Shake Shack

[cupcake250]

I just came from a lunch celebration at grammercy tavern (another topic altogether) however walking back to my office I stopped at Shake Shack..the danny meyer hot dog and frozen custard "shack" in the park....even after a great meal at grammercy, i couldnt resist trying a frozen custard...but was too stuffed for the hot dogs..

also my dog would love the pooch-ie...ice cream with a dog biscuit but today's sweltering heat would not allow me to make it to my office's freezer....

what do others think? any suggestions for next time???

[TrishCT]

Shake Shack's lemonade is perfect - tart enough to be a bit puckery, refreshing, cold and flavorful. I'd go out of my way just for the lemonade.

I like their drink that's half lemonade, half iced tea... it's called the Arnold Palmer I think (definitely named after a golfer).

That's an Arnold Palmer you betcha. Arnie said they named the drink after him because he ordered them frequently after a round of golf. He found them especially quenching. 2/3 tea, 1/3 lemonade.

[Moopheus]

I happened to go by there today and decided to try the frozen custard. I had the chocolate. It was underwhelming. It was smooth and creamy all right, except for the ice crystals, obviously made with good ingredients. but the chocolate flavor was very light. I guess you could say it was subtle if you wanted to be nice about it.

[ahr]

About two weeks ago, I also found the chocolate flavor to be vanishingly elusive; the vanilla was better, though normally I prefer chocolate by far. Both seemed excruciatingly sweet to me, and the chocolate was also significantly melted by the time I got it. I am not eager to return, at least not for the custard.

Of course, I may have been spoiled by a recent exposure to Kohr's, down the Jersey shore...

[okinawaChris]

What is the Shake Shack burger sauce? Is it just mayo or are other ingredients thrown in? Maybe 1000 island ala In-n-Out?

[mpav]

I'm happy with the dogs (Taxi, for me with mustard). The custard was disappointing. The chocolate has the barest taste of chocolate, the vanilla was better, but not really satisfying. The chocolate sprinkles were so few in number I would have rather had none. I prefer Custard Beach for custard.

[okinawaChris]

Being in Japan limits my chances of having a Shake Shack Burger in person, but after reading the posts I will try to replicate one here. I have all the ingredients down with the exception of their burger sauce. Is it mayo, mayo-based or a style of 1000 Island??

Let me know!

[juuceman]

so i've eaten at this place half a dozen times over the last ten days.. to my taste, since i really prefer my dogs grilled, the burgers are the way to go.. i like the shack burger and love the double shack..

this place seems to be the least efficient fast food joint i've ever seen though.. i like the fact that they cook everything to order and i'm willing to wait for the food to be cooked.. what's bothersome is the manner by which they process orders and inform the grill man what he needs to be making.. to my (untrained) eye, it seems that the order is placed at the cash station which then generates a duplicate to the expediter at the pickup window.. she then calls it into the grill man as she lines up trays and bags.. it seems like she's only able to handle about a half dozen orders at any single time though, and, as such, the grill man is rarely working to full capacity while he waits for the expediter to call orders in..

which brings me to my question- why not provide dupes or a screen to each station (grill, dogs, custard, drinks) so they can simply prepare each item as the order comes in?? it's not like the expediter is timing things so that they all come up at the same time and are fresh, i've watched my shake sit there melting for firve minutes while the burger cooks..

[Fat Guy]

Being in Japan limits my chances of having a Shake Shack Burger in person, but after reading the posts I will try to replicate one here. I have all the ingredients down with the exception of their burger sauce. Is it mayo, mayo-based or a style of 1000 Island??

Let me know!

It seems to be a mayo-based sauce, but I don't know the exact composition. Perhaps the next person to go by The Shack will see what can be learned.

[juuceman]

I have all the ingredients down with the exception of their burger sauce. Is it mayo, mayo-based or a style of 1000 Island??

Let me know!

dijon mustard, yellow mustard, mayonaise, tomato puree, onions, pickles, garlic, chipotle..

i might have missed something, as she rattled it off pretty quickly, but these were the biggies..

[mpav]

Which of you sages can tell me how they keep the pigeons away from the place? They are all over the rest of the park, and I'd like to know the answer, especially if it also works on mice.

[Dryden]

An effort to revitalize this thread, as well as add some new information.

The Shake Shack is now open 11-9, although it appears that their hours going forward will be somewhat flexible - it you plan on coming late, you might even want to try calling ahead (probably to eleven madison).

They have added a new shake, in caramel, and now offer a triple shack burger, which I had today for lunch. While is does contain more meat than a double shack, and is still delicious, it is, sadly, too big. You will run out of bun before you run out of meat (although if you're on atkins, this may be a good thing). There also wasn't quite enough sauce to enrich all 3 patties.

It is also worth noting, as no one seems to have mentioned it before, that the cheese fries are simply superb. My wife, who is a connoisseur of such things has informed me that they are the finest such fries she has ever consumed, and that she may like them even better than the burger. While I prefer the fries at Balthazar and Pommes Frites, I will say that the Shack's fries are extremely good, easily the best crinkle-cut, no skin fries I've ever had.

Does anyone know what they plan to do in the winter?

[Dryden]

Which of you sages can tell me how they keep the pigeons away from the place? They are all over the rest of the park, and I'd like to know the answer, especially if it also works on mice.

They don't... most people don't drop any of their food, which helps. For the bits of food left lying on the ground, it's a pigeon free-for-all. I had two roaming around my feet while I was eating (an earlier patron had dropped some fries, I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing) to my great annoyance. Rats with wings, indeed.

[kpurvis]

OK, after missing this place in its incarnation last summer, I've been drooling all this summer. I'm flying in on Sept. 9 and will probably get through airport hell/hotel checkin about 1:30 or so. Can anybody tell me if they'll still be open in September? Should I set my sights there for a late Thursday lunch?

[Fat Guy]

The plan is for the Shake Shack to be open year-round.

[MHesse]

I scored the last hamburger served tonight at the Shake Shack at closing time. It was quite good, especially when compared to the New York Burger Company burger I had 90 minutes previously. Good, fresh, juicy, beefy little burger...far superior to NYBC's dry, over-ground patty.

Friends of mine had custards. All agreed flavor is lacking. The smoothies at NYBC, admitedly a different concoction, were very good.

[kpurvis]

The plan is for the Shake Shack to be open year-round.

Danke. See you in the park.

[juuceman]

new offerings-

the triple shack..

a double shack burger with a shroom burger in the middle..

carmel milkshakes..

enjoy..

[Bux]

While I prefer the fries at Balthazar and Pommes Frites, I will say that the Shack's fries are extremely good, easily the best crinkle-cut, no skin fries I've ever had.

I'm tempted to ask if they're changed their fries. I should imagine they're real potatoes, frozen maybe, but they seemed to capture the essence of processed potato product both times I had them, not terrible, but not good and certainly not in a league with Balthazar.

It's not the sort of food I can really get worked up over, although if the fries were better, I might. It's a very welcome addition to the city and particularly to the neighborhood. I've visited several times and even had "dinner" there twice. The park is a very pleasant place on a nice day. The requirement to consume the beer and wine in a restricted area is most annoying, but that's not their fault and I understand it's difficult for the city to deal with abuses of public consumption of alcohol. Unfortunately, the application here is an invitation to "brown bag" a beer from a grocery store.

What I don't get is how this could be an important culinary destination for an out of town visitor--a great stop on walking tour that brought you close, perhaps, but I'd choose 11 Madison Park or Tabla if I had the time or money for lunch. Then again, on a visit to relatives in western Michigan, we all went out for burgers at what appeared to be a regional institution. It was a huge sprawling old place that was packed with families. Service was most friendly, but an order for mustard on a cheeseburger with onions came with mushrooms. Must have been my NY accent. I was impressed, though not particularly favorably, by the notice on the menu that burgers may not be ordered with lettuce or tomato. The unordered mushrooms appeared to have been boiled or canned--no real surprise and the onions had been heated in oil, but to no advantage. The fries however, were so totally unrewarding that that most of them went uneaten. I can't hardly remember a portion of bad diner fries that I didn't at least finish over half. I do understand how bad this genre of food can be.

And, reading the last post as I previewed mine, I'll probably order the 'shroom burger next time as I've been prepped for it.

[alacarte]

I grabbed a Shake Shack burger on my way home yesterday. It was one of the best burgs I've had in a while -- my only complaint was that it was too small.

The meat was tasty and done perfectly (I prefer my meat done medium, and it was -- though they didn't ask me for preference) and the toppings were fresh and didn't hide the taste of the meat. Not a big fan of the supermarket-style soft bun, it would have benefited from toasting, but overall it still was quite good. I'll be back, and I'll order a double next time.

[okinawaChris]

I'm interested in what makes the fries so good here. It has been stated that they use frozen, crinkle cut fries. So is it only proper cooking or is it possibly the oil. Does anyone expect they might be using an A/V (Animal/Vegetable) oil? Beef lard does add flavor to fries. Or possibly it is the seasoning. Maybe a combination of everything listed...

[Laura B]

As a new eGullet member, I will jump in with my first post: a big thank you for this thread! My husband and I ate at Shake Shack today and thoroughly enjoyed it. We had the Shake Burger with fries. Very good burger and pretty darn good fries, we thought. He had a caramel shake (excellent) and I had chocolate custard with cheesecake brownie on top (also most excellent). We'll be back often, I predict. Today was also a beautiful day to sit in the park with our food. We were there just after 11:00 am, and we didn't have to wait at all.

[Nathan]

I ate there recently as well -- the burgers are indeed terrific -- I'm pretty sure they're done Wisconsin butter-burger style...

the cheese fries I could do without.

it may be my favorite burger in the city -- better than Bar 89 (and certainly better than Corner Bistro--sentimental favorite as it is).

Edited August 31, 2004 by Nathan (log)

[Fat Guy]

A warm welcome to you, Laura. Hope we'll see more of you.

[Laura B]

Thanks, fat guy! I have been spending hours the last week reading threads. This place is addictive for sure.