BY NATALIE HAUGHTON >FOOD EDITOR


Who needs ice cream when you can dip into the tart taste of nonfat frozen yogurt?

Yogurt shops are becoming almost as prolific as coffeehouses. And the flavors that sell are tart - green tea and other versions of soft-serve frozen yogurt - not the sweet and sugary stuff of the '80s and '90s.

Pinkberry started and popularized this new yogurt craze in Southern California when it opened its first store in West Hollywood in January 2005. Long lines formed instantly. Now CeFiore, YogurTree, Menchie's and others have joined in, each offering its own tart yogurt versions, some creamier and smoother than others.

You can get your favorite embellished with glorious fresh fruits - or dry goodies like mochi balls, chopped candies and nuts.

"I think Pinkberry has become so popular because it is really more than just a yogurt shop. It is a fun meeting place and a place to hang out and has sort of a coffeehouse feel," says Heather Wilson, Pinkberry's Los Angeles-based spokesperson. "It (the tart yogurt) is very different than anything that has been on the market. The yogurt is low in calories, it tastes good, and it is something new and fun."

Today the Pinkberry chain, with stores in New York and 27 locations in the Southland (three corporate-owned and the rest franchised), has 40 more on the way in other states and areas by the end of year.

The impetus for the Korean-American company's concept, started by Korean natives Shelly Hwang and her co-founder and partner, Young Lee, was gelato on a trip to Italy, says Ching Hsieh, Pinkberry's public relations coordinator. They wanted to bring consumers a nonfat guiltless dessert that everyone could enjoy. Lee, a designer, liked the base flavor of gelato but wanted to invent something new.

"The menu offers three sizes in two flavors - original, the top seller, which is plain (tart), and green tea," notes Hsieh, but "most popular is the medium combo with three toppings (it's also the best buy)."

Figure 70 calories per 1/2-cup serving of original and 50 calories per 1/2-cup serving of green tea, says Wilson. Both are low in fat. Strawberries are the most popular fruit choice, with mochi balls (rice cakes imported from Korea) topping the list of dry favorites.

Pinkberry has not been without controversy since opening. The product originally couldn't be called frozen yogurt, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, because it wasn't mixed off-site and delivered to stores as frozen yogurt. It was originally made on-site in stores with a powdered mix.

"Pinkberry has proven that its product is frozen yogurt, resulting in the abatement (dismissal) of the California Department of Food and Agriculture citation," notes Pinkberry's Wilson. The yogurt is currently prepared off the premises at a dairy in California and delivered to the stores, she adds.

Menchie's in North Hollywood is capitalizing on the current soft-serve craze but with a twist - self-service. Consumers can dispense as much or as little yogurt as they want, swirling two flavors, if desired, of 10 rotating yogurt flavors from more than 50 in its repertoire. A choice of 40 toppings can be added, if desired - and you pay by the weight - 39 cents an ounce. Choice and flexibility are the keys here.

The shop, which opened in May and has surpassed expectations (averaging 1,000 customers a day during the summer and now about 700 to 800 daily), was the brainchild of 29-year-old Danna Caldwell, the president and co-owner, and her husband, Adam, 28.

It was born out of visiting a self-serve mom-and-pop yogurt shop in Orange County on one of their first dates three years ago.

"I have a sweet tooth and thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen," says Danna. "I immediately had a vision of how to do it in a fun, hip sort of way.

"The self-serve technique was the thing that really attracted me to the store idea," she adds, noting that she began working on her dream a year and a half ago. "I am one of those people who likes a little bit of everything, and you don't have that option going to a traditional yogurt store.

"The most difficult thing was convincing the bank to give us a loan (when we had no collateral) on the strength and merits of our idea, research and experience."

While 90 percent of Menchie's flavors are nonfat, they also offer low-carb, no-sugar and dairy-free (sorbet) choices.

Although some may be turned off by the hygiene issue - people touching the machine handles - Danna notes that they are constantly cleaned and sanitized throughout the day.

CeFiore, another newcomer on the yogurt scene, aims to provide a creamy, rich-tasting, high-quality gourmet product. Its first store opened in August 2006 in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Little Tokyo, notes Caroline Yi, the company's franchise coordinator. The yogurt base is made in Italy (the store name means "there is flower" in Italian), then sent to a licensed milk manufacturer in California that produces the finished product. A sister company to Todai (Japanese sushi and seafood buffet), there are now 17 stores (five company-owned, the rest franchised) in various U.S. locations.

In addition to original tart and green tea, CeFiore also offers blackberry and raspberry pomegranate yogurts - all nonfat and containing 25 calories per ounce - along with 18 toppings, including nine fresh fruits.


Natalie Haughton, (818) 713-3692; natalie.haughton@dailynews.com


>tart - with/without fruit

Menchie's (Judges' favorite)
4849 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
Valley Village (North Hollywood)
(818) 985-9150; www.menchiesyogurt.com

Comments:

"Smooth, lemony, creamy; good novelty of self-serve. Able to order as little as you like, including toppings."

"Tastes good. Concept of self-serve questionable - unsanitary."

"Tart, not icy."

(Menchie's Cable Car Chocolate came in second place among other flavors. It was smooth, creamy and really chocolatey).

Pinkberry (Tied for second place with YogurTree)
6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd. (in Westfield Topanga mall)
(818) 703-0927; www.pinkberry.com

(Also West Hollywood, Long Beach, Marina del Rey, Pasadena, Studio City, Valencia, Westlake Village, Century City, Beverly Hills and elsewhere.)

Comments:

"Refreshing, very tart with lemon overtones. A tiny bit icy, but creamier than some. Fresh fruit is great."

"Not too sweet; lemony; no aftertaste."

"Too tart, bitterness leaves an aftertaste. Very fresh fruit, nice variety."

YogurTree
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., No. 2100 (in Westfield Promenade mall)
Woodland Hills
(818) 887-1122; www.yogurtree.com

(Also in Studio City)

Comments:

"Very refreshing, clean taste."

"Very tangy, not so smooth."

"Kind of icy, very tart, not real creamy, better with fruits."

CeFiore (Third place)
17200 Ventura Blvd., No. 116 (Town & Country Center)
Encino
(818) 783-7030; www.cefiore.com

(Also North Hollywood, Los Angeles, La Crescenta, Arcadia, Hollywood and elsewhere.)

Comments:

"Slightly icy, somewhat creamy. Tastes most like Pinkberry.

"Tart, smooth, not bittter."

"Sour taste, bitter, icy texture, not smooth."

>nontart flavor winner

Yogurt Cinema (First place for chocolate)
21510 Victory Blvd.
Woodland Hills
(818) 703-1934

 >other yogurts sampled at:

Golden Spoon
22259 Mulholland Highway (Gelson's Village Center)
Calabasas
(818) 222-5260; www.goldenspoon.com

(Also Long Beach, Torrance, Simi Valley, Valencia, Whittier, Redlands and elsewhere.)

Yozen Frogurt
6450 Platt Ave.
West Hills
(818) 999-6994

>N.H.