Critics' pick

Photograph: Talia Simhi

Culture club These days, the question of what constitutes frozen yogurt is the stuff of high-profile lawsuits. But you can leave your skepticism at the door at scoop shop Blue Marble Ice Cream, where the frozen yogurt has the creamy tang it should because, well, it’s actually frozen yogurt. Fourth-generation ice-cream maker and ex-dairy farmer Matt White, who made his name at Berkshire Ice Cream in western Massachusetts with his father, Bob, is in charge. He draws upon an archive of recipes developed by his grandfather in the 1950s. Flavors such as mint chocolate chip and hazelnut crunch rotate regularly with seasonal fruit sorbets, but it’s the Culture Real Frozen Yogurt (small $2.50, regular $3.50) that stands out. The explicit title isn’t a jab at Pinkberry or the like, but it could be. Made with just two ingredients—local yogurt from the grass-fed cows at Ronnybrook Farm Dairy and organic sugar—it’s not too sweet, just intensely yogurty, with a smooth, rich mouthfeel. And while it isn’t an ice cream substitute by any means, this is one formula that would definitely stand up in court.

—Tejal Rao

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