Tuttimelon Broadway Grand Reopening Coverage

Fro-yo girl here. Believe it or not, there were TWO Tuttimelon openings this weekend. Today was the grand reopening of their Broadway location. I don't think it was heavily promoted and that was a wise decision. Once the locals figured out there was free fro-yo, it was plenty crowded. In fact, with all the Chinese people pouring in, they almost ran out of fro-yo (really, ha ha).



I have a special fondness for this location, formerly Yoogo Gelato, the predecessor of Tuttimelon. It was with Yoogo that Mr. Tuttimelon honed his gelato making skills (later his refined palate and passion for quality would lead to the creation of tuttilicious fro-yo). And now this special spot is the home of the first combined Tuttimelon/Tea Way location. The official name is Tuttimelon but they have the full Tea Way menu of boba drinks and tasty snacks like fried tofu, popcorn chicken, squid, etc., priced at $2.99 each. They still sell gelato, just like in the old Yoogo days.



Guests received free fro-yo from 12 - 3 PM and a raffle ticket. I didn't stick around for the drawing but they gave away Tuttimelon gift cards and the grand prize was a Blu Ray player. It's a smaller location but very nice, design wise. They squeezed in three fro-yo machines (6 self-serve flavors, 38 cents each) on a lovely wall with rectangular grey/blue/white tiles. They kept the wavy white wall. The flavors were geared towards the Asian crowd (black sesame gelato, taro fro-yo). About Tea Way, they came up with the innovative idea of letting you put your own "toppings" in a cup and they they'll add your drink. I didn't see the tapioca balls but I forgot to look at the toppings closely.

Tuttimelon Burlingame is the next grand opening! Now I have to keep track of Tea Way openings too.

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

Tuttimelon Mercado Grand Opening Coverage

Fro-yo girl here. Tuttimelon Bear and I were behind the scenes at today's Tuttimelon grand opening. He has a new Tuttimelon pillow that he loves (thanks Tuttimelon!). I helped out with typing up the toppings labels again and got to view the festivities from behind the counter. We saw the Tuttimobile parked out front (exciting).



The first 25 people in line received Tuttimelon their choice of black or brown t-shirts designed by Mr. Tuttimelon. Guests received free fro-yo (a small cup that they could fill to their heart's content with fro-yo and toppings) from 12 - 2 PM. The prize wheel wasn't there but they had the drawing at 2:15 PM. Prizes included Tuttimelon gift cards, Guitar Hero (the guitar + games - won by a little boy), and the grand prize, a Tiffany heart necklace (the winner was a guy, he seemed embarrassed).

There was a steady line for the fro-yo. In terms of decor, there's plenty of seating and tons of white and green pillows. The place is comfy and would be a perfect place to hang out before or after a movie (and they have restrooms). The fro-yo wall has a different look, a red mosaic. I like how the different locations all look slightly different yet still share some elements, like the orange & white chairs and those pretty lacy hanging globes. The flatscreen LCD monitors weren't there but I'm guessing that they're on the way.



The new location has 10 fro-yo flavors and toppings (38 cents an ounce), 24 gelato and sorbet flavors and pastries (scones, cookies, etc.). I didn't see black sesame gelato (otherwise I would have tried some).

Fro-yo flavors of the day:
* Vanilla
* Chocolate
* Coconut tart
* Strawberry tart
* Pineapple tart
* Original tart
* Peach tart
* Mango tart
* Taro tart
* Pomegranate tart

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

Pinkberry vs. Red Mango: The Chocolate Wars

Fro-yo girl here. With Red Mango and Pinkberry introducing chocolate fro-yo around the same time, this feels like their pomegranate fro-yo war, part 2. Here's how the two compare.

* PINKBERRY'S DARK CHOCOLATE FRO-YO: Thick and glossy, their fro-yo is very chocolatey and rich. It should suit those who like traditional tasting chocolate. I'd top it with almonds or peppermint shavings. The Pinkberry employee recommended having chocolate and coconut fro-yo side by side.

* RED MANGO'S COCOA FRO-YO: Creamy and tangy, with a lighter chocolate taste, it's good for people who enjoy the taste of real yogurt.

Which one would I choose? Red Mango. It tastes more like fro-yo (Pinkberry's version is sweeter and more ice cream-like) and comes with complimentary organic chocolate sauce! Enjoy it while you can because it's a limited edition flavor.

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

Yoppi Montgomery About to Open?

Fro-yo girl here. I've got new Yoppi Yogurt pictures to share. The glass storefront is still papered over but I peeked in and saw three fro-yo machines (they were easily accessible, so this will be another self-serve location). The fro-yo machines were on. I didn't see tables or construction materials but since the machines are on, they must be close to opening.

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

* YOPPI YOGURT: 100 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA

Fro-yo Pictures of the Week

Fro-yo girl here. I wanted to share these pictures before they get too old. First, I did drive by Nubi Portero Center SF. Their sign isn't up and there isn't much to see - it's replacing the Ritz Camera and they've posted a job card in the window.



Second, I found another brand of mini mochi rice cakes at Sunset Super, called SoGo. SoGo is Taiwanese. Sunset Super had two flavors, Strawberry and Green Tea, $2.99 per package. The inside of the package looked moist, so I didn't buy any. The mochi in the strawberry package looked like one big melted together lump (yuck).

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

* SUNSET SUPER: 2425 Irving St, San Francisco, CA

Burlingame, the New Fro-yo Hot Spot

Fro-yo girl here. I stopped by Burlingame today to check on the future Tuttimelon (saw the temporary sign and I thought I took a picture of it but it didn't turn out) and future Blush. I saw workmen in both and the race is on to see which one will open first. Tuttimelon's always so fast!



I also spotted the Quickly fro-yo sign and when I crossed the street to get a better look, I noticed the Cherimoya Yogurt sign. At first I thought they came out with a new flavor, cherimoya (and I was intrigued, I'm still wondering what cherimoya fro-yo would taste like).



Actually, Cherimoya is the name of the new fro-yo shop that's taking over the Quickly space. They're going up against Blush, Tuttimelon and Harmony? I don't envy them at all.

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

Pinkberry Palo Alto Opens, Overheard New Location News

Fro-yo girl here. I'm liking Pinkberry much more now that they added some new toppings, created some new fro-yo flavors and added the unlimited toppings policy. Adding the mini size and the satisfaction guaranteed “if your masterpiece does not inspire chilly bliss let us swirl you a new one" are customer friendly moves too.

I always thought that Stanford Shopping Center would be the perfect location for them. About a year ago, Orange Tree was supposed to open a location there (someone told me they saw a sign, I never saw the sign but it was listed on the Orange Tree website). I'm glad that didn't open because their frozen yogurt just isn't good and not at the level of Stanford Shopping Center (the best outdoor shopping center in the Bay Area).



I missed opening day (yesterday) but they were still handing out free fro-yo with as many toppings as you asked for today (free till closing time today). While I was there, I noticed they were taking pictures of some Pinkberry execs behind the counter. The Pinkberry execs occupied the two tables in the shop and they were talking loudly about their new location in Westfield San Francisco Center. I wanted to eavesdrop longer but there wasn't any place to sit. Anyway, they said it would be by the food court and Bristol Farms. Westfield is going to remodel part of the lower level. Sur La Table will be moving in along with Pinkberry.

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

* PINKBERRY STANFORD: Stanford Shopping Center, 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA