“The first Christmas presents my husband bought for me, back in the late ’70s, were a vacuum cleaner, a bicycle and a yogurt maker, so my interest in yogurt goes back a long way,” says Sarina Blanchard, owner of the new Sweet Lola Yogurt Bar (304 Gray, 713-521-1333). “Lola stands for laugh often, love always,” she adds, and this seems to be the mantra she lives by.
Sarina and her daughter, Jenna, run the store, which Sarina describes as having a “vintage look with an old-world ambience.” “I’ve always been interested in health and fitness and nutritional food,” she says, “and the day I was exposed to the new yogurt trend in March of 2008 was the day I knew I wanted to do something of my own with it…I developed my own concept, since everything else I have seen is basically a takeoff of Pinkberry or Red Mango frozen yogurt shops.”
When Dish visited, we sampled the two unique flavors that Sarina developed — a delectable lavender flavor and an interesting ginger flavor. But as good as both were, what’s really noteworthy are the toppings, most of which you won’t find anywhere else in the city, such as candies and jellies from a small chocolate company in New York, and mini biscotti, also from the Big Apple.
Got the latest info on restaurant openings, closings, special events and gossip? E-mail us at dish@houstonpress.com.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2009.