Have you ever lost touch with a friend?
Say, you and a friend used to work together, and then he got a better job and left. Suddenly you were alone at your hellmouth of a job with no one to make fun jokes with. But it was ok because you two still hung out. Then he moved to the westside of LA which is completely out of a reasonable driving range for you since you’re on the opposite side. But you still made an effort. That was until he got a girlfriend who he couldn’t introduce you to because she’s irrational about her boyfriend having female friends.
Oh, you’ve been there before too? So glad I’m not the only one!
That’s what happened between myself and a friend we’ll call Dan (I can’t lie to you, that’s his real name). Dan got a great career, a nice apartment off the 405 freeway, a cute yet psycho girlfriend, and ditched me! But it’s ok because we catch up every now and then. He recently called me to tell me about a restaurant I had to try. It was Shaka Shack Burgers in Santa Monica. With as much gushing he did about the place, I knew I had to go. Did I go with Dan? No his girlfriend wouldn’t approve—weren’t you listening? I went with TJ instead!
TJ and I were headed to the Twilight Concerts at the Santa Monica Pier but first we would have cheeseburgers. We stopped at Shaka Shack to fuel up before a live show by Morris Day and The Time. The restaurant, although small, is adorable and tries to make use of its limited space as best as possible. For instance, you may think it’s odd when you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the bathroom. But as the cool chef gives you a nod that, yes you’re going in the right direction to the bathroom, the restaurant starts to feel laid-back. Then you make your way to the main stage of the restaurant, and you see the beach/tiki theme that makes you feel relaxed as if you’re lying near the ocean. It’s the mini tiki cups, leis, starfish, ketchup and mustard bottles with surprised faces, and a Spam lunch box. Yep, a Spam lunch box. I like that they have their personality and that it’s not overwhelming. Instead it’s solidified and apparent from the moment you pull into the parking lot, and that can’t be shaken.
Once I finished taking the grand tour with my eyes, it was time to decide what to eat. I ordered the Shaka Royale ($7.75 combo) and upgraded the regular fries that came with the meal to Sweet Potato Fries ($1 extra) and switched out the soda that came with the combo for a Fruit Punch ($1 extra). Basically, I changed everything but the burger. When I finally had the food and drink in front of me, I was excited! The punch was on the seriously sweet side so I sipped in strides. The sweet potato fries were what I ate first. They were crispy on the outside and kind of soft on the inside. The funny thing, each time I bit into one of the fries they reminded me of tempura. Not bad, but for a moment I wondered if I was in a sushi house.
Then there was the cheeseburger. The burger itself is a grass fed Angus with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, red onion and their secret spot sauce. The cheeseburger had no frills but looked like it could taste great and fill me once I took the last bite. So I dove into it to find out how it would be. Turns out, it was great. The buns are different than what I was used to: thick brioche. Instead, they are thin, soft, and sweet like Kings Hawaiian bread. The burger starts to fall apart once you get into the heart of it, but that’s pretty much a characteristic of a no frills burger. With this, the beef was juicy and the vegetables tasted fresh. But the interesting part was the secret spot sauce. It’s a mild mustard with a slight spiciness. I liked it! A fun take on mustard, which I don’t always care about.
It turns out, the friend who I haven’t hung out with in quite some time made a good food suggestion. Maybe it was to absolve him from his absence in our friendship or maybe it was just a genuine tip. Either way, nice job. Keep making more suggestions like this Dan and it’ll feel like you never left. Ha, kidding. You ditched me for a girl who can’t control her temper—you make bad decisions when it’s not about food.
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