There's no better treat after a few hours in the sun at Aliante Nature Discovery Park than a shave ice from Lather and Shave. I don't usually seek out shaved ice or snow cone stands, as they tend to be pretty generic with artificially flavored syrups full of dyes and HFCS. Lather and Shave does shave ice with a twist, like a hipster mustache.
They make their own flavoring syrups using fresh fruit, cane sugar, and water. Processing over 100 pounds of mangos to make mango syrup takes dedication! I sampled at least five syrups and the quality stands out. The grape flavor caught my attention because it really tasted like Concord grapes. After learning that they use grapes grown by one of the owner's parents on a farm in Idaho, I ordered it with a Shave Butter Treatment, which means they add a drizzle of peanut butter sauce made from a powdered peanut butter called PB2.
There's enough fun and creative menu options to keep me coming back, and the location at Aliante's Dinosaur Park (as the locals call it) could not be better. The Fresh Shave adds mint to your fruit shave ice, The Gingah incorporates ginger syrup, and the Razor Burn will leave your face on fire with jalapeño syrup. The lathers are freshly-made whipped cream; vanilla and banana flavor were available on my visit. This refreshing frozen treat can become a decadent dessert with the addition of lather, ice cream, and condensed milk, if that's what you're in the mood for!