Sunday, July 13, 2008

The Fro-Yo Chronicles: Za'Berry disappoints

Yesterday, I took my good friend from home, C, wandering around the UWS. C is a big fan of Tasti D, but being from Boston she has yet to be initiated into Fro Yo 2.0 (Pinkberry et. al.). On this visit to NYC, I promised to provide her with the proper introduction. Since we were on the UWS in mid-afternoon, the fro-yo craving hit us both right when we were near Zabar's-- and I decided rather than hit up Pinkberry or Yolato, we'd give Za'Berry a try.

Za'Berry is rumored to be the first Fro Yo 2.0, so I expected something very Pinkberry-esque. When we arrived, they had two flavors on offer, raspberry and original. I asked for a taste of raspberry and the woman behind the counter gave me an overflowing sample of about four ounces. It was more than I can handle-- and pretty much satiated my hunger--but I had to purchase something, even after the sample to end all samples. The raspberry was a little too Colombo for my taste, though, so I took a gamble on a small original.

I already took off the top. Sorry.

Very creamy texture

When I took my first spoonful, my first impression of the original was "cream cheese frosting." It definitely had the cream cheese tang at first, but as I ate more, the tang mellowed out into nondescript creaminess. Aside from having a slight yogurty flavor, this fro yo was not like Pinkberry at all-- rather than being icy, it was distinctly creamy and melted into a blob rather quickly. After a while, the flavor became somewhat cloying. I finished the small but definitely would not have wanted more (with Pinkberry and Red Mango, I can eat a small and ALWAYS feel I could eat about twelve more). Za'Berry quelled the fro-yo craving, but of all the next-generation fro yo places I've tried, I think it's at the bottom of the list.

I'm glad I gave Za'Berry a try, but I would not go out of my way to get it again. And truthfully, next time I'm craving fro yo on the UWS, I'll go across the street to good ol' reliable Yolato.

Zabar's
80th and Broadway
212-787-2000

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