FROST - A Gelato Shoppe is now open at Victoria Gardens!

FROST - A Gelato Shoppe
12385 S Mainstreet

Unit 1040
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739

Victoria Gardens - Storefront

If you don't know the difference between gelato and ice cream, then I can tell you! (LOL). My husband and I had gelato twice a day, every day when we were in Italy; Milan, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. But of course we walked it off....  :)

Gelato is basically Italian ice cream, but is lower in fat and less calories than American style ice cream. It's much more dense, more flavorful, more rich and contains less air. There are certain standards that need to be followed in order to call something "gelato".

Since living in Rancho Cucamonga, I have found ZERO gelato shops. I've always had to go to LA County. So you have no idea how excited I was to hear that Frost was opening in Victoria Gardens. They are located right next to GNC, by the Corner Bakery. They open at 11:00 AM every day. Note that the only other California location is in San Diego!

After reviewing the website and reading about the creators, I had high hopes that their gelato would be legit because once I got back to the US from Italy, I couldn't stop thinking about gelato either! Per their website, they imported equipment and products from Italy. 

They just opened on Friday Nov 10th, 2017. My husband and I stopped in  on Tuesday and each picked 2 flavors. Our total came out to $10.56 with tax.

I had the Gianduia (chocolate with hazelnut) and it was excellent; creamy, rich and very dense. However, the Stracciatella was not as creamy and a bit on the icy side (still delicious). 

2 Medio Gelato $9.80 + $0.76 tax = $10.56 TOTAL

Note that they do offer gelato with no sugar added as well as Italian sorbet and coffee.

We received excellent customer service and will definitely be back. CIAO!

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New Eateries!

I know I have been MIA on my blog for a long time. Please be assured that I'm still active on Instagram, Facebook, and Yelp! :)

Pho Spot in Rancho Cucamonga
(Pho with Shrimp/Pork Spring Rolls)

Other than my last blog about Paris Pastries that just opened earlier in 2017, here are some other new eateries that have opened in 2017. Note that this isn't a complete list, but places that I have personally checked out this year.

The plaza located on the southwest corner for Foothill Blvd and Spruce Ave is finally up and running. So far,you can find Jersey Mike's, Toyko Joe's, Cafe Rio, and The Habit Burger Grill there.

• RoyalTea (8005 Vineyard, Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened January 2017 serving up fresh tea, milk tea, coffee, and smoothies. Located next to Flame Broiler. 
• Kung Fu Tea (12732 Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened March 2017 - Located by Baked Dessert Bar.
• Jack's Urban Eats (7811 Monet Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened March 2017. Salads, sandwiches, and more! Located in Victoria Gardens.
• ZPizza Tap Room (11144 E Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Self-serve craft beer and wine on tap and pizza obviously! Located next to Chop Stop.
• Pho Spot (8802 Baseline Rd. Rancho Cucamonga) - Vietnamese restaurant specializing in pho! No MSG used in any of their dishes. Located in the Stater Bros. plaza by Carnelian and Baseline.
• Wazakuraken Ramen (7201 Archibald Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened May 2017. Located in the same plaza as El Cerrito. 
• The State (7900 Kew Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Their original location is in Redlands and now Rancho Cucamonga has its own at Victoria Gardens. They serve brunch on the weekends.
• Punch Bowl Social (12635 N Main St, Rancho Cucamonga) - A high-integrity scratch kitchen, craft beverage, and old school arcade all under one roof. 
• Grill 8 (7890 Haven Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened July 2017 serving up burgers, sandwiches, salads, chicken wings and more! Happy Hour!
• Dog Haus Biergarten (7815 Monet Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) Located in Victoria Gardens
• Dulce Michoacana (6614 Carnelian St, Rancho Cucamonga) - Ice Cream, Paletas and more!
• IV Juice Bar (8057 Vineyard Ave, Rancho Cucamonga)  - Opened July 2017 serving juices and acai bowls. Located by CVS.
• Mr. Dumpling (9319 Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cuamonga) - Opened September 2017 serving noodles, and dumplings galore (steam, boiled, pan-fried)
• Crepito Ice (9339 Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened September 2017 serving Thai-style rolled ice cream!
• Mustang Sally's on Route 66 (8411 E. Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Great outdoor area serving Tex-Mex
• Mod Pizza (6417 Haven Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - There is another Mod Pizza opening up where the new Stater Bros currently under construction by Baseline and Day Creek as well.
• Frost Gelato - (12385 S. Main St, Rancho Cucamonga). Opened November 2017 - The finest Italian Gelato and Sorbet

COMING SOON......

• Sweet Dough Cafe formerly located in Upland is moving to the Victoria Gardens' Food Hall! Serving gourmet Cinna-Rolls. Opening Soon!
• The Pie Hole - Opening soon at Victoria Gardens!
• Haven City Market (8443 Haven Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Construction is underway and we are just starting to get word about who future tenants will be! One being Belly & Snout.

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, @Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats and on Facebook! 

Paris Pastries in Rancho Cucamonga

Paris Pastries in Rancho Cucamonga

Flashback to May of 2013, my husband and I were homeless. 
Yes, you heard me right. Well sort of. Let me explain. We just sold our house. Unfortunately, the inspection on a house in San Dimas we were in the middle of buying did not pass so we backed out. Don't get me started on what was wrong with it; there's too many things to list! With that said, we left our worries behind in California and continued on with our trip of a lifetime. Our first stop was London and from there we took the train to Paris, France! We got a taste first hand in French culture; food, music, museums, churches. It was not hard to fall in love with everything the city had to offer. We just wished we could have stayed longer. Here are just a few photographs from our trip in Paris. 

Walking around Paris

Magazine stand next to the Seine River

Quiche aux Legumes

Genoise au Chocolat Creme Anglaise

Macarons from Laduree!

View from the Eiffel Tower

After returning from our European adventure (France, Switzerland, Italy), we were back to house hunting. It eventually led us to Rancho Cucamonga and that's where we ended up! Our experience traveling in Europe was what awoken the "foodie" in me even more. I mentioned this in my "Introduction" post. When we first move to Rancho Cucamonga, I thought that the city mostly had franchise/chain restaurants and mediocre food (sorry to say). Rancho Cucamonga did not have the greatest reputation for its local cuisine. After living here for a while, I started finding hidden gems and starting exploring any new eateries on my "foodie radar". There are a lot more eateries opening up. 

2017 is starting off good since I discovered Paris Pastries opened in January. They are located at 8220 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 (right next to Omokase). There are many so-called French bakeries out there and when they claim to be.....there's a certain expectation. You want to get a bit of the feeling back like when you were in Paris.

Exterior

I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the owner of Paris Pastries and get to know a little bit more about his background. Van Vi Sy (or just "Vi" for short) is Vietnamese but lived in France for nearly 40 years. If you speak French, you can converse with him in French as he is fluent in it! Unfortunately for me, the years I studied French growing up as a child did not sink in towards adulthood, but I tried! 

It took Vi nearly a year to finally open his first cafe/bakery. I know what many of you are thinking. "Why would someone from France pick Rancho Cucamonga of all places in California to open a business?" So I asked him! Well it turns out that Vi's brother (who also lived in France) moved to Rancho Cucamonga in 1997. He only had positive things to say about the city and told him it would be a wonderful place to open a bakery.

Vi, his wife and children all reside in Rancho Cucamonga now so when you step in to Paris Pastries, you are supporting a family who took a chance and are now part of the Rancho Cucamonga community. 

Vi's wife prepares the entrees to order and she always gets up around 4:00AM every morning to prepare her famous quiche, macarons, creme brulee and many of the items you see on display!. She is also responsible for the lovely interior design. There are also two French chefs who work here. One is a French pastry chef in charge of the delicate cakes etc while the other is a baker who makes all the breads, croissants, etc. 

They are still finalizing the menu options, especially the entrees so you will notice that they've removed/changed the items. Some dishes take a long time to prepare and is one of the main reasons they were removed. If you have eaten in Europe, everyone takes their time and a meal experience is long compared to here in California where everyone is in a rush! This is something they are adjusting to. 

Menu as of 02/01/2017

Note that French pastries are very rich so they pair great with a cup of coffee or tea. 

Beverage Menu

I know other people may be curious so I asked Vi if they offer any gluten free or vegan options and he said "No." He stated that if you took out those ingredients the end product would not be the same and lose its authenticity. I'm glad they are sticking to what they know, not altering any of the classic recipes and not catering to what they think people want.

I've been here multiple times already and thus far have tried the peach smoothie, orange julius, macarons (caramel, strawberry, pistachio, chocolate), croissant aux amandes, strawberry fraisier, Opera (chocolate cake), and creme brulee. Most of the items are selling around the $5.00 mark; some less, some more. 

Just a side note: If you ARE looking for vegan or gluten free baked goods, there's another bakery in the same plaza (by Active) called Caked Up Natural Dessert Bar. 

Paris Pastries offers plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. You can enjoy a latte with a baked good or pastry outside or even bring your dog.  I'm very happy to have this French family and chefs right here in Rancho Cucamonga. I still have to try the quiche, eclairs and tarts!

Don't forget to follow @Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats on Instagram or Facebook.