For some reason, frozen yogurt reminds me of walking down Broadway in New York, listening to Sonic Youth on my cassette-tape Walkman. Just the thought of it takes me back to the early '90s. Back in the day -- before smoothies took over the world as a healthful treat -- frozen yogurt shops were cropping up on every corner.
I didn't even notice how they'd all disappeared until I heard about Pinkberry, a slick little frozen yogurt shop in L.A. that's been getting lines of customers out the door since it opened a couple of years ago. (And it's popular with skinny celebs, which can't hurt the image.) The place is booming and has spawned more than a dozen new locations. It seemed like a matter of time before something like that landed in the Valley, and then came this note from a friend of a friend: "I'm hooked on what some before me have dubbed "crackberry" frozen yogurt. Have you tried it? It's real name is "Pinkberry." It's out of LA and I found someone here at Grayhawk Plaza who's selling it! I am soooo addicted."
Hold your horses. There's no Pinkberry in Phoenix -- yet -- as far as I know.
However, the place my tipster discovered, Seven Sisters Sweet Shop, really does sell the same exact style of soft-serve frozen yogurt that has a cult following in La-La Land.
The Korean gal who founded Pinkberry was supposedly inspired by a very similar frozen yogurt popular in Korea, sold under the brand name Red Mango. And it's Red Mango frozen yogurt that Seven Sisters sells -- an all-natural, nonfat dessert that only has 200 calories in an 8 ounce serving. According to owner Christine Kim, it comes in only two flavors (plain yogurt and green tea) but you can get it topped with all kinds of fresh fruit, sprinkles, nuts, and Callebaut chocolate chips.
Kim says the yogurt flavor is a very tangy and yogurty. "Some people even say it tastes like cheesecake," she adds.
After selling it for only four months, she's already got some enthusiastic regulars. "Some of my customers, who've been to Pinkberry's in L.A., said they don't miss it anymore because they think mine tastes better."
It might be a hike up to 20731 N. Scottsdale Rd. (to the Grayhawk Plaza), but man, am I ever curious about this stuff...
Anybody out there ever tried Pinkberry's? Or Red Mango? Or better yet, both? Inquiring minds want to know...
