Live from NYC: Flavaboom Frozen Yogurt Lounge

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

Live from NYC: Fro-yo Trucks!

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/

Fro-yo in Southwest Virginia by Guest Blogger Helene K.

Fro-yo girl here. Much as I'd like to visit every fro-yo shop in the planet, the reality is that I'm geographically limited. However, fro-yo fans are just about everywhere. I'm very pleased to have guest blogger and friend, Helene K. She's been gracious enough to report on the fro-yo scene in southwest Virginia. Thank you, 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! In a little corner of southwest Virginia, the New River Valley has two fro-yo shops: BTO Self-Serve Yogurt and Yogi Factory. Both shops are located near universities: BTO is near Radford University and Yogi Factory is near Virginia Tech (hence the popular music playing in both stores caters to the younger crowd). Both shops do loyalty cards (plus!) and both shops love tart fro-yo (another plus).


But then, they differ in these ways: BTO is a self-service shop with 16 flavors (about ten of them rotated weekly) and a smorgasbord of toppings available. In their toppings selection, they have mashed cake slices, which I have never seen as a topping option in San Francisco or New York. Surprisingly, they also have mochi on hand, despite the low Asian population of the area. It costs $0.39 per ounce of fro-yo/toppings. BTO is actually part of a regional chain, with other locations in Arizona, Ohio and Colorado.

On the other end of the fro-yo spectrum, Yogi Factory is a local, full-service shop with well-trained employees who can swirl up a storm with the fro-yo. They have two original flavors, plain tart & chocolate, along with nine fruit-infused flavors, e.g., pomegranate. Toppings aren’t as plentiful and, on my second visit, there wasn’t any mochi available (considering Blacksburg has a larger population of Asians, I found this very strange). A small cup of fro-yo here (any flavor) is $3.29, and you can choose up to three toppings for an additional $0.99.


The unique thing about Yogi Factory is that they also sell 16 oz. fro-yo smoothies in five fruit combinations. You can also create your own fruit combination (choose two fruits) for the same price of $4.49.

So far, my favorite flavors from BTO are lychee, nutella, and funfetti (think about cake batter ice cream). Yogi Factory’s plain tart and pomegranate-infused are pretty good, too.


Every time I’ve been to BTO, it is buzzing with customers. BTO even made an appearance at our third annual Chili Festival with a portable fro-yo machine. Nothing like fro-yo to cool me down after some chili tasting. To me, BTO seems like a great addition to my hometown and has definitely been trying hard to get out there in the community. Yogi Factory seems to hang back a little, but they have been in the Blacksburg area since 2009, so they must be doing pretty well, too.