Natural Frozen Yogurt Places in DC

When I was walking around Georgetown last night, I was baffled to find that the space formerly occupied by CD Warehouse was turning into yet another "natural" frozen yogurt shop. Very originally named Iceberry, is froyo store number 4 to open in downtown DC. Three of those stores (including the pending Iceberry) opened just this summer alone. This booming concept of the "healthy" sweet treat is the answer to the prayers of thousands of organic-loving yuppies in this city. With the arrival of froyo shop #4, yuppies are increasingly pressured to pledge allegiance to one particular stand and defend them via posts on Yelp.com. Looking at this from the outside, I want to give my opinion on each of these froyo stands - just for the hell of it.

Sweet Green
The first froyo store (to my knowledge) to open in DC, this store is all the way at the end of M Street in Georgetown, started by a couple of Georgetown grads in a small space that looked like a sushi bar in its prior life. Their main appeal was their fresh make-it-yourself salads with endless toppings. In my opinion, the froyo here is the best - with a good selection of toppings, it's the only place that has lady finger cookies which is way better than the other "goodies" the stores below offer. Oh, and the workers are young, fun, and at least look like they enjoy their job.

Tangy Sweet

I was surprised to see how long the line was for this place. Conveniently located at Dupont Circle across from Cafe Japone, the only reason I stood on line was because a man (who happened to be the owner) offered my friends and I free froyo. Let me comment about the appearance. The inside looks like a public restroom with chairs and funky lights. The tables that come out of the walls look like glowing, color-changing urinal posts. The atmosphere is complete with peach-colored walls and stench of wet rag and paint.
Back to the froyo: unlike Sweet Green, they offer 3 flavors: original, pomegranate, and green tea. Being unadventurous, I had the original with coconut, strawberry, and blackberry. The froyo was OK - the only issue I have is that they skimp out on the toppings. For the 3 times I've been there, my cup averaged 2 blackberries, about 3 slices of strawberry, and a few flakes of coconut.
Farce.

Mr. Yogato
I haven't been there yet - and I don't think I will even bother to try. My coworkers told me about their experience - mostly the long lines and weird decor (better than smelly). Yogato amps it up with additional flavors such as peach and mojito. That's not all - they offer an even bigger selection of toppings, including ingredients that they probably pulled out of the shelves of a fraternity pantry. They include: olive oil, wheat germ, and honey - just to name a few. I have no idea what kind of deranged person would put this in their dessert. It really is just plain gross. Oh, and each additional topping is 75 cents - a bit overpriced for a couple raspberries, in my opinion.

It looks like DC has a new obsession. May the power of froyo prevail, and I look forward to trying Iceberry. The popularity of this "healthy" alternative is probably to counter the booming cupcake business. Something to be discussed in a future post.