It was 11:00 a.m. when I grumpily got out of bed to test out the new frozen yogurt place in Fairfield, 16 Handles. To provide a characterization of myself in relation to frozen yogurt, I will say that I assiduously avoid anything that has an unhealthy counterpart. I can’t explain why this has become a habit. Maybe it’s teenage rebellion, but I would rather end up like the guy in the weight watchers commercial than eat seemingly fake alternatives.
With this said, you can probably imagine the expectations I had for 16 Handles before I walked in. All I could picture was a dozen middle aged women, who had given up on the shake weight, ignorantly chatting about how they were losing weight by consuming a mediocre ice cream substitute. I was cynical to say the least. But it would soon become apparent that my expectations were mislead.
The feeling I got when I walked through the door was that I was in a hip place; but when I say hip, I am not referring to your average, vegan hippy appearance. Maybe it was the Adele blasting in the background, the high stools on which one eats, or the openness of the place, but the store had a modern, college feel to it. It was no surprise that the store receives a substantial number of Sacred Heart and Fairfield University students every week. Also, as confirmed by the lovely women behind the toppings counter, the workers are hypochondriacs when it comes to the store: it was more spotless than a Ferrari after a car wash.
16 Handles was even more unique for its impeccable service, which was immediately better than that of most hotels. The moment I walked in, a young woman behind the toppings counter kindly asked me if I had ever been to 16 Handles, before concisely explaining to me everything there was to know about the place: how to handle the yogurt machines, the topping situation, and the calorie count.
The woman then handed me off to another young lady who was equally warm; she non-judgmentally let me try every flavor of yogurt I wanted, and stood there simply to help. Whatever I did in the store, I felt accommodated and loved; there was always someone there to aid me.
The free samples lady, Kayla Deventhal, explained that there are 16 types of frozen yogurt available at a time (they are rotated weekly), and that the customer gets to choose the flavors himself using the “handle” machines. This means there are no half scoops or limits on flavors. I tried numerous yogurts, including: Cookies and Cream, Vanilla Sky, Chocolate Eruption, Green Apple Tart, and Pineapple Express. I hate this word, but they were all exquisite; the sorbet-like flavors tasted like fresh sorbet while the ice cream-like flavors would be difficult to discern from ice cream. The yogurt was sweet without tasting processed, as well as smooth — there was absolutely no iciness.
And for the middle aged women concerned with their weight, there were square screens (like the ones over urinals in the nicest restaurants) that had the calorie information for every type of yogurt. Not to mention that every flavor contained only about 100 calories per serving in absence of any fat.
It would be disrespectful if I forgot to mention the incredible selection of toppings. Once again, the toppings gave us what we all want as Americans: choice. The selections included classic, “childhood-obesity-is-not-a-priority” toppings, along with the ones that Oprah would recommend. There must have been at least a dozen choices available; I had chocolate covered pretzels, brownie bites, M&Ms, peanut butter cups, and milk chocolate crunch-balls (the most popular flavor, according to the staff) on my frozen yogurt. There was also a wide selection of freshly cut fruit, but I didn’t eat any, naturally.
I walked out of the door feeling both giddy and full — and I guarantee that you will as well. There really is no “Catch-22” here. The Frozen Yogurt is satisfying and relatively healthy. In fact, were I to rename this establishment, I would call it “Pleasure Without Guilt.”
