SoCal Fro-Yo Report: Flavored Mochi Balls at Twist

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve found another place in SoCal that’s worthy of extra attention from fro-yoholics, or should I say mochiholics. It’s called Twist and at 28 cents an ounce, they claim to be the cheapest self-serve fro-yo shop in the US. The sheer variety of fro-yo and toppings is astounding: 14 flavors of fro-yo (sweet, tart), over 50 toppings including fresh fruit (and my favorite, pomegranate seeds).

The fro-yo is good but the real attraction at Twist is their flavored mochi balls, made exclusively for Twist.

During my visit they had the following mochi balls:
* Plain
* Pineapple
* Blueberry
* Strawberry
* Chocolate
* Coconut

I tried plain, pineapple, blueberry and strawberry. The mochi balls were soft, chewy and tiny (I prefer larger mochi balls). They should tone down the food coloring though. While I prefer the mochi topping at sno:la, Twist is much cheaper and more convenient (in terms of parking). If there are other places in SoCal where you can find homemade mochi balls, drop me a line – I need to know.

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

* TWIST FROZEN YOGURT: 12105 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

SoCal Fro-Yo Favorite: sno:la

Fro-yo girl here. I apologize for my absence. I've been busy eating fro-yo (of course) in SoCal. Though I haven't been able to visit every SoCal fro-yo shop, I've fallen in love with one above all others in the area, sno:la.

Why sno:la? Their organic Italian tart stands apart from other tart fro-yos. It's quite sour and tastes closer to plain yogurt. The flavor is pure and fresh. And it's better for you too. It is made without any refined white sugar.

They also have unique fro-yo flavors like fig & date, pumpkin pie, sour cherry, and gojiberry. I get the sense that the flavors come from the fruit, not powders or syrups.

Toppings are also better than what you'll usually find, including their own sauces (e.g., sour cherry), aloe vera, nata de coco and best of all, homemade mochi (plain, green tea, strawberry). Their mochi topping is the freshest I've had and it also seems to be all natural. Get this - they don't cut the mochi till you order it!

sno:la is a green business. Look around the shop and you'll see recycled materials. Cups and utensils are biodegradable. They also donate to Slow Food USA and United Nations World Food Programme.

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

* sno:la - 244 North Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, CA

Pink Carpet News: Pinkberry Grand Opening Event on 1/22

Fro-yo girl here with fresh news for Bay Area fro-yoholics. Pinkberry is rolling out the pink carpet for the grand opening of their first Northern California store on Thursday, Jan. 22nd. The invitation only event will feature complimentary fro-yo and a DJ. The event will be hosted by the CEO of Pinkberry, Ron Graves.

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

* PINKBERRY: Santana Row, 355 Olin Ave., San Jose, CA

Yogurt Drinks: Yogu Time Review

Fro-yo girl here. I’ve seen bottled yogurt drinks at Asian supermarkets for years and I finally purchased one to try from Sunset Super. It’s called Yogu Time and I opted for the Original flavor.

The beverage is non-carbonated and looks like milky colored water. It tastes like the Yoggi drink you can get a Tuttimelon but sweeter. It was okay – light, somewhat refreshing, a little tangy. I’m going to pass on it because it doesn’t have enough natural yogurt flavor (it tastes a bit like candy) and I don’t need the extra high fructose corn syrup. Nothing about live active cultures is mentioned on the packaging.

* Details: 10 ounces, glass bottle, 99 cents
* Ingredients: Water, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, nonfat yogurt, pectin, citric acid, lactic acid, natural and artificial flavor, sodium citrate
* Flavors: Original, White peach, Lychee, Strawberry, Orange, Melon
* Tagline: “Any Time is Yogu Time”

2.5 stars (out of 5)

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

Yogurt Bar Mission Closed Till April

Fro-yo girl here. On my way back from Tuttimelon, I happened to walk down Mission St. and I peered into Yogurt Bar. There was a paper sign taped to the door announcing that they were closed for the season (until March 31). Let's see if they reopen. I won't be too sad if they don't.

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

* YOGURT BAR MISSION: 680 Mission St, San Francisco

Fro-Yo Girl's Wish List for 2009

Fro-yo girl here. A new year of fro-yo is upon us accompanied as usual with hopes and dreams for a better future. What does fro-yo girl wish for? Let’s see.

• Soy fro-yo: It already exists but is hard to find. Soy milk is mainstream now and there are plenty of lactose intolerant individuals. I’m not lactose intolerant but I love soy milk.
• Kefir fro-yo: The new Starfruit in Chicago offers kefir fro-yo. I’m definitely intrigued.
• New fro-yo flavors: I hope more fro-yo shops follow the example set by Culture and Chill by coming up with new fro-yo flavors. I’m hoping for two flavors in particular: honey and Meyer lemon.
• Mochi at Culture Organic Frozen Yogurt: Everyone knows that I love Culture and its homemade toppings but I still miss my mochi balls. I also wish I didn’t have to drive 40 miles for their fro-yo.
• More homemade mochi all over: What can I say, mochi balls are my favorite fro-yo topping. Maybe some place will even offer moffles (mochi waffles)?
• Tuttimelon’s growth continues: Tuttimelon already has the most locations in the Bay Area (5 in 2008) and there are 9 more on the way (for now). I’m all for the world domination of Tuttimelon!
• Fro-yo at Target and Trader Joe’s: They carry yogurt parfaits and are responsive to trends. Adding fro-yo wouldn’t be so difficult.
• Tart fro-yo in your local supermarket freezer section. There’s a real market opportunity here that I’m sure someone will see and pursue in 2009.

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

Best Cities for Fro-Yo in 2008

Fro-yo girl here. Happy New Year, fro-yoholics. For my first post of 2009, I'd like to recognize certain cities for leading the way in fro-yoland. In other words, these cities are the best in the Bay Area for fro-yo. To earn a place on the list, the city must have the following:

(1) Quantity of fro-yo shops
(2) Quality of fro-yo shops
(3) Innovativeness of fro-yo offerings

And the winners are:

1. Palo Alto - scores the highest on innovation thanks to Culture (homemade toppings, organic fro-yo of the highest quality) and Fraiche (great homemade mochi). Quality is also high with Red Mango in the mix, along with Culture and Fraiche. You can even find fro-yo on the Stanford campus at the Axe & Palm. Avoid Michael's Gelato and the future Orange Tree location.

2. San Francisco - Yogurt Bar was the first tart fro-yo shop in town but they have since been overtaken by many better tasting fro-yo shops. SF scores the highest on the quantity factor with fro-yo available all over town (with the highest concentration in the Financial District), including liquor stores (e.g., Michaeli's, New Russian Hill), pizza shops (Blondie's), malls (SoGreen, LoveBerry) and college campuses (Natural Sensations). Chains such as Yogen Fruz and Cefiore are represented along with homegrown high quality favorites, Tuttimelon, Jubili, Swirl Culture, Caffe Ambrosia, and Chill. Self-serve joints are represented as well (Yoppi, Icebee, Happy Yogurt). Chill ups SF's innovation score.

3. Cupertino - another high scoring city when it comes to quantity but not as high as SF in terms of innovativeness. Those who work and live in Cupertino have no shortage of fro-yo shops to choose from, including my one of my favorites, Red Mango, and a good self-serve spot, Tartini. For sweet fro-yo, check out I Love Yogurt for massive portions. Other fro-yo shops include the ever popular Yogurtland, Froyo? (you can eat fro-yo while watching a movie at Vallco), DIY Yogurt

4. Berkeley - started out strong with Ryno's, Yogurt Harmony, Papamingo and Michelle's Yogurt but new fro-yo shops have been slow to open. Of course Berkeley will forever be known as the home of Yogurt Park (known affectionately as YoPa). Though they specialize in soft serve ice cream, Sketch has fabulous tart fro-yo. The new year should see the arrival of Tuttimelon and other shops.

Support your fro-yo shop in 2009.

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