At Black Dog Gelato: (from top to bottom) salty peanut, strawberry, and Mexican chocolate

It somehow doesn’t seem right to call something that has been around for generations a trend, but what’s with Chicagoans’ sudden interest in gelato? Perhaps we’re finally realizing what Italians have known for years: Gelato is tastier and more refreshing than the butterfat-bomb ice cream we grew up on. Gelato cases have popped up in pizzerias (Sapore di Napoli in Lake View, Labriola in Oak Brook), chocolate shops (Canady Le Chocolatier in the South Loop), bakeries (Palermo in Old Town), and crêperies (Crêpe Crave in Wicker Park). Now that the revolution has an epicenter at Ukrainian Village’s hugely successful Black Dog Gelato (859 N. Damen Ave.; 773-235-3116), maybe we can all stop calling it a trend and just start eating.

Photograph: Anna Knott