THE GLUTTON
The Glutton remains a traditionalist when it comes to frozen desserts, preferring gelato and ice cream with all its glorious fat and sugar to Pinkberry and its legion of imitators.
Taste the stuff at 21 Choices (85 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; also in Claremont), and you’ll know why the line often stretches out the door. The Tahitian vanilla tastes like it might have (gasp!) real vanilla in it. The chocolate yogurt is flavored with Valrhona. Fancy schmancy concoctions such as banana cream pie and mandarin mango are made with fresh, organic fruit. And to gild the lily, 21 Choices offers more than 100 toppings that they’ll mix in by hand: fresh fruit, rainbow sprinkles, nuts, cereals and an array of candy bars and gummy treats.
If 21 Choices is the pinnacle of maximalist fro-yo, Tutto Tutti (6803 Melrose Ave.) is the minimalist -- and unfortunately often deserted -- antidote. They offer five basic flavors that look deceptively like Pinkberry but taste worlds better. Everything is good (aside from the forgettable Freckle Snow White -- plain yogurt sprinkled with black sesame seeds), but the Double Wonder is the one to beat. Who knows if it’s made with real sea salt, but its subtle caramel undertones give it an unusual richness. And the Super Bee, with its grassy, woodsy flavor, is unlike any other frozen yogurt the Glutton has tried.
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