shake shack, new york

Why is Shake Shack not in Australia. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

Once I landed in New York, my sole purpose in life was to try Shake Shack. The 10 minute wait between receiving my buzzer and obtaining my food was excruciating.

There's always a long queue at most Shake Shack restaurants but fortunately the line moves relatively quickly. If not ... well, it's definitely worth the wait every time. I wasn't entirely sure if any food on the planet could be flawlessly perfect until I tried the burgers here.

Shackburger - Single ($5.19):
Cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce.

Take the Shack Burger for example. It's a premium cheeseburger with a beef patty consisting of a well-done exterior that is crisp, crunchy and savoury. It erupts with juices upon your first bite and stays that way until you're done. The layer of American cheese that sits on all these beef patties is the epitome of heaven with a velvet fondue like texture and richness. This is then topped with the classic lettuce and tomato combo which is refreshing against the bun and seared meat. The sauce is subtly sweet, sour, smokey and slightly hot all at the same time without being overdone. All this sits neatly in a buttery, griddled soft and fluffy bun with just a touch of crunchiness.

It's impossible not to love the Shack Burger. It's simple, super satisfying, well priced and definitely well made.

My favourite from this burger joint was the single Shack Burger. This was until my third visit when I decide to make my way through the lower half of the burger menu. I discovered how a small modification in the classic cheeseburger could elevate it to a whole new level.

The ShackMeister Burger - Single ($6.19):
Cheeseburger topped with crispy marinated shallots, lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce.

If you like onion rings on your cheeseburgers, you're going to love this. The addition of fried shallots pretty much made this burger a classier version of a crazy stacked burger topped with onion rings. It's crunchy, fragrant and juicy all at the same time. But get in quick! I think it's available for a limited time only.

Smoke Shack - Double ($9.49):
Cheeseburger topped with all-natural applewood smoked bacon, chopped cherry pepper and ShackSauce.

The Smoke Shack is a classic Shack Burger but instead of the lettuce and tomato, it has been replaced with the addition of cherry pepper relish and applewood-smoked bacon. The smokey, crisp bacon definitely makes the whole burger better but actually, the chopped cherry pepper is what makes this burger shine. It adds a new dimension of sweet, sour and a touch of hot tang. Damn.

The next burger deserves a drum roll.

Shack Stack ($9.49):
Cheeseburger and Shroom Burger (Crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses) topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce.

I present to you - The Shack Stack, which is basically a mash up between between the Cheeseburger and the 'Shroom' Burger. It was was incredible and is definitely my new favourite burger from Shake Shack. The crispy deep-fried breaded portobello mushrooms are filled with melted stringy cheese while the meat patty is just so tender and absolutely delectable under another blanket of gooey cheese. The combination and balance of crispiness and flavour with the cheese was just perfect.

One singular bite (or two, since this burger's height cannot possibly be contained by the average person's mouth) from this burger created an explosion leaving me absolutely speechless.

How can a burger be this good? Oh my god.

Shack-cago Dog ($4.00):
Dragged through the garden with Rick's Picks Shack relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper, celery salt and mustard.

As the name suggests, The Shack-cago Dog is Shake Shack's take on the classic Chicago style hot dog. As a kid I was never too fond of hot dogs but one bite into this wiener and you know you're on to something a bit different. It hits all the basic flavours of a Chicago-style hot dog with its spicy and tangy toppings.

You can't have a burger without fries. Well, you can but that ain't cool, man.

Cheese Fries ($3.95):
Fries topped with Shake Shack's special blend of cheddar and American cheese sauce.

I don't have to go into the details of these fries at all. They're everything you've ever wanted in fries - they're warm, well salted, golden, crisp and fluffy even with the creamy melted cheese.

Get them.

If you're craving something sweet after finishing the salty fries, you should try a concrete!

Natural History Crunch-Stellation - Single ($4.50):
Vanilla custard, malt, Valrhona chocolate crunchies and chocolate toffee.

I love the concretes from Shake Shack! They have extraordinary flavours, they're smooth with a silk-like consistency and they have the perfect amount of richness. This concrete is sweet, but the dark chocolate crunchies and chocolate toffee bits break up the thick creamy texture and prevents it from becoming a total sugary sweet overload.

Alternatively, you could get a shake to complement your burger!
  
Peanut Butter Shake ($5.25):

During my second visit, I decided to get a rich and creamy peanut butter milkshake. The milkshakes from Shake Shack are incredibly dense and you really need to suck through that straw to taste how great these are.

Shake Shack's Black & White Shake is also worth trying! It's a hand-spun shake that combines vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Sometimes you'll get a little taste of vanilla, then a hit of chocolate, and then a mix of both which is just great.

In the space of two weeks, I visited Shake Shack a total of five times. (Don't judge) These are by far the best burgers I've ever had and let me repeat. You cannot leave New York without trying Shake Shack.

Shake Shack
E. 23rd St & Madison Ave
Madison Square Park, New York 10010
f: https://www.facebook.com/shakeshack
t: (212) 889-6600
w: https://www.shakeshack.com/