Shake Shack

Shake Shack 
Madison Square Park, E. 23rd St. and Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010 
(212) 889-6600 
Flatiron: Mon.-Sun. 11am-11pm 

366 Columbus Avenue @ 77th St., New York, NY 10024 
(646) 747-8770 
UWS: Mon.-Sun. 10:45am-11pm

After multiple visits, I think it's time to start writing about the Shack.  During the last few weeks of college in the spring, I once visited Shake Shack 2 times in one week.  Yes, 2 times! I really wanted to refine my taste and get a true sense of the Shack.  If my memory serves me correctly, although these post-grad days have gnawed away at my brain, my first few times at the Shack, I tried the ShackBurger, fries, iced tea, and a concrete (not in one visit!).  I remember the burgers being juicy and savory and the fries being crispy outside and tender inside.  The iced tea was ordinary iced tea - nothing special.  I don't have much memory of the concrete though, except that I enjoyed one on a cold January night outside at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park with my high school/NYU buddy and nearly got frostbite.

After many visits, I finally ventured out into unknown territory and got the Shack Stack.  It's a combination of their cheeseburger and a 'shroom burger polished off with the usual lettuce, tomatoes, and special Shake sauce.  It was nothing I've ever had before.  When I received my order, the first thought that came into my mind was - "how in the world do I eat this?!".  The thing looked like multiple parts of a meal stuffed between a set of buns.  The 'shroom part of the burger looked like a large falafel except it was crispy and fried on the outside and stuffed with cheese and mushrooms inside.  When I bit into the tiny feast, the cheese oozed over the juicy meat between the soft burger buns.  The cheese was very stringy and hot, perfectly complementing the burger meat.  Being a cheese lover, I enjoyed the Shack Stack and would definitely order it again - if I'm very hungry.  -9/14/09

OVERALL RATING: * * * 1/2
FOOD: * * * 1/2
SERVICE: * * 1/2
AMBIANCE: * * * 1/2
VALUE: * * 1/2



PROS:

• Juicy, flavorful  burgers
• Good variety of items (i.e. burgers, hotdogs, shakes, custard, etc.)
• They give you a cool electronic device that looks like a taser that vibrates when your order's ready so you don't have to strain your hearing to find out when your order's done
  

CONS:

• Long wait sometimes (especially for the one in Flatiron)
  

SUGGESTIONS:

• Try the one in the Flatiron District for the experience and go to the one on the Upper West Side for speed
• Go to their website and check out the Shack Cam to get an idea of how long the lines are