The colors can be similar, but the flavors are very direct; even with your eyes closed, there's little likelihood that you'll mistake one for another.
At the lab's original, snug Orchard St. shop, gelatos and sorbets were offered in repertory, perhaps a dozen each on any given day. The wide-open, white-on-white premises at Houston and Ludlow have much more room for standing, and even a little for sitting, though you may still need to crane your neck to see the expanded roster of flavors on display. Shown: raw cashew atop black mission fig (above, two scoops, $4.25); mascarpone and hazelnut gelatos; lemon basil sorbet and buttermilk gelato.
Il Laboratorio del Gelato
188 Ludlow St. (at East Houston St.), Manhattan
212-343-9922
Also at 95 Orchard St. (Broome-Delancey Sts.), Wednesday through Sunday only
www.LaboratorioDelGelato.com
