Still stuck at your desk, huh? You deserve an ice cream cone, the kind that Baskin-Robbins is scooping for 31 cents until 10 pm tonight.
The original store opened in Glendale, California in 1945 and was called Snowbird. Though there are plenty of shops in the US these days, there are also tons of them worldwide. (Japan alone has more than 850.)
We don't normally go for chains 'round here, but, hey, cheap ice cream. And aren't you sick of Pinkberry by now?
Done with Tasti-D and over Pinkberry? Us too. Step up for the next NYC cold-yogurt-contender: Yolato, which opens its latest location just south of Grand Central today. Yolato is yogurt gelato, claiming to be healthier than regular gelato, with a smooth, creamy texture, despite having less fat and less cholesterol than the good stuff. Of course they have a zillion flavors--OK, over 100--and they make Yolato sorbet, crepes and cakes, too.
This new store promises to be bigger than all the others, with the same brightly colored displays and shelves laden with fresh fruit. Is it just us or does the store sign--above--remind you of an 80s throwback? The best part about tomorrow's opening: free stuff. There will be boatloads of free samples as well as a drawing for a free bright orange Vespa. We'll eat any newfangled fro-yo for a chance at that!
After we put out the call to have our burning questions about the secret ingredient in the dessert dished by L.A. and N.Y.C. chain Pinkberry, one expert shared his thoughts with us.
A Jaunted reader, who would rather remain anonymous, used to be in the frozen yogurt business himself in the 1970s, an experience he described as, "Fun, but we ate all the profits behind the counter... I tried the Pinkberry and loved it actually, hence my extreme disappointment when I learned..."
On Monday, Jaunted wrote about the mysterious substance known as Pinkberry, the coastal dessert craze that convinced Nicole Richie it was okay to eat again. Last night, one intrepid editor decided to taste it for herself...
The line isn't out the door of New York's West 32nd Street branch of Pinkberry yet, nor are there stretch limos double-parked outside on the Koreatown block. Still, there's a buzz of activity outside the glass-fronted store, and the girl who walks in behind me sends her friend to guard the last tiny, mod round table. The door to the shop is open because it's eight hundred degrees inside the store. This must be part of the health benefits, right? Because I think I just lost five pounds. While I wait I peruse $64 juicers with accompanying glasses, salt and pepper shakers whose feet stick together and, of course, the myriad toppings at the counter.
As far as fads go, we'll call it cooler than POGs but not as dangerous as slap bracelets. The Los Angeles dessert chain Pinkberry gained favor with stars like Paris Hilton, Kate Bosworth and Jake Gyllenhaal who enjoy this low-calorie frozen treat in plain or green tea flavors, piled with fruit, granola or chocolate chips. But what is in a Pinkberry? California health officials have ruled the chain can no longer call that fat-free frosty stuff "frozen yogurt," since it doesn't contain enough active cultures to qualify. Additionally, Pinkberry's signature dish is not made in factories, but made fresh in stores with some kind of mystery ingredient -- which sounds like a bonus to us, but is considered a liability according to state legislation.
The faux yogurt question doesn't look like it will slow down Pinkberry's expansion at all; after building 17 franchises in LA, the chain jumped to New York City where it has been drawing long lines since the dead of winter. Even a mouse problem at its Upper East Side location couldn't keep the socialites and hipsters away. Your move, Tasti-D-Lite.
Now open in time for summer more cold weather is East Village Ice Cream, a small storefront on Avenue B between 13th and 14th Streets--that's smack dab on our favorite block for WiFi. This brand new shop serves a small assortment of simple, homemade flavors (think coffee, strawberry, and chocolate chip) and emphasizes fresh, natural ingredients. The strawberry ice cream (above) is made with fresh strawberries and brown sugar.
The owner recently went into business for himself after working with one of New York's favorite ice cream destinations. The creamery shall not be named--he asked us not to--but there's a good chance you've heard of it, and possibly even drooled over it. Come Spring, when Alphabet Scoop opens back up, East Village Ice Cream will have some competition. But as for yourself...you could do worse than to split your time between the two.
We were so into JetBlue's JetBOO sale that we snatched up a ticket ourselves. The total cost of our round trip to Nashville from JFK? About $80. In order to do Nashville properly, you really do need a car, but since a rental would have pushed our trip out of officially-ridiculously-cheap territory, we took a cab to downtown and did some walking instead. And as any good blog would, we went in search of a wifi pitstop along the way.
We passed a nice place called Global Cafe on Broadway, but it was closed. About to open? Going out of business? We couldn't tell. A few blocks down, we hit Mike's Ice Cream Fountain/Just Java at 208 Broadway and stopped for a coffee. As we were collecting our sustenance, we asked the girl behind the counter about wifi in the area. Good thing we inquired, because it turns out Mike's has it free; we couldn't spot any sort of sign or sticker outside.
What the place lacks in ambience (the setup is more Baskin-Robbins than cozy coffeeshop), it makes up for with that good, free connection. Also, it doesn't seem to be the sort of default place where people like us come to type away the day, so you won't feel rushed or claustrophobic.
As summer comes to an end, you might think you've had just about every type of ice cream available. Think again. Put down the overhyped, $10 gelato, get on the phone and get ahold of some Blue Bell Ice Cream.
On our recent foray into TX, we stopped and asked what the best ice cream around was. The only answer we got was a resounding "Blue Bell." If you find yourself in Houston, take Highway 290 West for about 70 miles, pass the old drive-in theatre, take a right, and park it in the lot at the Blue Bell Creamery. Yes, these are actually the most exact directions available. The company runs tours every day, and is closed on weekends.
Only available in select southern U.S. locales, Blue Bell is ice cream made with cream, sugar, and whatever the freshest ingredients available are. Flavors rotate as fruits come into season; we had the Peaches and Cream, and it was amazing. If they don't sell pints made that day, employees charmingly take 'em home to eat. We have promised ourselves we'll never be caught dead with a pint of ho-hum Breyers again.
