Fro-yo Faceoff!

My sister just returned from spending the summer on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. While I was jealous of the idea of island living, she was missing the simple pleasures of Target, Trader Joe's and restaurant selections. The grass is always greener.

Anyway, one of her cravings upon her return was frozen yogurt. We took the opportunity to try two of Sacramento's newest fro-yo offerings: Big Spoon on J Street and Yogurtopia on Freeport Boulevard. They both share the same self-serve concept: customers can fill their cups with as much frozen yogurt and as many toppings as they want. You pay based on weight - which can be dangerous for those who's eyes are bigger than their stomachs!

Big Spoon was first. When we walked in we were like kids in a candy store. Literally. The place has six kinds of yogurt (chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, NY cheesecake & two fruit flavors) and more than 75 toppings to choose from. There were the traditional candy bar pieces, sprinkes, cookie dough, yogurt chips... even Nerds! They also have a variety of sauces like hot fudge, strawberry and caramel.

My sister admits to being a little overwhelmed by it all. She felt rushed into choosing her yogurt (she opted for cheesecake & I took the peanut butter - good choice!) and didn't have time to "think through" which toppings she wanted. There were so many that we felt like we had to try a little bit of everything - even ones that didn't exactly compliment our yogurt. When we got to the counter our desserts were close to $5 each at 33-cents an ounce.

We took a smarter tack at Yogurtopia. They also have six yougurt flavors - again I went with the peanut butter - including two "Euro-style" flavors. Sis had the Euro-style Wild Berry and couldn't tell what made it European. Yogurtopia has a lot of toppings too, though noticably fewer than Big Spoon, which isn't really a bad thing. However, one big plus was the fruit toppings. Here there were fresh berries. Big Spoon had fruit sauces - almost like pie filling. Also, the nutritional information for the yogurt is painted on the wall which is nice if you pay attention to those sorts of things. Since we had time to think through our purchases this time, we managed to get a very manageable serving of yogurt for less than $4 a cup at 39-cents an ounce.

Frozen yogurt seems to be the new sushi in Sacramento. I haven't checked out Mochii Gourmet Yogurt on 16th & P yet. Yogurtopia's website mentions another location opening on 20th & J Street this fall. In the meantime, you can go to their current location at 2992 Freeport Boulevard from 12pm to 10pm daily. Big Spoon is at 3644 J Street and is open from 11am to 11pm daily. They also have locations in Rocklin, Natomas and Folsom.