My Five Blocks

The self-serve yogurt craze has finally hit the Upper West Side, just a few blocks from my five blocks.  16 HANDLES opened at 325 Amsterdam Avenue (between 75th & 76th Street) and is the first of its kind in the neighborhood. In fact, the self-serve yogurt shop has been slower to come to New York in general.  I recently visited Los Angeles, which has many different ones, including Menchies, Yogurtland, FroyoLife, and others.

At 16 HANDLES, there are 16 flavors with non-fat, low-fat, no sugar added, and non-dairy options.  Computer screens at each machine detail the flavor and all its nutritional facts.  A sampling of today’s flavors include:

• Low-Fat: Birthday Cake, Red Velvet and Peanut Butter Confession
• Non-Fat: Vanilla Sky, Banana, Pistachio, Chocolate Eruption, Cookies & Creme, Coffee, EuroTart, Rasberry Tart, White Tea Peach Tart, Pomegranate Tart
• No Sugar Added: Irish Mint
• Non-Dairy: Mango Tango, Berry Medley

What’s unique is not only the self-serve approach for the yogurt, but also the over 40 toppings to choose from.   You can self-serve a lot or a little of fruit, dry and syrup toppings from nuts to fruit to chocolate sauces to cookies and more.   Once you’ve loaded up your yogurt and toppings, the cashier weighs the final amount and charges by the ounce.

Since it just opened, the Upper West Side location is a bit chaotic right now.   Unfortunately, sometimes the line to build toppings and pay runs right into the yogurt machines, causing build-up during peak hours.    Watch out for evenings and the after-school rush.  That being said 16 HANDLES is a delicious and fun approach to soft-serve frozen yogurt.   It appeals to the customization craze (there are enough flavors and toppings to satisfy every member of the family!), the store is bright and colorful, and the prices are reasonable.   It is a happy place!

As a side note, 16 HANDLES is committed to helping the environment.   They use cornstarch spoons and biodegradable cups, and compost and recycle whenever possible. They also partner with Trees for the Future; every 16 Handles location helps plant 16 trees every day.

For more information and additional locations, check out the website at http://www.16handles.com.

Apple Cranberry Walnut muffin

I wrote about the Apple Cranberry Walnut muffin in my first post but have added a photo. Hot from the oven and loaded with fresh apples, it tastes even better than it looks. They usually sells out by 9am or 10am at the Columbus Avenue location.

Magnolia bakery on Columbus Ave at 69th st. has outdone itself in preparation for Valentine’s Day.   The store is beautifully decorated with pink curtains, hanging hearts, pink cupcakes and more.   I’ve attached photos but check it out in person to get the full flavor.  While you’re there, try one of the pink, Barbie cupcakes (or if you’re there in the morning, stick with my favorite Apple Cranberry Walnut muffin).

View from Le Pain Quotidien in Central Park - November 17, 2010

The weather may be getting colder, but Le Pain Quotidien in Central Park is still open.  It is a perfect time to sit outside and watch the beauty of the leaves changing and falling in the park.   The unseasonably warm temperatures right now help enhance the experience.

I wrote about GROM Gelato in my September 14th post but wanted to add that the hot chocolate selection has arrived for the winter.   It resembles the “drinking chocolate” found typically in Europe.  There are three choices depending on the location – milk, dark and “bacio” – and each serving is prepared to order.   The chocolate is kept in the signature gelato bins, scooped out upon order and then steamed for a fresh, hot cup every time.  I’m partial to the dark chocolate.  It costs $5.50 for a small cup and is one of the best in the city.  The closest rival is across Central Park from my five blocks at La Maison du Chocolat on Madison Avenue.  The dark “Caracas” hot chocolate there is fabulous.   It costs a steep $8.71 a cup.

Summer is nearly behind us, but the gelato craze is still in full force within my five blocks. Here’s the scoop on three of my favorites:

GROM, 2165 Broadway at 76th st.

According to the website, “GROM is a high quality gelateria. The idea is to apply to the artisanal gelato production, a principle common to all the best restaurants in the world: the purchase of absolute top quality raw materials.”

The original one opened in Italy in 2003, and it has spread to Malibu, New York, Paris and Tokyo.    At first glance, it is quite pricey, but when you consider the quality and the purity of the ingredients, as well as the prices of its competitors, it seems to be a good value.  In addition, the “save the world” philosophy includes biodegradable materials and a focus on recycling.   To quote GROM “We are responsible. We love our world. We respect nature.”

All the fruit for the sorbet is organic, and the flavors are selected by season. Flavors change monthly.  It’s the taste that will keep you coming back. Incredible! If you love chocolate, I recommend the extra dark chocolate, which is technically a sorbet (it has no milk, but does have egg) and contains small pieces of dark chocolate.   If you prefer traditional gelato with milk, try the dark chocolate.  Also amazing.  No matter what flavor you choose, it will taste as pure as the main ingredient, each of which is selected from a specific region of the world.  For example, Vanilla from Madagascar, Espresso from Guatemala, Sfusato lemons from Amalfi and Pizzuta almonds from Sicily, just to name a few.

The stores are immaculate and consistent.  In addition to the one in my five blocks, I have visited the other ones in NYC at 233 Bleeker St and 1796 Broadway (between 58th and 59th st), as well as the one in the St. Germain des Pres section of Paris.  All have the exact same look, style and quality.   So at $5.25 for a small cup, it may not be a daily treat, but it is worth the splurge!  (And with Fall upon us, be sure to try the decadent hot chocolate, which returns to the menu in October or November).

SCREME, 2030 Broadway (between 69th and 70th Streets):

SCREME opened in my five blocks less than a year ago.  There is also a location in Times Square and one coming to west 94th st and Amsterdam this month.  The Broadway store is the tiniest I’ve ever seen, but nonetheless manages to draw a big crowd to try its plethora of unique flavors, which change daily.  You can taste as many as you like before choosing.    The employees encourage lots of tasting!

My favorite flavor is Chocolate Whiskey Brownie — yes, it contains whiskey.   The sorbet is wonderful.  Tastes just like the designated fruit. Lots of fun flavors too — Snickers, Chocolate Love, Apple Crumb cake, Cookies and Screme just to name a few.   Creative names abound, and work perfectly with the fun atmosphere.

To quote its website, “All SCREME products are made without any oil, preservatives, or food coloring.  SCREME uses only the finest natural ingredients. ”  Employees tout it as much healthier than ice cream.    All products are Kosher.   The price of a small cup is $5.00, but they only allow one flavor in a small (GROM allows two).  To get two flavors, you will need to upgrade to the medium ($7.00) or the large ($9.00).   The good news is you can satisfy your craving well past midnight.   It stays open much later than most places on the upper west side, with hours as late as 2:00am on weekends.

BOMBOLONI – 187 Columbus Ave between 68th and 69th st.  Although known for its small fried donuts — “bomboloni” — that contain many types of fillings, it has excellent gelato (or as they call it, Gelati).    Flavors remain classic and simple, rather than the SCREME approach, but all are delicious and made with pure ingredients. I’m sure at this point in this post, it will be no surprise that my favorite is the dark chocolate (cioccolato) made with valrhona chocolate, but I also recommend the stracciatella di menta, and any of the sorbet.  Plus, there are unique flavors, such as Fico Nero Di Missione (black mission fig) and several different nut flavors including hazelnut, almond, pistachio or pecan, depending on the day.

Upon walking inside, you will get a true taste of Italy.  Most everyone who works there is Italian and greet customers in Italian — Ciao, Buona Sera, etc, depending on the time of day.  Price is slightly lower than GROM and SCREME.  $4.90 for a small cup (two flavors allowed),  and it is a generous portion.    At BOMBOLONI, you can enjoy your gelati with coffee, tea, espresso and other drinks, or of course a bomboloni.  And, if you want to have a meal first, BOMBOLINI offers a small selection of fresh salads, panini, soups and pizzas.

Although the Apple, Cranberry, Walnut muffin is still my favorite, don’t miss out on the seasonal Peach muffins, which will be available on select days through October.  They are delicious – filled with chunks of fresh peaches and a sweet, crumble top.  I’ve posted a picture of a tray right from the oven.

One more comment about Mister Softee.  Out of the hundreds of Mister Softee trucks, I have only seen one that offers fat-free frozen yogurt.  And it just so happens that on the weekends, this truck camps out on the Northeast corner of 67th street and Broadway in the heart of my five blocks. The owner is a sweetheart.  He offers the usual ice cream options but also has vanilla and chocolate frozen yogurt that is delicious and inexpensive (with the typical topping choices of sprinkles, cookie crunch, peanuts or hot fudge).   I saw this same truck once on a weekday near Penn Station, but I have never seen any others.  Please write if you know of another Mister Softee truck that carries frozen yogurt too.

It’s summertime in NY, and while ice cream, sorbet and other frozen desserts are always hot sellers as the temperatures increase, there seems to be a particular onslaught of new variations this year.  Just in my five blocks alone, there are a myriad of choices.   Let me start with frozen yogurt and its many derivations.   My next post will cover the gelato and sorbet craze.

NYC has been the home to Tasti-D-lite for years.  It’s hard to go too far in any neighborhood without finding one.   Now, there is also a slightly new rendition called The Lite Choice.  In fact, one of the original Tasti-D-Lites, located at 146 west 72nd st. between Broadway and Columbus (south side of the street) is now The Lite Choice. Capitalizing on the natural and organic craze, it boasts the following on its website:

“The Lite Choice^® soft serve is made from the finest all-natural ingredients and farm-fresh dairy. Our soft serve is low-fat, lower calorie, low carb, and low cholesterol. There’s NO corn syrup, artificial additives, or preservatives. We use USDA certified organic flavors. ”  (and it is Kosher)

At the location on 72nd st, there are four ready-made flavors to choose from each day — including always chocolate and vanilla — but they can also custom make “any flavor, anytime”.   For Peanut Butter and Almond Butter, you can see the vats of fresh nuts that are used to make the flavor.  They’ve created flavor groupings from 80-120 calories per serving.  The decor of the store feels very similar to Tasti-D-lite with the white, light blue and pink colors.

If you are a traditional Taste-D-lite fan, no worries — there are still plenty of locations on the upper west side.  One of the biggest and newest is at Columbus Circle (60th and Broadway), right next to the Time Warner Center.  It features six flavors daily, in addition to the Custom Blend options.  Plus, this one has breakfast parfait, smoothies, flying saucers, cakes, muffins and coffee blended drinks.   The staff is warm and friendly, often saying as you enter the store “Welcome to Tasti D-lite, how may I delight you today?”  No, I’m not kidding.  This is a corporate owned store, so they take the service seriously :).   And, you can sample the flavors before choosing – just ask.

Tasti D-Lite has also added a new flavor probably to compete with the new surge of Pinkberry (and Red Mango, Yolato, etc. not to mention the Frogurt plain yogurt at Bloomingdale’s which will need its own post at a later time…I’m addicted).   The flavor is called Tart n’ Tasti and is a frozen yogurt vs. a frozen dessert.  Very good!

That brings me to the Pinkberry craze.    Locations exist all over Manhattan – with three locations in the vicinity of my five blocks —

Columbus Circle (330 West 58th st)

Columbus Ave (between 74th and 75th)

2041 Broadway (between 70th and 71st)

To quote the website, “Pinkberry is a great tasting and healthy frozen yogurt with nonfat and lowfat flavors that are packed with live and active cultures – so much so that Pinkberry carries the seal of approval from the National Yogurt Association. Pinkberry frozen yogurt has yogurt’s natural goodness, such as calcium and protein. Contains active live cultures: s. thermophilus, l. bulgaricus, l. acidophilus.”

The number of flavors varies by location, but there is always Original, which is plain tart. In addition, you can try green tea, pomegranate, coconut, mango, chocolate, and now for a limited time, Watermelon.   I just tried watermelon, and it is amazing.  Sounds unusual and a bit strange for a frozen yogurt flavor, but it’s perfect for summer.  Very refreshing! In honor of Watermelon, Pinkberry has also added two toppings to go with it — fresh watermelon and cucumber.  Another strange topping at first thought, but the cucumber goes well with the Watermelon.   Toppings are one of the signatures of the Pinkberry shtick. They run the gamut from fresh fruit items you might expect like strawberries and blueberries, to those you might not, such as kiwi and pineapple.  Plus, there are the dry toppings that add a touch of fun — not only the typical granola and nuts, but also items like Cap’N Crunch cereal, dark chocolate crisps and mochi, among many more.  Check out the website, or better yet check out a store.    They are easy stores to spot with the modern, green and white decor.  The only downside is they get very crowded and chaotic. Operationally you order and pay, then someone else handles getting your yogurt and asking what toppings you want.   Not sure it’s the best system.    If you don’t want to bother, see if the one near you delivers.  You can order online!

On a final Pinkberry note, a great addition this year has been the “mini” size for those who just want a little bit (and not such a big investment, as it can be a pricey treat).   It’s just 3 oz, frankly a perfect size.

Maybe it’s the economy or maybe it’s a yogurt thing, but Pinkberry, Tasti and The Lite Choice all have loyalty programs with Frequent Buyer cards — typically after buying 10, you get one free.   And, Pinkberry just added a summer 1/2 price Happy Hour between 5pm and 7pm.  The only requirement is to order the new watermelon flavor as one of your flavor choices.

If you are still not satisfied with the frozen yogurt/dessert options above, try Haagen Dazs at 263 Amsterdam Ave (just north of 72nd st.).   This store offers soft serve, sugar-free frozen yogurt that comes in the two classic flavors – vanilla and chocolate, which can also be swirled.  Although it is sugar-free, it is quite good and does not leave an after-taste from the artificial sweetener.    The only challenge is maintaining your willpower to stick with the frozen yogurt rather than the ice cream!

Stay tuned in the next couple days for more info on ice cream and gelato in my five blocks.   In the meantime, I’m sure you will happen upon a Mister Softee ice cream truck on almost every corner.  Try it, if you want a delicious, simple, frozen treat that brings back childhood memories.

The photos above detail the wine and beer offerings at aroma.  Happy Hour is 4-7pm when you can enjoy a bucket of 5 beers for $25.    On a timely note, I was there again today and the World Cup was on both the flat screen TVs.   aroma is committed to showing the World Cup —  a hidden place to watch.   Enjoy!