We chanced upon Voskos all natural Greek-style yogurt, a brand new to us, during a recent stroll through the latest New York City Whole Foods Market in TriBeCa. (This is an enviably enormous store for a zip code with so few residents. Our population-dense Upper West Side store seems at least half the size, with a corresponding fewer choices of yogurt and ice cream brands, to name just two categories dear to our heart).

We were only able to find the Nonfat Honey Vanilla Bean and Nonfat Blended Wild Blueberry, but based on our happy experience, we’ll track down the rest of the line, which includes the additional nonfat flavors of Exotic Fig, Honey and Wild Strawberry. The company also makes 16-ounce containers of Plain Lowfat, Nonfat and Original (i.e., full fat). With nonfat yogurt this delicious (also see our review of Chobani’s nonfat Greek-style yogurt), who needs yogurt with fat?

Voskos Greek Yogurt: 0% fat, 100% delicious.

• The Honey Vanilla Bean tasted like it had been made by a fine pastry chef, full of superb vanilla flavor and tiny, crunchy flecks of vanilla bean. It is perhaps the best vanilla yogurt we’ve ever had. There’s more evaporated cane juice than honey as a sweetener and we didn’t taste any honey notes, but that’s just as well—we wouldn’t want anything to interfere with that divine vanilla flavor.
• The Wild Blueberry had a cultivated rather than wild blueberry flavor, but that was fine with us, as well. (Honestly, how many people have ever tasted wild blueberries? We have a suspicion that no commercial enterprise is using them in yogurt, either—the label says “blueberries” and “natural flavor.” ) It’s not the same memorable flavor that the Honey Vanilla Bean is, but it’s a lovely blueberry yogurt, and we savored every drop of creaminess.

Speaking of every drop, our one complaint: the 5.3-ounce container. We are not children, we are not Lilliputians, we are not ballerinas. We are adults with adult appetites. First the yogurt manufacturers shaved our 8-ounce cups down to 6 ounces; now it seems that the avant-garde is heading to 5.3 ounces. What’s next: 4-ounce “yogurt shots?” Manufacturers should simply “man up,” charge more for the product and give us back the 8-ounce portion. If it’s a good product, consumers will pay another 20 cents for it—especially the consumers who shop where this line is sold. At $1.49, the 5.3-ounce container of yogurt is no bargain in the first place, so give us a larger container that’s no bargain. (Well, let us rephrase that: $1.49 for something delicious is worth it; $1.69 for something delicious is equally worth it.)

A visit to the Voskos website indicates that it is made by Sun Valley Dairy of Sun Valley, California, north of Los Angeles (www.sunvalley-dairy.com). It’s sold at AJ’s, Andronico’s, Ralph’s, Safeway, Sprouts, Wild Oats, Whole Foods Markets and natural food stores. (Remember, not every story in a chain carries the merchandise.) Cleverly, the website includes a downloadable form that you can submit to your store manager: “Dear Store Manager, I am a regular shopper here at your store and would love to be able to purchase Voskos Greek Style Yogurt. If you carry this brand of yogurt, I will purchase it. Thank you, Your Customer.” That’s a good template anytime you’d like to petition for something! However, it left off the most important part: “P.S. Please contact your Voskos sales rep at 1-800-123-4567, today.

The True Brew crew: organic iced tea.

• 100% Organic varieties include Unsweetened Black, White and Green Teas.
• Organic varieties include sweetened Apple White, Cranberry Orange, Green, Hibiscus, Peach White, Strawberry White, Sweet and White Teas. (See the difference between 100% Organic and Organic.)

The unsweetened teas have zero calories; the sweetened teas, which employ organic cane sugar, have between 64 and 72 calories per 8-ounce serving.

While we normally drink our tea unsweetened—iced or hot—to enjoy the flavor of the quality tea we buy, our favorite of the line was the Sweet Tea. It tasted exactly like what one would brew at home and drink with two teaspoons of sugar (in fact, it tasted exactly like the iced tea we made through our teens and college years, before we started to drink our tea and coffee black).

The flavor profiles are very different from Honest Tea, the first organic bottled tea line. Unlike Honest Tea, the entire True Brew line is packaged in a PET bottle (the only resin [plastic] approved by the FDA to have post-consumer recycled content). Organic tea drinkers seeking an alternative should give it a try.

There’s another reason everyone who drinks bottled tea should take a look at True Brew: the higher antioxidant content. The company claims a polyphenol count that is higher than some competitors. Based on a Men’s Health article that compared green tea varieties from Harney and Sons, Lipton, Tazo and Snapple, True Brew has more polyphenols per bottle. True Brew actually lists the polyphenol count on the bottle, although somewhat strangely, the number stated is the amount per liter instead of how much is in the 16-ounce bottle.

The price is right: True Brew has been retailing at $1.00 per bottle! Find store locations at TrueBrew.com.

It’s hard to resist this rich, gooey Snickers pie!

• The tenderness of the meringue.
• The quality of the fillings.
• The vivid flavors and colors.

So, if you love macaroons, put a visit to Paris’s Ladurée on the “100 Things To Do Before You Die” list. Until then, try your hand at making the elaborate macaroons at home with their recipe.

• Think all macaroons are the same? Learn why “macaroon” means different things to different people in our History of Macaroons.
• Read reviews of our favorite gourmet cookies.

Ladurée Cherry Amaretto and Apricot Ginger macaroons. No, they’re not too pretty to eat.

Create an easy but elegant dessert by filling your champagne glasses (or wine goblets) with 3 or 4 different flavors and colors of sorbet. Even supermarket brands taste good, but if you can, buy specialty brands in flavors like apple mint or pear cognac. It’s all the more special for your guests. For something really special, get the real champagne and wine sorbets from Wine Cellar Sorbets—read our review. Serve with a fancy cookie and garnish with something interesting—a blackberry or a sprig of rosemary. Note: As you’re scooping sorbet for six or eight people, things can start to melt down. You can scoop balls in advance and keep them on covered plates or in containers in the freezer; then assemble quickly in the goblets and serve. Don’t pre-assemble and freeze in the goblets because moisture will condense on the glass when you remove them to room temperature.

See more sorbet and ice cream ideas.