Banana Pudding

The extent of coincidence in life is sometimes just too overwhelming. Yesterday afternoon, I posted about the new flavor locator feature and included a screencap of my unsuccessful test search. As you can see, I searched for "Banana Pudding," as I had decided it was the flavor I most felt like at the moment out of the hundreds of options.

The bad news is that the Flavor Locator doesn't appear to be fully live for all stores yet. The good news was that when I stopped by the Tasti closest to my apartment that night, they, of course, were serving Banana Pudding. I feel like I must have done something right yesterday in order to receive such a sweet reward.

For the most part, Banana Pudding did not disappoint. The flavor was strong and sweet. However, by the end of the cup, I felt nauseated--which is unusual for a Tasti flavor. The taste just doesn't hold up throughout a whole cup. It would be superb, however, mixed with another flavor--even Dutch Chocolate--to counterbalance the thickness.

TASTI (3 of 4 stars)

80 calories/serving

TastiDLite.com Launches Flavor Locator

The Tasti website continues to expand and innovate--this morning, they launched a "Flavor Locator." Users can select a flavor and type in their zipcode, and the locator tells them the nearest location serving that flavor. Unfortunately, most of the ones I tried were not found within a 50 mile radius, so it somewhat serves to remind you of what you want, but can't have. Nevertheless, it's a pretty nifty feature and should be useful for that burning craving.

Chocolate Decadence Sundae

This was my first foray into the complex sundaes offered by Tasti D-Lite--I figured it was about time. It filled a large drinking cup (maybe four or five times a small cup) and had two layers of chocolate Tasti, cookie crumb, and hot fudge. Then it was topped with whipped cream. All for 390 calories! You definitely can't help but wonder how that calorie count is possible. The man behind me in line saw the sundae being made and snarked--"There goes the diet for the week!" (Was he trying to tell me something?) In theory, my "diet" for the week was fine, but it's definitely hard to believe. The sundae was delicious--creamy, rich, and flavorful. It was definitely thick though, and you couldn't order a smaller size. It was a little expensive, too. I'd say it's a great thing to split with friends and probably should be treated with a grain of salt (can it really be healthy?), but probably shouldn't be taken on by oneself.

TASTI (3 of 4 stars)

390 calories/order

Oreos 'n Peanut Butter

Yesterday was the kind of day where the train pulled up right as you swiped into the subway and the guy at ABP put just the right amount of pesto on the sandwich. So it came as no surprise that one of the flavors of the day was Oreos 'n Peanut Butter--which are just about my two favorite foods. As I've discussed before, both peanut butter and Oreo make delicious Tasti flavors--the question was if the mixture would be too much of a good thing... and it wasn't! You could differentiate the two delectable tastes or let your taste buds combine them into a single frozen goodness. They really complement each other well. For creativity and execution, four stars it is!

D-LITEFUL (4 of 4 stars)

80 calories/ounce

Chocolate Tasti Shake

So Tasti D-Lited is finally in New York! And, best all, our apartment is less than two blocks away from a (rather small) Tasti! And, likewise, reviews should be back on a frequent basis.

For our first trip, we decided to mix it up a bit and try a Tasti Shake on for size--and it fit! (Lolerz, y'all.) While I prefer Tasti to ice cream even without the nutritional factors, I have little taste preference between a Tasti shake and a normal one. Which is a good thing. It tastes rich, creamy, and chocolatey. The taste is rather straight-forward, but I guess that's what one would expect. In any case, I'll definitely be trying some more complicated shakes (and smoothies) in the future.

TASTI (3 of 4 stars)

Berryline Thrives in Harvard Square

So, I'm finally heading to Tasti-land (NYC!) tomorrow afternoon, so flavor reviews will be forthcoming. But, in my last day in Boston, I had to check out Berryline, which I've been hearing from all my friends who go to Harvard. Berryline is the first to market in Harvard Square--which, by the way, would be a great location for Tasti D-Lite (hopefully they'll get there soon). I was fairly impressed with Berryline--it's basically exactly the same as Pinkberry, Red Mango, etc. The taste was the same, the toppings are the same, the name is...similar. But, it's interesting to note how devoted Harvard Square residents are to it already--I went twice today (Oreo with Strawberry and Kiwi, then Original with Strawberry and Blueberry), and it was packed both times. Most people in line who I asked hadn't heard of Pinkberry at all. It will be interesting to see how the whole Pinkberry-like food competition will pan out. None of the companies has too much notoriety or too many locations, and the product is the same. It will be interesting to see if Tasti decides these companies are competition or not--I tend to think not.

Best Customer Quote

The official Tasti D-Lite blog has kindly recognized us again, citing this post as including the "best customer quote on the internet." We headline the top 10 list! Thanks!

The Quote:

"I like to imagine that until the moment I step into the store, the flavors of the day have yet to be decided, and as I push the door open, the frozen dessert gods scan my soul and offer flavors as some sort of karmic redemption."

Tasti Introduces Green Tea, PB Moosemellow

This weekend, over 40 participating Tasti stores introduced the two newest flavors to the Tasti D-Lite community--Green Tea and PB Moosemellow. PB Moosemellow is a snazzed-up name for Moose Tracks ice cream, a personal favorite of mine. I'm quite excited to try the flavor. Green Tea would appear to be a response to the Pinkberrys of the world--Green Tea is one of the two original Pinkberry flavors. The press release acknowledges this, proclaiming that Green Tea "captures one of the hottest flavor trends." In any case, new flavors are always fun.

Tasti Goes International

This past week, Tasti D-Lite announced its first international franchising deal with Coffee Bean Korea Co., Ltd. The deal will bring Tasti D-Lite to South Korea, the first country outside the U.S. to receive Tasti goodness. CEO Jim Amos points out that South Korea is a strong first international location because several "fad yogurt chains" have had great success in the country. It is not specifically noted in the press release that Red Mango, the increasingly popular Pinkberry rival, is based in South Korea and is extremely popular there before coming to New York.

Of course, it's a little hard to believe that Tasti will reach South Korea before, say, Boston, or even Chicago. The deal with Coffee Bean makes some sense, as Coffee Bean fanatics on the west coast are quite similar to Tasti fanatics on the east coast. I doubt it will, but if the deal was extended domestically, I'd imagine it would be quite successful. In any case, the international expansion is certainly exciting for Tasti--I look forward to getting my first e-mail from a Korean Tasti addict.

[EDIT: A commenter points out that there is no connection in the deal between Tasti and The Coffee Bean. It so happens that the main franchiser in South Korea of The Coffee Bean is also working with Tasti D-Lite now. There is no connection between the two companies.]

Peanut Butter Mounds

It's been quite a while since we've had a flavor review on Tasti D-Lited, but we were able to make it into the city for a morning and stopped by a Tasti. It was interesting to see the prominence of the promotion for the new smoothie and sundae lines, but sadly I did not have time to try them out.

Instead, I got Peanut Butter Mounds, with high expectations. I gave Peanut Butter a four-star review back in October and noted how many more varieties of peanut butter remain. Of course, I'm now running into trouble--Peanut Butter Mounds, as most of the peanut butter flavors will be, was incredible, equal to original Peanut Butter. But I don't want to get set in a precedent of giving four stars to each peanut butter inspired blend!

So, we'll give it three stars, and save four stars for peanut butter flavors that go over the top. But, Peanut Butter Mounds was an excellent way to finally get my Tasti fix.

TASTI (3 of 4 stars)

100 calories/serving