a froyo high at blanc haute yogurt

not too long ago, i tasted froyo sophistication. this experience did not require me to stand in a long line to squirt my own froyo in my self-selected medium sized paper cup, nor did it require me to ask my server to give me an extra squeeze of their watermelon puree during froyo happy hour time. it did, however, require me to look up the word "haute" because i did not know how to pronounce it. yes friends, do not laugh, but in my world, the letter "h" is rarely silent.

after conquering the task of learning the correct pronunciation for "haute," i was off to the haute-est place in town for some classy yogurt eating. thanks blanc haute yogurt for gifting me a froyo tasting AND a new word to overuse in my not so haute vocabulary bank.

anyways, this dapper looking gentleman is leo leonard, founder and owner of blanc haute yogurt a.k.a. organic deliciousness in beverly hills. his mission to provide organic frozen yogurt free of high-fructose corn syrup with the decadent options of exotic toppings makes his froyo boutique a must-try for all you haute folks out there.

i also appreciated the nutrition info available as i made my choice amongst all the decadent, organic flavors offered in his little shop. yummmmm....what to choose, what to choose. what would you choose?

and the toppings. oui oui! the decadent imported haute chocolate toppings will make your lips quiver with anticipation. it sure made mine quiver as i whispered the words "chocolate truffles leo...don't forget the chocolate truffles...."

after some hemming, hawing, and haute-ing, i decided on the organic madagascar vanilla froyo with chocolate truffles, chocolate pearls, and chocolate coconut toppings. i waited patiently as leo assembled this frozen masterpiece for my belly.

normally, i can heif down quite a large serving of froyo, but a petite cup was enough this time around. it was a truly decadent full bodied yogurt maxing out on the creamy and dreamy parts of a dessert daydream. if there was a blanc haute yogurt club, i would totally join it just to taste these flavors over and over again....

...and because god listens to fat bellies enamored with quality chocolate, my prayers were answered on the spot. now you and i can belong to the haute-est froyo club around.

and if you're haute but your wallet doesn't support your lifestyle, blanc currently has happy hour prices from 4-6pm for their non-organic froyo. here's a list of prices during normal non-happy hours so you can budget accordingly.

go and get it, you know you want some. and while you're at it, can you please bring me back a petite serving of the madagascar vanilla? thanks! and don't forget the chocolate truffles...pretty please???

Blanc Haute Yogurt
9465 Charleville Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 283-2611
blancbeverlyhills.com

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

apple yogurt

PinGo Yogurt
358 W Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 282-9558

price: $
verdict: it's aight

when i saw this froyo storefront, my fobby side immediately knew that "pingo" really meant "ping gwo" in cantonese which means apple to you gwai los. i asked the server to verify my guess and i was right. yes! i love to showcase my fobby side!

the original froyo flavor they serve is tart but not as tart as pinkberry's. they have different price points per size. i got a medium o.g. flavor froyo with 3 toppings which came out to be a little over $5. the bonus is that the server packs on the froyo and the fruits without the froyo hole. in this land of overpriced froyo, it is not bad...just not great.

pretty pingo froyo.

when mangos are red, not yellow

Red Mango
10401 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 845-1798
www.redmangousa.com

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

mangolicious. actually, it tastes quite similar to orange cream froyo. the yogurt is not too tart and has a nutty flavor to it too. the texture is smooth and of course, they offer all the fruit and dry toppings that you are use to at any froyo shop.

a medium size froyo with two toppings set me back $4.75. since i had to haul ass back to the east side, i got my froyo to go. the cashier offered me an ice pack for it. SURE. so he put some ice cubes in a ziploc bag and sent me on my way. alas, my froyo melted a little, but the fruit toppings chilled to a nice firmness. yummmm....

red mango was definitely on my list of must tries. now that i did, i see it's on par with all the other tasty froyo shops that i've reviewed. i still think pinkberry is better...and yes, it's because pinkberry is crack laced, that's why.

froyo # 9474930274661038345727

Orange Cream
1107 N Alvarado
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 483-8899

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

froyo...mmmm...froyo.

orange cream-yo. another good addition to the the massive burst of froyo shops in this frozen yogurt crazed day and age. the formula is all the same right? name your shop after a fruit (red mango, pinkberry, cantaloop, etc...), have a ton of fruity toppings to select from, and have an "original" flavor froyo that tastes tart. the more tart the better!! and conversely, probably the ONLY time being tart is a good thing, but i digress. the decor inside stays true to the froyo shop formula too. lots of plastic furnitures and pops of color. the space is small though so sitting there and eating isn't exactly ideal. i suggest you get your order and then take a walk around echo park. lots of things in this hood for you to enjoy.

my first experience with orange cream was a good one. it's located on the corner of sunset and alvarado which makes it a convienent pit stop for me. after making an illegal turn and screeching my car into their parking lot, i got a regular sized, original flavor froyo with mango, strawberries, and blackberries. at first, the yogurt tasted funny to me, but about the third spoonful, the addiction settled in and i really, really dug it! there is this nutty creamy taste to it. hard to describe except that i plan to go back soon...er, you know, to figure out how to articulate this taste a bit better.

the employees are nice and they didn't make a big ole froyo hole in my order. thanks!

a loop of froyo

Cantaloop
7095 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 874-0886
www.cantaloopyogurt.com

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

oh yum. yes please. the pomegranate yogurt. right here in my cup. yes, blueberries, mango, and strawberry toppings. ohh...yum. good. mmm. kinda like pinkberry? no, not really. pinkberry still rocks with the original flava...you know, the tart tasting one that tastes like "yogu." i like the pomegranate here though. take me back here. come on...give me a ride. cantaloop is calling......

naked froyo

Purenaked Yogurt
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 553-8733
www.purenakedyogurt.com/

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

mmm....purenaked.....

century city was hot today. ouch. i had to eat something cold to cool off and what better way than inhaling froyo?! pinkberry had a massively long line so we inquired about other froyo places around and was directed to barenaked. good rec!

YUM. i feel the yogurt is a bit "icier" than the other froyo places and less creamy, but the taste is really nice and smooth. the fruits are definitely fresh. a "half naked" which comes with two toppings (i always pick strawberries and bluberries wherever i go) was $3.95. no lines, good taste, good price. i'm coming back. everybody else can wait 30 min for pinkberry.

the land of "cheap" froyo

Yogurtland
130 S Central Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 687-0733
http://www.yogurt-land.com/

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

anything with the word "land" in it is probably pretty awesome. think about it, disney"land," chinatown "land" (if you don't believe me, go to l.a. chinatown. i believe on ord street, there is a ghetto make shift sign in the old part of chinatown that says "chinatown land"), lego "land," and now yogurt"land." they all have the word "land" and they are all pretty awesome. ahhh yogurtland, you've exceeded my expectations.

i must admit, when my sis and i first walked in, i was a bit disoriented. it looked like a pinkberry, but not quite. then i started picking up the details and stuck one and one together..."oh, it's a self serve yogurt joint!" interesting. we whispered to one another for a bit trying to locate all the wares and inspected the yogurt squirters before we began.

there were a ton of yogurt flavors lined up against the wall: blueberry, oreos, strawberry, peach, mango, banana, etc...and of course, the pinkberry knock-off (which isn't as good). since my sis conveniently forgot her wallet, i treated her and knowing that she was getting treated, she piled on her yogurt and toppings like she was feeding a family of four. i even offered her another container just in case she wanted to strap that one onto her overflowing one. she declined....so unlike her. perhaps she heard that our country is going into a recession. in any case, our yogurts were weighed and i expected the worse...especially with my sister's mother load yogurt...but HELLS TO THE NO. under four dollars for each yogurt container?! are you shitting me?! that's cheaper than pinkberry's by a whole lot!

wow. i'm coming back.

oh yeah, it was pretty darn good too.

taro and plain flavored froyo topped with lychee, mochi balls, captain crunch, and strawberries. mmmmmm.....

cracky pink froyo

Pinkberry
868 Huntley Dr
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 659-8285
www.pinkberry.com

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

my favorite has always been the huntley location because that's where it all started. good memories of my sis and i parking hella far to finally walk there only to wait some more. then the feeling of sweet satisfaction when we haul our butts back to our car with our pinkberrys fully consumed.

pinkberry is everywhere now, so the mystique of it is gone for me. but i'm sure once the weather warms up again, i will be going back for a medium sized yogurt with mango, strawberries, and blueberry toppings.