An Alternative to Leatherby's

Over-sized sweatpants? Check!

Television set to Greys Anatomy? Check!

Frozen yogurt with a mountain of toppings? Check!

Thursday nights would not be the same without my recent obsession with frozen yogurt.

I appear to not be the only one that loves this delightfully fat-free snack considering all the different frozen yogurt shops moving in everywhere I look.
The trend hadn’t hit me until I was in the East bay and tried Coco Swirl, a frozen yogurt shop in Pleasant Hill.

The craving for it was almost unbearable. Since my friend lives very close to Coco Swirl and it is relatively inexpensive, there has never been an excuse not to go. After noticing this obsession of mine, I decided to see what the frozen yogurt status was in Sacramento. Over a period of three weeks I’ve tried four local frozen yogurt shops.

The first one I tried was Mochii, an all natural and fat free form of frozen yogurt, located on the corner of 16th and P st. in Midtown. It has a great artsy Japanese feel and even though parking is on the street, it was doable.

They get their name from a Japanese and Chinese rice cake made of glutinous rice that is pounded into paste and molded into shape. They make the mochi fresh in their shop and even have flavors like cherry, strawberry or lime.

It may not sound very appetizing based on the description, but think about it like mix between a gummy bear and a marshmallow. Their yogurt was very good, but a little over my price range. They do not weigh the cups, instead they charge per size and per topping, which can get very expensive if you like a lot of toppings like I do.

There was another frozen yogurt place that just opened that I kept seeing on my way to work called Yogurt A Go-Go, located on 18th and L st. also in Midtown. This place weighs your cup to know what to charge you and has up to five different flavors of yogurt, even some in sugar free, to choose from, not to mention the array of different toppings from Oreo cookie to any fresh fruit you can think of. They also have mochi in many different flavors.

This place was not only a good price but they give you a punch card so that every time you come you get a punch and on the tenth time, you get one free. Now that’s good motivation.

Most of these yogurt shops are health conscious, but if you have a little more of a sweet tooth then I suggest Big Spoon Yogurt, located at the Arden Fair mall and just past 37th on J st.

The display of toppings is pretty impressive. They have everything from hot fudge and whip cream to many different cookies and candy you can think of. The only problem is, if you are looking for fresh fruit, forget it, this is not the place for you.

The final yogurt shop and winner of this “yogurt challenge” was Yo Yo Yogurt, located on Fair Oaks blvd. less than two miles from Sacramento State’s campus. Not only are they close to campus but they give a 20% discount to Sacramento State students with their I.D. cards. They also have a punch card that works just like Yogurt A Go Go.

At this rate, there is no reason why you shouldn’t go out there and try something new and delicious. Instead of going to Leatherby’s go try some tart raspberry yogurt with fruit and that yummy mochi I was telling you about, you won’t regret it.

Unless you’re lactose in tolerant and then you’ll just have to watch Greys Anatomy without this yummy dessert.