A new frozen dessert fad has hit New York’s Upper East Side, it’s all-natural, fat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and absent of high fructose corn syrup.  And it’s really, really delicious.  Like, put away the ice cream delicious.  Last week, I discovered Simply Peeled, the frozen yogurt shop of the future, featuring their own invention: Fruizo. 

Started during the summer of 2010 by friends Lauren Browne, Michael Sloan, and Jason and Chloe Epstein, Fruizo was born when fashion model Lauren put a frozen banana through a juice machine for a low-fat late-night frozen treat.  As homage to this inspiration, Simply Peeled boasts metallic Willy Wonka-esque scratch-n-sniff wallpaper throughout the shop (I’d expect any well-read child to lick the walls anyway).  The team hired food scientist Kevin Stanton to help develop the idea into three flavors to start with – strawberry, mango and of course, banana – and create a texture as true to the original fruit as possible.  Except, you know, extruded through a custom soft serve machine.

“It took about a thousand tries,” said Lauren.

“The Fruizo itself is so basic that it works in a lot of combinations and flavors.  Wasabi peas on strawberry Fruizo, for instance, is really delicious,” said fellow co-creator Chloe Epstein of some of the uncommon items in the toppings bar.

All the Fruizo flavors were fresh-tasting and delicious, but the one outrageous menu item that led me to believe they really have something special was the “Bandango Sundae.”  This concoction of mango and banana Fruizo, tortilla chips, salsa and cilantro was a perfectly balanced flavor machine I finished down to the last bite.

One New Yorker enjoying her Fruizo beside me as I interviewed the Simply Peeled team proudly displayed her pregnant belly and declared “it’s a pregnancy dream! I wake up, come down here and come back maybe three or four times. There’s no chemicals, and it’s good for the baby.”

Simply Peeled, 1371 Third Ave @78^th Street, New York NY

www.simplypeeled.com