Shave It

Shave It

11B Hillcrest Dr.

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

The first time I remember having a true shaved ice, not just a sticky snow cone, I was still in college, in Sacramento visiting the gorgeous red-headed girl that I was dating. It was 10,000 degrees-at least that's how I remember it-and she said we should have a shaved ice. I said something stupid, like I refuse to pay whatever price they were asking for a snow cone, and I think she might have sprung for it at that point.

I was in heaven. And since then, I've been a bit of a shaved ice connoisseur. I've ventured to Hawaii and have been to Matsumoto's and Scandi's, and I've tried various shaved ice places around SoCal.

I've written about shaved ice before (see 3/13/14 and the Ventura Water Store, which for the $1 cost, I highly recommend), but the Shave It one is really one of the best. Proper shaved ice, I feel, should have a bit of premium ice cream at the bottom, texture like freshly fallen snow, and hold it's flavor up in the ice instead of becoming a sticky mess. Shave It does just that.

Interestingly, the Shave It location in Thousand Oaks (Shave It has franchised, and there are other locations now), looks cool but doesn't seem to be air-conditioned. I've been in twice, about a year apart, and both times, the shop has been warmer inside than out. The subtle lighting (why my pix look dark) give the illusion of being cool inside.

The sizes are "Go Big or Go Home" (16 oz.) and, obviously, "Home" (8 oz.). My daughter and I opted for the smaller. I wasn't feeling creative, so I selected an Experienced Tropical Swell and my daughter had a Catcha Rainbow. Both were very good, causing my daughter to ask why we don't stop by more often. 

Now, since it is four times the price of the shaved ice at the Ventura Water Store, the question would be is it four times better? Well, yes, actually, it is. The macadamia nut ice cream at the bottom and top of my shaved ice was really good, and the texture of the shaved ice reminded me of my last trip to the snow. I could taste and tell the difference in ice flavored with passion fruit and that flavored with mango. I tried a bit of my daughter's too, and got a mouth full of strawberry flavor.

I'm not in TO that often, but Shave It is worth a stop when you need something cold.