Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

I was taken to Europe when I was a kid, and for the German-speaking portion of the journey, I learned just one phrase: “mit schlagsahne, bitte” to indicate that yes, please, I would like a giant dollop of whipped cream on that strudel. This remains the only German I know besides “ein, zwei, drei,” and the best place I know to practice this phrase locally is Davis’ Konditorei . This fabulous wonderland of Viennese pastries has recently added house-made gelato to its lineup. We stopped in and tried to expand our German-language ability by ogling everything from burgermeisterbrot (sweet bread) to topfen strudel (pastry filled with sweetened Quark cheese). But we fell in love with the Wiener eiskaffee, espresso poured over scoops of vanilla or hazelnut ice cream. The server suggested hazelnut. “It’s to die for,” she said, and it was—especially because it came topped mit plenty of schlagsahne. 2710 East Fifth Street in Davis, (530) 758-1331, www.konditoreidavis.com.