date shakes:hadley's vs shield's

based on good things said here, i decided to give hadley's a try. first thing i noticed was the machine it was pumped from. it looked like a slurpy dispenser. okay, the taste. the initial sips were pleasant enough to appreciate its coldness in 114 degree weather,then the details came into focus. the following sips contained a few chunks of mouth-puckering,unripe dates,then found other pieces that were hard, like ground up stems. definitely lacked the malty-brown sugar sparkle of the shield's well-integrated shake. the shield's shake mixture is also based on hand-dipped vanilla ice cream. the old-fashioned setting is an added bonus. back to indio i will go, it's worth the trip.

hadley's
apache trail exit off 10(btwn factory outlet & casino)
cabazon

shield's
80-000 block of 111(just east of jefferson)
indio

Usually am in Palm Desert every year or two (from Texas), and a stop at Shield's for a date shake is always on the agenda. There is something about this crystalized, malty drink that is difficult to duplicate; in fact it is difficult to find a decent malt anymore, anywhere.

In my experiences, Ruby's does a pretty good malt.

You're so right - it amazes me that people stop at Hadley's for a date shake - it's made from a dried mix that you can also buy. Bleech!

Plus, where else but at Shield's can you learn about the "sex-life" of the date ? Really. Occupied me in that wonderful summer heat.

Agree completely that Shield's is superior. One viewing of "The Sex Life Of The Date" is enough to last a lifetime, however.