East Coast Meets West: Tasti D-Lite Opening In Tustin

Tasti d-Lite Facebook page

​Of all cities in Orange County (even California!), an East Coast-dominating dessert chain is days away from launching on a sleepy corner at Main Street and Newport Avenue. Featured on episodes of The Apprentice and Sex and the City, Tasti D-Lite touts their frozen treat as a healthy alternative to soft serve. In a region already saturated with pastel fruit, metal utensils and probiotic towns, why should we pay attention? In a word, options.

What it shares in cuteness and calorie counting (servings go between 70-100 calories a cup), it pulls away from the pack in quantity. With over 100 possible flavors offered, Tasti D-Lite is impressive. Some of their more interesting flavors include Acai, Burnt Sugar, Tres Leches, Fluffernutter, and Pineapple Cheesecake.

Of course, there's a catch. Not all flavors are offered at all locales; instead, they offer a nifty flavor finder, capable of narrowing down sweet spots based on your preference and area.

Anne Marie Panoringan

Groove is in the dessert cup

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"Dessert your guilt" is their tagline of choice, blending their flavors fresh daily. If you're wondering why the term ice cream hasn't been used, it's because they explain (in their FAQs) that their product is neither frozen yogurt nor ice cream. Containing under 10% butterfat and no fermented yogurt cultures, Tasti considers themselves a dairy-based soft serve frozen dessert. Um, yeah.

With an aggressive launch of additional outlets throughout California in the works, gauging local reaction will dictate whether moving into the sunshine golden state is a risk that pays off. Sounds like a Dueling Dessert in the works...

Tasti D-Lite in Tustin will be opening at 13662 Newport Ave., Tustin, (714) 838-8100; Click here for a link to the Tustin store homepage.