D’Ambrosio Gelato is about as far away from the gluttonous experience that is Cold Stone Creamery as you can get. No one is going to break out into an off-key song and dance if you plunk a dollar into the tip jar. Portions are small and civilized. Ask the owner to throw Oreos and Reese’s Pieces mix-ins into his Sicilian pistachio gelato, and he’d probably clutch his heart, curse your forebears, and keel over from the sacrilege.

Locals line up for this stuff even on rainy days—chances are if you see a queue of hungry patrons snaking out of a tiny jewel box of a Ballard gelateria, you’re here. Sidle up to one of the blonde wood counters, and indulge in at least two scoops.

As far as we’re concerned, D’Ambrosio serves the dreamiest frozen treats in town. Small batch, Italian ice-cream made with organic dairy and fruit—and mineral spring water used in its sorbetto—makes this sweet a scoop above the rest. This gelato is light and milky-clean, and the sorbets are not overly rich so that the flavors—intriguing ones, like panna cotta, caramel and figs, hazelnut, banana, and chestnut—truly shine. This stuff is sexier than Sophia Loren on your tongue, and probably nearly as messy.