One would think that on an island so insanely packed with everything else, tasty frozen yogurt would be easy to come by, yet recent developments have caused concerns about accessing quality fro-yo; at least for me. I’m a longstanding fan of the treat since the TCBY and Everything Yogurt days, good brands both. I haven’t seen a TCBY in years for the exception of rest stops. Everything Yogurt actually became Bananas and I’ve never seen one of those.
Instead, I have seen a few new frozen yogurt establishments pop up whose products I’ve sampled and been disheartened. A place near where I used to work sold Yolato. I swear I am not lying when I say it tasted exactly like Lemon Pledge. Not that I eat Lemon Pledge… but when I used to, it could have passed for the product Yolato claims is frozen yogurt. I was disappointed to say the least.
Some friends recommended other places I should try, namely Pinkberry and Red Mango. There happens to be one of each adjacent to each other on 14th St. and 6th Ave., so one day I decided to check them both out. First I stopped at Red Mango; a friend had recently raved about the place. I never purchase without sampling and though it was definitely better than the Lemon Pledge, I didn’t like it enough to buy any. I moved on.
I had heard and read a lot about Pinkberry, and as I approached the counter I felt pretty confident I was going to leave with some frozen yogurt and ordered a sample of vanilla; but I just didn’t like it. One particular brand that I do like that no one else seems to is Smoochies. Then too, sometimes you can still find the ol’ Columbo standby at a deli or salad bar. Needless to say, the quest goes on – to be continued…
