pinkberry
the new frozen yogurt craze. i've been craving for more ever since i had some in westwood last january, and the store design made me even more appreciative [the green dot counter pattern, minimalist aesthetic, funky plastic furniture including starck's ghost chairs(!)]. the yogurt comes in either natural or green tea flavor, and actually has the sour taste of real yogurt which compliments the fresh fruit and toppings that are methodically arranged. i can definitely see this blowing up and can't wait until it hits new york.
the taste that launched a thousand parking tickets [la times]
pinkberry website
sprinkle cupcakes
these cupcakes are sickeningly adorable. they look like something i would nibble on at first, then inhale immediately afterwards. the store originated in beverly hills but seems to be opening up stores nationwide in the near future. dark chocolate, ginger lemon, and mocha all sound like pretty good flavors though i think after the icing is put on i don't have much preference, they all look so tempting. i dig the clean lines and natural wood for the display/counter in the pictured store, but there seems something just off to me about it. or maybe it's just the inexplicable paranoia that those precious cupcakes could suddenly fall off the edge or get sneezed on without the glass immediately in front of it.
sprinkle cupcakes website
kyotofu
kyotofu opened up last november in hell's kitchen in new york city as a "dessert bar serving up traditional japanese desserts and cocktails with a modern twist", using ingredients that include green tea, bean paste, and homemade tofu. from the menu online, toasted walnut tahitian vanilla parfait is on the top of my list and hey, perhaps the warm chestnut mochi chocolate cake could be a cheaper alternative to my unfulfilled 2-year craving for nobu's bento box dessert [curse you, generous older siblings and in-laws! gack...i miss nobu's lobster salad too]. hiromi tsuruta's interiors provide a nice backdrop for the food too.
kyotofu website
tisserie
venezuelan brothers morris and ronald harrar have recently embarked on making tisserie the next generation in the pastry/bakery/coffee world. their food looks delicious, including the sandwiches- everything seems delicate and made with care. i think it might find itself quite a cozy niche...the closest chains that are comparable are probably starbucks and au bon pain, both which aren't as known for a big pastry/dessert selection.
new chocolaterie franchise- max brenner line
i read a new york times article a while back on how chocolateries/dessert bars were taking over and becoming one of the next big things. well, max brenner's chocolate by the bald man opened up last year and looks like a sanctuary for serious chocoholics. even though i like it, i'm glad now i burnt out in eating too much chocolate as a kid and now can only handle it in occasional doses. i have to say i was sort of meh about the store. so maybe it was successful in its intention to give it sort of an industrial, old new york undertone with some pop culture references but even this store doesn't quite evoke my sense of lust for chocolate enough for me to be sold.
pics of the store [offthebroiler]
max brenner's site
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