Food • Hottest cool treat? It isn’t ice cream

By audrey van buskirk

The Portland Tribune, Jul 24, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

L.E. BASKOW / TRIBUNE PHOTO

Behind the counter at Tart, co-owners Ryan (middle) and Stuart Spencer (far left) enjoy watching young customers (from left) Ruby Spencer, 7; Dove Annuse, 6; Wyatt Spencer, 6; and Maggie Spencer, 8, indulge in the yogurt and frozen custard.

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If you thought frozen yogurt had gone the way of white high-top Reeboks, leg warmers and Duran Duran, you may be surprised to learn that the fat-free chilled dessert is back like Batman.

While several of the new frozen yogurt shops are part of national chains (with reportedly more to come), this being Portland, it’s no surprise that some entrepreneurs have put the local neighborhood-centric spin on the treat.

Pop Culture Frozen Yogurt (900 N.W. Lovejoy St., Suite 160, 503-477-9172, www.pcyogurt.com), has taken it a step further and tapped into Portlanders’ devotion to their dogs.

The spot has the unusual distinction of advertising itself as healthy for pets as well as their people. For $1.99, your precious pooch can get his or her own dish of fro-yo topped with a dog treat.

“Our mission statement,” they write, “is one of health and longevity for people and their pets.”

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There’s nothing similarly proclaimed about the health benefits of the frozen yogurt at Tart (2128 S.E. Division St., 503-233-4333), but it certainly tastes healthy. Co-owner Ryan Spencer says it’s her favorite.

“The nonfat frozen yogurt is totally a home run with moms,” she says, “it’s super-refreshing on these hot days.” It doesn’t have the peculiar, tongue-coating viscosity associated with many soft-serve desserts. Plain, it’s simple and tangy. Spencer prefers to sweeten it up with honey and berries from her many tubs of yogurt toppings.

Spencer, who opened Tart on June 15 with her husband, artist Stuart Spencer, also is part owner of the breakfast and lunch diner Juniors (1742 S.E. 12th Ave.). While she’s little involved with the day-to-day operations there, she says, “it made me realize that I wanted a little place of my own. It was really fun being there with all the people.”

She started thinking about what might work. “I have a notorious sweet tooth so I really wanted a treat shop,” she says. A trip to New York introduced her to frozen custard, which she offers at Tart along with the yogurt. “It’s really popular with kids and dads,” she says, of the creamy, sweet and rich soft-serve.

So far the custard has been the biggest challenge to prepare. “It’s like hollandaise sauce. It will separate if you don’t get it right,” she says. It’s been perfect every time I’ve tried it.

The shop, located just off the seven-cornered heart of the Southeast neighborhood, reflects the Spencers’ devotion to the area. They’ve lived nearby for 15 years, now with their children, ages 6, 7 and 8. “I’m just making the place that I wanted to walk to with my kids,” Spencer says.

When the weather cools, Spencer plans to add high-end hot chocolates: Aztec with cinnamon and chile; white chocolate with lemon and lavender; and the Parisian, truly decadent hot chocolate.

Try the yogurt or custard Saturday, July 26, during the Division/Clinton Street Fair and children will have the opportunity to paint their hand prints on the walls.

Noon to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

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Locally owned products are the theme at ActiveCulture Frozen Yogurt (820 S.E. Eighth Ave., 503-608-7742, www.activeculturepdx.com), which celebrated its grand opening June 13 in a bright, high-ceilinged space in the Grand Central Bowl Building.

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