Evening Edge

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My children have become completely addicted to frozen yogurt, even though it is February and they should be enjoying warm pie, if not hot chocolate.

Also, the frozen yogurt they crave does not in any way ape ice cream, submit to fudge sauce or accept mashed-up candy bars for company. It prefers fresh fruit. It is frank in its yogurty sourness, low in fat and high in probiotics — those little microorganisms that somehow survive the freezer and take to your digestive system with the zeal of a team of scrubbing bubbles. That's the dessert my children love, and what's a parent to do but thank the stars?

John Kessler writes food features and a column about food and more for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution E-mail John Kessler Recent Kessler columns Your fool-proof checklist for Thanksgiving  Hours of low-temperature cooking yield tender, juicy meat  Different things to sample on my new dining menu         More John Kessler Related: John Kessler's blog: Food & More John Kessler's recipes Meridith Ford Goldman's Table Talk Jeanne Besser's Feeding Frenzy Evening Edge Atlanta Restaurant reviews and search Recipes from Atlanta restaurants Favorite Atlanta recipes

They get their yogurt fix at one of the three branches of Yoforia — an Atlanta-based mini-chain that is part of a maxi-trend sweeping the country.

Yoforia, you see, is a me-too enterprise (one of many nationwide) that sprang up after the mad success of Pinkberry, a California yogurt shop that has dozens of outlets around Los Angeles and is busily proliferating in New York City. The thing is, Pinkberry owes a debt to the Korean chain Red Mango, which itself has opened stores in several states. Some call this development the "yogurt wars."

Startlingly, the various yogurt joints seem to more or less follow the same weird script to the letter. It starts with an atmosphere that looks a little "2001: A Space Odyssey" and a little yoga studio, with Philippe Starck-style chairs. Usually there are no more than two or three flavors of yogurt: plain, green tea and a ringer such as pomegranate, coffee or (I swear) tomato. Then come the toppings: fresh, cubed fruit and berries lined on one side; breakfast cereals, nuts and coconut shreds (i.e., any item you might take by the handful from the pantry without too much guilt) on the other. Most places list the caloric content, and it is rarely more than 25 calories per ounce.

People either respond as my children have, riding along with the tart flavor of cultured milk, or they catch the first cab back to Rocky Road. If your idea of heaven is one of those places where they smoosh Milky Way bars and plasticine ice cream on chilled marble, then you will likely hate this yogurt.

All of this has been a long, long introduction to the story of how I got my kids to spend an hour in the car. I had heard from a mother at their school that there is another small, local yogurt chain, called Juicygreen, that operates out of Atlanta's northern suburbs. She said it was better than Yoforia.

Better than Yoforia? Outrage! The two kids at home were all too willing to volunteer as foot soldiers in the yogurt wars. We drove — far enough and long enough that they both threatened to throw up in the back seat.

"It can't be better than Yoforia," they complained. "We should have just gone there."

We arrived at Juicygreen in Alpharetta before any dire consequences resulted. My little yogurt snobs started peppering the poor counter guy with questions.

"Do you have any mochi?" they asked, wanting the little chewy pellets of rice taffy that is their must-have.

"Not today," said counter guy.

"No pomegranate seeds? No raspberries?"

The kids settled into large, creamy cups and began dissecting the experience.

The older child was brutal. She:

• Could not forgive the lack of mochi.

• Didn't appreciate having her fruit covered with yogurt rather than arranged around the yogurt.

• Found the denser texture "heavy."

The younger child was more forgiving. She:

• Found the yogurt a little more sour, to her liking.

• Thought the green tea flavor was superior.

• Liked the frozen fruit.

I took a bite and agreed. It really tasted like Japanese matcha tea, with the kind of gripping astringency that seems almost funny in the context of sweet creaminess. I also agreed that the texture was a bit too firm. I prefer the grainier but lighter Yoforia. I also missed having mochi.

Yes, I'm as big an addict as they are. But I don't really care where I get this yogurt, as long as it's close.

FINDING FROZEN YOGURT

• Yoforia: Perimeter Mall, 4400 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, 770-394-4747; 1402 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta, 404-685-3747; 3070 Windward Plaza, Alpharetta, 770-569-1151. www.yoforia.com

•Juicygreen: 3719 Old Alabama Road, Alpharetta, 678-624-9205; the Forum on Peachtree Parkway, 5155 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross, 770-849-9744. www.juicygreenyogurt.com