Banana Grapes?

Well, that's what I thought these were the first time I saw them nestled next to the bananas in Sausalito's Molly Stone's. But banana grapes they aren't.  These are fresh Barhi dates, which the produce manager told me are rather bitter when yellow, but just leave them out and watch them turn yellow to black (the manager used the word black, but it's more of a deep caramel color), and then they would be sweet.  I bough a bunch and set them out, eagerly waiting for the transformation.  Wow!  Not only are these sweet when they turn dark enough but they have a rather fruity taste unlike any date I've had before.  The produce manager also told me that these are locally grown in California.  In their yellow state, they are called Khalal dates, and have a limited season in California, only being harvested in August and September. The first paragraph of this article says it all.  I'm going back for more!