Milk may do a body
good, but milkshakes can be mind-bending. Here's a quickie
guide to separate the orgasmic from the qualmish.
NOTE: For consistency's sake, I tried chocolate shakes
at each establishment.
BURGERVILLE
($1.60, $1.85, $2.25, $3.25; various locations)
As sure as it makes fish and chips with actual halibut
and strawberry shortcake with fresh berries, B-ville crafts
an authentic milkshake devoid of the chemical tinge found
in other fast-food shakes. It's a little on the sweet side
but not too syrupy.
BEN & JERRY'S ICE CREAM & FROZEN YOGURT
($3.25, $3.75; various locations)
Known for its boggling richness, Ben & Jerry's serves
up a shake that is more subtle than sinful. It isn't as
chocolaty as others, but the supremely clean taste is truly
refreshing, and it doesn't leave a sour-milk aftertaste.
Plus, it doesn't turn to soup too quickly.
MOONSTRUCK CHOCOLATIER
($3.95; various locations)
The clear victor. After all, chocolate is Moonstruck's
specialty. It gets away with using vanilla ice cream because
it's mixed with dark Moonstruck chocolate that lends a piquant
semisweet taste. This masterpiece also wins for best presentation:
It's finished off with whipped cream and chocolate shavings,
topped with a Moonstruck chocolate disk. The aftertaste
is one of cocoa, not ice cream or milk. Get thee to a Moonstruck.
BASKIN-ROBBINS
($2.95, $3.50; various locations)
Poor Baskin-Robbins. Before the Moonstruck liquid gold
passed my lips, I was loving B-R's excellent chocolate shake.
You may think of this oldie as a tired strip-mall fixture,
but believe me, the people at Baskin-Robbins know what to
do with those 31 flavors. The chocolate shake is made with
extra-rich chocolate ice cream the color of Cleopatra's
eyes. It's a super-duper shake, but it gets watery a little
too quickly.
COFFEE PEOPLE
($3.35, $3.95; various locations)
Coffee People blends a number of stunningly satisfying
beverages, but the chocolate shake isn't one of them. It's
surprising that a company that makes wicked coffee drinks
puts forth such a lame chocolate number with barely a hint
of cocoa. Fortunately, CP does serve a powerful peanut butter
shake that can easily double as a meal. All shakes are topped
with real whipped cream.
ROBERTO'S HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
($2.75, $3.25; 921 SW
Morrison St., 224-4234)
I believe this was the only shake in the crop served with
a spoon--which comes in handy to fish out the ice cream
lumps. This one instantly lost points in the ingredient
department, though: It's made of vanilla ice cream flavored
with chocolate sauce, so of course it doesn't deliver the
proper anandamide punch. Roberto's staff will mix your drink
to custom thickness.
HÄAGEN-DAZS ICE CREAM SHOPPE
(prices vary shop
to shop, $3.50 to $4.25; various locations)
Premium cream comes with sophisticated service: a chocolate
shake can be made with either vanilla or chocolate ice cream,
which is then weighed to ensure a by-the-book measurement.
Naturally, this shake has a smooth, dreamy flavor and is
quite frothy and light--this may be the closest West-coasters
will ever get to a Friendly's Fribble. But all that whipped
airiness means your hearty shake gets watery too soon. Bonus:
HD is open late compared with other shops.
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Willamette Week | originally
published June 30, 1999
|
