FRO YO in WEHO – West Hollywood’s Yogurt Wars

Springing up like mushrooms after a rain, Yogurt shops are blossoming on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood. Here is a quick tour of the latest Yogurt Craze.

Angelina’s Yogurt Coffee & Cream
8719 Santa Monica Blvd.

Angelina’s claims to be the oldest yogurt establishment on the West side of WEHO. With a cute décor and six outside tables under umbrellas, it is a favorite for people-watching on Santa Monica Blvd. and a place for the gym bunnies from the 24 Hour Fitness across the street to get their low fat rewards. Inside, the seating is little to none, (just four small tables), but an impressive array of yogurt machines lines an entire wall behind a long counter filled with an enormous selection of eighteen candy and eighteen assorted fruit toppings. I counted nine different flavors of yogurt, five of which change weekly. Belgian chocolate, vanilla, naturalle, and peanut butter are standards. This week they also offered strawberry, pumpkin, cappuccino, banana crème pie, and angel food cake. Besides the large number of flavors, two of their yogurts are always sugar free, and one is always non-dairy. They give samples of their different flavors. Just ask.

I ordered a small naturalle yogurt with three toppings, M&Ms, blueberries, and raspberries from an extremely pleasant young man, who, when I returned later to gather information on the place, also proved to be quite knowledgeable. The small yogurt cost $2.75 and the dry topping (M&Ms) cost $1.00 extra, the man said that I could have ½ an order of blueberries and ½ an order of raspberries for an additional $1.25, bringing my total to $5.00. He then laid down a thick layer of berries and M&Ms in the bottom of a clear plastic pint container, pumped in about five ounces of yogurt, and scattered another thick layer of berries and candy on top, filling the container to the rim. I was seriously impressed. The tangy naturalle yogurt was a perfect counterpoint to all those sweet toppings. I am still dizzy from the sugar rush! Score of 1-5, I give Angelina’s a 4 ½.

Pinkberry
868 Huntley Drive

Ah, the famous Pinkberry, “the taste that launched a thousand parking tickets”, or so they claim. This shop was the first one of eventually many, opened by a Korean entrepreneur about three years ago, almost directly across Santa Monica Blvd. from Angelina’s on Huntley Dr. They serve only two flavors, plain and green tea, of what they call, instead of yogurt, “Chilly Bliss”, and a total of twenty dry and fruit toppings. Seating is quite limited, and the tiny shop has directional signs inside indicating where to order and where to pick up. There were three pleasant employees behind the counter, quite helpful when I confessed to being a Pinkberry virgin.

I ordered a small plain with M&Ms, blueberries, and raspberries, and the counter person advised me that they did not carry M&Ms. He also steered me to the special, a medium “Chilly Bliss” with three toppings for $4.95. Crushed but undaunted, I substituted lychee for my beloved candy, and went for the special. He pumped eight ounces of the frozen delight into a plastic container and spooned about eight raspberries, ten blueberries, and ten lychee pieces on top. Maybe it is all the hype, but I did think that the product was quite good, slightly sweet/tart but not bitter, and smooth in texture. Was it yogurt? We have to let the law decide. Score of 1-5, I give Pinkberry a 3 ½.

Yogurtpia
8910 Santa Monica Blvd.

This shop, opened earlier this year, is smartly styled in a slightly boring palette of browns and tans, with a glass front wall, ample seating inside, and four small sidewalk tables. They offered three flavors of frozen yogurt, a small plain for $2.50, and strawberry and mango for $1.00 extra. Each topping costs $.95 extra.

I ordered a small plain with three toppings, and the pleasant girl behind the counter suggested that I order their special, a medium with three toppings for $4.95, which I did, choosing M&Ms, blueberries, and blackberries. She put about eight ounces of yogurt in a cup and topped it with about ten blueberries, eight blackberries, and twenty or so M&Ms. The yogurt was tasty, as were the toppings. Score of 1-5, I give Yogurtpia a 2 ½.

Yogurtberry
8941 Santa Monica Blvd.

The newest kid on the block, Yogurtberry, is resplendent in shades of hot pink, with clear acrylic chairs and white tables both inside and on the mini sidewalk patio, which is separated from the rest of the establishment by a floor to ceiling wall of glass. The place almost vibrates with red and pink light. Very Chic. Choices of flavors are limited to plain and green tea, but there is a good selection of both dry and fruit toppings.

I ordered a small plain yogurt with three toppings; M&Ms, raspberries, and blueberries. The small yogurt cost $2.50, and there was a special, three toppings for $1.49 as opposed to $.99 each, so the whole treat cost $3.99. The guy behind the counter was pleasant, but not enthusiastic. He served up about four ounces of yogurt into a small clear container, then balanced six raspberries, six blueberries, and about ten M&Ms on top. The yogurt had an elegant sweetness, and the toppings were quite tasty. Score of 1-5, I give Yogurtberry a 3

That’s all for now. My stomach hurts!

 

 

The Real Estate Sky is not Falling!

Because many of my clients and friends in West Hollywood are worried about the real estate market in the area, I thought that I would write a note to let you know that the Real Estate Sky is not falling, but rather, that we all are entering a new and different time of increased opportunities. It is in times of adjustment like this that fortunes can be made. 

We are all too aware of how the recent mortgage banking issues and stock market fluctuations have impacted the housing market, thus also impacting the value of your current home or future home, and, if you are looking to buy, affecting the amount and interest of a future purchase loan. The volatile stock market, which directly affects many people’s net worth, has contributed to making new buyers more cautious. These prospective buyers are also hampered by rising interest rates and more difficult loan qualification guidelines. This may be a good thing, because with more realistic lending guidelines, (according to my mortgage broker, a minimum 10% down payment, and FICO scores usually above 680 required for each transaction, among other requirements), buyers are much less apt to face foreclosures in the future. I am advising my clients to save their money and clean up their credit if they want to secure the best loans. The shift in the mortgage industry has also given rise to some new types of loans which can be truly beneficial to the prospective buyer. Check with your mortgage banker for details. 

Selling a home has become a more difficult project than before, as fewer buyers are shopping, and with so many houses on the market, they can pick and choose. However, a good deal still sells quickly. Savvy sellers realize that the market is still inflated, and are beginning to price their homes below market price, and thus generate multiple offers, rather than letting the house languish on the market for long periods of time. 

In many ways, this creates a market of opportunity, with buyers becoming better qualified and successful sellers becoming more pragmatic concerning the pricing of their homes. In other words, prices are falling, and qualified buyers are getting better deals. 

Remember, opportunity is created when a pessimist sells to an optimist. Please let me know if you, or someone you know, can benefit from my knowledge and expertise.

Best Dog Parks – WOOF!

On any sunny day in West Hollywood, Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega and Robertson looks like a snippet from the movie, Best in Show. Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Whippets, Boxers, Papillions, Golden Labradors, Jack Russell Terriers, English Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, and other exotics prance and sniff down the boulevard, leashed to well groomed men and women toting plastic baggies. Many of the pooches pause for refreshment at the dog bowl at Starbucks while their keepers lounge under the umbrellas, sip assorted coffee drinks, trade stories about their beloved canine companions, and attempt to keep doggie friction to a minimum. It is a social ritual, a way for dogs to re-sniff acquaintances, and a way for the humans to meet new people, and hopefully new dates.

Besides the benefits to canine cardiac health, dog walking is an excellent way for humans to meet other attractive dog lovers, especially those that otherwise might be unapproachable. Unfortunately, over-reliance on the beloved pooch to help a lovelorn human find a hookup can result in a bizarre condition referred to in West Hollywood as the Bloody Paw Syndrome, characterized by the lonely human walking their panting poochie around and around the neighborhoods so frequently and for such a long time that its paws begin to bleed.

An alternative to neighborhood dog walking that gets the coveted canine off concrete sidewalks and minimizes paw wear and tear would be the several local dog parks and even nearby beaches dedicated to our furry companions, where they can run on or sometimes off the leash.

The largest, and some say the best, is Runyon Canyon, located adjacent to West Hollywood, a 160 acre park with 90 acres of off-leash dog area, not completely fenced except for a small grassy area at the bottom. The park is on a steep hill with two dirt trails and one paved trail that stretch from top to bottom. Hiking the paved trail takes a little over an hour from bottom to top, and is excellent exercise. There are lots of dogs and people all the time, making it fun for both sociable pooches and humans. There are water fountains for dogs at the bottom only. There are two entrances; the top parking lot/entrance is on Mulholland Drive, approx. five minutes west of the 101 Freeway. The bottom entrance is at 2000 N. Fuller, (the North end of Fuller). Parking is on the street. Open every day from sunrise to sunset.

If you do not feel like a hike, try West Hollywood’s William S. Hart Park, 8341 De Longpre Ave., which also has an off-leash dog area. This park has separate hours for both small and large dogs. Mornings: Small Dogs 7AM – 8AM; Large Dogs 8AM – 9AM; Evenings: Small Dogs 5PM – 6PM; Large Dogs 6PM – 7PM.

If you fantasize about frolicking in the surf with your canine companion, and if a bit of a drive does not phase you, there are two dog beaches in the area. The first is the Long Beach Dog Beach between Roycroft and Argonne avenues in Belmont Shore, in Long Beach, and the second is the Huntington Beach Dog Beach on Pacific Coast Highway between 21st St. and Seapoint St. in Huntington Beach.

Below are a few links to websites that list even more dog parks in the area.

http://www.myspace.com/smalldogpark

http://www.hautedogs.org/offleash.html#top

http://www.nps.gov/archive/samo/brochure/dogleash.htm

http://www.freeplay.org/parks.html

Los Angeles – Hermon Dog Park