There are multiple locations in the city, but we opted for the shack in Madison Square Park. Ok, for those not familiar, Shake Shack is legendary in New York for its delicious burgers, fries and, of course, shakes. As with anything popular in the city, the wait is no joke. Check out this line:
Not the best picture, but you get the idea.
Our meal was genuinely worth the wait. Three Shack burgers (served with American cheese, tomato, lettuce and Shack Sauce), one Shack-cago dog (Vienna all-beef dog on a poppy seed bun - topped with mustard, Rick's Picks Shake Shack relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper and celery salt), one side of fries, two Arnold Palmers, and one vanilla milkshake.
The burgers are perfectly cooked and not too large. I'm not exactly sure what the "Shack Sauce" is - something mayonnaise-based. The tomato and lettuce are fresh and crispy, and the bun tastes newly-baked. Delicious. The fries are a classic complement, and the milkshake might be the best I've ever had. Not a single complaint here! The Shack-cago dog was my first experience with the Chicago-style hot dog, and while apparently not completely authentic, was great nonetheless. I think Shake Shack's version is slightly downsized, but shares the same ingredients. Now I just need to get to Chicago and try the real thing...
We finished off with two "concretes" (described as "dense frozen custard blended at high speed with Shack-made mix-ins"). We got the Hopscotch (Vanilla custard, hot caramel sauce, chocolate toffee and Valrhona chocolate chunks), and a featured Concrete special, which was vanilla custard with strawberries, caramel and poppy seeds. I think one Concrete would have been more than enough, but we were happy to sample both concoctions...I would of course recommend either.
So, if you're in NYC and have the time to wait, Shake Shack is a must-visit - it was definitely worth the three-year wait!
--R
