
214
OLIVOS
FLORIDA
RO
VICENTE
LPEZ
FLORIDA
OESTE
RIO DE LA PLATA
SAAVEDRA
VILLA MARTELLI
NEZ
COGHLAN
BELGRANO
A MAIP
VILLA
URQUIZA
VILLA
PUEYRREDN
COLEGIALES
VILLA ORTZAR
CHACARITA
AGRONOMIA
1
RECOLETA
VILLA DEL
PARQUE
MONTE
CASTRO
PALERMO
VILLA CRESPO
ALMAGRO
VILLA
SANTA RITA
CABALLITO
SAN TELMO
ALLES
VILLA
LURO
VLEZ
SARSFIELD
FLORES
PARQUE
CHACABUCO
BOEDA
PARQUE
PATRICIOS
LINIERS
NUEVA
POMPEYA
BARRACAS
AVELLANEDA
MATADEROS
VALENTIN
ALSINA
GERLI
VILLA LUGANO
CD MADERO
VILLA
RIACHUELO
TAPIALES
PIEIRO
LANS
OESTE
VILLA
FIORITO
Heladera Fratello
heladeriafratello.com
+54 11 4821-2250
+54 11 4587-8172
A.M. Scannapieco
Heladera Cadore
heladeriacadore.com.ar
Av. Corrientes 1695
+54 11 4373-9797
217
Heladera Fratello
Fratello, with two open-air locations in the Palermo neighborhood
(and even one location in Barcelona, Spain), literally means sibling in
Italian. Flavors like chocolate fratello (dark chocolate with orange peel
and peach pulp) and sambayn tentacin (chocolate buttons stuffed
with dulce de leche) attract local families.
heladeriafratello.com
+54 11 4821-2250
Av. Coronel Daz 1521
Av. Medrano 1904
218
Like in Italy, Argentines love to celebrate food with family and friends.
Capturing that spirit, the helado shop Fratellomeaning brother in
Italianmaintains tradition in their two open-air locations in the
Palermo neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Lined with trees, its Parisian
decor invites passersby to sit, relax, and have a small copa of helado.
My sister and I stumble across Fratello after a lunch at Cafe Nostalgia,
a French bistro that lived up to its name, recalling a former era. Along
the tree-lined street of Coronel Daz and steps from a bustling fiveway intersection, a ground to ceiling window showcases one Fratello
location. A cool breeze flutters over the leafy trees. An oasis of leafy
plants surrounds sidewalk tables and shelters the helado lovers from the
streets. Around the shops door, speckled tiles are faded from sunlight.
One might wonder if this neighborhood was Paris with the boutique
shops showcasing haute couture and European architecture, if not for
Spanish flowing from pedestrians on their cell phones.
Inside Fratello, narrow signs list flavors in bold behind a counter.
Chocolate lovers would rejoice on flavors like chocolate fratello (dark
chocolate with orange peel and peach pulp) and sambayn tentacin
(an Argentine dessert flavor with chocolate buttons stuffed with dulce
de leche). Sambayn, consisting of egg white and sweet wine, is the
hardest flavor to make, but the owners insist on it to reflect the popular
dessert custard. Flavors of dulce de leche, the Argentine caramelized
milk, have a variety of mix-ins like brownies, chocolate chips, nuts, or
bananas. There is also simply super dulce de leche meaning a dulce
de leche helado marbled with dulce de leche.
While gazing at the flavors, a customer admits that she doesnt
want helado, because its too fattening. But within seconds, she forgets
and orders a creamy flavor. A man uses a metal spade to scoop our
selected flavors into a cone, twisting it to make a tall steady pyramid.
My sister picks up an aqua-colored palettina, a small spoon used for
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helado. On its handle, the word Fratello is die cut. Like licking a
spoon coated with dulce de leche, the dulce de leche granizadothe
flavor with chocolate chipsoozes a deep buttery taste and ends with
a milky finish. The namesake flavor Fratello is a vanilla cream helado
broken up by chopped almonds and chocolate-dipped raisins, finished
with a dash of rum. With little air, the dense helado highlights its
origins. Real, whole ingredients are used here.
Within a ten-minute walk from Cafe Nostalgia, the second location
of Fratello sits near a plaza. Yellow umbrellas shade tables. Here, palm
trees stand above the opening. Inside the brick building, Diego Soto,
the owner of Fratello, watches the shop fill with customers. Like a
welcoming neighbor, he stands in front of the entrance. Diego waves
us to join him. Like the other location on a dark green sign, the white
letters Fratello are bookended by a red silhouette of palm trees.
Helados Artesanales Fratello repeats on a narrow strip across the two
display cases. Each flavor, like the dark green sign, is bookended with
a red silhouette of palm trees. Each metal bin is sparsely decorated
allowing the color and texture to speak for them. A mirror strip lies
horizontally across all the interior walls, creating depth and space.
Outside, a father watches as his daughter gobbles up a cone. Another
woman places her shopping bag on the white chair and slowly licks
her helado as she browses her mobile phone.
Argentines have a lot of helado, Diego says. Because of that ice
cream in Argentina must be high quality.
Diego describes the quality of cream in Argentina and claims that
it is best of the world. With ancestry from Italy, people in Argentina
know how to cook, he says, and especially know how to make helado.
Our main customers are local people, Argentines. Usually, when
tourists come, its because Argentines want to show them our ice cream.
They are proud and want to share it. They want tourists or people
220
they know to taste it, because they know that its good, right?
The shop recently branched out to Barcelona in Spain. Unlike the
two shops in Buenos Aires where helado is made at a factory, helado is
made on site where customers can view into the kitchen, inviting them
to show that theres nothing to hide. Argentines who visit Barcelona
are pleased to find that their hometown favorite is good enough to be
found in a foreign city. In Spain, Fratello, Diego says, is considered the
representation of Argentine-style helado.
Tradition really matters to Diego. He wants to make helado like it
always has been made. Changes occur, Diego says. New things come
out, and we have to do it, because people ask for them since its trendy.
But we still sell the flavors that were popular 50 years ago. No matter
what, people still crave the same taste of dulce de leche, sambayn,
vanilla, and chocolate.
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