Triple hit at Gellattes.

• KAT ROBINSON
• THREE THINGS: Frou-frou coffee, gelato and muffin at Gellattes

I’m a sucker for cold creamy treats. There are few I haven’t liked. I’ve eaten ice cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt, frozen tofu, soft serve, hand-dipped… where was I going with this?

Oh, yeah. I also tend to like frilly coffee drinks. Mind you, I don’t drink them daily. They are a treat, and if I have one in a week’s time that’s usually it.

So finding a place that does both well was rather exciting. To tell you the truth, I pretty much guessed I’d like Gellattes from the moment I first heard of it. But until I went, I couldn’t be sure.

My schedule lately has been crazy, so it took me a while to actually make it over for a morning at the new coffee-and-gelato bar inside Blue Coast Burrito. I took my laptop and some stuff to work on and a little bit of an appetite.

Thing is, though, I wanted something more. I hadn’t had breakfast and while I knew I had to have coffee and gelato I couldn’t just consume those without some massive fluttering and rambling. Caffeine plus sugar equals awkwardness.

So when I went in I garbled over what was available. I was a little disconcerted at first because the gelato case was empty, but it turned out that an element in the case was being repaired. The gelato was there, in the back, six flavors — Hazelnutella, Bourbon Vanil, Cacao de Menthe, Cheesecake Fresca, Bananas Toscana and Dulce de Leche. I didn’t want a whole lot, so I went for a small Cacao de Menthe. Sounded good. It’s $3.49 for a small, by the way — and $4.99 for a large.

• KAT ROBINSON

I also wanted a coffee drink and went for the White Mocha Latte ($3.79) before it hit me that maybe I should get some regular coffee. Too late… she was already making it and asking if I’d like whipped cream. Egads, what was I thinking? I tell you what I was thinking. I was thinking I wanted a treat.

So I had two really sweet things. And there were all sorts of pastries beckoning in the case, all sorts of huge muffins. And though the banana nut muffin called out to me and the blueberry looked delicious, I went for the Sunrise muffin. I needed something healthy.

• KAT ROBINSON

Yeah, that muffin. All the muffins are $2.29 and they’re big, bigger than my fist. This one was flat topped and fragrant, especially after being warmed up a moment. It was a nice delicate yet hearty (can it be both? Yes it can) collaboration of carrot-cake-y-ness and raisins, coconut shreds and a hint of bran. It was a breakfast muffin and I felt healthier for having eaten it. I mean, it felt like I was doing a good thing for my digestive track. Somehow it was buttery all the way through. I had made a good choice.

• KAT ROBINSON

The gelato of course could not be ignored. I loved the delicate balance of icy crystals and cream, the little bits of what tasted to be peppermint-chocolate cookies and the tiny crushed peppermint bits, too. It was impossibly light for something that was so firm to my spoon. Dreamy, almost.

It was gone quickly, and I got about working on my daily quota of words on my computer. There is some sort of network there, but I did not have the password and was too shy to ask. That’s what my aircard is for.

• KAT ROBINSON

I nursed my White Mocha Latte for the next couple of hours for a couple of reasons. One, I had a lot to get done on the computer — but two, it was a really sweet mocha. I don’t usually add anything to my coffee beverages (unless it’s black coffee and I am somewhere where real cream is offered, can’t resist). I figure when someone creates a beverage it is at its prime and I should drink it that way. This one… well, it was sweet.

But there was something else, too. I had lamented that I wouldn’t be able to taste the coffee under the frou-frou, and I was wrong. The notes in the coffee at Gellattes came through — a smooth, robust yet not too acidic calm under the foam. I liked it.

So, I’m sitting there working on stuff and I overhear folks working behind the counter talking about the exposure the place has been getting lately. And they’re talking about Joel DiPippa. And I’m just grinning behind my screen, because he’s really getting the props. It was as if the biggest celebrity in the epicurean world had come for a visit and deigned the place worthy.

I was amused when I heard them debating on whether he wrote this blog. I was more amused and a little alarmed when a young lady talking with them was asked if she was… well, basically, me on Twitter. That was pretty much my departure point. I’m shy like that.

But I still needed to taste the coffee. So I had a friend pick me uppa cuppa a few days later. And I was quite pleased. This ain’t no Folger’s, y’all. It’s a smooth, healthy roast with slightly woody notes, aromatic and full bodied and yet not bitter. So now I have to go sneak over there some time and pick up a bag to take home. ‘Cause I know my cover’s been all blown to heck.

Anyway, you’ll find Gellattes inside Blue Coast Burrito out west on Highway 10, behind Buffalo Wild Wings and all that jazz. It’s open 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. (501) 868-5247 or check out the website.