Showing posts with label Pink Swirl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pink Swirl. Show all posts

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Fro-Yo Shops with Free Wi-Fi



Fro-yo girl here. The other day I saw the most adorable free wi-fi signs at Tuttimelon West Portal. They inspired me to make a list of Bay Area fro-yo shops with free wi-fi. Very few have power outlets. With the exception of Tuttimelon, I’ve only reviewed the ones that I’ve been to with my laptop.

* TUTTIMELON (2240 Chestnut St. and 44 West Portal Ave., San Francisco, CA): Other Tuttimelon locations may have free wi-fi but these are the only two that I’m certain have it.

Advantages: Tuttilicious fro-yo, gelato & more, bathroom, general feeling of tuttiliciousness
Disadvantages: Parking can be a challenge, lack of power outlets

* GELAYO GUSTO (856 W El Camino Real, Mountain View, CA): I haven’t been here for months but based on my last visit, it’s the best fro-yo shop to for your laptop. It hasn’t been the same since the ownership changed though.

Advantages: Free, plentiful parking with no time limit, power outlets, food (sandwiches), drinks (coffee), accepts credit cards, music isn’t too loud or annoying
Disadvantages: None that I can think of except that it’s not what it used to be

* RED MANGO (852 Laurel St., San Carlos, CA): This is a nice place to hang out with your laptop and a cup of fro-yo though I seem to recall that I couldn’t find a power outlet.

Advantages: Comfy seating, great ambiance, free & easy parking, great iced tea drinks
Disadvantages: Lack of power outlets, too many pillows to contend with in San Carlos

* JUBILI (1515 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA): I was able to work on my laptop for a few hours here. I like the design but it’s not the best place to work.

Advantages: Like the clean, white décor, bathroom, open earlier than most fro-yo places so you can have breakfast there (hot cereal, cold cereal, regular yogurt parfaits), secure wi-fi, not too noisy
Disadvantages: Parking is a pain, one power outlet in an inconvenient location

* SWEET CONNECTIONS (430 San Mateo Ave., San Bruno, CA): They have power outlets but the noise level is distracting.

Advantages: Power outlets, coffee, free parking should be available
Disadvantages: Feels like being in a day care center, décor isn’t as nice as some of the other more sophisticated looking fro-yo shops

* SIP CAFÉ (1412 Camden Ave., Campbell, CA): I may have gone on a bad day but it felt very warm inside and I couldn’t find a power outlet

Advantages: Opens early, coffee, pastries, plenty of seating, free & easy parking
Disadvantages: Closes early, hard to find power outlet

* BLUSH DUBLIN (4640-A Tassajara Rd., Dublin, CA): What a cute shop. It always feels lively and welcoming.

Advantages: Great fro-yo, free parking, Peet’s nearby, bathroom, likely to be offered free water or juice
Disadvantages: Music is louder than average, just one power outlet

* CAFÉ VERONA (46999 Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont, CA): It has a coffee house feel which makes me feel comfortable hanging out there with my laptop.

Advantages: Relatively inexpensive fro-yo, comfy booth seating, sandwiches, easy (and free) parking
Disadvantages: Closes early, couldn’t find a power outlet

* HONEYBERRY (3488 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA): Many pros but I didn’t like my sandwich and the tables are too close together.

Advantages: Sandwiches + fro-yo, free parking
Disadvantages: Couldn’t find power outlet, noisy (maybe because tables are so close together)

* PINK SWIRL (43423 Mission Blvd., Fremont, CA): It was easy & comfy to hang out here with my laptop.

Advantages: Free (and easy parking), relaxed environment, flatscreen TV, power outlets
Disadvantages: There’s a room for little kids

Other fro-yo shops with free wi-fi: So Frais, Nubi, Green Cup, Yogurt Bees, Delatti, Yogurt Harmony, Park Mini Mart, Union Street Coffee Roastery, Hello Desserts, McBerryZ Frozen Treats, Whimsical Frozen Yogurt, Café Verona, Yogurt Paradise, Café Yolicious, Quickly

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

Friday, April 24, 2009

Eco-Friendly Fro-yo Shops


Fro-yo girl here. I should have posted this before Earth Day (April 22) but consider this a belated recognition of the Bay Area fro-yo shops out there who use compostable fro-yo cups and spoons. Culture goes the extra step, incorporating recycled materials in their shop design and giving you a discount for using your own fro-yo bowl (brilliant idea and I love my fro-yo bowl).

Here’s my list of eco-conscious fro-yo shops:
* Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt
* Yogurt Harmony
* Zuckersuss
* Pink Swirl
* Snowbunny
* Yogurt Shack

Eat fro-yo and show that you care about the Earth.

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

* CULTURE ORGANIC FROZEN YOGURT: 340 S. California Ave, Palo Alto, CA
* YOGURT HARMONY: 2259 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA
* ZUCKERSUSS: 1081 B St, Hayward, CA
* PINK SWIRL: 43423 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA
* SNOWBUNNY YOGURT: 312 Center St, Healdsburg, CA
* YOGURT SHACK: 290 Hartz Ave, Danville, CA

Monday, April 6, 2009

Mochi Update: Invasion of the Rainbow Colored Mochi


Fro-yo girl here. I first blogged about my favorite topping, mochi balls, in October 2008 and it’s time for an update because the Korean brand that is used by most tart fro-yo shops, Dae Doo Food Co., very recently introduced a colored version of mochi (bingsoo rice cake). The new colored mochi balls aren’t flavored. They taste the same as the white version. The mochi balls come in pink, green, yellow and blue. They’ve been spotted at Fro-ggie and Tuttimelon.

Someone in the US should seriously manufacture mochi balls for fro-yo shops (and make some flavored versions too). I worry that Dae Doo Food Co. won’t be able to keep up with mochi demand.

Since my October posting, several other fro-yo shops started offering homemade mochi balls and they deserve to be mentioned here: Hello Desserts, Yogurtastic, and Pink Swirl. I wish I could say more but I haven’t had tried the homemade mochi at Hello Desserts or Yogurtastic. The Pink Swirl variety comes from a Japanese bakery in Los Angeles, Fugetsu-do: http://www.fugetsu-do.com/buymochi.htm

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

* HELLO DESSERTS: 1698 Hostetter Rd, San Jose, CA
* YOGURTASTIC: 3924 Washington Blvd, Fremont, CA
* PINK SWIRL: 43423 Mission Blvd, Fremont, CA
* FRO-GGIE: 1554 Washington Blvd, Fremont, CA 94539
* TUTTIMELON SAN MATEO: 165 E. 4th Ave., San Mateo, CA
* TUTTIMELON POLK: 2125 Polk St, San Francisco