Hawaii At The Jersey Shore

Recently I discovered some cool surfer things at a recent trip to the Jersey Shore. No, not a new kind of boar d or wet suit but real surfer dude food. There's this great little restaurant in Long Branch that serves nothing but tacos , burritos and Hawaiian shaved ice. It's called Shaka's Shaved Ice. Shaka is a hand gesture where the thumb and pinky fingers are extended out and shaken as a greeting (you may remember it from President Obama's inauguration parade where the University of Hawaii's marching exchanged the gesture with the newly minted president and First Daughters, Malia and Sasha).

Since I already had dinner, I went for the shaved ice. Once you have the Hawaiian kind you'll be hard put to go back to the Italian kind. It's refreshing , made with fresh crushed ice cubes and served in a big mound (all for three dollars) in a mini tub. There's a variety of flavors to choose from to pour over it such as Kona Coffee and Surfer Wax - bubble gum. I chose the safe combo of lemon, line and pina colada. I may try just the Kona coffee or root beer flavors the next time I go. You can also have the shaved ice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too.

Shaka;s also has rice bowls along with tacos and burritos. These are on my definite must try list.There are also fajitas and fresh guacamole and chips too. Shaka's also serves fish (along with chicken and beef) tacos which is a large part of the Baja peninsula surfing culture. Again these are another must try. The restaurant also serves salads too and all sorts of burritos too.

If you're in Long Branch this summer, stop at Shaka's at the very happening Pier Village. Indulge in some tacos before you hit the beach. Then finish up with a refreshing Hawaiian shaved ice. You may be at the Jersey shore but you'll feel like you're on the Big Island.