At Cornicello Gelato, one of fifteen food and booze stations inside the new Denver Milk Market downtown, restaurateur Frank Bonanno offers plenty of kid-friendly flavors in vivid shades of blue and pink. But adults with sophisticated palates will be drawn to something a little more subtle. A single scoop of red wine and goat cheese gelato makes for an elegant and intriguing ending to a meal procured at one of Milk Market's other vendors. While the base of the gelato is nicely sweet, the deep flavor of the wine and the subtle tang of the cheese combine for a très chic after-dinner pairing reminiscent of your last French vacation.

Chef Gregory Gourdet used tomatoes and tomato leaves to balance savory and sweet in this dessert.
Mark Antonation
Chef Linda Hampsten Fox goes furthest out on the savory limb with two different gelato scoops on her summer dinner menu at The Bindery (1817 Central Street). Returning for another season is a summer version of the chef's smoked pecan and rabbit pie topped with mustard gelato. If that sounds a little weird for you, consider that honey and mustard are a classic combo, so a slightly sweet and creamy mustard gelato is really just a chilled version of something familiar. And a new dish will debut on Tuesday, July 24: a cool ajo blanco soup. This is a traditional Spanish white gazpacho made with garlic and almonds, but Hampsten Fox serves the soup with an almond brioche crumble and a scoop of tahini gelato. The nuttiness of the sesame seeds and almonds add depth to the creamy soup, which is smooth and rich despite being dairy-free. The dish is a tone poem of soft tan colors and Mediterranean flavors, with only a few bright drops of olive oil as punctuation marks.
Ice cream is a year-round treat in Colorado, but you can keep your gooey Rocky Road, butter pecan and double-fudge chunk for another day; this summer, light and savory is the way to go.