I think 40 Carrots is a real gem in New York City! I have been going there for many, many years and it just keeps getting better. Located on the 7th floor of their famous flagship store on Lexington Avenue, it is the to be place. I have always loved Bloomingdale's, it just says "New York" to me better than any other store. Here is some history from Bloomingdales themselves:
Bloomingdale's opened Forty Carrots in 1975 to appeal to its fashion-conscious customers with low-calorie, healthy entrees served in an upbeat casual environment. To go along with its featured salads, sandwiches, homemade carrot and bran muffins, Bloomingdale's unveiled a new dessert it had discovered in New England, "frozen" yogurt. It was an instant hit, becoming the restaurant's #1 selling item, and remains so today 32 years later. The store estimates over 3.2 million servings have been enjoyed by legions of frozen yogurt connoisseurs, some of whom visit the restaurant four or five times a week.
As with any great recipe, the special formula for Bloomingdale's yogurt hasn't changed in the three decades since its launch. The healthful mixture is made unique by its abundance of active yogurt cultures, the only frozen yogurt so enriched, which gives Bloomingdale's original plain yogurt its distinctive slightly tart, lemony taste.
Bloomingdale's currently sells frozen yogurt nationally in 19 of its stores. The most popular flavor is still the original, signature plain. Number two with New Yorkers is coffee, followed by chocolate, though chocolate beats coffee for the number two spot in the national rankings. Banana and strawberry round out the top five favorites. The yogurt has roughly 25 calories per ounce. Original plain is low fat; flavored versions are no fat. Top five favorites in the world of toppings include fresh fruit, Melba sauce, granola, wheat germ and shredded coconut. An increased list of family-friendly toppings will tempt visitors in the new Forty Carrots location.
You see a real mix of folks here, from the tourist to the super wealthy to the regular New Yorkers who are so lucky to be able to visit whenever they wish. Gotta love the decor with all those very large carrots.
The menu is so amazing, it is hard to choose one item! I went for the turkey burger with avocado and their famous carrot raisin slaw. I also love the flagship trio platter which is 3 scoops of their salads: egg salad, sonoma chicken and tuna with a pretzel roll AND a small frozen yogurt. Such a steal !
This is a SMALL yogurt. It is one of the BEST yogurts in New York City. My flavors today were peanut butter and pumpkin. The peanut butter is one of my faves, but this was my first taste of the pumpkin and it was so flavorful.
My small size the day I just dropped in for some yogurt. They are very generous with the servings. You can just pop in for the yogurt if you do not want a full meal. If you have never been, I would suggest you drop by as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed. It is much less crowded during the week than on the weekends but it is worth the wait.
Within a year after it first opened as a 12-stool counter restaurant, Forty Carrots itself was as much in demand as its famous frozen yogurt, and was expanded to 34 seats plus an additional 5 stools adjacent to the small take-out counter. In 1997 a new, larger Forty Carrots opened on the Metro Level. For the first time guests could be served at tables as well as at a counter. There was also a larger take out counter, which in turn had to be expanded again, to meet the increased demand for take out frozen yogurt. The restaurant is one of five dining options within the store.
Today's Words of Wisdom: As for New York City, it is a place apart. There is not its match in any other country in the world. -Pearl S. Buck
