When: Sunday, February 22nd 2009
Where: The Yogurt Spot
What I Had: Yogurt...couldn't you have guessed that? I mixed the NY Cheesecake Flavor with Cookies and Cream. I threw on a various assortment of flavors including brownie and cheesecake bites. The wife had Pecan Praline and Vanilla mixed with her own assortment of toppings.
First a quick rundown of the concept. This style of yogurt venue is popping up all over the US by the thousands. My wife and I think it would be a almost guaranteed business in our old stomping grounds of College Station. This concept is not like the old TCBY that we know - it is much improved. TCBY serves like 3 flavors, they charge a price per cup and they charge for additional toppings. Plus someone puts the whole concoction together for you. The yogurt of today is Self Serve, pay per ounce (usually in the 40 cent-per-ounce range), and you can mix any yogurt and any topping combination you desire without additional cost (besides adding oz). It's a brilliant idea that is catching on all over the place. I for one love walking up to a line of machines picking my yogurt then throwing on a myriad of toppings and only paying 3-5 dollars for a big cup of deliciousness. With that explained, we'll move on to the review of this particular yogurt venture, The Yogurt Spot.
I think this review would sound totally different coming from my wife's point of view. She chose better yogurts than I did. Secondly, I haven't written a review on Tomunchi (another frozen yogurt place in town) yet, but I hold all frozen yogurt places to Tomunchi's standards. So I will get you a review on them ASAP.
If you recall my previous review on The Cookie Lounge you will remember my dismay at the fact that it wasn't much of a lounge. Well The Yogurt Spot got the lounge feel spot on. They had lots of cool lighting, graphics on the walls, sofas, chairs and various other seating apparatus. As a bonus they have free Wi-Fi which I am sure is a big hit with the college crowd. For me the decor was the most positive thing about the spot.
Maybe it just had a funny taste but the Cheesecake yogurt was off. So off, in fact, that my wife proclaimed it to be spoiled. After a few more bites I think I agreed. The problem with this is that I failed to sample the cheesecake before hand and was unaware of my how this would ruin a perfectly wonderful Sunday afternoon. The even bigger problem is that is was mixed with the unspoiled cookies n' cream. The good thing about frozen things is that they stay separated until melted. So I carefully and with the technique of a surgeon dug out all the cookies and cream while avoiding at all costs the hideous cheesecake.
When I have yogurt I expect it to be fresh and refreshing. This yogurt was neither. The cookies and cream wasn't bad. It just didn't stand up to the powerful flavors that Tomunchi's various yogurts encapsulate. I will hand it to Yogurt Spot on the vanilla that my wife had. It was solid. It was what I expected from vanilla yogurt. But the toppings tasted, well, not right. Similar to the Cheesecake yogurt that didn't taste right. The Cheesecake and brownie bites both had a metallic funky aftertaste that doesn't sit well with my tongue which was looking for the flavor I like to call sweet. Sweet being what I expect cheescake to taste like. Not like old nails, which are not sweet, FYI.
The Yogurt Spot set up in prime location. They are by campus with free wi-fi, open late, have frozen treats, and a cool lounge vibe. Even with the sad, spoiled, and metallic flavors they offer it should still be succesful with the college kids. If I could transport the decor to Tomunchi then I would have created the perfect yogurt place. Well at least I would have combined two peoples creations into the perfect yogurt place. I will take credit either way. That's how I am.
For now, I will stick with Tomunchi over The Yogurt Spot. Not just because it is a lot closer to my house, but because they have the flavors that got me addicted to self serve frozen yogurt. They have the addiction factor. The Yogurt Spot didn't and without their great interior they are nothing but spoiled milk.
Avoid the yogurt but take advantage of the free Wi-fi.
4/10
Sad. Look forward to hearing about Tomunchi.
And this makes me miss Shakes in College Station. Mmmm ice cream. I need a root beer float.