Fro-Yo Girl Speaks

Fro-yo Closures and Moves

2012-02-10T21:44:00.001-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. SoGreen is on the move. Today was the last day at their Crocker Galleria location and they should be open at the New Metreon food court in 1 - 2 weeks.

Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt in Palo Alto closed its doors. I feel blessed to have had their tangerine fro-yo and will miss their homemade organic toppings, especially the pumpkin spice granola and chocolate chip cookies. It’s a sad day for Bay Area fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Valentine’s Day, Fro-yo Style 2012

2012-02-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I’ve been thinking up romantic fro-yo creations. This year I felt inspired by the decadent combination of chocolate and fruit.

* Raspberry chocolate truffle: Raspberry and chocolate fro-yo, chopped Andes mints, fresh raspberries
* Strawberries & cream: Strawberry fro-yo, fresh chopped strawberries, whipped cream, white chocolate curls, heart shaped sprinkles
* Cherry dipped in chocolate: Cherry fro-yo on a cone, topped with crunchy chopped almonds, dipped in magic shell chocolate

Fro-yo shops are celebrating Valentine’s Day with special new flavors like red velvet, orchard cherry and Hershey's Kisses.

If you really want to impress someone, make your own fro-yo at home and serve with chilled champagne. Perhaps the new Snog (UK frozen yogurt chain) cookbook will inspire you.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Blue Spoon Frenzy Yogurtland Pictures

2012-02-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Today I witnessed the Blue Spoon Frenzy at Yogurtland in honor of the most important of holidays, National Frozen Yogurt Day. Around 4 PM YL brought out the special NFYD 5 oz. fro-yo cups. Patrons grabbed a cup (one cup limit per person), swirled and then added toppings. Though the line was long, it moved in an orderly quick fashion (yay). They still weighed each creation and then doled out the special limited edition blue fro-yo spoon.

I saw one guy with spiky black hair swirling Double Cookies n’ Cream fro-yo like a true professional. In fact, the swirling skills of the crowd were quite good...must be true fro-yo lovers in line. They ran out of mochi in under 15 minutes.

Thanks Yogurtland! I felt happy as I enjoyed my fro-yo (original tart and mango mixer tart fro-yo with grapefruit, mango, pineapple and Cap’n Crunch) with my special blue fro-yo spoon.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Happy National Frozen Yogurt Day (2/6)

2012-02-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I’m loving how people are making plans for National Frozen Yogurt Day. I get more excited about it every day.

If you live near a Yogurtland, do swing by for their National Frozen Yogurt Day celebration on Feb. 6th from 4 - 7 PM to get your free fro-yo with toppings and collectible blue fro-yo spoon. Thanks Yogurtland! I know other shops have special promotions (e.g., YoBlendz, Twisted Yogurt, Kikiberri, Josie's) so check with your local fro-yo shop.

Go out and eat fro-yo on National Frozen Yogurt Day!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: SoGreen Yogurt at the New Metreon

2012-02-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. The New Metreon food court had a “soft” opening today but not much was open. Contrary to what was reported in the SF Chronicle, EaterSF, Inside Scoop SF and other sources, SoGreen Yogurt isn’t open and won’t be for “a few weeks” (source: Metreon security). In fact, the SoGreen space doesn’t have a sign up yet but the guard pointed to the wall (across from Sanraku, close to where Starbucks used to be ages ago) behind which construction is occurring.

In the meantime, you can still get fro-yo at the Metreon at Yogen Fruz (movie theater snack bar area).

The top level of the Metreon is still closed. Downstairs where the food court is, they added tables and chairs...probably making it the largest indoor seating area in downtown SF. I like the shiny new globe pendant lamps.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Tuttimelon Turns Four: Tuttimelon Day Feb. 2, 2012

2012-02-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Tuttimelon turns 4 today. Yes, the first location opened four years ago on Feb. 2nd at 2150 Irving St. in San Francisco, CA. That location is now home to their sister business, Teaway, the first self-serve bubble tea bar. I remember going there on the first day and returning many times for the 99 cents fro-yo special. On the first day, they only had one flavor, original tart.

Tuttimelon’s been busy opening locations in Hong Kong, with more locations to come this year. I’ve been busy collecting Tutti Spoons, though I’d have to go to Hong Kong to get all the colors.

Happy b-day Tuttimelon!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Frozen Yogurt and Probiotics

2012-01-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I recently asked my readers how important the live and active cultures in yogurt were when choosing to consume frozen yogurt. The results are in and 2 out of 3 respondents felt that having live and active cultures in yogurt was moderately or extremely important. So, there’s a clear majority of fro-yo consumers out there who value the benefits of live and active yogurt cultures.

According to Mintel Research News, “70% of US yogurt users say they consume it for digestive health.”

Probiotics are live microorganisms, aka as friendly or good bacteria, like the bacteria found in fermented foods like yogurt. Probiotics may improve digestion and the immune system though there is still much research to be done on the beneficial health effects of consuming probiotics.

Probiotics are also available in capsule form (Whole Foods carries these capsules). I was surprised that a 1 month supply of Nature’s Way probiotic capsules is $40 - $50. I’d rather eat fro-yo than take capsules.

The National Yogurt Association (NYA) established the Live & Active Cultures seal for refrigerated and frozen yogurt. Refrigerated yogurt carrying the seal has at least 100 million live cultures per gram at the time of manufacture. For frozen yogurt, the seal indicates that the yogurt contains at least 10 million live cultures per gram at the time of manufacture. The program is voluntary, so the absence of the seal doesn’t indicate that the products don’t meet or exceed NYA’s benchmarks.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yoppi Yogurt SF Grand Opening on 2/4

2012-01-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yoppi Yogurt is now open at 2125 Polk St. Their grand opening celebration will be on Saturday, Feb. 4. Stop in for free fro-yo from 12 - 2 PM. They’ll also be giving away free Yoppi Yogurt t-shirts and other prizes. Free fro-yo!

The Polk St. location has 8 fro-yo flavors a day and it's self-serve.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOPPI YOGURT: 2125 Polk St., San Francisco, CA

Fraiche Palo Alto Moves to Larger Space

2012-01-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Fraiche just moved from its original and very first location at 644 Emerson to 200 Hamilton (just down the street from the old location). It’s a larger space (the old A.G. Ferrari location). Today was the first day and it was chaotically busy.

I like how the new decor is more feminine and cozier. They’ve added more seating. The menu hasn’t changed much (fresh housemade Greek yogurt, frozen yogurt, Blue Bottle Coffee, steel cut oatmeal, juices, baked goods) but they added a new fro-yo machine with two new flavors: hibiscus grapefruit sorbet and Oreo cookie.

I also spotted some slices of bread from Mayfield Bakery which can be topped with various spreads including an interesting tangy yogurt spread. The savory loaf was another new addition. It’s made with Fraiche yogurt.

I was happy that the homemade mochi made the move too.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* FRAICHE YOGURT: 200 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Meet Yoguru-Kun

2012-01-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I found an old notepad of mine the other day and remembered the character, Yoguru-Kun (or Mr. Yoguru).

Yoguru-Kun is a San X Japanese yogurt character launched in May 2003. He didn’t last long (available just in 2003). He had other yogurt friends, different flavors of yogurt like banana, cherry, strawberry, orange, kiwi, blueberry, etc. Yoguru-Kun represented homemade yogurt. Check out the San X fan site character guide.

I have a few Yoguru-Kun notepads that I bought back in 2003. I wish I had the Yoguru Kun plush doll.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yogurt Goes International

2012-01-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurt’s popularity continues to grow, as these international examples of fro-yo/yogurt show.

Last week, SF World Journal (a leading daily Chinese newspaper published in North America) featured an article about the benefits of yogurt consumption which included a recipe for making yogurt at home. The recipe involves using a simple rice cooker to heat the milk or soy milk. I had it translated but the instructions weren’t precise enough to share.

My local Middle Eastern market carries Russian fro-yo, Beloved brand. I only saw one flavor, peach. I’ll have to check out some Russian markets to look for more fro-yo.

A trip to the Mexican supermarket, Mi Pueblo (locations throughout the Bay Area) revealed that they sell fresh yogurt (not frozen). They had four flavors: mango, walnut, strawberry and peach. The mango yogurt wasn’t as thick as Greek yogurt. I found it way too sweet but it did had bits of mango in it. I might pour the yogurt in my fro-yo maker and dilute it with plain yogurt.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo Hot Spots in 2011

2012-01-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. The fro-yo bubble has burst in the Bay Area and the number of new fro-yo shop openings has declined significantly. I once chose fro-yo hot spots based on (1) innovation, (2) quantity of new fro-yo shops and (3) fro-yo quality. This year, hot spots are based more on quantity of new fro-yo shops. Last January 2011, I selected Walnut Creek and Oakland as fro-yo hot spots.

This top fro-yo hot spot of 2011 is:

* SAN JOSE: San Jose led the way with the most fro-yo shop openings, including chains (3 new Yogurtland locations, new Tutti Frutti locations, 1 new Nubi location) and independent fro-yo shops, Gaga, Yogurt Cove and others.

Runner up hot spot of 2011:

* SAN FRANCISCO: SF didn’t have as many fro-yo shop openings as San Jose, but it did have the most innovative new fro-yo shop of 2011. The Italian fro-yo chain, Yogorino opened two locations in SF. Yoppi is still expanding its presence in SF.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo Girl Holiday Wrapup

2012-01-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Did you receive fro-yo gifts under your Christmas tree? Santa (and others) gave me Korres Yoghurt body butter, Meiji yogurt caramels (my favorite yogurt candy), a Cuisinart automatic frozen yogurt maker, and Jeni’s splendid ice creams at home cookbook.

Yes, I’ve been busy making fro-yo at home for the first time. It’s surprisingly easy to make good tart fro-yo at home. I’ll be tweaking the recipe and trying new things. Of course I will still be visiting fro-yo shops.

Jeni’s cookbook has recipes for many creative ice cream and fro-yo flavors. Fro-yo recipes included: lemon & blueberry, passionfruit, baked rhubarb, lime cardamom, grapefruit hibiscus, cucumber cayenne & honeydew.

Menchie’s had some special holiday items for sale, including silver chocolate coins for Hannukah, embossed with images of Menchie and a cup of fro-yo. Yum.

I decorated a Really Big Gingerbread Man from Trader Joe’s. Guess what? He likes fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo Wish List for 2012

2012-01-02T08:37:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Happy Fro-yo New Year! It's a new year and time for my new fro-yo wish list. These are the things I’d like to see happen this year.

* Yogurtland in San Francisco. It’s crazy that SF doesn’t have a Yogurtland. The new one in Burlingame will be close but I’d really like to have one in SF.
* Pinkberry in San Francisco. Their SFO airport location is too inconvenient since it requires one to go through security. How can SF still be so deprived? This year I’m going to buy a cup of Pinkberry fro-yo and stroll onto a plane with it.
* Fro-yo popsicles. I’m still waiting for decent fro-yo popsicles that I can buy from a supermarket and aren’t from Korea.
* Mochi fro-yo. Since Mikawaya and others have figured out how to get ice cream into mochi, they could easily do the same with fro-yo. Everyone knows that fro-yo and mochi go well together.

If anyone wants to create a fro-yo flavor in my honor, make sure it has red bean.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

2011 the Fro-yo Year in Review

2011-12-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. As 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to look back at fro-yo events and trends and check out which of my fro-yo wishes came true.

Salty, sweet fro-yo flavors gain favor. This was the year when fro-yo flavors ventured into the land of salty and sweet, with peanut butter and jelly, salted caramel and maple bacon donut.

Fro-yo on the move. The rise of mobile fro-yo trucks was a major trend in 2011, with NYC and Chicago leading the way.

Fro-yo prices rise. The fro-yo price wars of 2009-2010 have ended and even Yogurtland raised its prices to 33 cents and up from 30 cents an ounce. Prices have gone up at many fro-yo shops.

Fro-yo bubble bursts in the Bay Area. Fewer fro-yo shops are opening as the number of closures rises. It’s always sad to see a fro-yo shop close but the ones that I will truly miss are Jubili (the first place I tried tart fro-yo) in SF, Yogurt Harmony in Berkeley, Tartini in Cupertino, and Fro-ggie in Fremont, CA.

Notable fro-yo openings in the Bay Area. Two locations of the Italian fro-yo chain, Yogorino, brought a richer style of fro-yo to SF. Jamba Juice’s Whirln’s fro-yo reached the Bay Area.

My fro-yo wishes mostly came true. I did get more signature fro-yo spoons. Yogurtland came out with Sanrio yogurt spoons. We did get a mobile fro-yo truck in the Bay Area though it was non-dairy. I did have a Greek fro-yo. However, I didn’t have any macarons with fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Best New Fro-yo Flavors of 2011

2011-12-27T09:58:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Now that the year’s coming to a close, I wanted to acknowledge the best new fro-yo flavors of 2011 (flavors introduced in 2011 that I had the chance to try):

* Blush's Gingerbread: I love how this isn’t your typical sweet gingerbread fro-yo flavor. It still has a bit of tang and real yogurt flavor. I love the blend of spices and the thick, creamy, dense texture.
* Yogurtland’s Oatmeal Cookies: Oatmeal cookies has cinnamon and brown sugar. So comforting.
* Yogurtland’s Chocolate Mint Cookies: Chocolate and mint make the perfect combination when the flavors are balanced and Yogurtland does it well in their rich, creamy chocolate mint cookies fro-yo. This flavor reappeared briefly as part of the 12 Days of Christmas promotion.

It’s difficult to choose between Yogurtland’s oatmeal cookies and chocolate mint cookies fro-yo. Both feature tiny bits of cookies in the yogurt mix which elevate the flavors.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* BLUSH BURLINGAME: 1212 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, CA

Merry Christmas Fro-yo Fans

2011-12-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. It’s Christmas Eve and many fro-yo shops are open today. I plan on getting some fro-yo soon...something Christmas-inspired I hope.

Happy holidays to all fro-yo fans!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Meiji Yogurt Caramel Review

2011-12-17T10:23:00.001-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Meiji Yogurt Caramels are worth looking for. They’re one of the few yogurt candies that actually taste good. A 2.5 oz box of individually wrapped caramels is $1.89 at Nijiya Market.

The caramel is square and slightly smaller than a Starburst. The caramel is firm and chewy like taffy. It doesn’t taste like your typical caramel (sugar that’s been caramelized). It tastes like a yogurt drink like Yakult but not as tangy and not as sweet. The flavor is more mild and milky. Delicious. Love the texture, the flavor and even packaging. I’m going to stock up on these.

Ingredients: starch, syrup, sugar, condensed milk powder, vegetable oil, yogurt powder, wheat flour

5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* NIJIYA MARKET: 1737 Post St #333, San Francisco, CA

Fro-yo Gift Ideas: Best Yogurt Gifts on Etsy

2011-12-15T09:51:00.001-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. The fro-yo gift guide continues. This time I’ve picked out my favorite fro-yo/yogurt related gifts on Etsy. Yogurt soaps are the most common yogurt product on Etsy and those soaps look good, but it’s difficult to evaluate which soaps are better than others based on online listings.

* Easiyo Yogurt zippered coin purse ($5): eco-friendly and clever, Tonyassewingroom took a packet of yogurt mix and turned it into a fabric lined coin purse
* Keep calm and eat yogurt print ($12): the keep calm and carry on phrase started appearing everywhere about a year ago and now there are variations on that phrase. This print from adadart would make a charming addition to any fro-yo loving home.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo Gift Ideas: Fro-yo Silhouettes

2011-12-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. The holiday fro-yo gift guide continues and this one is for the crafty types. I’ve got a fondness for silhouette art. I saw a book about creating your own silhouette art and made me realize how easy it would be to create fro-yo silhouettes.

1. Find a fro-yo picture you’d like. You could start with a picture you’ve taken of a cup of fro-yo, find a picture online or use one from an ad or flyer. Use a photocopier to increase or decrease the size of the image (if desired).

2. Cut around the profile of the picture. Use this cutout to trace the profile onto the paper you’d like to use. Or trace onto cardboard if you need a sturdy template.

The fro-yo silhouette can be pasted onto colored notecards (Paper Source is the best place to get notecards because they have the widest variety of colors, shapes and sizes). Use the template to trace the image onto felt and you can add the felt fro-yo silhouette to a Christmas stocking, a tote bag, etc.

You could also send the image to Paperwink and have them create a custom rubber stamp for you for $38. Or if you’re really ambitious, you can chisel your own rubber stamp with supplies that you can find at Michael’s.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

New Flavor Alert: Blush Gingerbread Fro-yo

2011-12-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Blush’s new gingerbread fro-yo flavor is simply brilliant. You must try it this holiday season. Other gingerbread fro-yo flavors exist but this one tops them all. It’s not super sweet or a substitute for ice cream. Blush’s organic gingerbread fro-yo actually is a bit tangy and has that real yogurt flavor. It has just the perfect blend of spices (clove for sure and probably the usual cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger). I love that you can actually see the spices in the fro-yo. I had gingerbread fro-yo on a cone dipped in chocolate. Incredible!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* BLUSH BURLINGAME: 1212 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, CA

Fro-yo Gift Ideas: Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt Gift Buckets

2011-12-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I really like these fro-yo gift buckets that I spotted at Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt. For $22.50, you get a painted bucket (one had a Xmas theme) with a $20 Willow Glen Frozen Yogurt gift card, candy cane, pen, etc. The bucket was wrapped up in cellophane. It looked ready for gift giving. Creating something similar would be really easy and any fro-yo fan would love to receive such a gift. I love the cheap, cute mugs at Daiso ($1.50 each). The new Pantone mugs ($15 each) are quite stylish and you can match the color of the gift card to the mug.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* WILLOW GLEN FROZEN YOGURT: 267 E. Campbell Ave. #A, Campbell, CA

Fro-yo Gift Ideas: Fro-yo Photos & More

2011-12-03T13:06:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Looking for gift ideas for your fro-yo loving friend or loved one? Take one good picture of fro-yo and you can do so much with it. You can put the fro-yo picture on a t-shirt, tote bag, pillowcase, mug, notepads, cards, pillows, or ornaments using Zazzle, CafePress, etc. Or choose a variety of fro-yo pictures and create a photo collage or multiple canvas prints. CanvasPop can print your Instagram pictures on canvas for $30 - $60 each.

Pressed for time or don’t feel like personalizing something? FantasticFam has fro-yo t-shirts for $20.

Fro-yo gift cards are always appreciated, especially in my stocking.
Menchie’s is also a good bet for fro-yo gifts, including apparel, cooler bags, plush dolls, and more.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Tutti Frutti Not Coming to Westfield San Francisco Centre

2011-12-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Back in June, I posted a future fro-yo shop picture for Tutti Frutti at Westfield Centre SF. I’d seen the TF sign for that space for months. It said coming Spring 2011 and then they changed it to Fall 2011. The space is still vacant and the TF sign has been removed. It’s unclear who will move into the space next to Calbee in the food court.

TF had a Facebook page which said “Tutti Frutti San Francisco West Field Mall Location Coming Soon In The Food Court May, 1 2011.”

Westfield San Francisco Centre is getting worse (more vacancies). Bloem ‘n Sugar is gone (will I ever have another waffle smoothie?) and now Payless Shoes is closing too. Stonestown Galleria is also on a downward slide.

On another sad note, I tried to get fro-yo from Muffins Muffins and Lee’s Deli in downtown SF. Both still have fro-yo machines but no longer carry fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Apple Pie the Flavor of the Month

2011-11-29T21:21:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. The poll results are in. I recently asked readers to select the fro-yo flavor that best represents November. Apple pie won easily, with 51% of the vote. Caramel came in 2nd place with 24%, followed by cheesecake (19%), cookies n’ cream (2%) and peanut butter (2%).

Poll takers might not have realized that November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month and National Apple Pie Day is May 13. It was started as Peanut Butter Lovers Day on November 4, 1990. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg applied for the first patent for peanut butter on November 4, 1895.

Something about the fall evokes warm, baked, comfort foods and squash. Apple pie, apple pie filling, warm sauces, caramel, brownies, sweet potatoes, apples, cranberries, and cinnamon. I’ve seen apple pie fro-yo and warm apple pie filling...topped with cinnamon.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Mochi at Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt, Finally

2011-11-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Thanksgiving is over and I’m feeling grateful that Culture finally added mochi as a fro-yo topping this month. I waited over three years for this moment.

Their mochi is good (soft and chewy) but small. I like big, pillowy mochi cubes.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 340 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Happy Fro-yo Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Happy Thanksgiving fro-yo fans! I hope you enjoy the day and save room for fro-yo. Thanksgiving is about being grateful for one’s blessings and spending time with loved ones. I thought I’d share a drawing by my niece, Fro-yo Niece. It shows us going out for fro-yo. It looks like I’m having mango tart fro-yo with strawberry sauce and fresh blackberries.She’s having strawberry fro-yo with fresh strawberries and a wafer cookie. I’m looking forward to having fro-yo for dessert on Thanksgiving, of course.

You know you me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Tagtile: Identify & Engage Your Customers, Grow Your Business

2011-11-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I wanted to tell my readers about Tagtile, a new and better way for local businesses to build customer loyalty and increase repeat purchase rates.

Paper stamp cards can create loyalty by rewarding purchase frequency but the merchant doesn’t learn much about the customer base. Twitter and Facebook are good for announcements and promotions, but they’re not good for tracking which customers respond.

New mobile loyalty apps like Tagtile make it more convenient for customers to collect stamps (or tags) and receive targeted offers, messages and reminders on their mobile phones. To earn a tag using Tagtile, the customer launches the Tagtile app and taps his/her phone next to the Tagtile Cube. The Tagtile Cube tracks in-store transactions. The Cube works without an internet connection or it can be integrated with most Point of Sale systems.

By connecting customer identity information with purchase history, Tagtile enables businesses to build a rich database of their users and leverage that data to run highly targeted direct marketing campaigns. The online merchant console makes it easy for merchants to learn about their customer base, including visit frequency, number of first time customers, daily usage, offer redemption rates and more. It also includes mobile marketing tools that enable the merchant to send special offers and notifications to their customers.

Tagtile is founded by alumni from Google and Stanford University and is based in San Francisco.

For additional information and to get started, visit the Tagtile website or email hello@tagtile.com

Download the free Tagtile mobile app from iTunes and Android phones.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Meisan Blueberry Nodoame Review

2011-11-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I found another Japanese yogurt candy. Meisan Blueberry Nodoame is a hard candy that comes in a pouch. Each piece is individually wrapped. The candy is a round, thick disk, like a Life Saver but without a hole.

The blueberry flavor is strong and good but there’s also a bitter flavor that isn’t pleasant. Must be the herb extract they added. There is no yogurt flavor (disappointing) though the ingredients include concentrated yogurt. I think it might be a cough drop. If it is a cough drop, it’s a good one, similar to Ricola’s Mixed Berry but better.

A 2.96 oz. bag is $2.49 at Marina.

3 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

The New Wave of Universal Frequent Buyer Cards

2011-11-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I recently noticed a surge of new universal loyalty card/app vendors at local Bay Area businesses. As someone who carries around a staggering amount of fro-yo loyalty cards, I welcome any type of universal loyalty card program.Due to wallet bloat, I have to restrict my card carrying to my very favorite places.

These are the four universal frequent buyer cards that I’ve encountered:

* FIVESTARS: The merchant registers you by asking for your phone number. Users get a plastic card and a plastic tag with a barcode that they can attach to a keychain. To earn points, the merchant scans the barcode. There is no mobile app, so you can’t see where you’ve earned points unless you register online (then you can check your points on their website). It’s easy to use but seems old school.

* PERKVILLE: An email based loyalty program popular with stylish coffeehouses, Perkville users enter their email address into the merchant’s iPad. Since I’m too lazy to type in my email address, I haven’t joined. However, they feel that their solution is superior since customers don’t have to download a mobile app and it can be used by just about anyone.

* STAMPT: Users download a free mobile app. To earn a stamp, you launch the Stampt app, select the business and take a picture of the QR code that the merchant supplies. It’s fairly easy to use but doesn’t seem to be engaging users (e.g., I don’t see people using it). I do like how it tracks your stamps on your active cards on your mobile phone and shows you nearby offers.

* TAGTILE: This was my favorite loyalty card experience. I downloaded the free mobile app. To earn a tag, I launched the app, selected the business, and waved my phone close to the Tagtile Cube. It was the easiest and coolest to use. The app shows me where I’ve earned tags and where the other offers in the area are. The Cube tracks in store transactions and can be integrated with most point of sale systems.

I noticed some businesses were using more than one vendor because they had multiple offers. Adoption rates seem to be higher at coffeehouses but I think fro-yo shops are a perfect fit for these new loyalty programs. If I didn’t have a smartphone, Five Stars would be my favorite but since I do, I find Tagtile to be the most compelling solution.

Customers with existing stamp cards can ask the merchant to add stamps to their new universal loyalty card.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo & Pho: The Pho Bar vs. Yo Pho

2011-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. The Bay Area now has two establishments that serve pho and fro-yo: The Pho Bar in Berkeley and Yo Pho in Milpitas. I tried both to see which had the better pho and the better fro-yo.

* Pho vs. Pho: The Pho Bar’s pho is yuppified with hormone free meat and elegantly cut onions and scallions. It comes with the typical pho add-ins. It’s a pretty bowl of soup, not the most flavorful but good. Yo Pho’s broth is dark but lacks richness. They claim to specialize in Northern style pho, which would explain the simpler broth. Pho Bar’s was $1.50 more but they provided more meat of higher quality.
Winner: The Pho Bar

* Fro-yo vs. Fro-yo: Pho Bar has one flavor of fro-yo, Sketch organic tart, it’s refreshing, icy and explosive in flavor. So good! You can add seasonal fresh fruit but that’s the only toppings option they offer. Yo Pho offers 10 flavors of self-serve fro-yo and toppings for 30 cents an ounce. The fro-yo was runny and tasted weird.
Winner: The Pho Bar

Pho and fro-yo may seem a strange combination but The Pho Bar masters it.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* THE PHO BAR: 1828 Euclid Ave., Berkeley, CA
* YO PHO: 242 Serra Way, Milpitas, CA

Lotte Samkang Cider and Yogurt Flavored Ice Bar Review

2011-11-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I found another Korean fro-yo popsicle, Lotte Samkang Cider & Yogurt Flavored Ice Bar. The flavor sounded strange (cider & yogurt). A bag of six individually wrapped popsicles was $4.99. The popsicles are imported from Korea. Each bar is 80 calories and doesn’t have live and active cultures.

The popsicle looks like a pale white square bar and it’s very icy and hard. It tastes like those very sugary yogurt drinks only not as good because it isn’t tangy. It’s way sweet and tastes a bit like bubblegum. Very artificial. There are yellow and pink bits and they’re just like hard pieces of ice with no flavor. It’s refreshing but tastes awful.

Ingredients: water, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, refined salt, coconut oil, artificial flavor, stabilizer, emulsifier, food coloring

2 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* NIJIYA MARKET:1737 Post St #333, San Francisco, CA

Mobile Fro-yo Trucks

2011-11-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Forget about ice cream trucks...fro-yo trucks have arrived. I’ve been impressed by the number of mobile fro-yo trucks on the streets and wanted to take stock of the existing fro-yo trucks. Not all the trucks wander the streets. Some are just available for special events. Some are self-serve.

* Berry Froyo Truck (NYC, NY), @BerryFroyoTruck
* Joyride (NYC, NY), @joyridetruck, fro-yo and Stumptown Coffee
* YoGo Truck (NYC, NY): @YOGOTRUCKNYC
* Gozen Yogurt (Philadelphia, PA), @GozenYogurt
* The Froyo Truck (Boston, MA), @thefroyotruck
* Sweetflow Mobile (Washington DC), @SweetflowMobile, Sweetgreen’s truck carries fro-yo and salads
* Tasty Yo (Charlotte, NC), @TastyYo
* LoYo Truck (Greenville, NC): Local Yogurt’s truck is available for special events
* Culture The Yogurt Society (Chicago, IL), @culture, from the founder of Berry Chill
* Kefir Truck (Chicago, IL), @Starfruit Cafe, frozen kefir, a cousin of fro-yo
* Forever Truck (Chicago, IL), @foreverTruck, the mobile version of Forever Yogurt
* YoLo Mobile (Memphis, TN), from YoLo Frozen Yogurt, available for special events
* The Yogurt Truck (Boulder, CO), @TheYogurtTruck
* Big Swirl Truck (Los Angeles, CA): once roamed the streets, now just available for private catering events, http://bigswirltruck.com/
* Strati Organic (Los Angeles, CA), @stratiorganic, organic fro-yo with specialty toppings
* Lickety Split (Santa Barbara, CA), @LicketyTruck
* Twisted Chill (San Jose, CA), @chilltruck: not technically fro-yo, self-serve non-dairy soft-serve, made with lactose free milk, 2 fro-yo machines
* YoMobile (Reno, NV), from Mmmmm Yogurt, available for private events, seems to be for sale

That’s 18 mobile fro-yo vendors. NYC and Chicago have the most mobile fro-yo trucks. If I left a fro-yo truck off the list, let me know.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: Yogurtland Burlingame

2011-11-08T16:50:00.001-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland is finally coming to the Peninsula! Burlingame Fro-yo Spy broke the news to me. The newly remodeled Safeway includes some new buildings for restaurants. Yogurtland’s sign is up, along with Five Guys and Which Wich?

I can finally get my Yogurtland spoons without crossing a bridge or driving over an hour. Yay!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOGURTLAND BURLINGAME: 225 Primrose Rd., Burlingame, CA

Peppermint Pinkberry

2011-11-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

Fro-yo girl here. I tried the new Peppermint Pinkberry with peppermint bark today and it’s perfect for the holiday season. It smells amazing....like candy canes and that’s how it tastes. I love how it’s creamy yet refreshing. It’s sweet (but not too sweet) without any tangy or sour notes (the base isn’t tart). Any chocolate topping would be fabulous with Peppermint Pinkberry but it would be hard to top chunks of Peppermint Bark (one of my favorite candies). The peppermint bark adds a slight crunch.

I prefer Peppermint Pinkberry to their recent rich, indulgent fro-yo flavors (salted caramel, peanut butter).

Peppermint Pinkberry is available till January 5.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Favorite Fro-yo Chain Poll Results

2011-11-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I recently asked my readers to choose their favorite fro-yo chain. The results are in and Yogurtland won easily with 49% of the votes. Pinkberry came in 2nd with 35% of the votes and Red Mango placed third with 14%.

Red Mango was named the best fro-yo and smoothie chain by Zagat in September 2011, based on Zagat’s Fast Food Poll, based on the votes of 6,064 diners. Red Mango beat out Pinkberry, TCBY, Smoothie King and Jamba Juice. It looks like Yogurtland wasn’t included in the Zagat poll.

The three chains have roughly the same number of locations in the U.S. (Yogurtland has the most, Pinkberry the least) and they represent different service levels. Pinkberry is full service, Yogurtland is self-serve and Red Mango has both full-service and self-serve outlets.

While the number of voters was much smaller with my poll (81 votes, 1 vote per person), my readers are passionate about fro-yo. I consider them to be fro-yo industry opinion leaders.

There’s much to admire about Yogurtland. They have a dedicated flavorologist who comes up with creative fro-yo flavors, they introduce new flavors often, they popularized limited edition fro-yo spoons, and they’ve had some adorable partnerships with Tokidoki and Sanrio. They even have giant fro-yo spoon door handles (Capitola, CA) and college specific fro-yo signs (UC Berkeley’s mascot, Oski the Bear, prefers Bears Mango fro-yo).

Congratulations Yogurtland!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Stonyfield Oikos Frozen Greek Yogurt Review

2011-11-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl. I found Stonyfield Oikos Frozen Greek Yogurt on a recent trip to Whole Foods. Whole Foods on California carried 3 of the 4 flavors: Honey, Blueberry, Vanilla. Chocolate was missing. A pint was $4.99 (regular price). The fro-yo is non-fat and organic.

* Oikos frozen Greek yogurt, honey flavor: it was easily scoopable with ice cream like texture, soft and creamy, the flavor was sweet. The fro-yo was not tangy and did not have a refreshing edge. There was a visible small swirl of honey. The fro-yo lacked flavor and had an unpleasant, weird aftertaste. Maybe I didn’t like the honey they used and how it seemed more like ice cream than fro-yo. I’ve had honey flavored fro-yo that I liked from Yogurtland (honeycomb tart) and I love yogurt with honey, but I didn’t like Oikos honey fro-yo.

3 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* WHOLE FOODS: 1765 California St., San Francisco, CA

Halloween Spirit Report 2011

2011-10-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve been looking for fro-yo shop Halloween spirit recently. Sadly, fewer fro-yo shops are decorating this year compared to last, though I have seen greater pumpkin fro-yo availability.

And the winner of the Fro-yo Shop 2012 Halloween Spirit goes to...Yoppi Yogurt in Redwood City.

I was impressed to see they had special Halloween signs featuring the Yoppi character in a Halloween costume. He looks ready to go trick-or-treating. They also have Frankberry cereal and candy corn for fro-yo toppings. They decorated the shop windows too.

So far I’ve had pumpkin fro-yo at Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, Yogurtland, Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt, Fraiche Yogurt, Yoppi Yogurt, Jamba Juice, and Nubi Yogurt.

I'm hoping to see more Halloween spirit next year. Happy Halloween!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOPPI YOGURT: 851 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA

Trader Joe’s Mango! Mango! Fruit & Yogurt Gummies Review

2011-10-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl. Halloween is less than a few days away and I’m going to be enjoying yogurt candy. Trader Joe’s recently introduced Mango Mango fruit & yogurt gummies “soft candies flavored with mango, passionfruit, and yogurt.” A bag of gummies (7.05 ounces) is $1.99.

The candies are big, thick, firm and very chewy, with the expected gummi candy texture. The are mango shaped and the flavor is either mango, mango & yogurt or mango & passionfruit. I like how fruity and chewy they are. The flavor is all natural. The mango flavor is the most pronounced.

The yogurt gummi, flavored with yogurt powder and white in appearance, has the least flavor and it doesn’t taste like yogurt.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Campino Yogurt Candy Review

2011-10-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl. Halloween is just around the corner and candy is on my mind...yogurt candy. Campino Yogourt Gummies and Yogourt & Fruit hard candies by Storck, are made in Germany and sold in Canada. Both candies are made with real yogurt.

* Yogourt Gummies come in five flavors: Cherry, Peach, Raspberry, Lemon & Strawberry. The bag has all five flavors. The soft, fluffy gummies have a swirl shape (reminiscent of a swirl of fro-yo) and swirl of color, white and the fruit color. The gummies are firm and have a spongy marshmallow like quality. The candies are quite tart and sour and they taste a bit different than the usual gummy candy (somewhat milky/yogurty). They are flavored with fruit juice. Cherry is my favorite flavor. Raspberry doesn’t taste raspberry enough. I find the spongy quality somewhat odd and unappealing. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

* Yogourt & Fruit hard candies come in three flavors: peach, Strawberry and Cherry. Each candy is individually wrapped. The yogurt flavor is stronger/more pronounced than in the Yogourt Gummies. The candy is firm and smooth, like a butterscotch candy, with a swirled color (white & the fruit flavor). I tasted the yogurt flavor first, then the fruit. The hard candies are not as sour or tart as the gummies but have a creamier, smoother, more natural taste. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Bags of Campino are $2.99 (Canadian) at Shoppers Drug Mart. They also have Cadbury Mini Eggs YEAR-ROUND.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yogurt Espresso at Caffe Pascucci

2011-10-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Caffe Pascucci has its origins in Italy with over 100 locations around the world in 20 countries. The SF location is their first in the U.S. Yogurt espresso combines their Gold espresso with light, Italian style yogurt. They can also add caramel, fresh fruit and banana syrup.

* Yogurt espresso ($4.50): The yogurt is whipped and airy and tastes like a sweet, tangy whipped cream. It doesn’t pair well with the straight espresso, which is very strong and bitter. It’s served with a spoon. I didn’t appreciate the combination of textures and flavors.

I’ve seen fro-yo and espresso (affogato) but this is the first place I’ve seen a whipped yogurt with espresso.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* CAFFE PASCUCCI: 170 King St. Ste. 109, San Francisco, CA

Happy 3rd Blogiversary

2011-10-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. It’s a special day for Fro-Yo Girl Speaks - the 3rd blogiversary! That means three years of heavy fro-yo consumption and fro-yo obsession. Thank you so much to my readers and supporters, as well as to anyone out there who supports the fro-yo industry.

These are the questions that I’m asked the most often:

* What inspired you to start your blog? I wanted to try every fro-yo shop in the Bay Area. Writing reviews wasn’t enough because I’d learn things that didn’t fit in a review format. Having the blog gives me more freedom to discuss fro-yo industry trends and events.
* Are you ever fro-yoed out? I do experience fluctuations in fro-yo desire but I never let myself have a break from fro-yo. It’s important to me to keep up with fro-yo and that means fro-yo consumption.
* Do you want to own your own fro-yo store? Not at all. It’s so much more fun to see what others are doing fro-yo wise and stay independent and unbiased.
* Do you own a fro-yo machine? No, I do not and I’ve never made fro-yo. Why bother when I can bring home fro-yo from my favorite fro-yo shops?

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo Art

2011-10-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. My new fro-yo canvas print just arrived. I uploaded a fro-yo picture that I took on CanvasPop, chose the filter, size and frame and received proofs from a CP designer. Prices start at $30. There are similar photo to canvas print services (e.g., AllPopArt.com, RoyalCanvas.com) that can break the photo into panels, create collages and artsy effects (e.g., Andy Warhol look), etc. Even Walgreens offers this service.

There’s something special about creating something unique from a photo that I took. I’m the only person with this canvas print. It’s so easy and affordable to create fro-yo art now.

I took a picture of pumpkin fro-yo and it's hanging in my bedroom now.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yoppi Yogurt Redwood City Grand Opening

2011-10-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I had a cup of free fro-yo (French vanilla & pumpkin pie fro-yo with Frankenberry cereal) at the grand opening celebration of Yoppi Redwood City today. From 12 - 2 PM, you could walk in grab a cup and have as much fro-yo and toppings as you wanted. They also had a sign-up sheet to win t-shirts and gift cards and coupons for 15% off a future purchase. They had the Yoppi t-shirts there and they came in several colors - yellow, olive, pink, blue.

I liked the store's Halloween decorations and Halloween inspired toppings: candy corn and FRANKENBERRY!!!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOPPI YOGURT: 851 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA

Yoppi Redwood City Grand Opening, 10/15

2011-10-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yoppi Yogurt is celebrating the opening of their Redwood City location tomorrow. The shop has already opened. Saturday’s festivities include raffles for t-shirts and gift cards, free fro-yo & toppings from 12 - 2 PM.

Oktoberfest will also be tomorrow from 10 AM - 8 PM in Redwood City’s Courthouse Square. Free admission.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOPPI YOGURT: 851 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA

Yogurtland & Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Awareness Month Promotion

2011-10-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I stopped by Yogurtland to check out their Breast Cancer Awareness Month promotion. The promotion runs till the end of October. I wasn’t sure if there were special spoons and a limited edition fro-yo flavor.

*Spoons: There are no special spoons but Yogurtland associates have been instructed to hand out only pink spoons this month.

* Fro-yo Flavor: There isn’t a new flavor but they are promoting their Fresh Strawberry fro-yo flavor with a special sign. The sign talks about breast cancer and has a scannable QR code that links to a Breast Health Resource Guide.

* Free Sprinkles: After you make your purchase, you can add free white and pink sprinkles. The pink sprinkles are ribbon shaped, in honor of breast cancer awareness.

Thanks to Yogurtland and to other fro-yo shops (e.g., CUPS, Sweetie Peaz, Yagoot, Yogurtini, Yogurtology, TCBY) for helping to promote breast cancer awareness.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Lifeway Frozen Kefir Review

2011-10-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I kept checking Whole Foods for Lifeway Frozen Kefir and I finally found it...at Rainbow Grocery. Rainbow Grocery carries all four tart and tangy flavors: strawberry, mango, pomegranate and original. Frozen kefir is 90 calories a serving, lowfat, 99% lactose free and full of live and active probiotic cultures.

Rainbow Grocery is currently selling a pint of frozen kefir for $4.25 (regular price: $5.09).

* Original: Not as hard and firm as I expected, pleasing texture, soft, icy but with some creaminess, tangy but not sour, sweet aftertaste, light but more substantial than sorbet, hint of vanilla flavor
* Pomegranate: bright, tangy, fruity, tastes a bit candy like, clean aftertaste, icy but not watery

I’m really loving frozen kefir, the cousin of yogurt. I favor the original flavor.

5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* RAINBOW GROCERY: 1745 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA

Yogurt Popsicles Spotted in Vancouver

2011-10-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I stumbled on several interesting yogurt items in Canada (items I hadn’t seen in the U.S.), including Hoo yogurt soda ice cream bars. I didn’t try them but will look out for them in the U.S. The blue color seemed scary. The writing on the box looks Chinese.

* T & T Supermarket: 179 Keefer Pl, Vancouver, BC, Canada

New Product at Blush: Mix’n

2011-10-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. October is my favorite month at Blush because their divine organic pumpkin pie fro-yo returns. It’s one of my very favorite fro-yo flavors. I like how theirs isn’t the traditional sweet flavor. It has a tart base but it’s not too tart.
There’s a new way to enjoy their fro-yo; they just introduced Mix’n. You pick your fro-yo flavor (any available flavor) and up to two toppings (any toppings will work) and they mix them together using a machine that looks like a blender stick. Everything is mixed together and served in a white cup.

My mix'n had pumpkin pie fro-yo with Butterfinger pieces...loved the combination.
They also have dipped cones and gourmet cookie cones.

* BLUSH ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 1212 Donnelly Ave., Burlingame, CA (other locations in Dublin, Walnut Creek, SF, Milpitas)

Qoola Yogurt + Fruit of Vancouver, BC

2011-10-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I couldn’t go to Vancouver without checking out Qoola, the fro-yo chain that first opened up in Vancouver three years ago. The original location at 1116 Denman St. just closed for good on Sept. 25th but they plan to relocate. The note they posted says “we will be opening a new & improved store in the area by early next year...we will be opening 4 new locations within the next 2 months: Westshore (Langford) & Government/Yates St. in Victoria (October 2011), Coquitlam Center & Nanaimo (November 2011).”

Qoola currently has four locations, 3 in the Vancouver area (the one in Burnaby is the first self-serve fro-yo shop in the Vancouver area) and 1 in the Philippines.
Luckily, I was able to experience the original location before it closed.

The shop certainly had visual appeal - very clean, almost all white, modern looking. The fresh fruit looked great. I could see that they emphasized freshness and local ingredients. Their yogurt is made with fresh, probiotic, liquid yogurt (not reconstituted powder).
The original location had 4 fro-yo flavors (not self-serve), smoothies, organic waffles, Q*cake, Q*pocket, tea, and coffee. I had expected that most of the fro-yo flavors would be tart, but only one was (original). I thought the cup would be decorated too, but it was plain. The fro-yo was good but didn’t stand out.

Fro-yo prices (Canadian): Mini ($1.99)/ Small ($2.99)/ Medium ($3.99)/ Large ($5.99)

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Vancouver Fro-yo Report

2011-09-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. While I wasn’t able to go to every fro-yo shop in the greater Vancouver area, I think I covered the downtown and West End area. This is what I found:

* Saporito, 1703 Robson St. (West End): Gelato place that replaced Blueberry. Blueberry served fro-yo and Saporito has one fro-yo machine and one fro-yo flavor, original tart. I wanted to try it but it was closed for the week.
* Footo Delights, 820 Homer St. (Downtown/Yaletown): Tiny Asian owned bakery cafe that replaced Froyo Swirl. They have one flavor of fro-yo, original tart, and some interesting toppings (but no mochi).

* Yogen Fruz, 1286 Robson St. (West End): I was surprised to only find one Yogen Fruz, looked like a typical YF, on the small side
* Qoola, 1116 Denman St. (West End): Their original location, with 4 fro-yo flavors, it just closed (for good). I managed to try it (just in time). They have 4 other locations.
* The Milkman, 1689 Johnston St. (Granville Island): Has sweet soft serve fro-yo (chocolate and vanilla) and Canadian style mix in yogurt (yogurt base mixed with frozen fruit in a machine).

I did get lost on the way to Pinkberry’s Vancouver location (its first in Canada). Why can’t it be closer to downtown? I hopped on a bus to take me across the bridge into West Vancouver.

Overall, I was surprised by the lack of fro-yo, the lack of tart fro-yo flavors and the lack of self-serve fro-yo. There’s only one fro-yo shop in the downtown area. The West End has the highest concentration of fro-yo shops which isn’t surprising considering that’s also where most of the Korean restaurants are. There are more gelato shops than fro-yo shops and some of these had yogurt gelato.

Maybe people are too busy eating $1.56 slices of pizza? I was expecting a more vibrant fro-yo scene in Vancouver.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Noosa Yoghurt Review

2011-09-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Noosa Yoghurt is an Australian style yoghurt, made with Australian yogurt cultures and Colorado dairy. It’s a thick, tangy, all natural yoghurt available in six flavors: honey, blueberry, mango, raspberry, strawberry rhubarb and peach. A tub is 8 ounces.

* Honey yoghurt: thicker, creamier and richer than the Greek yogurt I’ve had, almost cheesy, the Colorado honey is delicious, the flavor is very tangy, the cheesiness was a bit odd. It’s not non-fat.

I found Noosa at QFC for $2.39. It’s currently not available in the Bay Area. You can find the locations that carry Noosa by visiting their website.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* QFC: 417 Broadway E, Seattle, WA

iPhone Fro-yo Apps

2011-09-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Did you know that there are 300,000 mobile apps in the Apple app store? Of course fro-yo apps exist. There are three categories of free fro-yo iPhone apps:

1. Store/fro-yo chain informational/promotional apps: OrangeLeaf, SkinnyMinnys, Spoon Me and LaFroyo’s apps are similar to what you’d expect to find on a fro-yo store website. They list store locations, menu items, special offers, and connections to social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). SpoonMe’s app also serves as a mobile loyalty card.

2. Fro-yo games: SwirlIt has Froyo Flip, a simple memory matching game. Wicked Spoon’s game involves using a spoon to flip fro-yo into a fro-yo cup. The cup gets smaller with every level. There’s also the wind factor. It’s a hard game, moderately interesting. Make Froyo lets you design your own cup of virtual fro-yo. Amy’s Froyo2 is very similar to Make Froyo (you build your own cup of fro-yo) with crazier flavors (sweet corn) and toppings (cucumber).

3. Fro-yo finders: Flavors of the Day (FOTD) is lame and never seems to work, probably because no one is submitting flavors. The app is supposed to let you find the flavor you want in your area.

Make Froyo is my favorite fro-yo app. There’s something relaxing about choosing a cute cup, swirling fro-yo, adding toppings, choosing a cute spoon and eating your creation. The swirl always looks pretty and you can customize with toppings, including mochi.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yogurt Candy Review: Meiji Yoglet

2011-09-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Meiji, the Japanese maker of Chelsea Yogurt Scotch candy, also has another yogurt candy. I’m not sure what it’s called because the name on the box is in Japanese and the back calls it Japanese Cookie (Yoglet). The shelf tag calls the candy, Yoguret Tablet. Tablet is a more accurate description than cookie.

The yogurt tablets come individually sealed in the same type of packaging used for cold medication and Chiclets. You pop the candy out from the back through the foil. Each box comes with 18 tablets. Each tablet is the size of a penny.

The candy is hard, firm and smooth, like SweeTarts. They have a powdery, yogurt taste, tangy. It dissolves in your mouth.There’s something about the candy that makes me think of Flintstones vitamins. It tastes more like a vitamin than a candy.

Ingredients: sugar, condensed yogurt powder, vegetable oil, agar agar, bifidus, citric acid, calcium, yogurt flavor, emulsifier.

A box of 18 Yoglet tablets is $1.99 at Nijiya Market.

3 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* NIJIYA MARKET:1737 Post St #333, San Francisco, CA

Popping Boba vs. Mochi Poll Results

2011-09-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I recently asked readers, which do you prefer as a fro-yo topping: mochi or popping boba? The poll results are in and mochi won easily, with 54% preferring mochi, 26% preferring popping boba and 18% that hadn’t tried both.

Good choice, readers. The chewiness of mochi and the sweetness complements fruit and tart fro-yo so well. Mochi goes well with sweet fro-yo too.

Popping boba are thin skinned spheres filled with flavored liquid. When you bite into one, the juice “explodes.” Popping boba look like fish eggs and come in flavors like mango, lychee, yogurt, strawberry, passionfruit. This new type of boba appeared first in boba/bubble drinks and then gained popularity in fro-yo shops. I haven’t seen them for sale at grocery stores, though you can buy them online at Amazon (but it seems like the smallest size is a 7 pound tub).

I’m not a fan of exploding food (except for Pop Rocks) and prefer the jellies that also crossed over from the boba drinks world to the popping boba. Or I’d prefer tapioca pearls on fro-yo to popping boba.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yogurtland's New Flavors: Blackberry Lemon Mint Tart & Oatmeal Cookies

2011-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurtland recently introduced three new fro-yo flavors. I talked about their new PB+J flavor in my last post. Here’s what I think about the other new flavors:

* Blackberry lemon mint tart: There’s a lot going on, so it’s certainly an interesting flavor. However, I find that fro-yo flavors that try to blend three flavors in one have too much going on. Mint is also a difficult flavor to pull off, especially for a tart fro-yo. It’s a unique flavor but I can’t say that it’s one that I like much.

* Oatmeal cookies: Highly recommended. It’s creamy, smooth, rich and comforting. The spices (cinnamon and ?) remind me of their pumpkin pie fro-yo only without pumpkin. Don’t miss this one. Make it even better by topping it with cookies (I like the mini Nutter Butters).

Yogurtland is currently making the best cookie inspired flavors out there (Chocolate Mint Cookies! Oatmeal Cookies!). They put real cookies in their cookie flavored fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

PB+J Fro-yo

2011-09-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Back to school time has inspired the creation of pb & j fro-yo. Pinkberry was the first to introduce this quintessential back to school flavor. Their peanut butter fro-yo can be paired with organic strawberry jam and toasted breadcrumbs. The new luxe topping, peanut butter crunch, would be a good choice as well. Yogurtland's PB+J fro-yo features jelly in the fro-yo and real peanut butter.

Both Pinkberry and Yogurtland have captured the flavor of real peanuts and produced creamy, smooth, tasty fro-yo that's sure to please kids and those who like peanut butter flavored desserts. Yogurtland's PB+J has a more interesting flavor because it's saltier than Pinkberry's. I didn't notice the jelly but it's probably responsible for the pretty pinkish color of Yogurtland's PB+J fro-yo. Pinkberry's PB is sweeter, more of an indulgent flavor than Yogurtland's. Pinkberry has better toppings (loved the toasted breadcrumbs), including toppings chosen to complement their peanut butter fro-yo but when it comes to the fro-yo only, I'd pick Yogurtland's version.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Jamba Juice Whirl'ns Frozen Yogurt

2011-09-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I finally tried Whirl'ns, the frozen yogurt line Jamba Juice started testing in the Sacramento region in December 2010. They expanded the offering to SoCal next and recently started offering it in the Bay Area. You can find locations that carry Whirl'ns by visiting the Jamba Juice website. Note, no SF Jamba locations carry Whirl'ns. The closest location to SF with Whirl'ns is the remodeled Westlake location in Daly City. They just reopened today.

Whirl'ns offers custom mixed flavors (Blueberry Pomegranate Peaks, Swirly Strawberry Vanilla, Minty Chocolate Chip, Magnificent Mango Pineapple, Jazzy Java Chocolate, Awesome Apple Cinnamon) or plain (tart, vanilla or chocolate). The mixed flavors feature lowfat vanilla, lowfat chocolate or non-fat tart fro-yo.

I tried the blueberry pomegranate flavor since it is made with the tart base. The fro-yo is mixed in a machine. It's similar to Yogen Fruz but YF has a more flavorful yogurt base. The fro-yo is thick and very creamy without having that nice refreshing edge that some tart fro-yo has. It's sweet and tangy but not very tangy. Frozen blueberry pieces added texture. The taste reminds me of a firmer version of a Jamba Juice smoothie. I prefer Yogen Fruz for mix-in fro-yo but think Whirl'ns is decent.

Prices: Small $3.50, Medium $4.75, includes one topping. The toppings include granola, coconut, brown sugar, chocolate, almonds and bananas.

They currently have a seasonal flavor that I'm excited about Great Pumpkin Swirl and there were $1 off coupons at the store (good for any Whirl'ns fro-yo).

* JAMBA JUICE: 340 Westlake Center, Daly City, CA

Various Fro-yo Shop Closures

2011-09-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I've added to the fro-yo graveyard list. The list is much longer now than it was at the beginning of the year.

Yogurt Bees finally closed (I say finally because I was surprised they managed to stay open as long as they did). Adding tapioca drinks and expanding the menu didn't save the business.

L'Amour Frozen Yogurt in Palo Alto posted a sign saying that they were closed while the building is under renovation. Will they reopen? Their Facebook page doesn't say. I can't imagine that they do half the business they used to with Yogurtland down the street. Also, they no longer maintain their website, lamourfroyo.com, so it seems doubtful that they will reopen as L'Amour Frozen Yogurt. Maybe they'll turn into an Asian crepe place.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOGURT BEES: 46809 Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont, CA
* L'AMOUR FROZEN YOGURT: 276 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA

Fro-yo Picture from Chicago

2011-09-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

A certain bear at Bare Berry in Lincoln Park. Happy Labor Day!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* BARE BERRY: 1211 W Webster Ave., Chicago, IL

Chicago Fro-yo Report: Fro-yo Scene Heats Up

2011-09-02T22:39:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. What a difference a few months make...the Chicago fro-yo scene is red hot and it's not just because of the popularity of self-serve fro-yo.

1. Fro-yo (and kefir) on the go: Starfruit Cafe's Kefir Truck starts cruising the streets in June. Culture fro-yo truck, from the founder of Berry Chill, joins in late August. Follow the trucks on Twitter, @StarfruitCafe and @Culture

2. Pinkberry finally opens in July, taking over the old Berry Chill space. A second store in Old Town is slated to open on Sept. 9th with a free fro-yo event on Sept. 8 between 5 - 8 PM.

3. The growth of self-serve fro-yo, with Forever Yogurt leading the charge. Forever Yogurt has three locations with 12 more on the way. Yogurt Avenue, Yogurt Pier, Berry Moon and Royal Berry also offer self-serve fro-yo.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: Yoppi Redwood City

2011-08-30T19:40:00.001-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. The Yoppi Yogurt chain continues to expand. They're taking over the old Marble Slab Creamery near the movie theater in downtown RWC. I once had really terrible fro-yo at that Marble Slab location.

I know other fro-yo shops considered locating in downtown RWC and didn't think there was enough foot traffic. The Beard Papa closed. Downtown RWC is very quiet on weekdays during the day.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOPPI YOGURT: 851 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, CA

Fro-yo Mystery at Pome

2011-08-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. This week I went to Pome, the 2 month old smoothie shop in the Marina on Chestnut St., for a cup of organic fro-yo. I looked down at the receipt and it said Tuttimelon, 3901 24th St., San Francisco, CA. That's the shuttered Noe Valley Tuttimelon. I'm puzzled why a two month old shop on the other side of town would be issuing Tuttimelon receipts. Pome has been open for two months and they've obviously programmed their prices and menu items into the register...why wouldn't they change the store name and address too?

Pome probably isn't related to Tuttimelon because it serves fro-yo but it's not Tuttimelon fro-yo (it's organic and tastes like Straus). And there's a Tuttimelon on the same street as Pome. I guess it's the ghost of Noe Tuttimelon.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* POME: 2066 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA

Farewell My Old Friend, Jubili

2011-08-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl. I've seen many fro-yo shops come and go, but the closure of Jubili hurts. It was the very first place I tried tart fro-yo. It was one of those life-changing "first" moments that you never forget. My fro-yo preferences were just being formed at that time. I liked the clean, white, modern look of their shop and the free wi-fi. Jubili was also a cereal bar. Later they added cupcakes (Velveteen Sweets).

Jubili was the oldest surviving tart fro-yo shop in SF. Yogurt Bar was the first tart fro-yo shop in SF and it closed in 2009. I never liked Yogurt Bar, so its passing left me unmoved. Jubili was the second tart fro-yo shop to open in SF, back in October 2007.

Here's an excerpt from my December 2007 review...my first fro-yo shop review:

"Fro-yo girl here. Jubili is the place that started it all for me - my first taste of tart fro-yo and I came for the mochi balls. The first time I went to Jubili, they were out of mochi balls (it was 9:30 PM). He said people kept asking for them. Very disappointing, but of course I don't blame them for it. I couldn't stop wondering about the mochi balls, day and night (I love mochi). I even looked for mochi ball pictures online and I only found a few."

I always wondered why Jubili didn't (1) open another location and (2) change the fro-yo flavors. The fro-yo parfaits were so good that I continued to visit Jubili even after the fro-yo shop explosion. They used to be one of the few fro-yo places that opened early, opening at 8 AM.

* My favorite menu item: the fro-yo parfait, with crushed Nature Valley granola bars, mochi and fresh fruit
* My favorite fro-yo flavor: peach tart

I peeked inside Jubili and the furniture and fro-yo machines are gone.

Farewell Jubili. You will be missed.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* JUBILI FROZEN YOGURT & CEREAL: 1515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA

Trader Joe's Yogurt Covered Almonds and Lassis

2011-08-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yogurt covered pretzels and raisins have been around for awhile. Now Trader Joe's has yogurt covered whole almonds. California almonds are roasted and dipped in thick white yogurt coating. The creamy coating is quite sweet but a little tangy. It's made with yogurt cultures and yogurt flavored powder. An 11 ounce tub is $3.99. 4 out of 5 stars.

The TJ's Indian style lassis are good too. The plain lassi is quite sour, very thick and very creamy. It's much more sour than it is tangy. I like to either stir in honey or sugar and drink it or add cereal. Lassis are available in mango and plain ($2.69) for 32 fl. ozs. 4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo Spoons...as Door Handles

2011-08-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I was back at Yogurtland for Yogurtland Sanrio spoons (My Melody and Keroppi). Their new Capitola location has giant Yogurtland spoons as door handles! There's a green one and a pink one and the spoons say Yogurtland on them...they're giant versions of their fro-yo spoons. I wish I could get some for my home. I'd love to swap out my boring door knob with a Yogurtland spoon.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOGURTLAND: 1955 41st Avenue, Capitola, CA

More Yogurtland Sanrio Spoons

2011-08-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. The Keroppi and My Melody spoons arrived at Yogurtland last on August 11...at the time I was in a state without any Yogurtland locations (sad). My collection is complete now. I need to decide whether the front of the spoon (with the face) or the back (with the tail - except for Keroppi, he doesn't have a tail) and name is cuter. Hard to decide! I also don't know which spoon is my favorite.

I created a truly world changing fro-yo combination with Chocolate Mint Cookies fro-yo, Double Cookies n' Cream fro-yo, three Kit Kat mix (white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate), crushed Butterfingers and mini Reeses PB cups. Wow. The crunch from the candy and the tiny cookie bits in the fro-yo are just such a perfect combination.

Remember to enter the Yogurtland Sanrio Friends Forever sweepstakes. I hate to say and think this but the Yogurtland Sanrio promotion ends in two weeks (too soon).

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Fro-yo Store Count

2011-08-15T16:06:00.001-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. It's time for another update of the chain store location count. The counts are based on the locations listed on the company websites. Yogurtland just announced the opening of store #150 in Bakersfield, CA, on August 14. The figure includes U.S. and international locations. Their goal is "to open 550 stores by 2015."

* YOGURTLAND: 147 locations in the U.S., 3 outside (Mexico, Guam and Japan), 96 U.S. locations last August
* RED MANGO: 128 locations in the U.S. though a recent article says 132 stores are in operation in the U.S., "230 locations in over 17 countries across the world," 70 U.S. locations last August
* PINKBERRY: 116 locations in the U.S., 17 locations outside the U.S., 95 U.S. locations last August
* GOLDEN SPOON: 102 locations in the U.S., 25 locations outside of the U.S., 113 U.S. locations last August
* MENCHIE'S: 98 locations in the U.S., 2 in Canada, 47 U.S. locations last August
* YOGEN FRUZ: 56 locations in the U.S., locations in 13 other countries, 40 locations in the U.S. last August

Red Mango's growth has been impressive with 62 new U.S. locations since the last time I counted about a year ago compared to 21 for Pinkberry and 51 for Yogurtland. Menchie's has proven to be one to watch with 51 new U.S. locations since last August.

It will be interesting to see what impact the new CEO of Red Mango, Barry Barron, will have. They've embraced self-serve as well as other products (smoothies, parfaits, iced tea) while Yogurtland and Menchie's offer only fro-yo.

TCBY continues to be the largest fro-yo chain, with over 470 U.S. locations.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

New Stampt Loyalty Card iPhone App

2011-08-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. If you're like me, you have a zillion paper loyalty cards (many of them for fro-yo) in your wallet. I can't even fit them all in my wallet.

I just downloaded Stampt, a loyalty card iPhone app. It's free for consumers and free for businesses. Stampt features businesses across the U.S. and it shows you the closest businesses (based on your current location) that are using Stampt. You'll just scan (take a picture of) the Stampt Quick Scan Card near the cashier after your purchase and Stampt will automatically keep track of your stamps on your phone.

They put Tuttimelon on their home page, so I knew it was an app that I could use. The app was released two weeks ago. They've already signed up sandwich shops, video stores, coffeehouses, pizza places, smoothie places and more (with many more businesses to come). They'll also add Blackberry and Android apps soon.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

The Inside Swirl: Peachwave Frozen Yogurt

2011-08-10T18:05:00.001-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I recently spoke to Peach Boy of Peachwave Frozen Yogurt, the boy behind Peachwave’s marketing, to learn more about Peachwave. Founded by Kevin Moon in 2009, Edmond, Oklahoma based self-serve Peachwave Frozen Yogurt currently has 33 locations in 13 states.

Peachwave’s concept: “ It's healthy. It's delicious. It's fun.” Peachwave differentiates itself with its proprietary fro-yo (made with their own unique recipes) in over 40 flavors, from classics to new flavors like strawberry lemonade and orange creamsicle.

What’s ahead for Peachwave: “Peachwave is growing steadily and we are seeing interest from people who want to start their own stores from all over the country. We have several stores in the Midwest and the South but are seeing more and more interest from the coastal regions.”

Each shop is privately owned by a licensee/store operator. No royalties are collected on sales each month. Corporate provides marketing support, such as poster designs for new summer flavors, social marketing, and consulting services for how to market locally. Stores are sometimes allowed to try out new products and flavors. One store in Oklahoma is experimenting with smoothies while one in Oregon invented its own Peaches 'N Cream flavor which was later approved by corporate for the whole company.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Popularity of Frozen Yogurt

2011-08-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Is fro-yo gaining in popularity? Looking at Google Trends is one indication of fro-yo's popularity. Google Trends shows search volume traffic and news reference volume. The search volume index shows continued growth in 2011 and continued seasonality (peaking in the summer). News reference volume measures the number of times the topic appeared in Google News stories and this volume picked up in 2008.

The majority of searches come from the U.S., followed by Canada (same as last year). Within the U.S., most of the searches occur in Southern California with San Diego taking the top spot, then Los Angeles #2. followed by the Bay Area (San Francisco, Pleasanton), Las Vegas, Portland and New York. The countries with the greatest volume of frozen yogurt search traffic are 1) US, 2) Canada, 3) Brazil, 4) United Kingdom, 5) Australia, 6) Germany.

Looking at Google Trends, fro-yo is still going strong.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Nobel Gummy Yogurt Sours Review

2011-08-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. While waiting for my red bean ice cream crepe at Genki (they don't have fro-yo crepes) I came across a new type of yogurt candy, imported from Japan. Nobel gummy yogurt sours ($2.19 for 1.5 oz.) come in a resealable white pouch. There were other flavors of Nobel gummy sours but those they weren't yogurt flavored.

The candy is a firm white rectangle that is coated with fine sugar. It's extremely firm (too firm, even tough) and chewy. It reminds me of an extra firm jelly candy. It's a little bland but does have yogurt flavor. I'd say it has a mild tangy quality but isn't sour. The texture just isn't right.

Ingredients: sugar, corn syrup, agar agar, apple juice, glucose, acidulant, emulsifier.

3 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* GENKI CREPES & MINI MART: 330 Clement St., San Francisco, CA

Yomamte Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Popsicle Review

2011-08-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. My recent trip to Kukje for kim chee led to an exciting new find in the freezer section, Yomamte strawberry fro-yo popsicles. The Korean made popsicles come in an insulated pink bag. The bag ($5.49) contains 6 individually wrapped popsicles. I only saw one flavor (strawberry). One popsicle is 100 calories and 14 fl. oz. Ingredients: water, strawberry syrup, sugar, food starch, skim milk powder, yogurt powder, etc.

The popsicle has an elegant slender shape and a pale pink color with tiny strawberry pieces. It's very firm and icy yet had a pleasant milky flavor and is creamier than a fruit popsicle without dairy. I found it refreshing but a bit bland (not much strawberry flavor). It's not tangy but is sweet and has a real yogurt flavor (it's mild though).

The package shows a blonde girl in yoga looking clothing, to emphasize fitness and low calories, I presume. I didn't see anything about live and active cultures.

4 stars out of 5

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* KUKJE MARKET: 2350 Junipero Serra Blvd, Daly City, CA

Yogurtland Sanrio Secret Tote Bag

2011-07-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I'm sitting here admiring my new secret, limited edition Yogurtland Sanrio tote bag. The tote bag was given away at the Yogurtland Sanrio launch party at the Beverly Center. I didn't make it to the launch so I'm extra grateful to have this tote bag. It's too cute to use.

The tote bag is a heavy canvas. The back side is plain.

These tote bags aren't for sale but Yogurtland gave some away recently and maybe they'll do so again? (check their Facebook page)

Remember to enter the Yogurtland Sanrio Friends Forever sweepstakes.

Yogurtland, thank you!!!!!

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Julie's Organic Strawberry Lowfat Frozen Yogurt Bar Review

2011-07-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I scan the frozen food section for fro-yo on every grocery shopping trip. Canyon Market recently started carrying Julie's Organic Strawberry Lowfat Frozen Yogurt Bars ($3.99 for a box of 4 popsicles). One popsicle is 100 calories, 2.5 fl. oz., "provides a good source of prebiotic fiber and also boasts six active probiotic yogurt cultures which can enhance digestionand improve the immune system."

The strawberry popsicle is soft, smooth and creamy, with visible strawberry seeds. It's like ice cream on a stick. It was extremely sweet with a somewhat bitter aftertaste and not much strawberry or yogurt flavor.

Julie's Organic Lowfat Frozen Yogurt Bars are available in 1 flavor, strawberry.

3 stars out of 5

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* CANYON MARKET: 2815 Diamond St., San Francisco, CA

Nubi San Mateo Grand Opening Celebration, Friday, 7/29

2011-07-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Froyoholics, it's time for a special fro-yo event. Join Nubi for the grand opening celebration of their San Mateo store. Enjoy 50% off your fro-yo all day long (no coupon needed). I wonder if they'll have the new flavor, Fizzy Cola? Free t-shirts and Nubi gift cards while supplies last. Doors open at 11 AM.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* NUBI SAN MATEO: 2015 Chess Dr., San Mateo, CA

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: Yoppi Yogurt Belmont

2011-07-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yoppi Yogurt, which just opened in Palo Alto, this week, has a few more new locations in the works, including Belmont's Carlmont Village Shopping Center. It's a large space (formerly occupied by Jamba Juice). The windows were papered over so I couldn't see anything inside but the sign says fro-yo and gelato.

They're looking for fro-yo associates...send resume and cover letter to belmont@yoppiyogurt.com if interested.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOPPI YOGURT: 1005 1/2 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Belmont, CA

Favorite Yogurt Brand Poll Results

2011-07-23T16:19:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I asked readers to vote for their favorite brand of Greek yogurt and the results are in. Fage won easily, with 46% of the vote. Chobani was a distant second, with 20% of the vote. Fage is the brand I think of first when I think of Greek yogurt and it's actually a Greek company. In 2008, they started manufacturing their yogurt in New York.

Earlier this year they expanded their product lineup Fage Total 0% flavors. Flavors: blueberry-acai, cherry-pomegranate, mango-guanabana, strawberry-goji and honey. I've seen Fage Total 0% flavors at Target and Whole Foods.

* Cherry-pomegranate Fage yogurt ($1.99 at Whole Foods): The cherry pomegranate is in a separate compartment and looks like a thick syrup with pieces of cherry. The yogurt is unsweetened, creamy, and sour. The cherry pomegranate mixture is very sweet and when I mixed it with the yogurt, it was more sour than it was tangy. I didn't like having to keep stirring it in and having uneven flavor. Find a coupon for Total 0% on the Fage website.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yogurtland Sanrio Items For Sale

2011-07-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Here's a look at the Yogurtland Sanrio items that you can buy. I found mine at Yogurtland San Ramon.

* Grey t-shirt with Hello Kitty, Chococat, My Melody & Keroppi in Yogurtland cups, $19.99
* Rubber keychains with Hello Kitty, Chococat, My Melody & Keroppi in Yogurtland cups, $3.50 each
* Hello Kitty in Yogurtland uniform plush doll, $13.50
* Mini character plush dolls with hooks (for backpacks?) of the same four characters, $7.99 each

I think I'm missing the Chococat mini character plush doll but I'll keep looking for it.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Yogurtland Sanrio Promotion Begins!

2011-07-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I've been thinking about Yogurtland Sanrio ever since I learned about their co-branded promotion and today the promotion finally began! I visited Yogurtland San Ramon today to admire their Sanrio merchandise.

Four Sanrio characters are shown enjoying YL fro-yo: Hello Kitty, Chococat, Keroppi and My Melody. I think Keroppi's favorite fro-yo is plain tart (I would have thought it would be pistachio or green tea) and Hello Kitty's favorite is fresh strawberry. Chococat's favorite is Dutch chocolate. My Melody's favorite is red velvet cupcake batter.

Yogurtland had YL/Sanrio cups, character spoons (red Hello Kitty, blue Chococat), signs and merchandise. One spoon per purchase.

I just entered their Friends Forever summer sweepstakes (enter online on the Yogurtland website).

* Grand prize: $1000 shopping spree on Sanrio.com
* 2nd prize: 1 year of free yogurt & gift cards
* 3rd prize: Hello Kitty beach cruiser & gift cards
* 4th prize: HK/YL themed gift cards for you and your 10 friends

The Sanrio/YL promotion only lasts for 6 weeks so get your spoons NOW. I feel bad for the characters that weren't used, like Bad Badtz, Kuromi, Little Twin Stars, etc. If they ever have Baby Milo Yogurtland items, I think I wouldn't be able to handle the excitement. His favorite fro-yo would be banana.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Live from NYC: Flavaboom Frozen Yogurt Lounge

2011-07-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. It’s here – another report from my guest blogger and friend, Helene K. She just visited a new fro-yo place in NYC called Flavaboom and she’s here with the scoop, or should I say swirl? Thanks Helene! Visit her blog and follow her on Twitter, @hkwong

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Helene’s post:

Fro-yo Girl’s Travel Scout here! While I was in New York City last month, I was able to stop into the new fro-yo shop, Flavaboom. Flavaboom is located in the Union Square/Chelsea area of the city and it opened in late May.

According to Flavaboom’s Facebook Page, it is a “frozen yogurt lounge”. Therefore, the design of the shop is rather futuristic, with two big purple booths in front of the toppings/baked goods display and sleek, modernistic tables & chairs in the front window. I’ve read through other reviews that Flavaboom’s atmosphere is like the interior of a spaceship. That wasn’t necessarily the feeling I got when I entered, but I can see that being possible, especially at night.

Flavaboom is a pricey self-serve shop, where customers have to pay 59 cents per ounce. Choose from ten different flavors, or “flavas”; they are all listed above the fro-yo machines on LCD screens. Flavors include original tart, Java, Banana, Raspberry, and Strawberry. They also have a wall recommending what kind of fro-yo and topping combinations go great together (the “Flava Favs”).

The fro-yo was firm & full of “flava” (can’t help the pun); the toppings were also impressive. Different fresh fruits were available (even green apple slices) and, in terms of mochi selection, they had two different types: green tea and strawberry. I was surprised they didn’t have plain mochi, but they probably rotate the mochi flavors as well. Despite these positive aspects of Flavaboom, I didn’t understand the pricing feature so much (the fro-yo did not seem ultra-superior compared to other self-serve shops).

Flavaboom also offers coffee, tea, and baked goods. The drink menu is also on an LCD screen on the wall. Yes, walking into Flavaboom is like traveling forward in time.

Website: http://flavaboom.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flavaboom

Future Fro-yo Shop Pictures: Yogorino Marina SF

2011-07-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. The door was open at the future Yogorino in the Marina this week. The fro-yo machines were there...and there were two of them (2 single flavor machines). Could this mean two flavors of Italian fro-yo? The big silver round thing might be where they'll put the gelato wheel? The walls are painted...they look very close to opening.

They're looking for yogurt associates, email yogorinojobs.sf@gmail.com if interested.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* YOGORINO: 2144 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA

Happy Bastille Day, Fro-yo Style

2011-07-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I'm thinking of having fro-yo and macarons for lunch today in honor of Bastille Day.

I also have a picture of my Myberry button to share. Myberry is the first tart fro-yo shop in Paris. They opened in September 2007. They have a great looking website but I don't understand why they play a song about ice cream for site visitors. Fro-yo is better than ice cream.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* MYBERRY: 25 Rue Vieille Du Temple, Paris, France, 75004

Yogurt Candy Review: Chelsea Yogurt Scotch

2011-07-12T17:47:00.001-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Chelsea Yogurt Scotch is a Japanese candy from Meiji. Ten individually wrapped hard rectangular candies come in each package ($1.49 at Nijiya Market). The candy takes quite some time to dissolve in one's mouth (reminds me of those hard sour fruit balls I used to like) and Life Savers. The candy has a tangy yogurt flavor reminiscent of Yakult. It's quite sweet and a little bit milky.

I like Yogurfrul better but then I prefer chewy candy. If Life Savers came out with yogurt flavors, I would definitely try it.

You can buy Yogurt Scotch online on koamart.

4 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* NIJIYA MARKET:1737 Post St #333, San Francisco, CA

Rock It Swirl Takes Over Eggettes in Glen Park

2011-07-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Eggettes Glen Park recently remodeled and rebranded. Rock It Swirl, the self-serve fro-yo area within Eggettes has now taken over. The store is still in transition but the eggettes (Hong Kong style egg puffs) are gone and so are all traces of the cute Eggettes mascot. At one point the Eggettes mascot was on the Rock It Swirl cups (they have plain cups now) and you could get a side order for eggettes for $1 with a fro-yo purchase. The sign above the door (a temporary one) says Rock It Swirl. The fro-yo section hasn't grown and the decor hasn't changed that much. They still have the same furniture and vending machines with cutesy toys (e.g., Hello Kitty, Disney, Winnie the Pooh). The walls are red now. The receipt says Rock It Swirl.

The menu has changed. They added a new gelato case with Gelato Classico. You can still get boba drinks (but not as many varieties as before) and savory snacks - but no eggettes. The eggettes were my favorite thing they carried.

Does this move signal an increased commitment to their fro-yo concept? Not sure - we'll see.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* ROCK IT SWIRL: 2810 Diamond St. San Francisco, CA

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: Surf'N Yogurt

2011-07-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Ventura is getting another fro-yo shop...Surf'N Yogurt. Their logo looks identical to Yogurt Hut, so I'm guessing these two businesses have the same owners, the Repults (not sure why the shop names are different). Yogurt Hut's decor is surfing inspired and the fro-yo is self-serve.

Surf'N Yogurt takes the place of Dairy Queen. It looks like DQ just closed since most of the DQ signs were still inside the shop.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* SURF'N YOGURT: 7770 Telegraph Rd. Ste A, Ventura, CA
* YOGURT HUT: 1038 S. Seaward Ave, Ventura, CA

Introducing Menchie's Sweet Friends: Menchie's Collector's Card

2011-07-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I'm excited about Menchie's new collector's card program which is launching this week and highlights Menchie's sweet friends, 7 other fro-yo related characters. Each month, they'll release a new puffy character sticker. Collect them all and when your card is full, you'll get a secret bonus card.

The collector's puffy sticker is free with every yogurt purchase. The first sticker is Sprinkle. Sprinkle "always looks at the bright side of things which shows in her rainbow." The other friends (and future stickers) are Barry, Mellow, Kiwi, Chip, P.B., Mookie and of course, Menchie.

The program should launch this Friday.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

WildBerry Opens in Ventura Today

2011-07-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. WildBerry Yogurt opened today, inside Pacific View Mall. They had employees handing out buy one, get one free coupons near the entrance and by the escalator. Because they were up late getting the shop ready, they didn't have grand opening signs up. Friendly employees were there to greet everyone, explain how self-serve fro-yo works and hand out samples. They had the typical toppings and 12 flavors of self-serve fro-yo a day for 36 cents an ounce.

WildBerry Yogurt is a self-serve chain that I believe is originally from SoCal. The shops are brightly colored with pictures of fruit and fro-yo. The richer, creamier texture should appeal to kids and those seeking an ice cream substitute.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

WILDBERRY YOGURT: 3301 E. Main St. #1530 Ventura, CA 93003

Fro-yo Seattle report: University District bubble tea vs. fro-yo

2011-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. The fro-yo scene in the University District of Seattle is different than in other neighborhoods. In the U-District, pearl/bubble tea shops (Wow, Yunnie's...Pochi Tea Station had fro-yo but no longer offers it) are everywhere and most of them have also added one fro-yo machine. They carry one flavor, original/plain tart. There are fewer fro-yo shops (Citra, Cafe Koi, Red Mango) and those shops don't have that many more flavors of fro-yo. Citra offers pearl/bubble tea. One teriyaki restaurant, University Teriyaki, offers fro-yo. The majority also offer free wi-fi, which people in Seattle certainly love.

You know you love me. XO XO, fro-yo girl.

* CITRA FROZEN YOGURT: 4730 University Way NE, Ste 105, Seattle, WA

Fro-yo Seattle report: Self-serve fro-yo

2011-06-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I've returned to Seattle looking for fro-yo. Since my last visit back March of this year, self-serve fro-yo has really taken hold of the city. Judging from the crowds, it was something that Seattle residents really desired.

Self-serve fro-yo timeline:
* December 2010: Menchie's opens in Queen Anne, offers 14 fro-yo flavors a day, 43 cents an ounce
* March 2011: zoeyogurt opens in Green Lake
* April 2011: Yogurtland opens in Capitol Hill, offers 16 fro-yo flavors a day, 35 cents an ounce

It was very interesting to observe the patrons at these self-serve fro-yo shops. I noticed that their self-serve creations looked pretty awful. They don't have swirling skills yet but I'm sure they'll learn quickly. If their market follows what I've seen elsewhere, some full serve fro-yo shops are going to convert to self-serve soon and Tutti Frutti shops will pop up (seemingly) overnight. Maybe the prices will decline (Menchie's and Yogurtland charge more here).

You know you love me. XO XO, fro-yo girl.

* MENCHIE'S:2101 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA
* ZOEYOGURT: 6900 E Green Lake Way N, Seattle, WA
* YOGURTLAND: 1620 Broadway Suite D, Seattle, WA

Live from NYC: Fro-yo Trucks!

2011-06-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I have a special treat for my readers…the return of my guest blogger and friend, Helene K. This time she’s reporting on the fro-yo trucks that drive around New York City. I still haven’t had fro-yo from a truck and she provides a thorough report on those NYC fro-yo trucks. Thanks Helene!

Be sure to visit Helene's blog and official website, helenekwong.com and follow her on Twitter, @hkwong
You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

And here's Helene's post:

Fro-yo Girl’s Travel Scout here! I just got back from the Big Apple, where the weather was scorching hot. What better treat to have than fro-yo on wheels?

The Joyride Truck travels throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn; not only do they serve frozen yogurt, they also have Stumptown coffee, pastries, and breakfast specials (oatmeal or yogurt parfait). In terms of fro-yo flavors, they offer two: plain tart & buzzed, which is plain tart with a shot of caffeine. They offer three sizes of fro-yo: Small $4, Medium $5.50, and Large $6.75. Add on an extra quarter or two for the buzzed flavor. In terms of toppings, choose from an offering of both fresh fruit and candy toppings. Sadly, no mochi though!

When I was in New York in February, I got the chance to check out Joyride when they were in the Flatiron District, 26th & Park (Tuesdays). This time around, I made the trek up to 52nd and Lexington on a Thursday to get a chance to catch them before they closed. On both visits, I got to try the plain tart and the buzzed. Both taste pretty much the same and the shot of caffeine is just oh-so-subtle. Joyride gets the fro-yo consistency just right (not too melty, not too firm).

Definitely when you spot the Joyride Truck, make sure you try out one of their coffee drinks, especially the Jeffrey Paul. That wonderful drink is hot chocolate (from Stumptown) with two shots of espresso. Mmm, caffeine to the max!

Joyride’s other offerings include Texas Gold Iced Tea, Chai Latte, and Danny Macaroons (so much to try, so little time). Joyride accepts cash and credit card payments (via Square). They seem to cater more towards the office-working-crowd, but they also do special events throughout the city.

Another fro-yo truck I spotted while in New York was YoGo, “New York’s Finest Yogurt”. On both a Wednesday and Thursday, the truck was located at 23rd and Park, which was very convenient for me. How could I resist a pink fro-yo truck?

YoGo has four sizes: Cone $3, Small $4, Regular $6, and Large $8. Add an extra dollar if you want toppings on that cone. YoGo’s flavors are tart and vanilla, both fat-free. I was surprised with their large offering of toppings, including mochi. According to the New York Street Food Blog, YoGo has a total of five trucks swarming the city of New York.

Even though YoGo only offers fro-yo (and only two flavors), they have a good business model going. The fro-yo was crisp and slightly icy; the fruit and mochi were deliciously fresh.

So, wherever you go in the Big Apple this summer, make sure you track down some delicious tart fro-yo from either Joyride or YoGo!

Links:
Joyride: http://www.joyridetrucks.com/
Joyride Twitter: http://twitter.com/joyridetruck
YoGo FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/YOGO-Frozen-Yogurt-Truck/187501904624912
YoGo Twitter: http://twitter.com/YOGOTRUCKNYC
NYSF Blog re: YOGO: http://newyorkstreetfood.com/12332/nysf-dessert-alert-yogo-frozen-yogurt/
Stumptown Coffee: http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/
Danny Macaroons: http://www.dannymacaroons.com/

Best Fro-yo Shop Name Winner

2011-06-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Several potential fro-yo shop owners have contacted me for advice on coming up with a fro-yo shop name. I've advised against choosing a formulaic or generic name (e.g., color + type of fruit). Those types of names give the impression that the shops are like any other. I encourage people to be creative and to choose a name that fits with other elements of their marketing (e.g., decor).

I recently polled my readers and asked, which fro-yo shop has the best name? The readers have spoken...and the winner is...Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt! Congratulations to Blush. Blush is a charming word that makes me smile. I really like how they also named their signature fro-yo flavor, Blush. This Pomegranate Dragonfruit fro-yo flavor has a pretty pink color consistent with blushing. Their cherry logo is consistent with the theme as well (the color).

I liked all of the names that I picked out for the poll but some of them involve unfamiliar, foreign words (e.g., Miam Miam). Blush is clean, crisp, memorable and charming.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

DAHlicious Lassi Review

2011-06-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. DAHlicious Lassi drinks caught my eye during a recent trip to Canyon Market. These all natural, made in Vermont lowfat yogurt shakes are made with very few ingredients. The shakes contain probiotic Indian style yogurt, real fruit, cane juice, water and vegetable fiber. Canyon had two flavors, Alphonso Mango or Wild Maine Blueberry. They have two other flavors: Ecuador Banana and Oregon Strawberry.

* Wild Maine blueberry lassi ($2.79): the fresh flavor of the blueberry comes through, as does the flavor of the yogurt. The drink is quite tart and natural tasting. I like how it wasn't that sugary and wasn't as thick as smoothies can be. The yogurt added some creaminess. It didn't taste particularly Indian to me but they claim that their Indian style yogurt is their secret. It's nice to know that I'm getting 15 billion probiotic cultures per bottle.

5 out of 5 stars.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl

* CANYON MARKET: 2815 Diamond St. San Francisco, CA

Nubi San Mateo Opens

2011-06-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Nubi San Mateo (Bridgepointe/ by the Foster City border) opened today. It's in the Home Depot parking lot next to Chipotle and Panda Express. I didn't see any special promotions or even any balloons. Fro-yo is self-serve as usual, with 12 fro-yo flavors a day and toppings for 39 cents an ounce. They were handing out 2 for 1 coupons good at any Nubi location and the receipt has a coupon for their other business, Ono Hawaiian BBQ.

They had some interesting fro-yo flavors like Electric Bubblegum (it does taste like a sweet sugary gum and is an electric blue color) and Powerfruit Tart (with carrot, cranberry and orange).

It looks like the space still needs some work (ceiling looked unfinished). There isn't any fro-yo in that area, so it's a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* NUBI SAN MATEO: 2015 Chess Dr., San Mateo, CA

Future Fro-yo Shop Picture: Tutti Frutti SF

2011-06-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Yet another Tutti Frutti location is opening...this one is on the bottom level of SF Westfield Centre Mall, in the food court area. Sur La Table replaced the Bristol Farms section that was across from their main store and a few new shops are opening in that area, including Tutti Frutti and Calbee. It's the second TF location in SF but the one in Japantown is called MoYo's for some reason. It's also the second self-serve fro-yo shop in the mall. Yoppi Yogurt opened last year.

I thought that space near Sur La Table would be home to a Pinkberry - a shop that would be more suitable for SF Westfield Centre. I'm actually more excited about the opening of Calbee, the Asian snack shop that is set to open on July 1. As for TF, it says coming in Spring 2011...and summer is less than a week away.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* TUTTI FRUTTI: 865 Market St., San Francisco, CA

Tart Berry Yogurt Lip Gloss at Bath & Body Works

2011-06-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Bath and Body Works Hello, Yellow Sale started a few days ago, with up to 75% off clearance items. Their Liplicious Ice Cream Shop Lip Gloss Collection is currently $2 each, marked down from $8 each (buy 4 for $10 online at bathandbodyworks.com). Liplicious glosses feature food scents and flavors. I was surprised to find a tart yogurt flavored lip gloss.

Ice Cream Shop Lip Gloss Flavors:
* Cherry Spumoni
* Banana Split
* Strawberry Parfait
* Tart Berry Yogurt: It actually smells like yogurt and has a berry color. I'm glad it doesn't have glitter.

Here's their description: "Sinfully delicious (yet guiltless) flavors and high fashion shades in a rich and creamy base for all the women out there who are simply obsessed with ice cream. Delicious mouth-watering flavor and high-shine in a moisturizing formula with Vitamin E and Jojoba oils. Sheer cool fuschia berry with a hint of shimmer. Tastes like creamy tart berry yogurt."

What a brilliant idea. I'd love to see a tart yogurt lip balm (not much of a gloss user) without color that could be used by fro-yo girls and guys.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

SoCal Fro-yo Report: Onigiri & Fro-yo, Vegan Soft Serve

2011-06-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. I returned to SoCal, land of fro-yo, the capital of fro-yo. Fro-yo shops have continued to close. Cities like Moorpark have lost multiple fro-yo shops (Froyo Life, Menchie's). Of course there are still plenty of fro-yo shops. I look for innovative shops and I found the following:

* SUNNY BLUE (2728 Main St, Santa Monica, CA): I knew I had to go to a shop that specializes in two things I love: fro-yo and Japanese rice balls (omusubi/onigiri). The rice balls were better than the fro-yo. They're assembled after you order them so the onigiri is still warm and fresh. There aren't too many places to get a warm, freshly made onigiri. The fro-yo was organic. I did like their fro-yo toppings which included Pocky, cornflakes, mochi and red bean.

* KINDKREME (3701 Cahuenga Blvd. Studio City, CA): Gourmet raw vegan food...It's not a fro-yo shop but they do have soft serve ice cream. It isn't tart and they only seem to have chocolate and vanilla flavors (flavors aren't rotated). That was disappointing. I know that yogurt can be made with soy, rice milk, almond milk, etc. so I was hoping for a tart fro-yo. The vanilla soft serve is made with almond milk, giving it a nutty flavor. It was icy.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl here.

Cutest Fro-yo Cups, My Top 3 Picks

2011-06-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Something about eating fro-yo out of a cute cup with an adorable spoon just makes it taste better. Having a nice looking swirl and neatly applied toppings also increase the appeal of a cup of fro-yo.

When it comes to cute fro-yo cups, the top honors go to Menchie's...followed by Yoppi Yogurt in the Bay Area. Third place goes to Eggettes/Rock It Swirl because they put the Eggettes character on the cup. The cutest fro-yo cups ever were the Tokidoki loves Yogurtland ones. As you can see, having cute characters on the cup seems to be the key to a cup that appeals to me.

Are there other cute fro-yo cups out there that you know about? I would love to see them. Send me your pics.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

Frozen Yogurt & Toppings Show in Fremont, CA on June 15, 10 AM - 4 PM

2011-06-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. Palo Alto Egg is sponsoring a fro-yo & toppings open house show in Fremont, CA, to take place at the Western Freezers office. Own a frozen yogurt shop or thinking about getting into fro-yo? This is a show you should attend. It's National Frozen Yogurt Month and also around the time when the weather heats up and thoughts turn to fro-yo.

Come for:
* Show specials
* Over 100 toppings to try, including new toppings
* New YoCream flavors, including Activia soft serve fro-yo flavors
* New Stoelting soft serve machines
* Hot foods and slushes

Show Details: June 15, 10 AM - 4 PM

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.

* WESTERN FREEZERS: 42285 Osgood Rd, Unit F, Fremont, CA

Fro-yo Sunday/Sundae: Thoughts on Salted Caramel Pinkberry

2011-06-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Fro-yo girl here. It feels fitting to talk about Salted Caramel Pinkberry on National Frozen Yogurt Day (a.k.a., the first Sunday/Sundae of June). Salted Caramel Pinkberry is a marked departure from most Pinkberry flavors. It isn't tart based. Like Chocolate Pinkberry, it's more of an indulgent adult dessert type.

I tried the salted caramel shake $5.25), which is topped with a huge dollop of Swirly Whip (whipped cream with Original Tart Pinkberry) and swirls of caramel sauce. There's more caramel sauce at the very bottom. It's a decadent, rich dessert type drink, reminiscent of Starbucks popular Frappuccino line of dessert like beverages.

I like salted caramel but in small doses and while I could appreciate the butter richness of the caramel flavor, it seemed like too much (I'd be happier with a mini shake). I also don't like drinks with whipped cream on top (dessert drinks).

If you order Salted Caramel Pinkberry in a cup or cone, they actually sprinkle it with salt - nice touch. The Salted Caramel flavor doesn't have yogurt flavor...and since I don't see fro-yo as an ice cream substitute, I found myself craving tart fro-yo. I can see how SCP would appeal to a larger market though.

You know you love me. X0 X0, fro-yo girl.