Shake Shack

Shake Shack is one of those hyper-touristy places that people will wait hours in line for. I've heard many, many people say that it's even better than In-N-Out on the west coast, which is a lofty statement and, if it were true, would make Shake Shack a damn good burger place.

I got the Shack Stack, which seems to be the favorite. It's a cheeseburger with a cheese-filled fried portobello mushroom. But I have to say, it sounds a lot better than it tastes. A portobello mushroom is so delicate in both flavor and texture, the fried batter and the cheese completely overwhelm it. And you will find that, when you bite into it, the fried shell houses mostly air, because a portobello mushroom is not substantial enough to hold its shape when cooked. It's a nice, ambitious idea, but the execution was pretty disappointing. The burger itself was really nothing special. The patty was dry, and the bun was ordinary at best.

I also tried the Downtown Butter Brown Concrete--frozen vanilla custard (aka. glorified ice cream) with streusel pieces mixed in. I liked it a lot, but it can get a bit sweet. Drink lots of water.

The cheese fries were pretty mediocre--plain crinkle-cut fries with not enough fake cheese sauce. Honestly, they were pretty comparable to McDonald's fries. I'm not quite American enough to have tried aerosol cheese, but I imagine the cheese sauce is what it would taste like. Really not worth $4.

There's definitely a reason why west coast people get really defensive of In-N-Out when east coast people say Shake Shack is better--because it's not. Considering both taste and price, I'm not sure why people worship Shake Shack so much. You can get much juicier and flavorful burgers for a shorter wait at a number of places in New York. And if you were to get a burger, fries, and milkshake--a pretty common combination--you would easily spend over $20. Shake Shack is probably best reserved for tourists who want to say they've been to so-and-so place in New York, but definitely not worth your time or money if you just want something to eat.

Shake Shack
http://www.shakeshack.com/
Various locations