After driving by on the way to other errands for so many years, we finally stopped at Shimazu's. What I'd assumed was a modest neighborhood store selling shave ice on the side is actually a focused, sophisticated operation that can hold its own against mainland beverage/dessert chains -- but with a local touch they can't match.
• The range of flavors boggles the mind, and the ones we tried fulfilled their promise and then some. Hot Cinnamon seemed completely impossible as a shave-ice flavor, but it totally worked, and they weren't kidding about the 'hot' part -- I was glad to have ordered ice cream to offset the spiciness.
• I initially requested the large size, but fortunately they asked if I knew how large that really was. They pointed to another customer's, which I'd assumed was a large, and told me *that* was the small. OK, small it was for me. They could have taken me for an extra couple of bucks by saying nothing, but they opted instead to steer me to what I really wanted. Service like that earns return visits.
• Pricing may be more than you're used to for basic shave ice, but this is much more than basic shave ice, and still quite competitive with other dessert places. Our two not-at-all-small 'smalls,' loaded up with ice cream and azuki beans, set us back $12. Oh, and it's a cash-only operation.
• Parking does seem to be an issue -- it's street-only, and judging from the signs on neighboring properties there is a problem with illegal parking. We got lucky right away on our Saturday midafternoon visit, but turnover seemed fairly rapid in the stalls up and down the street, so a bit of patience/circling will likely pay off.