Personally, I don’t see anything special about Pinkberry frozen yogurt other than the ridiculous price. Sure, the use of fresh organic fruit and other items as toppings is mildly innovative, but it fails to make up for the lackluster frozen yogurt, which is offered in regular and green tea flavors. I found both varieties lacking in flavor and overly sour. Call me unrefined, but I much rather have a sundae from Costco.

As a frozen yogurt store, Pinkberry fails terribly. As a trendy boutique that attracts yuppie spenders, Pinkberry is wildly successful. I think Pinkberry is trying to do to frozen yogurt what Starbucks did to coffee. The only difference so far is that Starbucks started out with decent coffee.

Yesterday, my concept of restaurant fare was further refined after visiting Taylor’s Automatic Refresher. I’d read about the restaurant in the New York Times and various blogs, and I had been looking for an opportunity to try it out. My cousin and her boyfriend were visiting San Francisco, so I thought Taylor’s Automatic Refresher would be a great place to grab lunch.

The restaurant was a simply styled, modern-industrial, diner. Large, red, neon letters spelled out “EAT” above the counter. Customers placed orders as they entered — the line moved quickly — and were handed electronic devices that buzzed when their order was ready for pickup. Recycle bins and tin trash bins were located at the corners of the restaurant, reinforcing the industrial aesthetic.

I ordered the Ahi Burger. The menu described it as “fresh ahi tuna seared rare with ginger wasabi mayo and asian slaw on a toasted egg bun,” and it was as delicious as it sounds. However, I was disappointed by the size of the burger considering its price: $14. Of course, that could just be because I was dying for more.

My cousin ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad, which she said was good, but had too many of those “fried wonton thingys.” Her boyfriend ordered the Texas Burger, which he described simply as “damn good.” It looked rather tasty to me too, and I’d call it a somewhat more refined version of Carl’s Jr.’s Six-Dollar Guacamole Bacon Cheeseburger.

All in all, I was pleased with the experience. The food was good, and I liked the atmosphere. My only gripe is that it was rather expensive; as a college student, I would have been just as pleased eating one of Carl’s Jr.’s more affordable Six-Dollar hamburgers. Nevertheless, the unique fusion of ahi tuna and a hamburger is not something I’m going to forget for a long time.