Tilly’s Gelato

• Tilly’s Gelato’s website

• Location: Beaverton

• Price for dual gelatos with a cookie: About $8

The northwest suburbs around Portland (Beaverton, northern Hillsboro, etc.) may be many things, but a treasure trove of restaurants? Naaaaah. This is the home of MacDonalds, Olive Garden, Denny’s, Cheesecake Factory and all those other whitebread chains that are OK for a meal, but not exactly what I’d call “dining.”

Which is why I drove past Tilly’s for a year or so without stopping in. Then one day, late for a family potluck and needing a contribution, I rushed in, asked what was good on the gelato menu and got a jaw-dropping revelation: This is REAL gelato, made fresh every day, by folks who like to experiment. It’s also right in the heart of boring whitebread suburbia. Wow. Go figure.

I hesitate to say “it’s all good,” because the soups and sandwiches are but standard fare…but it’s hard to go far wrong with their gelato. The roasted almond is a revelation, the lemon is probably my favorite, and folks who are into chocolate ice cream say that anything chocolate is good but particularly try the chocolate hazelnut.

The real fun, though, is seeing what the Tilly’s folk do with “found” comestibles, such as the delicious raspberry swirly-whatever when raspberries are in season, fresh peach…etc.

Definitely worth a look if you’re in the area.

Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask for a taste of anything intriguing–they don’t mind. I’ve been known to taste four or five before settling on my choice.

Tip #2: The hand-packed gelato costs more than the ready-packed cartons…but there generally aren’t many available. Resign yourself to paying extra and waiting a bit.