Having been 21 years old for almost exactly a year now, I’ve found that most social activities are centered around alcohol. Whether it’s heading to a packed bar on a Saturday night or a low-key weeknight happy hour, once you turn 21, your debit card statements show more drinks bought than, say, cups of frozen yogurt.
Call me a nostalgic graduating senior or maybe just a kid at heart, but I kind of miss the days when hanging out with a friend meant grabbing frozen yogurt instead of grabbing a beer. With so many variations of the somewhat healthier version of ice cream to try in Omaha, I’ve decided to spend the next few weeks exploring and evaluating several frozen yogurt places around the city. At the end, I will determine my favorite.
To kick off my fro-yo adventure, I headed for Orange Leaf in Asksarben Shoppes on 72nd and Pacific St. There are actually several Orange Leaf locations around Omaha, but this one is the closest to the Creighton area.
Upon walking in to frozen yogurt joint, it’s clear that it isn’t called “Orange Leaf” for no reason. A bright color of tangerine dominates the seating arrangements, the walls painted a lighter version of lime green. Even the spoons are orange, as well as fun and funky-shaped.
Although Orange Leaf is visually appealing, I can’t agree that the frozen yogurt was equally appealing to my taste buds. While the fro-yo spot offers variety with cleverly named flavors like “Dum Dummm Dum Dummmmm Wedding Cake” and “Life Is a Bowl of ‘Em Cherry,” none of them made me say “Wow!” I did admire that they offer dairy-free and no sugar added options, though, which didn’t taste as bad as I assumed. Sampling the flavors proved to be challenge, too – instead of grabbing your own, the workers have to do it for you, and when you’re trying to sample quite a few for a newspaper review, it becomes slightly monotonous (and a little embarrassing).
After settling on “Bowl-Lickin’ Goodness Brownie Batter” (I almost always go for a chocolate option), I headed for the toppings, which ranged from healthy fruits to more than a few ways to contribute to my 24/7 chocolate cravings. To my surprise, the fruit (another go-to option) looked fresh and delicious, and it actually tasted the same. I was pleased to see sliced Snickers bites (among other popular candies) thrown in the toppings mix, too. My fro-yo total added up to $4.63 ($.45 per ounce), which I didn’t think was too terrible considering how much fruit I loaded inside my small cup.
For Orange Leaf, the toppings beat out the actual frozen yogurt. It wasn’t a bad experience, but I think there’s something better out there. Next week, I’ll pay a visit to Red Mango to see what it has to offer in my quest to find the best fro-yo in Omaha.
Shymanski begins her frozen yogurt adventure at Orange Leaf on 72nd and Pacific. She will visit various fro-yo joints over the next few weeks.
Orange Leaf offers a variety of toppings for customer’s frozen yogurt, including candy bites and fruit.