$13: Poco Carretto Gelato & Sorbet

Where: The Poco Carretto gelato and sorbet cart at the Fremont Market

When: Yesterday at 11 a.m.

Official Tasting Notes: Recent James Beard award winner for Best Chef Northwest, Holly Smith was behind the poco carretto (little cart) at the Fremont market yesterday, serving up her first batch of gelati and sorbets to hungry, sun-shocked passers-by.

My favorite flavors:

Burnt-sugar gelato: Despite its name, this surprisingly complex flavor possessed a distinct retreat from sweetness, exhibiting, as Holly put it, a delicate "bitter edge." My top pick.

Egg gelato: this ultra-rich, creamy gelato was simple and sweet. It begged to be paired with the burnt-sugar for a bit of mix-it-yourself creme brulee.

Gianduja (Jee-AHN-doo-dja, or hazelnut and milk chocolate): This not-too-sweet chocolate sorbet was tempered by the nuttiness of the hazelnut. Think spoonable Nutella. (Not shown.)

Rice gelato: A scoop of this white confection tasted like those toasted kernels you'll find floating in your genmaicha tea. A simple yet exotic flavor.

Strawberry sorbet: This intense pink option was strong on the berry, with a slightly astringent taste to it. All fruit forward.

Lillet Blanc sorbet: This sorbet tasted just like the real thing. A grown-up Sno-Kone.

All of these flavors finished cleanly, and each tasted not so much like a flavored gelato but like the thing itself. They all possessed just enough sugar to carry the flavor, but no more, which seemed to make the flavors richer. All were creamy, with the sorbets, as expected, a touch icier.

A few discerning nibblers. (Damn, these kids have it good. They came with the cart. Like a three year old version, I guess, of being with the band.)

What does $13 get you? $2.75 for 3 ounces rounds up to five servings, but I had six to feed (and frankly, I was having trouble choosing), so I sprung for one more flavor.

Would I eat it again? How many weeks are there in summer? This dessert will appear three times a week at the Fremont, Bellevue, and Kirkland Juanita Beach markets.

Insider Tip: You can also take home hand-packed pints, and (something I wish I'd tried) get your egg and burnt-sugar gelati scooped into a brioche. Next time.