The Shack Stack at The Shake Shack

I have a handful of favorite favorite places in New York.  Shake Shack is one of them.

I understand that you can get a decent burger at many places in New York, but there is just something different about Shake Shack.  Maybe it's because you can eat the burgers in pretty Madison Square Park, with the fattest squirrels running about your feet with french fries in their paws.  Maybe because they're super green and buy wind power credits to offset 100% of their electricity, and you can increase your footprint by eating there.  Or maybe it's their ridiculously fantastic custard that can be used for shakes or concretes, and this month's Saturday flavor happens to be Red Velvet. 

For all of the above, I am a Shake Shack superfan.

Greeshma, Belmund and I met at the Shake Shack at 6:30 on a Friday eve to stand in line with hundreds of other people who thought the same brilliant idea: good weather + awesome burger + delish shakes = one hot Friday night party.

The two eating partners-in-crime

The line stretching out far behind us, and we were only halfway through it

You have plenty of time to enjoy the pretty flowers and cute dogs in the park while waiting

Since this would be Greeshma and Belmund's first time to the Shake Shack, I advised them to get the Shack Stack burger, a beefy delight involving a cheeseburger and a shroomburger (crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with muenster and cheddar cheese) topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack sauce as well as fries and a shake, because, you just have to.  There really is no other way around that. 

So that was exactly what we got:

Crinkle-cut french fries that are perfectly crisp and salted.  Salt-crusted burger with a dynamite mushroom topper and a black and white milkshake that is vanilla custard + hot fudge swirled inside for a one-way ticket to heaaaven.

Belmund got the cheese fries with Shack cheddar and American cheese sauce

My Shack Stack testing my lactose tolerancy

Every element of the Shack Stack works well together: soft buns, crisp shrooms and loads of cheese to accent a great burger.

Greeshma excited !

Belmund in full burger concentration !

This is a shot of the Double Shack Stack from a previous visit. The difference is the shroomburger is sandwiched in between two hamburger patties (top and bottom).

The Double Shack Stack left, my usual plain hamburger on the right for size comparison.

Greeshma ended up getting the Fair Shake (vanilla shake spun with 100% certified organic Arabica fairly traded coffee) and Belmund went fancy with a caramel shake.  Both were deemed delicious.

But of course, I wouldn't have expected it any other way.  Shake Shack is totally solid.

I am so excited to learn that by the end of this year, they will have expanded to Times Square and the Upper East Side, further increasing my access to their custardy wonders.  I cannot wait to get my hands on the Red Velvet custard next Saturday !

Shake Shack

11 Madison Avenue, New York

(212) 889-6600