out of this world?

Okay, I have said for hundreds of years I wasn't going to weigh in on the frozen yogurt debate. BUT..I just can't take it anymore!

WTF Red Mango? What were you thinking. Building a "yolato" store in the heart of the west village across the street from your arch nemesis PINKBERRY???

You are ridiculous and I am embarrassed for you. When I saw the signs go up in the middle of summer advertising a coming soon sign for Red Mango...I thought okay this HAS to be some sweet new pacific rim foreign fare. But no...then you open in the middle of friggin winter as a FROZEN yogurt restaurant. and that would have been fine. ...If you had not opened ACROSS THE STREET from Pinkberry!

Note to investors:
When investing in a new property do the research on competitors. Find out if your red hot new mango is going to be able to compete with the most fashionable yogurt of 2007.

Let us recall the MANY celeb endorsements of that other berry restaurant.
---Lindsay Lohan
---Britney Spears
---Leonardo Di Caprio
---Kate Hudson
---Kirsten Dunst

and that is just to name a few. The pap have well documented this fact. Just google..pinkberry slash celebs and you have a laundry list of A-listers.

Google...Red Mango and Celebs....nothing.

Today I decided to put this whole mind boggling experience to bed. I had to try Red Mango. It is 23-C outside but today was the day. My only thought was if Red Mango was going to compete with its other Fro-yo friend it had to be ----out of this world.

On my way to Red Mango I passed by Pinkberry. It was packed. It's a Saturday afternoon and hip villagers are downing their probiotics. People are actually sitting in the store hats, scarfs('scuse-me pashminas) bound shoveling ice between the gap.

Red Mango is dead. I walk in and notice a pin drop would have been thunderous. I don't remember if I was greeted and if I had been I didn't notice. I walked to the counter and stared at the small assortment of fresh fruit and cereal. I asked what the charge for fruit was. The girl behind the counter said one dollar and it's one twenty-five for 2. Great! I thought.

I asked for a small with Mangos and raspberries. Then the girl asked for my name. I quickly glanced around. Is she kidding? Are they going to call my name?? I am the only one here. Surely it's impossible to lose my order amongst.......noone.

I gave it to her a little reluctantly. I have given my name at pinkberry but that is because it's such a jamfest in there you are lucky they write down Lindy instead of Cindy Mindy or once..Candy.

The girl handed the printout receipt to the guy next to her. I stepped down 4.5 inches to my left. He looked at me with a blank stare. Then he stared at the receipt. Then he asked the lady what I had ordered. He had forgotten the last 10 seconds of his life in a room full of nobody. She reminded him. Raspberries and Mangos. He looked at the receipt. Jesus. This was getting painful. So then I reminded him. Raspberries and MANGOS..MANGOS.

He made the order by picking up one berry at a time and placing it on the rim. (is he counting..I wondered) He didn't know whether to put a lid on it. He had to ask me. The girl asked me if I wanted a bag. I didn't. Then out of nowhere he hands me one. I felt like my life was in slow motion. I couldn't stand it. I had to get out of there.

Back at my apartment, I opened the contents and examined. Time for the truth. What were these people thinking? Could they oust the fashionista of fro-yo??

Well, it was out of this world.

By world, I mean U.S.

Red Mango is the original Pinkberry. It has been operating since 2002. It has over 140 locations in Korea. It made it's US debut in Culver City CA in 2007. It's rich and creamy and filled with live cultures..unlike its Pinkberry competitor.

I like it because it is actually sweeter and not as icy. It has that original yogurt flavor that can not be copied. And nutritional experts are saying it is less in calories, 20 per oz as opposed to Pinkberrys 25 per oz.

Okay Red Mango, you did it. I'm impressed. Now, let's pay some celebrities to eat you that way you won't get bullied out of the neighborhood.

Wait this just in....Leo D. just requested a Red Mango machine for his home. O. Pinkberry it's so over.