Chill

What's a good story without a resurrection somewhere along the way? Star Trek's green-blooded logician, Spock, died at the end of "The Wrath of Khan" only to be brought back in the next movie. Buffy Summers, the protagonist of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," perished at the end of Season Five, but was revived with a little help from her friends as Season Six began. With a less drama than seen in either the United Federation of Planets or Sunnydale, Tempe has seen a nice resurrection of its own over the past year. In this case, the revival was the reopening of Chill, a cheery frozen yogurt and gelato shop housed in the same little strip mall as Pita Jungle and Tasty Kabob, just across the street from the Dorsey / Apache light rail station.

Chill first opened under different management in early 2008. It filled a void in one of the Phoenix Metro Area's unrecognized restaurant rows. The two-mile stretch of Apache Boulveard from the ASU Campus to the Mesa border is home to Middle Eastern, Mexican, Persian, Indian, and Vietnamese restaurants, all of which offer high-impact food for minimal cost. Unfortunately, the impressive range of main dishes at these restaurants has not been matched in the dessert department. Sure, most of the Middle Eastern restaurants offer baklava, but on a scorching Phoenix summer day, nothing ends a meal better than something frozen and sweet. Despite filling this niche so well, Chill closed its doors in early 2009 before it could be discovered by a critical mass of regular customers.

Fortunately, the shop reopened after a brief hiatus and the arrival of new owners. A year after Chill's resurrection, it's time to take the shop's pulse. As before, the shop has a bright, airy, and clean feel. There's free wifi, a welcome development for students with laptops or even iPhone users contending with a weak AT&T signal in the area. There is some seating at tables both inside and outside the shop, including a charming tiny furniture set for children. Still, the real action is at the counter where gelato flavors are displayed on one side with toppings around the corner and frozen yogurt in soft-serve machines against the wall. There's a new emphasis on value here, with low prices being a key selling point and a wide spectrum of serving sizes available. While many shops humiliate the light eater with a "kid's cup," Chill adopts the recession-friendly term "econo" for its smallest container.

At the old Chill, the froyo seemed sort of an afterthought, but the new management has played up that aspect of the shop through its social media outreach. "Chill-Beri" is the name given to the soft-serve yogurt, and it comes in both original and vanilla soy variations. Despite the "beri," it the name, it's not really a berry flavor, but instead a nice blend of mild tart taste and creamy texture. The soy version, one of many vegan products in the shop, is less tart and fortunately does not have the chalky texture sometimes associated with dairy replacements. Either one can work well as a base with fruity toppings like fresh kiwi or blueberries or crunchy add-ons like cereal or nuts. There isn't the endless variety associated with some of the self-service froyo joints, but the selection and quality is more than adequate.

The gelatos and sorbets have gotten more experimental in the past year. Flavors seen have included horchata, jamaica, red velvet valentine cake, orange saffron, pink grapefruit, and nutella. While there were a few times initially when flavors seemed almost overpowering, there's consistent balance now in the frozen desserts, generally prepared in the back with a combination of purchased bases and fresh touches added on site. Consistent with the theme of offering treats to customers who need or want to avoid certain ingredients, there are always several flavors that are free of conventional refined white sugar. The alternative sweetener used is fructose, but, as the shop has been eager to explain, it's closer to the form found naturally in fruit rather the high-fructose corn syrup found in most sodas.

One new offering is crepes, available, like the frozen desserts, in both traditional and vegan varieties. Choose the former unless philosophical or nutritional beliefs dictate otherwise. With the inclusion of eggs, the crepes have the right texture to contain and complement three scoops of the customer's choice of ice cream. One idea: Combine peanut butter gelato and grape sorbet inside a crepe to enjoy a fanciful take on a classic PB&J sandwich. Add some Grape-Nuts for a little crunch if desired. Chill is aggressively pursuing the idea of value in hard times with customer punch cards, coupons distributed via text messaging, and special events with associated discount offers. While there are some resurrections that probably should not occur (Think of the endless "Friday the 13th" movies.), Chill's revival has been the right fit for both its neighborhood and the current economic climate.

1250 E. Apache Blvd., #104, Tempe AZ 85281 | Map
(480) 966-0043
http://www.chillinaz.com