Publications & Sites 
What’s shakin’: Changing up that milkshake order
Spicy Mexican Chocolate, Mudslide and Salted Carmel are some of the special shakes at Edzo Burger Shop in Evanston.| Joel Lerner~Sun-Times Media
Shake stops
Edzo’s Burger Shop
1571 Sherman Ave., Evanston, (847) 864-3396
2218 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, (773) 697-9909
www.edzos.com
Village Creamery
8000 Waukegan Road, Niles, (847) 965-9805
4558 Oakton St, Skokie, (847) 982-1720
www.villagecreamery.com
Capannari Ice Cream
10 S. Pine, Mount Prospect (847) 392-2277
www.capannaris.com
Article Extras
Updated: March 6, 2013 7:40AM
When March rolls around, for many people it’s time for their annual McDonald’s Shamrock Shake.
The minty, frothy and green creation has been around for St. Patrick’s Day since 1970, according to McDonald’s.
But rather than waiting around every year for the Shamrock Shake, it’s time to mix it up and try something new. There are a few places offering out-of-the-ordinary shake flavors year round that will delight the tastebuds.
EDZO’S BURGER SHOP
Eddie Lakin, chef and owner of Edzo’s Burger Shop in Evanston and Chicago, said he set out to do the classic burger, fries and shake at his shop, even using an old-fashioned mixer rather than a blender to make a creamier shake.
Amongst the classic shake flavors, like chocolate and vanilla, there’s peanut butter, Oreo, hot fudge and Nutella, a hazelnut and chocolate flavored spread.
“The Nutella shake is the most popular one,” Lakin said. “We started that one from Day 1. It’s a classically awesome flavor.”
Lakin and his staff have been trying out some crazier flavors for the special shake menu.
“We always have three or four specials on the board, spicy Mexican chocolate and salted caramel are two of the most popular,” Lakin said. “There are 15 or 20 different specials we rotate in and out.”
Lakin says the Speculoos shake is “awesome.” The idea for that shake came from a regular customer who spent a semester abroad in Belgium. Speculoos is a type of spiced cookie that can also be bought as a spreadable cookie butter.
“I hadn’t heard of it at the time,” Lakin said. “We found somewhere to buy it, $8 for a jar, tried it and it was awesome. Dropped it into a shake.”
Then there are other seasonal and holiday specials such as the praline bananas foster shake Edzo’s served up for Mardi Gras.
VILLAGE CREAMERY
If you’re looking for a green-colored shake, how about one with avocado? That’s one of the more than 40 ice cream flavors the Village Creamery has in its freezer and all those flavors can be turned into a milkshake.
“The flavors we have are very traditional to the very exotic,” Village Creamery owner Lito Valeroso said. “Our flavors, they’re predominantly Asian in nature, but we’re not limited to that.”
Valeroso said the Skokie and Niles-based stores stock chocolate and vanilla, but they also have flavors like durian, lychee, green tea, red bean and queso, which is vanilla with pieces of cheese.
The other thing that makes Village Creamery’s milkshakes different, Valeroso said, is that they’re actually bubble shakes. Like the Asian bubble teas, a scoop of tapioca pearls are put into the bottom of each shake to make a bubble shake. Valeroso’s favorite of the bubble shakes is ube, or purple yam.
CAPANNARI ICE CREAM
When they open for the 2013 season March 16, Capannari Ice Cream will have a few interesting flavors on its rotating menu.
Co-owner Katie Dolan Dix said the menu will include Guinness, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Carrot Cake and Girl Scout Mint Cookies and Cream, which has the Thin Mint cookies mixed in.
“We’re known for our rotating flavors,” Dolan Dix said. “We have the standard flavors, but when we have seasonal stuff like Irish coffee or Irish cream, those are ones in March, that’s what (customers) go for.”
All the flavors in the ice cream case can be turned into a milkshake. The fall flavors are Dolan Dix’s favorites.
“Pumpkin, cinnamon, maple walnut — I just love them,” she said. “I’m Irish, so I also lean toward the Guinness and the Bailey’s Irish Cream.”
