NYC Froyo Shops Coming Soon

 

Fro-yo girl here. During our visit to NYC, we also walked by the future Mimi’s in Greenwich Village. Located at 84 University Pl, it’s near NYU. The shop opened on March 2. Greenwich/West Village seems to be the place to be for froyo.

Go Greek, which first opened in Beverly Hills, CA, is also coming to NYC soon. The new storefront will be at Great Jones St. & Broadway in NOHO. Mythos Greek Frozen Yogurt also has plans to open in NYC and Myka has signs up at 159 7th Ave South near Waverly Pl.

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.

Innovative Froyo Shop: Victory Garden in New York City

Fro-yo girl here. Goat milk – yay or nay? If you love goat milk, you’ll likely love Victory Garden, a unique goat milk soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt shop in the West Village of NYC. The petite shop is an ode to the goat and to healthy, local eating. A large picture of goats dominates one brick wall. The logo is a stylized image of a goat’s head.

The goat milk is sourced from a local farm. Soups, baked goods and some of the toppings are housemade, others are locally sourced. Flavors and toppings are seasonal. Gluten free baked goods and toppings are offered. The flavors are more sophisticated and the toppings healthier.

Flavors of the day:

* Tangy goat milk: The goat milk yogurt flavor is distinctive and delicious without being too strong (or too weak). 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.

* Date yogurt

* Salted caramel: Sweeter than the tangy goat milk flavor, salt flavor is subtle

* Chocolate rosemary

Toppings included fresh fruit (just strawberries during my visit), cocoa nibs, sauces (rose quince, honey, agave), sprinkles, nuts, cookies, coconut, granola and dried mulberries. Toppings labeled premium (vs. regular) are available for an additional charge ($2.19 for one premium topping, $1.09 for one regular topping). I enjoyed the sour cherry topping, with lots of chewy whole sour cherries in a sweet syrup. 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.

Prices: Kid ($4.75)/ Doe ($5.50)/ Buck ($6.75)/ Hero ($12.99)

In addition to soft serve in a cup or gluten free cone, Victory Garden has juices, chia parfaits, baked goods (e.g., brownies, carrot cake with goat cheese frosting), goat milk smoothies, sandwiches, mastic coffee, tea and goat milk Greek yogurt (not frozen). Baked goods are made with housemade goat milk butter. They also sell Victory Garden t-shirts and goaty products like soap and so forth. Pick up your loyalty card. Seating is limited.

4.5 out of 5 stars

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

* VICTORY GARDEN: 31 Carmine St., New York (West Village), NY 10014

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.

Fro-yo Postcards from NYC

Fro-yo girl here. I wanted to share a few fro-yo related pictures I took on my recent trip to NYC. They include:

* Yogurt Culture (125 Park Ave.): the newish fresh and frozen yogurt place by Grand Central Terminal imagined by Dannon
* 16 Handles (153 2nd Ave.): packed at night despite the intense cold, the glowing sign is so inviting
* Roastown (267 W. 34th St.): with its cute sign for fro-yo, sushi, coffee and more, in Midtown, a good area to shop for clothes
* Red Mango (11 W. 32nd St.): it's 59 cents an ounce, NYC fro-yo is more expensive, ouch

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

Fro-yo Report: NYC

Fro-yo girl here. I recently visited NYC and walked around looking for fro-yo shops. I spotted over a dozen shops though some were closed (for good or for the season) and one hadn’t opened yet. It was clear that the battle for NYC dominance is currently between self-serve shop, 16 Handles, and fro-yo icon, Pinkberry.

Pinkberry currently has 13 stores in NYC with a new one swirling soon to 93rd and Broadway. It also has one location in Brooklyn and another swirling soon. 16 Handles has 9 locations in Manhattan with one handling soon on Bleecker St, 3 locations in Brooklyn and 2 locations in Queens. The 16 Handles location that I visited was clean and friendly, with better than average toppings and cute signature fro-yo spoons.

Yogurt Station at St. Mark’s Place has closed, Rize Coffee no longer offers fro-yo, and Yogurberry in Park Slope said it was closed for the season. While Yogurtland is in NYC, I didn’t walk or drive by either of their two locations (one in Lenox Hill, one in Brooklyn). Yogorino had a $1 mini fro-yo Winter promotion (M-F from 5 - 7 PM) that caught my eye. I didn’t spot any fro-yo trucks.

When in NYC, I recommend going to Park Slope in Brooklyn to try Culture: An American Yogurt Company. They make their own Greek style yogurt which is then used to make their delicious frozen yogurt. The fro-yo I tried had a wonderful, creamy, thick texture, natural flavor and less sugar than usual. It’s fro-yo for true fro-yo lovers. I was also impressed with their toppings, which included housemade salted caramel popcorn, gingerbread cookies, key lime custard, cardamom roasted pineapple in maple syrup and strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar.

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

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/