Although I haven't tried all the "-chip" ice creams out there, I fully intend to. But after enjoying—again and again—the dulce de leche choc-chip gelato made by Ballpark's Buenos Aires Pizza, I'm not sure I'll find a frozen treat that's any better.

There's an art to making chocolate chip anything. Sure, you can buy a bag of Nestlé or Ghirardelli and toss the nibs into your ice cream, cookies, or muffins. But true chocolate lovers know that these confections, while still tasty, can end up imbued with chunks and nuggets and shards—particularly with cold desserts—that feel like cocoa-infused gravel in your mouth.

Not so at Buenos Aires (which, by the way, also makes a very solid pizza). These gelato artisans know that grinding the chocolate like coffee beans results in a textural delight that's just as rewarding as the flavors themselves. These chips, microscopic in spots, give each bite a delicate flakiness, almost like pastry, that perfectly complements the ever-so-slightly salty and silky dulce de leche gelato. (Although the picture above is not from Buenos Aires, it captures the essence of the shop’s creamy-crunchy blend.)

The pizzeria also makes an excellent dulce de leche sans chips. But if you order it, I will taunt you. Because the cocoa-ed-up version of this stuff is Denver dessert at its finest.

1319/1307 22nd St., 303-296-6710

—Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Follow 5280 articles editor Luc Hatlestad on Twitter at @LucHatlestad.

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