Baklava Froyo, Froyo Topped with Baklava

Fro-yo girl here. Did you know that today is National Baklava Day? Baklava is good on its own – the papery thin layers of filo pastry, chopped nuts and honey or sugar syrup – but it is dense, sweet and rich.

Baklava happens to be the perfect froyo topping, for plain froyo. It’s not as sweet or rich when paired with a light, tangy froyo. I became obsessed with baklava topped froyo when I had it at Souvla in San Francisco. Mini-chain, Yalla, also serves plain Greek froyo with baklava in Northern and Southern California. And it’s been spotted at the Pago cart and GRK in NYC, Yiaourtaki in Greece and Blu Spoon in Australia.

Turkey Hill had a baklava flavored froyo but I never had a chance to try it. Turkey Hill isn’t available in California, I think.

I found a recipe for homemade froyo with baklava: http://www.kalofagas.ca/2013/08/02/homemade-frozen-greek-yogurt/

Check out my Pinterest board for pictures of froyo with baklava: https://www.pinterest.com/froyogirl/froyo-with-baklava/

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

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Spread Mediterranean Kitchen in Downtown LA Offers Housemade Greek Froyo

Fro-yo girl here. Downtown LA has always been a bit of a froyo desert. While you could find froyo here and there, there were very few places to get your froyo. This is surprising since a thriving downtown area usually has a lot of froyo. Good news: Spread Mediterranean Kitchen opened last month.

It’s got a GRK/Souvla type of vibe and a similar set up for lunch: pick your base (housemade flat bread, basmati rice, hummus or salad greens), pick your main (falafel, grilled free range chicken, lamb meatballs, roasted mushrooms, braised beef) and pick your style (traditional, smooth & cool, savory & red, or cheesey & spicy).

The treats section of the menu includes housemade Greek frozen yogurt. There’s just one flavor, plain. Choose from the mini or large size ($2/$4). The list of toppings is short: beet salt & citrus powder, chai halva crumble, or harissa dry spice & pita chip. The toppings are included in the price of the yogurt.

Their frozen yogurt didn’t taste like the typical plain/original tart frozen yogurt. It was dense, smooth and icy. The taste was mild; I could taste the yogurt and it was sweetened but not as sweet. I like how the flavor had a clean, natural finish but it was on the bland side. There was little tang though it was refreshing. I did like the chai halva crumble – it was a bit crunchy and not too sweet. There was very little topping but she did offer me more after I started eating my froyo. I’d give the froyo 3.5 stars and the toppings a 4.5.

I thought the chicken flatbread wrap, cheesey & spicy style, was very tasty and flavorful though it didn’t come with much chicken. Spread is open daily from 11:30 AM – 11 PM. There’s free wi-fi before 6 PM and Middle Eastern inspired cocktails for the evening.

This is Spread’s first and only location. Will it spread?

* SPREAD MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN: 334 S Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90034

4 out of 5 stars

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

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New Chain Review: Yalla Mediterranean

Fro-yo girl here. The race is on to be the next Mediterranean version of Chipotle. Yalla is a new concept from the owners of Daphne's California Greek chain. Yalla launched in Pleasant Hill in 2014 and now has 7 locations in the Bay Area and Southern California. They have that assembly line where you choose your style/base and choose your protein, sauces and toppings. Choose a wrap, salad, or plate. Then pick a protein (falafel, shawarma, kabobs), add sides, toppings and sauces. 

I won’t go into too much detail about the food since what I really care about is their Greek frozen yogurt. The Greek frozen yogurt set up reminds me of SF’s Souvla. They use the same Carpigiani machine, offer only one flavor (plain), and offer similar Greek toppings.

The yogurt is apparently a “special house recipe.” It’s available with honey, chocolate or sour cherry sauce for $2.25 or with chopped baklava or chocolate pita crumbles for $2.95. It’s a small portion but good for dessert.

How was it? Souvla’s Greek frozen yogurt is definitely better in terms of flavor and texture; it's creamy, smooth and tastes like yogurt. Yalla’s frozen yogurt is smooth but icy and it tastes like original tart yogurt. Yalla's sour cherry syrup isn’t very sour but it’s very good with yogurt.

The frozen yogurt was disappointing and the food was as well. Their hummus was so salty. The falafel was salty too. But Chipotle is also a sodium bomb, so maybe people will like their extra salty food.

I’m hoping that San Francisco's Souvla or GRK opens in SoCal one day. Or maybe Spitz will add froyo. GRK, which got its start in NYC, recently opened a location in Dubai but they aren't present on the West Coast yet.

* YALLA: 3141 Mowry Ave., Fremont, CA 94538

3.5 out of 5 stars

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

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

Washington DC Froyo Report

Fro-yo girl here. It’s been a long time since I’ve visited Washington DC. I wanted to try local chains like Tangysweet and Sweetgreen but Tangysweet closed for good and Sweetgreen stopped offering froyo. Fortunately the cute and quirky local favorite Mr. Yogato is still open (1515 17th St. NW, Dupont Circle) and it offers interesting flavors like chai, mojito and even a mystery flavor. Mr. Yogato was founded by a rocket scientist in 2008 and it has a funny, geeky feel. Answer trivia questions or meet challenges like reenacting Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance and you can get a discount off your froyo. Order a froyo for 30 consecutive nights and they’ll name a flavor after you (many have accomplished this feat). I liked how they had quirky free toppings like oregano, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It's a fun place.

NYC’s GRK (1140 19th St. NW) opened up shop in DC and has a good Greek froyo. They carry one flavor only and have some tasty Greek toppings. Since I've visited the one in NYC, I didn't visit the one in DC. They also serve Greek food and Greek yogurt that isn't frozen but I haven't tried either.

DC is the home to froyo chains such as Pinkberry, FroZenYo, Menchie’s and Sweetfrog. You can get Pinkberry at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Pinkberry had other locations before but they've closed.

The Walgreen’s flagship location (801 7th St. NW) in Chinatown also has UpMarket froyo and it’s open 24 hours. The West Wing Café (1 Thomas Circle NW) has self-serve froyo machines and carries Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt though only one out of three machines was operating when I visited.

I didn’t see as many froyo shops in DC as in NYC and Boston. I guess DC doesn't like froyo as much.

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

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.

New York City Froyo Report

Fro-yo girl here. New York City has always been a trendsetter when it comes to food and it’s no different when it comes to froyo. I’m always excited to visit and check out the froyo offerings. The diversity of froyo offerings is impressive and the city offers much more than your typical froyo, including many counter serve shops and innovative froyo offerings.

Homegrown Favorites

GRK is a quick-serve chain of Greek cafes serving fresh Greek food, Greek drinks and Greek yogurt (fresh/refrigerated or frozen). GRK started in NYC and now has a Washington DC outpost.

There’s a separate express line for counter-served fresh or frozen yogurt (spelled ygrt on the sign). Toppings are limited but include interesting Greek toppings like cherry preserves, fig preserves, rose petal preserves along with figs, fresh fruit, Greek honey and nuts. They only have one flavor of yogurt, plain. The yogurt contains no added sugar and is sweetened with honey. It’s on the icier side with a sweet, clean finish – it tastes like real yogurt with natural tanginess.

Culture: An American Yogurt Company is still my favorite NYC froyo shop. The housemade yogurt and housemade toppings are a notch above what you can find elsewhere. They take their yogurt very seriously, making Greek yogurt from scratch from locally sourced Hudson Valley milk and live probiotic cultures. The counter-served yogurt is available fresh or frozen. One variety per day is organic. The frozen yogurt is super thick, clean, tangy with a refreshing edge, less sweet – what froyo should taste like. Gourmet toppings include fresh key lime custard (recommended, very tangy), strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and pineapple roasted with cardamom in maple syrup. The key lime pie sundae features key lime custard, lime syrup and graham cracker crumbs (yum). They also have yogurt drinks, froyo cookie sandwiches and Stumptown Coffee. Culture has two locations in NYC and its fresh Greek yogurt is available at select local markets, including Whole Foods.

Victory Garden (31 Carmine St., New York (West Village), NY) is the only goat milk soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt shop in town. The goat milk is sourced from a local farm. Flavors and toppings are seasonal. The goat milk frozen yogurt flavor is distinctive and delicious. The texture is smooth, dense and creamy and the aftertaste is sweet and clean. It tasted “cleaner” and less processed than the typical frozen yogurt. The flavor was tangy but moderately so and the slight refreshing edge was also pleasant. You can taste the goat milk. The flavors are more sophisticated and the toppings healthier. Look out for unusual toppings and sauces like mole sauce, raspberry rose sauce, edible flowers, blackcurrant bay leaf sauce, fennel pollen, bitter orange drizzle, and candied pine nuts.

Butterfield Market (1114 Lexington Ave., New York, NY) is a smallish Upper East Side gourmet market with a froyo/smoothies counter and walkup window. The froyo is counter-served and they serve Frogurt, the same frozen yogurt carried by Forty Carrots (Bloomingdale’s, 1000 3rd Ave., New York, NY).

Blue Olive Market (210 E 41st St., New York, NY) is an upscale Greek market and café in Murray Hill known for its made to order frozen Greek yogurt. The yogurt and toppings are combined and then frozen with liquid nitrogen. 

Greecologies (379 Broome St., New York, NY) serves grass-fed Greek fresh yogurt served in terracotta bowls, smoothies, desserts, coffee and tea in Little Italy. The yogurt is made with local milk and can be topped with sweet or savory toppings like sour cherry, quince, quinoa, muesli and olive oil. There was talk of adding frozen yogurt but they are currently still working on the recipe.

Invasion of the Foreign Froyo Chains

“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere. It’s up to you, New York, New York.” New York is where Chillbox (of Greece) and Yooglers (of Spain) chose to open their first US locations. Yooglers recently closed for good before I had a chance to try it.

Chillbox (204 E 60th St., New York, NY) has one Upper East Side location. I was told that the frozen yogurt comes from Greece and so do some of the toppings like the honey and sour cherry syrup. I suppose this explains the price, 78 cents an ounce. While the frozen yogurt is good (tangy, whipped, light and smooth), it isn’t the best in town and some of the toppings didn’t look that fresh.

Yogorino (657 Broadway, New York, NY) of Italy opened its first US location in Philadelphia. The NYC location added a new flavor, chocolate, a few months ago. The chocolate flavor tasted too much like cocoa powder, but the original flavor is as good as I remembered it: thick, creamy, whipped/light with a light tang and mild flavor. It’s not as tart as tart froyo but it does have some tang. This location also offers crepes, gelato, milkshakes and beverages.

Froyo for Travelers

Penn Station’s Chickpea cafes feature Red Mango frozen yogurt. You can also find Red Mango at JFK International Airport Terminal 7 and LaGuardia International Airport.

Of course there are many other froyo shops in NYC, including 16 Handles, Pinkberry, Yogurtland, Red Mango, Off the Wall, YoArt, Yorganic, Fresko, Uptown Swirl, etc. Unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to visit them all.

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

Looking for more frozen yogurt news, discussion boards, and resources? Check out the International Frozen Yogurt Association website at http://internationalfrozenyogurt.com/. The IFYA is the independent voice of the frozen yogurt industry.