While researching this week's ice cream feature, I went looking for Trentino Gelato's dulce de leche -- it's an Argentine-style caramel flavor gelato with big hunks of melted chocolate all through it. I called two of Trentino's biggest distributors, Cricket Creamery and Coffee Groundz, but neither one had that flavor at the moment. The only place selling the elusive caramel and chocolate gelato was a business I had never heard of -- Shisha Express & Deli on Westheimer near Fondren.
Shisha, it turns out, is slang for hookah. There were four customers sitting around in the middle of the afternoon and all of them were smoking hookahs. The business is a combination espresso, gelato and hookah bar. The espresso was very good, the Trentino gelato was exquisite, but I passed on the tobacco. If you want to get a hookah, it's $9. And apple is the most popular tobacco flavor at Shisha Express at the moment.
Shisha Express also sells mesquite-grilled kebabs, half chickens and gyro sandwiches along with salads and Middle Eastern mezzes. They have an extensive outdoor seating area.
