Restaurant Review: The Shake Shack

The short of it:
If you've ever had a craving for the simpler times of the cheeseburger, before demand from the overpaid nimrods on wall street pushed it so far in complexity, size and cost, it somehow morphed into something Dr. Frankenstein would have been proud of, look no further than the Shake Shack. You need to eat this burger, and you need to experience one of the great quintessential NY dining experiences.

Eat: The Shackburger (single or double), excellent fries (maybe go all out and get the cheese sauce), 'shroom burger is decent too.

Drink: Frozen custard shakes, beer, and Arnold Palmers.

Note: Long waits (about an hour) are famous at the Madison Ave location, uptown spot is faster and you can call in, but its not nearly the same experience. Shake Shack's branding was done by Pentagram, whose NY office sits on the west side of the park; it just goes to show that any place that sweats the details in their appearance is usually gonna do the same with their food.

Sweet, 43rd already!

The long:
Expect a line, unless you arrive at 9:45 on a weeknight (after the late dinner crowd, but before the just got done drinking crew). Trust me though, an hours wait for this juicy tidbit, with the chance to eat it alfresco in our beautiful borough of Manhattan (with a beer if you desire) is well worth it. Standing in line is great people watching, send someone to the deli to brown bag a beer, you might even make a friend or two (we did).

You should know ahead of time this is a griddle cooked burger, it's a very different animal from a grilled burger. It's thinner and has a different kind of sear on it, and I'm not gonna deliberate here which one is better; its kinda like comparing an Aston Martin to a Ferrari.

One box of delicious with a side of tasty. Thank you Shake Shack, thank you.

The Shake Shack starts off right, blending some brisket (flavor), chuck (flavor), and some short rib (fat). They know the right way to prep their meat for the griddle (unlike LaCense), using a loose easy grind, and keeping the patting to a minimum. This allows the burger's proteins to stay loose and retain their juices (taste), as well as avoiding any unpleasant rubbery texture. It also creates those nice little nooks and crannies that hold the lovely melted cheesy goodness.

You just made 10,000 taste buds your BFFs.

The burger is cooked perfectly, has a great char, with crisp little edges here and there. It's juicy and flavorful throughout. The cheese is spot on, with enough American cheese flavor to stand up to the burger without overstepping its supporting role. The Shack Sauce (any snack bar burger worth its salt had better have special sauce) is good, but it's mayo based so if you don't like that skip it. The tomato and lettuce add just the right variation in taste and texture. The bun is moist and tasty, but not so soft as to fall apart on you.

The whole thing is nice and thin so your mouth isn't doing an impression of the Lincoln Tunnel at rush hour, and the little wax paper sack it comes in keeps the grease off your lap. It is exactly what a griddle cooked burger should be; every person should eat this once.

A snackbar as only Manhattan could do it.

Sit under the lights at Madison Square Park, dig into a great burger with an ice cold beer, and watch the city go by as you chat with friends. Heaven.

The Shake Shack: 3/5 Bacon Strips

This concludes Gastroliaison's review of The Shake Shack.