Make a Date to Have a Shake in Crystal Cove

Crystal Cove Shake Shack is the quintessential beach stand. Its sunny yellow exterior and menu choices exude healthful living. For more than 50 years, beach-goers have trotted up from the sand at Sunshine Cove to partake of its most famous menu item: the date shake.

I’m all for healthy living, but I don’t like dates. They’re ugly on the outside and too mushy on the inside. So I could never understand the date shake’s 50-year popularity with beach-goers. I thought it must be because there isn’t a McDonald’s for miles along the stretch of Coast Highway where the stand sits perched above the Pacific. But I was wrong.

The energy-packed concoction of vanilla ice cream, chopped dates and milk whirled in a blender transforms the objectionable date into an understated masterpiece that’s not overly sweet. It’s served with a generous sprinkling of nutmeg and for me, that’s the clincher. It gives the shake a spicy scent that reminds me of something freshly baked, like apple pie.

The landmark stand, which was once called Date Shack, also serves sandwiches, hamburgers, fresh-squeezed lemonade and fruit smoothies. The tiny parking lot is nearly always full, but by the time you make a U-turn and head back, a spot almost always opens up. Once there, take your time and enjoy the view off the patio. It’s one of the best places in the county to enjoy the sunset.

* Date shake--430 calories/12 grams of fat. $3 at Crystal Cove Shake Shack, 7408 Coast Highway, between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach. (949) 497-9666

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