Best Bites: Dining out in Dallas-Fort Worth March 21

by Teresa Gubbins

Interior of Berry Berry in Addison

Dallas has yet to see a branch of Pinkberry or Red Mango, the frozen yogurt chains that have hit the coasts in the past few years, and so independent entrepreneurs are filling the gap.

Berry Berry opened in Addison last May. Kicky modern decor is a hallmark of these places, though Berry Berry is less Barbarella than some of its peers, with colored light panels beneath the counter and splashy wall menus.

But where Pinkberry offers only two flavors (plain and green tea) Berry Berry has FOUR: 1. the basic tangy yogurt flavor, YoGo; 2. green tea; and 3., 4. two others from a rotating menu that includes cappuccino, strawberry, chocolate, and a few fruit flavors. A small is $3.19 with tax.

Counter at Natsumi

The two sampled -- YoGo and green tea -- were odd. The YoGo was almost soapy, with less of the "tang" people seem to want from this new-wave yogurt stuff. The texture was loose, not as stiff as Pinkberry. The green tea seemed to contain rose water, which initially tasted floral, but with an aftertaste that was reminiscent of hot dogs, of all things.

Natsumi, which finally opened on March 15 on Henderson Avenue, has an atmosphere very reminiscent of Pinkberry, with white-vinyl furniture and candy-colored neon-pastels. It had just the one basic yogurt flavor, but also had gelato, with about a dozen flavors from a bank of 50 (including a ginger that had pieces of actual ginger mixed in).

Natsumi's yogurt was very similar to Pinkberry, in both texture and taste, from the strong sour-cream tang to the texture that started out pleasingly cold and firm, with almost a hard edge. A small was $3.25.

Interior of Natsumi with Barcelona-style chairs.

Opening the first week of April in NorthPark Center will be Orange Cup, whose name pretty definitively evokes Red Mango. It's a "frozen yogurt with a perfect combination of sweet and citrus flavors" that "will be served with fresh seasonal fruits and organic nuts and granola", as is the case with all of these places.

Orange Cup promises their frozen yogurt will have more live yogurt cultures than anyone else -- 10 million per gram, says the store manager. Live cultures are what make yogurt good for you, by balancing out the bacteria in your intestines; is this TMI? (The presence, or lack thereof, of live cultures is what got Pinkberry into trouble last year.)

Orange Cup comes from a group of young UT Austin grads who founded the Piccomolo gelato chain; the NorthPark branch will be the first, with more to follow.