‘Red Mango’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Review: Yummy Yogurt {Boonton, NJ}

March 4, 2013 · Narrative

You have ever one of those perfect days that are perfect because they’re just so ordinary?

Like, everyone in your family is getting along and there is no fighting, whining, or bickering?

And you managed to hit that unique balance of pure laziness with a little productivity thrown in for good measure?

And everything just … worked. And at the end of the day, you got to reflect on just how wonderful life is. And how wonderful your family is.

That was yesterday.

Nick had a commitment for four hours during the day that we ended up skipping, which meant that we pretty much unexpectedly had the day to ourselves, and to do as we wish. Which doesn’t happen often enough. We had a lazy morning, did a few errands, and just basically hung out together.

Perfection.

And as it wasn’t 17 degrees with a crazy wind chill factor, it seemed like the perfect day to check out a new-to-us frozen yogurt place.

I swear it feels like these places are popping up everywhere. Likely because they are.

Yummy Yogurt just opened in November, and we found out about them through Groupon, where they recently ran a half-off special (and if you’re local, the Groupon is still available).

Which is, like, my favorite kind of special.

Located right on Main Street in downtown Boonton, it’s easy to find, and on-street parking is plentiful (although on a weekend during warm weather, it will be much more of a challenge). A big, bright, happy, colorful space, this spot has the most amount of seating that I’ve seen at any yogurt place, followed by Red Mango. Most frozen yogurt places typically don’t have more than a handful of seats available. Yummy Yogurt has banquet-style bench seating along one long wall, and a few spinning (regular) chairs. In the center of the storefront, they have these slightly odd pod-shaped chairs. Because of how low they are to the ground, I think they’re perfect for kids.

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Review: Let’s Yo! {frozen yogurt}

December 6, 2012 · Narrative

The first time I visited a Let’s Yo! frozen yogurt location, I was out with friends and the kids were with The Ex. As soon as Nick saw a picture of my frozen yogurt on Instagram, I knew I was in trouble.

At our recent Apres Thanksgiving Blogger Dinner, Patsy mentioned that there was a new Let’s Yo! in Parsippany, which is a lot closer than the original one I had visited, so after school one day last week, I took the kids.

I knew as soon as they saw the tabletop iPads for customer use on every table, they would be instantly hooked.

Of course it doesn’t hurt that the kids love frozen yogurt too.

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Visit: Strawberry Fields {Morristown, New Jersey}

November 8, 2012 · Narrative

Every once in awhile, I try to surprise the kids with a treat. Which is hard since one of them asks me a million questions.

What are we doing after school?
And tonight?
And what’s for dinner?
What time are we leaving?
Can so-and-so come over for a playdate?
Can we go to the Halloween store?
When can we decorate?

It’s, like, incessant. And makes it difficult when trying to keep something a surprise.

Sheesh.

I subscribe to a few NJ-centered blogs, since I find them to be a good source of new things to do in the area, free kid-friendly activities, holiday goings-on, and the like.

Which is how I discovered Strawberry Fields in Morristown.

If you didn’t know, we’re big fans of self-serve frozen yogurt.

Because it’s healthy.

As long as you don’t overload it with junky toppings.

And it speaks to the inner control freak, letting me making it just how I like it.

Located on the usually-busy South Street in downtown Morristown, there is plenty of on-street parking available. The store was big, bright, and colorful. While we were visiting Strawberry Fields, the music piped in was an interesting eclectic mix of 60s and 70s.

This is the first froyo place that we have visited that had two levels, which was pretty cool. The yogurt selections are up a few steps, in the back of the store, and the toppings bar was towards the front of the store, near the cashier and entrance.

Which is good for breaking things up a bit when it gets busy.

We speak from experience.

At 0.49/ounce, it’s priced in line with their competitors, and with a small nod to the environment, their spoons are biodegradable.

(Nick is instagramming photos of his frozen yogurt)

For the most part, frozen yogurt places all seem to operate under the same basic set-up, so we look for what sets them apart. Strawberry Fields offers gift cards, and this is the first place that I’ve seen that offers wheat germ and flax seed as available toppings.

Which I love.

The only detractor from our visit was the condition of the toppings bar. It was a bit of a mess. And there was no excuse for that because the lone employee we saw while we were there had time to check his phone several times.

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Awkward and Awesome #1

October 15, 2011 · Narrative

I’ve seen the Awkward and Awesome weekly theme floating around other blogs for awhile now, and always meant to join in, but you know how that goes. It won’t be a weekly feature here ’cause I’m way too behind on other content as it is, but it will be occasional easy way to share some new things with you.

Awesome

Discovered these SmartBagels last week and they were gone in two days between me and the kids. Low calorie, and without all the extra fluff inside that bagels usually have. Which means the kids had them for breakfast and managed to finish them, and when I had a carb craving, I could make a sandwich and not feel too guilty about it. So far, I’ve only see this particular brand at ShopRite, although a few other companies (Thomas’, for example) make similar versions.

On most last visit to Red Mango, I noticed these little pearl toppings in the case next to the fresh fruit. They’re called boba, and are tapioca in nature. They burst once you bite into them, kind of like Fruit Gushers, ‘cept much more healthy. Anyone know if they can be bought on their own, and where?

A very brave little girl during Flu Shot 2011….

Review: Cups Frozen Yogurt

August 15, 2011 · Narrative

I feel like we’re on a bit of a frozen yogurt kick here in the O’Malley household, but I think it’s largely due to the new onslaught of new frozen yogurt establishments. We always *did* like frozen yogurt, now we just have more places to go to make our own concoctions.

A few weeks ago, knee-deep in Birthday Week celebrations, my friend Beth and I made plans for a burger followed by a frozen yogurt dessert, knocking out two new establishments in one fell swoop. The burger restaurant review will be saved for another day because, well, to be fair to the restaurant we’ve decided to give it another try before really bringing down the hammer.

The fro-yo place? Today is the day.

Cups is very similar to Red Mango and Yogurtland. Lots of flavors to choose from, serve yourself, load on toppings and dig in. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were actually owned by the peeps behind Yogurtland. They both have a dispenser near the front door with strawberry-flavored water for the taking. Weird that they both have the same EXACT thing. I mean, it’s not like you see strawberry flavored water everywhere. But I digress.

Cups charges .49/ounce, just like Red Mango, as compared to Yogurtland’s slightly cheaper per ounce price of .39/ounce.

Same weird shower stall partitions as Yogurtland.

All three places have a good variety of yogurt flavors and toppings.

The real difference?

The vibe.

The energy at Cups is completely different than the other two spots. Every employee that worked there looks like they took a wrong turn while heading for MTV’s Jersey Shore auditions. Short shorts, skimpy tanks tops and surgical enhancements need only apply. The music was a loud, thumping techno club sound with the cashiers dancing and singing the words along with the beat. There is a velvet rope outside to keep control of the crowd when the lines get out of hand.

A reviewer on Yelp said, “When I walked in, I was blasted with a wall of sound. Please let me eat in peace. To me, this place was definitely conceptualized and decorated with the North Jersey teenager in mind. If you’re in high school, this place is definitely for you.” Another one chimed in with “…the negatives: its sensory overload once you walk in…its really tight, hella loud, and full of snotty little tweens…”

And the marketing? Suggestive and slick. Taking the term “cups” and twisting it on its ear, the slogans on the bottom back of the girls’ spaghetti-strapped tank tops read:

“Don’t go topless.”

“Size matters, fill your cup.”

“The art of spooning.”

“It’s what’s in the cup that counts.”

I am all for being suggestive. Just ask a few of my close friends. But I also think there is a time and place for everything. And here, in a frozen yogurt store, where I might be bringing my kids, I just found it slightly offensive. In fact, you can even buy your very own Cups bikini while you’re there.

That being said, if you’re in the area and in need of a refreshing, reasonably guilt-free and inexpensive sweet treat, stop in. But for me, it’s an in and out type of place. Get it to go. Unless, of course, you want to get in touch with your inner 17-year-old slutty self.

Cups Frozen Yogurt
852 Route 3 Suite 109
Clifton, NJ 07012
(973) 272-1990

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Review: Yogurtland

July 29, 2011 · Narrative

After we discovered Red Mango a few weeks ago, I heard about Yogurtland, which is a little bit closer to us. We have since checked it out several times since. The kids have gone. Beth has gone. We introduced Mystic’s daughter to it. What can I say? A guilt-free snack to combat this insane, sauna-like weather we’ve been experiencing lately does not require a heck of a lot of arm twisting.

The concept is nearly identical to Red Mango. Serve yourself one of the frozen yogurt choices (Yogurtland has 16 flavors), top it with your favorite toppings and pay by weight. Super simple.

But there is a slightly divergence between the two brands.

While Yogurtland is 10 cents an ounce cheaper (.39 cents an ounce as compared to Red Mango’s .49 an ounce price), Red Mango offers a free loyalty program. Sign up, they’ll track your purchases and reward you after you reach a certain amount spent. I’m a big fan of retailers that reward my hard-earned dollars.

Both chains allow samples of their frozen yogurt and there is an employee standing by with little teeny size cups so you can taste before you buy. Personally, I’m not a fan of the concept but that is possibly me just being grumpy. People come in and seriously sample every single flavor. At Red Mango, this isn’t as much of a problem as it is at Yogurtland. At Yogurtland, there are these weird glass partitions, so if you know what flavor you want, you can’t go around the people sampling every flavor. You must wait impatiently behind them as they hem and haw. It drives me a little crazy. Patience is a virtue and all… Nick thinks the glass partitions look like shower doors. I don’t think he’s too far off.

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Review: Red Mango

July 14, 2011 · Narrative

Today is my Mom’s birthday.

She was born in Paris.

On Bastille Day (the French version of Independence Day).

So every year on her birthday, they set off fireworks.

Pretty cool, right?

Happy Birthday, Mom!

After I picked up Madeline from camp, we headed down to join my Mom for lunch and a frozen yogurt. One of my co-workers, Jaclyn, has been raving about this new place that opened up near my parents, Red Mango. I remember seeing the “coming soon” signs, but never having been to a Red Mango before, it didn’t really mean much to me.

Apparently I was about to be schooled.

Jaclyn had gone to them a bunch of times in the city, and in the past week has driven 25 minutes one way just to go to this new (and much closer) location. They’re that good, she said.

All self-serve. All natural. All non-fat.

When you walk in, you go to the back of the store and choose your container. The sizes are big and very big. A slick marketing ploy to get you to really load up, if you ask me. You know, since they charge by the pound on your finished concoction.

They had some 7 or 8 different flavors. I immediately knew I was going for: Light. Refreshing. Tropical.

The fact that I spied coconut frozen yogurt, along with pineapple, certainly helped steer that choice.

Then you pony up to the toppings bar, and that’s where the fun begins. And where you can go really wrong, making something seemingly healthy into a gluttonous mess. Everything from M&Ms and gummy bears to chocolate chips, fresh fruit and nuts. All their fruit is fresh, never frozen.

I went with raspberries and pineapples, and then added their granola mix.

Madeline went with dulce de leche and strawberry frozen yogurt, topped with sprinkles, M&Ms and gummy bears.

My mom went the chocolate and heath bar route….