Battle of the Frozen Yogurts: Our Top 5

Spring is here, and summer is right around the corner! That means warmer days and nights—and the fun of going out for cool treats.

But what if eating ice cream doesn't fit with watching your waist? Frozen yogurt can be a better choice.

Compared to ice cream, frozen yogurt usually has less fat, and sometimes none at all. It's a fermented food, made with probiotic bacterial cultures and enzymes that provide easier digestion—a special benefit for anyone who is lactose intolerant. And above all, it tastes terrific.

I sampled all of the yogurts without toppings for purest taste. (But, boy, did I want to put together some yogurt-and-topping combos. And as soon as I'm out of this judge's robe, I'm going to.)

Here then are the results of the First Annual Battle of the Frozen Yogurts as sampled and judged by…me! It was a pitiful job, but someone had to do it.

Best frozen yogurt

And the winner is: Esy's Kafe! Esy's wins for its Greek-style frozen yogurt, which makes sense since this is a Greek, cafeteria-style restaurant. They call it the "plain" yogurt, but it's anything but.  This homemade "special recipe" uses 1 percent milk, sweetened with a combination of cane sugar and fructose. Pop a spoonful in your mouth and different tastes--tart, smooth, sweet, silky--unwrap on top of each other with startling freshness and distinction. The texture is deep and rich. Amazing on its own, it's over the top with toppings. Six ounces has 120 calories and 3.5 grams of fat.

Price: Small, six ounces, $3.10. Medium, eight ounces, $3.80

Toppings, 85 cents each: nuts, granola, chocolate chips, sprinkles, honey. $1 for fresh fruit

Pay: personal checks and cash

Hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

Address: 1202 W Boston Post Rd., Mamaroneck

Phone: (914) 834-4540

Best zero-fat

Head to Soupz! This soup bar, owned by Steve Weishaus (who also owns Stanz Cafe), just added Yolato--a gelato-style frozen yogurt--to its offerings a few weeks ago. Four ounces contain 100 calories and zero fat. This no-fat  treat wins for Greek-style tanginess,  just-sweet-enough taste, and a creamy texture that's filling. Vanilla was very good, but strawberry was a repeat order.

Price: small, six ounces, $3.99. Large, eight ounces, $4.99

Toppings: fresh blueberries or strawberries, oreo crumbs, peanut butter cups, chocolate chips and Dahlias granola. 50 cents for one; 75 cents for two, $1.00 for three

Pay: cash only

Hours: Monday to Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Address:141 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont

Phone: (914) 833-7687

Best sugar-free and fat-free

Esy's Kafe wins with their "Only 8"  line that has 32 Calories and zero fat per four-ounce serving and is sweetened with fructose, not sugar.  The lightness of the texture sets this frozen yogurt apart. Chocolate mint had a lovely, lingering flavor, beating out strawberry.

Best classic scoop

The texture of the frozen yogurt at Longford's Ice Cream is firm and dense, so close to a classic summer-night treat, and a hit with kids. This was the only yogurt  scooped out of a barrel (as opposed to coming out of a soft-serve machine). Both flavors were outstanding, but the cappuccino chocolate chip edged out (barely) the vanilla chocolate chip. The coffee-chocolate taste was full and rich and lingered after each bite. It's hard to believe that four ounces only have 96 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.

Price: small, four ounces, $2.79; medium, six ounces, $4.55

Toppings: 50 cents, dry or sprinkles; 75 cents, wet.  22 choices include hot fudge, caramel, oreo crunch, cherries, butterfinger, walnuts and nerds

Pay: cash. Credit cards, $20 minimum

Hours: Monday to Thursday, 1:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 12:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Address: 1941 Palmer Ave., Larchmont

Phone: (914) 834-0207

www.longfordsicecream.com

Best chocolate-y chocolate

Serious chocolate lovers, make your way to Carvel Ice Cream. The chocolate was the best sampled—rich, creamy, and dense-- and the vanilla was great, too. Maybe it's because of the fat content, because numbers for this were unavailable both online and in the store.  They do say that the six-ounce small has "290-590" calories. Oh, what the heck. There's always a time for every kind of frozen yogurt treat, calorie count or not.

Price: small, six ounces, $4.25. Medium, eight ounces, $5.00

Toppings: 50 cents each. Twenty to choose from, including jelly beans, coconut, gummy beears, M&Ms and a variety of nuts

Pay: credit cards and cash

Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 641 Halstead Ave., Mamaroneck

Phone: (914) 381-2883

www.carvel.com