Lucky Charms at Red Mango
I’ll be back next week with the final roundup of the FRO-YOLYMPICS. For now, enjoy some lucky charms from Red Mango!!
FRO-YOLYMPICS DAY 9: Crazy Bananas
Crazy Bananas, our last stop on the frozen yogurt tour, is located in Korea town (between 5th and Madison). On our way to the mom and pop shop, Gloria announced that she could no longer participate in the yogurt tour; after braving the harsh winter winds for the entire day, the tour found out that she was also lactose intolerant. She was such a trooper throughout the entire day and we were really lucky to have her join the tour! Crazy Bananas’ store front:
One thing I’d like to mention about Crazy Bananas – if you go to the fro-yo shop, be sure to check out their “lucky” phallic symbols enclosed in a little shrine by the window. I think there might be a bobble head penis as well!!
1. Size of hole test:
The hole is somewhat noticeable, but it’s not a completely devastating because the hole is on top of a solid frozen yogurt patch.
2. Tanginess vs. creaminess: On a scale from 1 to 5 (one being tangy and five being creamy), Crazy Bananas scored a 3.5, leaning more towards creamy.
3. Topping Variety:
Crazy Bananas fruit toppings and dry cereal toppings like the other yogurt shops we visited. They also have raspberry and blackberry purees; Oko had a variation of the puree (although it might have been syrup there). I think syrups/purees are more popular in Asia – frozen yogurt shops in the US haven’t picked up on the trend (I’ve seen a person ordering Red Mango in Korea and there are lots of syrups you can choose from). We ordered raspberry puree on top of our frozen yogurt, which was a tangy topping (raspberries and water blended together without sugar can be a little tangy/tart).
4. Fruit quality: On a scale of one to five (one being over/under ripe and five being perfectly ripe), Crazy Bananas scored a PERFECT 5!!
5. Calories per ounce: Crazy Bananas had 23g calories/ounce.
6. Price per ounce: Crazy Bananas clocked in at 72 cents/ounce.
7. Atmosphere/quality of service:
8. Iciness vs. Smoothness: On a scale of one to five (one being icy and five being smooth), we rated Crazy Bananas a 2.5; slightly more icy than smooth.
9. Number of flavors: Crazy Bananas carries plain, blueberry, and cranberry, but when I sampled cranberry, I thought it tasted exactly like plain.
10. Resilience to heat:
The yogurt was VERY resilient to heat and we saw very little melting.
11. Topping Quantity/Presentation:
The frozen yogurt was beautifully topped with a nice drizzle of raspberry puree (which added a really pretty color to the yogurt!). Also, look at how many blackberries the owner gave us – TEN BLACKBERRIES. Red Mango, please take note!
We ended our tour on a semi-high note; Chris, David, and I all liked Crazy Banana’s somewhat icy yogurt (not far behind was Bethany, who rated it a 3.75). Crazy Banana’s final score was 3.63/5.0. Later this week, we’ll do a complete wrap up of the frozen yogurt tour and announce the winner (if you’re too anxious, you can go through all of the posts and check their final scores to find the winner yourself). Hope you’ve enjoyed the tour!
Here are all of the entries in order (in case you wanted to jump around):
Day 1: Oko
Day 2: Pinkberry
Day 3:Red Mango
Day 4: Yolato
Day 5: 40 Carrots
Day 6: Very Berry
Day 7: Flurt
Day 8: Berry Wild Smooth and Kindy Icy
Day 9: Crazy Bananas
FRO-YOLYMPICS DAY 8: Berry Wild (smooth and kinda icy)
Berry Wild Smooth and kinda icy:
Our second to last stop was Berry Wild, a place that Justin found one day after stumbling out of a bar in the neighborhood. Justin knows the area around Berry Wild very well; Tonic, the bar across the street from Berry Wild, is Justin’s second home. Berry Wild is special for two reasons (well, two that I know of): 1. they have a kosher-friendly frozen yogurt and 2. they have two ways of preparation – smooth and “kinda icy” (their phrase). Smooth is very similar to 40 carrots’ yogurt while kinda icy is like Pinkberry’s. We tried both (OBVIOUSLY). We’re evaluating both types of frozen yogurt here, but separately. Today will be a DOUBLE post. Berry Wild’s storefront:
1. Size of the hole:
I only took a picture for kinda icy’s hole, but the hole was *very* small for both frozen yogurts.
2. Tanginess vs. creaminess: On a scale from 1 to 5 (one being tangy and five being creamy), Berry Wild’s kinda icy scored a tangy 2 and smooth scored a 4 (smooth was much more creamy).
3. Topping Variety:
Berry Wild had a creative raspberry truffle chocolate chip topping you could add to your yogurt. I think it would go well with the smooth frozen yogurt since it was creamy like ice cream.
4. Fruit quality: On a scale of one to five (one being over/under ripe and five being perfectly ripe), Berry Wild scored a perfect 5!! Their blueberries were large and plump and their mangoes were very ripe (just like Flurt’s fruit!)
5. Calories per ounce: Berry Wild only had nutritional information for their special flavor, Caribou coffee. It had 23g calories/ounce (but it wasn’t being served during our tour).
6. Price per ounce: Berry Wild clocked in at 63 cents/ounce (both types of frozen yogurt were the same price).
7. Atmosphere/quality of service: Berry Wild had cool looking chairs and tables all over the place. Also, they have a Purell hand-sanitizer dispenser by the front door so you can clean up after eating frozen yogurt (how thoughtful!).
8. Iciness vs. Smoothness: On a scale of one to five (one being icy and five being smooth), we rated Berry Wild’s kinda icy a 2; slightly more icy than smooth and Berry Wild’s smooth a 5 (VERY SMOOTH).
9. Number of flavors: Berry Wild only has plain and coffee (although coffee wasn’t working the day we went).
10. Resilience to heat:
(Kinda icy – left, smooth – right)
Kinda icy did better than smooth in the resilience to heat category, but both yogurts had some meltage.
11. Topping Quantity/Presentation:
Kinda icy (with mangoes):
Smooth (blueberries and raspberries):
Berry Wild was very generous with their toppings (look at how much fruit they gave us!). We were very happy with the results.
As you can see from the results, we had a mixed reaction with both frozen yogurts. Dan and Bethany preferred the smooth frozen yogurt (they also really enjoyed 40 carrot’s frogurt), but Chris preferred kinda icy (Chris and I have always liked the icy consistency of Pinkberry’s frozen yogurt). Smooth scored a 3.71/5.0 and kinda icy scored a 3.43/5.0. Even though Chris and I preferred the kinda icy consistency, the majority of our tour still leans toward the old-fashioned smooth and creamy style of frozen yogurt. Tomorrow, on our last day of the frozen yogurt tour, we will visit Crazy Bananas!!
Here are all of the entries in order (in case you wanted to jump around):
Day 1: Oko
Day 2: Pinkberry
Day 3:Red Mango
Day 4: Yolato
Day 5: 40 Carrots
Day 6: Very Berry
Day 7: Flurt
Day 8: Berry Wild Smooth and Kindy Icy
Day 9: Crazy Bananas
FRO-YOLYMPICS: POSTPONED
The remaining two locations (Berry Wild and Crazy Bananas) will be posted NEXT WEEK. I PROMISE. Here’s a puppy to show you how sad I am about postponing the fro-yolympics:
Here are some other reviews to look forward to:
Shopsins, Egg, Levain Bakery, Chow Bar, Ennju, Union Square Cafe, La Focaccia, and Bouley.
Have a wonderful week!
Grace
FRO-YOLYMPICS DAY 7: Flurt
After our quick stop in the east village for Very Berry, we hopped on the subway and headed to Flurt, a small shop in midtown east. Flurt is a cute frozen yogurt store with lots of interesting seating (there’s cool wood panelling and fun – but wobbly – chairs). It’s pretty small (only four of five tables), but very chic:
1. Size of the hole:
There’s NO HOLE! WOW! Amazing!! We’re off to a good start…
2. Tanginess vs. creaminess: On a scale from 1 to 5 (one being tangy and five being creamy), Flurt scored a 2.5, leaning more towards tangy.
3. Topping Variety:
Flurt had lots of basic toppings, including pomegranate seeds. Their fruit toppings were stored in metal containers and the dry toppings (including cereal and coconut shavings) were in colorful bowls.
4. Fruit quality:On a scale of one to five (one being over/under ripe and five being perfectly ripe), Flurt scored a PERFECT 5!! Their blueberries were large and plump and their mangoes were very ripe.
5. Calories per ounce: Flurt had 23g calories/ounce.
6. Price per ounce: Flurt clocked in at 72 cents/ounce.
7. Atmosphere/quality of service:Flurt had a really pleasant wheatgrass smell while we were visiting (similar to Jamba Juice’s, but BETTER). There was some upbeat music playing in the background and surprisingly, there were a lot of surveillance cameras watching us eat our frozen yogurt.
8. Iciness vs. Smoothness: On a scale of one to five (one being icy and five being smooth), we rated Flurt a 2; slightly more icy than smooth.
9. Number of flavors:Flurt only has one flavor: plain Greek strained yogurt.
10. Resilience to heat:
The yogurt was VERY resilient to heat and we saw very little melting.
11. Topping Quantity/Presentation:
The guys working at Flurt that night was very nice – he gave us lots of toppings. Frozen yogurt + lots of toppings = happy judges.
Ariel’s results are missing because he had to go back to work, but everyone else thought Flurt really hit the spot. Flurt’s final score was a high4.21/5.0. I was pleasantly surprised with Flurt’s frozen yogurt and I’m waiting for them to open more stores around the city. Tomorrow, we will visit Berry Wild, where we’ll have TWO reviews!
Here are all of the entries in order (in case you wanted to jump around):
Day 1: Oko
Day 2: Pinkberry
Day 3:Red Mango
Day 4: Yolato
Day 5: 40 Carrots
Day 6: Very Berry
Day 7: Flurt
Day 8: Berry Wild Smooth and Kindy Icy
Day 9: Crazy Bananas
