Tags
Amer's, Ann Arbor, Black Berry, Froyo, Frozen Yogurt, Fruit, Mango, Milk, Raspberry, Strawberry, Yogobliss, Yogurt
FroYo was first introduced in the New England area in the 1970’s in the form of soft-serve. Back then, it was named Frogurt? (Aren’t you glad the name has transformed over the years for the better?)
Frozen yogurt? What is it exactly? It is a frozen dessert that contains yogurt and other dairy products such as milk. It is more tart than your traditional ice cream and get this, it is lower in fat since it uses milk instead of traditional cream. A healthier alternative for those sweet tooth cravings
FroYo has become a very popular form of dessert over the years and here in Ann Arbor, you can find them at several locations: Amer’s, Yogobliss, Zingerman’s, Lab Cafe. Two places that I often like to visit are Amer’s and Yogobliss.
ATMOSPHERE
Amer’s Mediterranean Deli was created in 1987. It has three locations in Ann Arbor: first floor of Michigan Union, church street, and S. State St. The deli is a fusion of a coffee house and a quality delicatessen. It was originally located in University of Michigan Flint campus but moved to the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus in 1989. The image above is the store located on State St. The inside of Amer’s, it is not of extravagant decoration, but it is nice and spacious. The yellow-toned lighting makes the inside seem warmer, great for a sit-down and hang out event during the cold winter days.
Yogobliss, still a relatively new store to Ann Arbor. It opened in March/April of 2009. Located on S. University, it is along side with many of the dessert/drink places on that street such as Momo Tea and Bubble Island. It is a frozen yogurt specialized store which was originally located on the west coast. It is similar to two other frozen yogurt chains: Pinkberry and Red Mango.
The store has a very modern and edgy look. The inside is very bright since its main color is white. There’s enough eating for about 20. The seating are mainly plastic chairs and these round dome-shaped chairs, quite unique, although not the most comfortable. The store gives a clean and crisp feel as soon as you walk in.
SELECTION
Amer’s lets their customers serve their own Froyo. From how much Froyo you want to what toppings and how much toppings, everything is decided by you. You pay in the end by weight. At Amer’s there’s always a few staple flavors such as original Tart, vanilla, and chocolate. There are other flavors such as strawberry cheese cake, pomegranate tart, orange cream, key lime, blueberry tart, apple pie, etc. The flavors change every few month or according to the season. There are always 8 flavors available. Of course we can’t forget about the toppings. I think more than anything pictures can speak for themselves.
Choices and choices, difficult to decide especially for the indecisive me.
At Yogobliss, you decide on a size that you want from small, medium, and large and then you decide on how many toppings (none, 1, 2, 3) and which toppings. Everything is made for you and all you have to do is point to the ones you like. Usually there are 3-4 flavors and of course, original tart is always a staple flavor.
I have to say, trying to take a visually pleasing picture of frozen yogurt was quite difficult. This was the best I can do at Amer’s. It is a mixture of pomegranate tart and apple pie with lots of fruit (strawberry, raspberry, blackberry) and nuts. I always love fruit on my froyo. One of the flavors I always get at Amer’s is the pomegranate tart. It isn’t too sweet and I can taste the pomegranate just enough. The flavored froyo at Amer’s has almost no tartness to it. It is light like how froyo is suppose to be but without the tart. So it is good for those who detest froyo for that overly yogurt tartness.
Here’s a more visually pleasing picture…. sorta. It is a medium original with mango, raspberry and bluberries (you can’t really see the blueberries from this angle). One of the reasons I do enjoy going to Yogobliss is for that extra tartness in natural frozen yogurt. It is not a taste that everyone enjoys, but for me, I really like the extra tart that yogobliss offers especially in their original flavored froyo. The portions are quite nice and of course they offer stamp cards so you can get your free serving of froyo after 6 purchases.
WHO REIGNS SUPREME?
AMER‘S!
It’s a close one. As much as I like the stronger tartness of yogobliss, the flexibility from customization options and the flavor selections make Amer’s stand out just a bit more. So before this wintery weather kicks in, go out there and grab a cup of FroYo to share with your friends!