Freeze Jag: Cultured
Posted by Warren Rojas / Friday, August 12th, 2011
August is historically the steamiest, stickiest, sweatiest month of the year–brilliant move, Founding Fathers, building the nation’s capital on a swamp–in these parts. We’ve tracked down 31 frozen treats (one a day for the rest of this month) to provide you with some temporary, and often insanely delicious, relief.
The place: Cultured – 216 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg; 703-771-1116; www.culturedleesburg.com
The prescription: fro-yo with chocolate-covered pomegranate. “Have you ever had plain yogurt? It’s like that,” was the circular reasoning my tongue-tied server tossed out when pressed about the difference between the newish Cultured (debuted, briefly, last fall) and all the other preexisting fro-yo slingers. Turns out their “naturally tart plain yogurt”–the raw material is provided by neighboring South Mountain Creamery (located across the river in Middletown, Maryland)–lives up to its name. The end product is more icy than creamy, with that tell-tale tang that suggests all the promised probiotic magic is still happening. It’s “plainness,” however, is counterbalanced by the panoply of toppings available (one free flavoring agent per order; extras will run you $0.50 a pop), including the dark chocolaty and luscious pomegranate pieces that ultimately found their way into my cup.
Feeling naughty? Load up on all your commercial favorites, including: Reese’s Pieces, Coco Roos cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, chocolate sauce, crumbled brownies from the adjoining Mom’s Apple Pie bakery, ginger lemon cookies, crushed York peppermint patties and/or crushed Oreos.
Counting calories? Sidestep snacker’s remorse by indulging in guilt-free sweeteners, including: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mango, peaches, honey, organic blue agave and/or Japanese mochi (plain or sesame).
Hell, if you doctor a cup with nothing but fresh fruit and wholesome grains, you might just walk away with the healthiest “treat” in town…
–Warren
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Keep tabs on the month long Freeze Jag trek here.
Tags: Cultured, Freeze Jag, fro yo, frozen yogurt, Gut Check, leesburg, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, South Mountain Creamery, Warren Rojas