Dallas 04.14.2009

DIY Yogurt

Take control and seize the toppings

When we were growing up, self-serve soda fountains were just starting to become commonplace in casual restaurants. For some reason it was always exciting to dispense our own soft drinks, whether it was straight-up Dr Pepper or Coke, or the more exotic Suicide, which is a mixture of everything in the lineup (in case you never tried one). Yes, it was always disgusting, but we’d never admit it. Because we were its Creators (with a capital C).

Ever since, we’ve been partial to places where we can control what goes on the plate. (Perhaps that’s why there are so many gay waiters in the world.) From Mongolian barbecue to the occasional salad bar, we get off on the power.

So how excited were we when we walked into Yogilicious in Uptown. Expecting just another fro-yo haunt (and you know we love them because we’re always telling you about the latest and greatest), we were thrilled to see the do-it-ourselves machines with over a dozen flavor choices.

The setup is a little strange and rather than organized chaos, it’s just plain chaos. You have to walk past the machines to get to the sample cups, so when you go back to try a few flavors, you’re going against traffic.

Another problem, even though the look is chic and modern, it’s a little bit too chic and modern for its own good. Hand-made signs distract with their bold-face “DO NOT SIT HERE” messages on what clearly look like places to sit.

But if you go in with these minor issues in mind, it’ll be easier to go with the fro, er, flow. Because the yogurt is delicious. With offbeat flavors like Taro and Lychee to normal ones like New York Cheesecake and Strawberry, there is something for every palate.

Our favorite is the Low-fat Peanut Butter. All the better to save calories for the OMG-it’s-crunchy-morsel-heaven topping bar. Unlike the other yogurt chains where you ask for yummy Oreo crumbles and they give you one scant scoop, here you can pile it on until there’s no room in the cup. Mix and match with cereal, nuts, fruits and a variety of sauces.

Then head to the register and get your total (they charge by the ounce)! Your final price tag will depend entirely on how heavy-handed you are at the soft-serve machines and just exactly how many Fruity Pebbles one container can handle.

Now if they’ll just get rid of the Halloween-decorated trash containers and put the sample cups at the beginning of the line, they’ll satisfy not only our control freakishness, but also our clinically diagnosed OCD. And that’s a yogurt place we can truly embrace.

45¢ per ounce
Yogilicious
Mondrian City Place
3000 Blackburn Avenue, Dallas
(214) 521-7888
www.yogi-licious.com

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