What the FroYo?

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Newsflash from ES: America is still eating shit.

I jumped on the froyo bandwagon several years too late. I don’t know why it was a bandwagon to begin with. The  trend is just now hitting Philadelphia, I’d think mostly because everyone likes water (wuder) ice better, and we actually like things that taste good. If you type “frozen yogurt, Philadelphia” into Google, the first thing that comes up is “Philly Steak & Gyro.”

Enough said.

My first try was last year in Chicago at Yogenfruz, a lesser known Canadian chain. I was immediately in love. They only have chocolate and vanilla, in low-fat and non-fat varieties. I always go for the vanilla, low-fat (The BF always has non-fat, both are delicious). The bonus at Yogenfruz is that you can have your froyo blended with frozen fruit. Real fruit flavoring? Nom nom.  The texture is perfect — ridiculously thick and creamy, and it doesn’t melt quickly.

Tasti-D-lite was my second try, this time because a friend in South Florida loves it. To be honest, it tasted kind of like…Dairy Queen? Fake ice cream? It was creamy, tasted milky, but melted very quickly. I kept hoping to taste flavors that just weren’t there. I ate it feeling empty and unsatisfied. Boo, not-so-Tasti-D-Lite.

Another review, after the jump.

Pinkberry was my latest conquest. It’s supposed to be the best, right? I’ve heard people rave about it, and apparently it’s a celeb fave, and it also was listed as the best in Page Six. Hung from Top Chef was spotted there in an NYC location Wednesday night by Chef Mark. During my visit, I opted for Pomegranate (they even have Pom seeds to put on top).  I hated it. Pinkberry was horrible. It tasted like some sort of frozen dairy product with 1,000 packets of splenda mixed in. The artificial sweetener taste was overwhelming. It gave me a headache.

I don’t get it at all.

What the fuck is this trend?

I can freeze milk and splenda too, but I don’t. Besides Yogenfruz, the popular brands taste horrible.

Why is everyone obsessed with this shit? Did I order something the wrong way?

(Photo)

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9 comments

  • Christine November 5, 2009  

    Mads – You need to try Saxby’s (all around the Philly area) it’s so much better than Pinkberry and co because it has so much less sugar in it – it almost has a lemony flavor instead of that sickeningly sweet splenda flavor, and they always have fresh fruit and other random toppings ie fruity pebbles. It quickly becomes an expensive and delicious addiction…just wanted to share.

  • Kenneth Moore November 5, 2009  

    Hm… I’ve only had Yogiberry and Mr. Yogato. I only went to Yogiberry once, just to check out Mr. Yogato’s competition. They were meh. Mr. Yogato is, of course, the best (but I’m biased, ’cause I have a flavour named after me there). It’s not about the froyo, for me–they have old-school nintendo, trivia, Boggle, karaoke, they’re a drop-off point for a local organic vegetarian soup lady, and they let me garden in front of their store. The yogurt is good, generally refreshing, and dozens and dozens of toppings–the people who own/run this store are the reason frozen yogurt is big, I’d think. Without them, I wouldn’t have given a damn about my 150-calories-per-5-ounces-of-yogurt yogurt! Everyone who jumps on the froyo bandwagon without this spirit, well… Then it’s just frozen yogurt. Not that fun or exciting.

  • Kenneth Moore November 5, 2009  

    Hm… I’ve only had Yogiberry and Mr. Yogato. I only went to Yogiberry once, just to check out Mr. Yogato’s competition. They were meh. Mr. Yogato is, of course, the best (but I’m biased, ’cause I have a flavour named after me there). It’s not about the froyo, for me–they have old-school nintendo, trivia, Boggle, karaoke, they’re a drop-off point for a local organic vegetarian soup lady, and they let me garden in front of their store. The yogurt is good, generally refreshing, and dozens and dozens of toppings–the people who own/run this store are the reason frozen yogurt is big, I’d think. Without them, I wouldn’t have given a damn about my 150-calories-per-5-ounces-of-yogurt yogurt! Everyone who jumps on the froyo bandwagon without this spirit, well… Then it’s just frozen yogurt. Not that fun or exciting.
    Oops…forgot to say great post! Looking forward to your next one.

  • BS November 5, 2009  

    I don’t get the froyo obsession at all. I’d rather have ice cream once a week than fake ice cream every day.

  • Tia November 5, 2009  

    We go to a place called Maiberry in Boulder which has the froyo but I always stick to the glacee. I’m a sucker for shaved ice I guess. Plus they use as much local fruit as possible for their toppings which I love.

  • Liza November 6, 2009  

    I don’t know I’m still into the TCBY white chocolate mouse frozen yogurt that I used to get in primary school (I now only see TCBY in airports – but they still have the white chocolate mouse) and that was a healthier choice that didn’t taste like fake shit

  • Liza November 6, 2009  

    @ML – can I ask the appeal of the pom seeds on top of the frogurt? I will admit, I have a weird and irrational aversion to fruit seeds so I’m biased, but I’m curious – are the pom seeds tasty???

  • ML November 6, 2009  

    I love pom seeds anyway, and they are a nice tart contrast to the over sweetened yogurt….the texture is funny though

  • Claudia@TLC November 6, 2009  

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