Bobboi promotes environmental sustainability by using “smaller, uglier” fruit that otherwise might be thrown away.

My wife hosted a bridal shower recently and told me to take my son and go away for a few hours. We decided to go up to the La Jolla Cove area. It was still too cold to swim but warm enough to play Trac Ball on the grassy area.

Running around chasing after my son’s errant tosses works up a sweat so to cool down, we decided to get some gelato at a place on Girard Avenue called Bobboi. It turned out to be a very good life decision. This Italian-style gelateria makes some of the best gelato and sorbet I’ve had in my life. Truly transcendent stuff.

Bobboi changes its flavors on a regular basis depending on what’s in season. A sign points out that the place does its best for environmental sustainability by choosing “small and ugly fruit” because it means no pesticides or waxing. Some of the flavors being served at Bobboi included an outstanding Meyer Lemon & Fresh Mint sorbet. I love lemon sorbet, but the addition of the mint cooled the tartness while enhancing the fruit. I paired that with the Blood Orange sorbet — tangy and orangey, just what I want — and figured I’d get some vanilla gelato to get that upscale 50/50 bar feel.

I was going to have the Charcoal Vanilla, a white and gray flecked house specialty made with real vanilla beans and activated charcoal. The sample I tasted didn’t have the smokiness associated with charcoal. No, it just tasted like enhanced vanilla. Would have been awesome, but I saw something else, a flavor called “Cali.” Basically, it’s a non-dairy gelato made with apple, ginger, lemon, carrot, and avocado. It was creamy and fruity, without the tartness of sorbet. It was life-changing. Writing this a few days later, I can still taste and how it blended perfectly with the two sorbets. Definitely worth a return trip just for that flavor.

My son was happy with his cone of Chocolate Sorbet and “Moka” gelato. The server did warn me that the Moka had a lot of espresso in it along with chocolate chips. I decided to risk the jibber-jabber that comes when a ten-year-old has espresso. Luckily, he was able to run off the energy playing more Trac Ball.

I’m not a big fan of chocolate sorbets. I prefer it with cream, but Bobboi’s blend had that nice bitterness that only comes with really good dark chocolate. I would have tried the Moka, but my son had eaten it all before that thought came to the mind.

Bobboi’s gelato isn’t cheap. A triple scoop costs nearly $8. But this is a high quality product: The flavor was bursting in every bite. If I have to choose between price and value, I’ll take value every time.

Photo Gallery

Bobboi Natural Gelato