Monday, February 26, 2007

Pinkberry: my crack/ambrosia
For the past year, congeries of women in Ugg boots have lined up outside a chain of shops called Pinkberry to get a taste of Los Angeles’s newest take on the airy, low-fat treat of yore.

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This is a very timely post, admist all the controversy surrounding the chain. After our dumpling session, we proceeded down the street to the popular fro-yo maker, whose addictive yogurt is considered by some to be "the taste that launched 1000 parking tickets." A favorite of celebrities, among whom include Paris Hilton, Pinkberry has stirred up quite a bit of trouble in LA -- episodes including a menacing threat, a lawsuit, and a gazillion parking tickets, among other things. The original started in West Hollywood, but three have since sprung up in New York.

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The store is very secretive about operations. The sign on the door prohibits pictures, and I was unsuccessful in getting interior pictures last time I visited. This time, however, I managed to steal a couple shots, though I still have yet to take pictures of the actual toppings.

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Another shot, for good measure.

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Pinkberry's yogurt is quite different from "typical" fro-yo, which more closely resembles an artificially sweetened, low calorie (flavorless) ice cream. I was a bit taken aback by my first taste in November: this yogurt was in fact sour, with a hint of tanginess. I couldn't decide whether I enjoyed it, so I kept eating it. Sure enough, I was addicted; I likened the yogurt to crack, which the article itself also gathers:

"It doesn’t immediately grab you, but there is something about the flavor that draws you in, and each time you go back you taste something a little bit different. The next thing you know, it’s like crack.”

The fruit toppings include mangos, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, mango, kiwi, strawberry, and bananas. The more "inspired" toppings include oreos, chocolate, Cap'n Crunch, Cocoa Pebbles, granola, and nuts. While the fruit was a nice touch, I could've just gone for the yogurt plain. If there were one thing I could complain about, it would be the hole in the middle of the cup. I dislike how the workers just fill up the cup around the perimeter, leaving a gaping cylinder of air smack in the middle. I want my yogurt, dammit!

They also offer the ambrosia in green tea, over which I did not fawn. It was softer and grainier, and considerably less addictive. They also offer smoothies and shaved ice, but I was too keen on getting my yogurt to try them this time. Already, I'm suffering from withdrawal; thank goodness I will be working in the city this summer.

Pinkberry
1577 2nd Ave / 7W 32nd Street / 170 8th Ave
New York, NY

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

2/27/2007 6:39 PM  
Blogger Douglas Cress said...

Zeus definately enjoys Pinkberry - all the gods do at Mt. Olympus.

3/12/2007 5:06 PM  

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