Shake Shack Review

When I'm at Shake Shack, you'll usually find me in the B line gearing up for custard. There's almost always little or no line, and custard is far better than a burger, though I have to admit that many a time I have longed for fries to be offered in the B line. On a recent evening though, I found myself in the longer queue snaking around the curve of Madison Square Park. A friend was having her virgin Shake Shack experience and, well, the line IS a big part of that. But it's not so bad, comparatively, late on a weekday night.

Pre-bite

I decided to indulge in the Shack Stack, which could otherwise be called a heart attack: a 'shroom burger (fried portobello with melted muenster and cheddar cheese) paired with a cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack sauce, all on the same bun. Oh yeah, and a side of fries. Don't ever forget that side of fries. No custard only because I'd already had some (coffee & donuts!) earlier in the day.

I usually don't love burgers because I don't enjoy the taste of beef, though I have found that the rarer the beef is, the more I take to it. Shake Shack's burgers are cooked medium and the meat itself is tender and flavorful (supposedly a mix of sirloin, chuck and brisket). But the real trick for me is the cheese and sauce that drowns it all out. I also can't get enough of the crinkly cut fries; they're crispy and addictive and for french fries, they are reasonably ungreasy.

Post-bite

The inside of the 'shroom burger is something to behold. Have you ever seen so much oozing cheese? But if you look really hard, there is a sliver of mushroom peeking out on top. If you're going to wait in a long line (from line to eating it was probably about 45 minutes), you might as well just go for it.