A Couple of Ways to Cool Off

With it actually feeling like a genuine New York City summer for a change, we turn our attention to some icy treats. Luckily, Metropolitan Ave. has a couple.

With the Carvel down there having opened, then closed, then, who the hell knows? ...  I, like plenty of other car-less Notherners who don't frequent Metropolitan Area very often, was left confused about the status of one of my favorite childhood haunts. So, for all of you like me who were wondering whether there still is a Carvel in Forest Hills or not, I can happily report there is indeed—and just a short walk down to Metropolitan Ave.

And remember our place to get ices that used to be next to the old Bonfire Grill—Uncle Louie G? Well, that's now located down there as well, sharing a location with Twist It Top It frozen yogurt.

Some Reader Contributions

A few photos I wanted to post earlier this week from readers before all the news broke about the Stadium Concerts...

Liran noticed that the frozen yogurt competition in town seems to be heating up with special deals now to be had (especially now that we have, how many? four places in just a few blocks battling for the hearts and minds of the froyo-lovers of FoHi?)...

And Manny was nice enough to send in these photos of the Willow Lake Trail last Sunday:

Thanks for sending them in guys. The photos and news everyone sends in really adds so much to this blog. Keep 'em coming to edgeofthecity@gmail.com. Have a great Friday!

Our Cups Runneth Over

Given that we find ourselves in a Yogurt Glut of perhaps Biblical proportions, what with the recent opening of Red Mango and Vanilla Sky, perhaps it comes as no surprise that all this yogurt activity is having ripple effects on the shops that originally staked a claim to the yogurt hungry of Forest Hills.

I noticed over the weekend that Oko has put up a sign advertising "New Management."

And Yogo Monster in the Austin Street Mall has also made some changes... 

Yogo Monster has switched to the ever-popular "self-serve" format a la 16 Handles and Red Mango, etc.

One thing 'The Monster' has going for it is outdoor seating.

Vanilla Sky's Opening Day

Here are some photos from yesterday's opening of Vanilla Sky, Forest Hills' new cafe/frozen yogurt place at the corner of Austin St. and 70th Road (Restaurant Row). I have to admit I'm not much of a frozen yogurt connoisseur and don't get very excited about it (see my Tweets), but I liked their's—the flavors I tried tasted more like regular ice cream and less like yogurt. And the place is really really nice. Very modern and sleek, with great touches. I especially liked the fact that they also sell other things like sandwiches, coffee and smoothies (see their menu below). So, Forest Hills has more than just another frozen yogurt shop in Vanilla Sky. We have a full-blown cafe that's really cool and fun, and with outdoor seating to boot.

A great summery touch - enjoy your fro-yo and other treats in their "green" outdoor seating area

Loved their cool-looking furniture. Very modern.

They had a variety of gourmet sandwiches, sodas and waters.

Vanilla Sky Opens Today

The new frozen yogurt/cafe opens today at the corner of Austin Street and Restaurant Row (70th Road), just in time for today's Street Fair on Austin.

Vanilla Sky Opening This Week?

On their Twitter feed they said the opening would be sometime this week, and, not sure if this has anything to do with it, but I did see a large tractor trailer ice cream truck parked across from it yesterday morning. So, still no definite word but it looks like the opening is imminent.

And please, don't waste your time with negative comments below about the place before it has even opened. Ok, ok, yes, we have too many yogurt places, that is true. But you might actually find you like this one best. At least give them a chance!

Vanilla Sky Sign

They've put up the new sign. I guess it should be opening pretty shortly. I, for one, am much more interested in their coffee and any other snacks they might have than their frozen yogurt. Not sure if they got the permission for outdoor seating, but that would be really nice, too.

Vanilla Sky's Unveiling

The plywood around the Vanilla Sky at the corner of Austin and 70th Road (Restaurant Row) has been taken down giving us a good idea of what the new frozen yogurt/coffee place will look like:

Vanilla Sky Outdoor Seating

I for one hope they get the approval since I love to be able to eat outside during the nice weather (as opposed to during blizzards and monsoons). I was trying to recall if Europan had outdoor seating and I really think they didn't (not that I would have eaten there much if they did, but it would have made it a bit more of an attractive alternative).

Vanilla Sky Progressing

Walking around Forest Hills these days it really is striking how much new construction is going on, especially along the main shopping drag of Austin St. The latest I've noticed is the corner where Europan used to be has been encased in plywood as they near completion of the frozen yogurt/cafe Vanilla Sky:

Inside Red Mango

Looks like this baby is getting ready to open...

Frozen Yogurt for Metropolitan, Too

Thanks to a reader for sending in this pic of yet another frozen yogurt place opening in Forest Hills, this time on Metropolitan Ave. I think the location is between 71st Drive and 72nd Ave.

Newest Frozen Yogurt Place

This is coming to the space where Europan was. From what I hear, there's one in Astoria I believe. I haven't tried it though. (This is what happens when I get sick - supposedly this sign has been up on the store for a few days. So sorry for the delay! Thankfully, a reader sent this in.) Oh, and by the way, I don't know what a webside is either, in case you were wondering.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

.... Frozen yogurt, as in Red Mango. Wow! What happened to that OTB facade? It seems like it was there just last week.

Just a clarification: I don't know if this is what the Red Mango storefront is going to look like. This is what the adjacent space to it looks like, and we don't yet know what it will be.

My friend took the pic so I didn't realize this pic doesn't include the Red Mango space on the corner of this building.

Coming Soon: Red Mango

A sign has been put up. This is at the former OTB location.

What's Going on at the Ole OTB?

 What is going on I ask you? We know there is a Red Mango going into the space on the corner. Here's some pics of the inside under construction:

But what is going in to the other part? We heard possibly 7-Eleven a few months ago, and then found out that was not a done deal. And me and my news-hounds think that space is kinda small for a 7-Eleven:

So, we shall see... It's all about as suspenseful as why construction on the "Windsor 2" condo, next to the Key Food, seems to have come to a grinding halt as of several weeks ago, leaving us all to have to squeeeeze in between that dreadful wall of wood and the newstand (especially challenging when the Lotto starts getting up there and the lines start to form). As if that block wasn't pleasant enough before with those sad, old stores, now we have a wooden wall with no sign it will be coming down any time soon...

16 Handles, or "This is Fu--kn Yogurt?!"

I finally found myself in one of those 16 Handles stores (last I heard, they are supposed to be opening one here in Forest Hills sometime, too.) I say found myself in it, because, seriously, it was absolutely impossible to resist. I was in Chelsea walking by it, saw it and the next thing I knew I was inside and a woman was trying to force one of those small, little sample cups into my fingers. I refused. That is one place where I draw the line——yogurt samples. I am adamantly against them. I don't understand the entire premise. What is the worse thing that can happen to me? I don't like the yogurt I bought, so I don't buy it again. Do I need to brace myself against this possibility by sucking down a tiny sample of it before I eat it? No. I could be living in Afghanistan today or some god-foresaken place like that. I think I can survive buying a few bucks worth of frozen yogurt that I don't like. It won't kill me. I don't need to be sheltered from this experience by one of those little squishy sample cups.

Now, as for 16 Handles. I just don't get it. Why don't they just call it 16,000 pounds. Because that is really what I would eventually weigh if I keep going to this place. Are they really expecting me to believe that their cheesecake or root beer float flavored frozen yogurts are any less fattening then just buying Baskin Robins? Puhleeease!!! Come on!

And don't get me started on all the toppings. There are like a zillion of them. And yes, there's a few fruit toppings, but by the time I finished with the other one's I might as well have been eating a Carvel Banana Split Sundae, especially after I drenched the top with marshmallow and dark chocolate sauce.

Isn't it so typical of America that we have figured out how to make what was supposed to be a nice, healthy snack —— frozen yogurt —— into one of the most overly indulgent, fattening experiences we can possibly have?

... and More Frozen Yogurt To Come

16 HANDLES -- MANAGER POSITIONS -- Astoria, Queens Center Mall and Forest Hills


Where in FoHi? That I do not yet know.