Eating on the road: Eating all the calories at Shake Shack

Right now I am am averaging about one visit to Shake Shack a year, since they are only in the United States. I went a year ago November in New York City, and this past December during a trip to Washington, DC. 

It's good they're so far away because they are both so good and so bad for me. I hear they may be coming to Toronto though, and that would be bad news for my diet.

But until such a day they're a rare treat, and one I gladly walked several blocks on a chilly DC day to have for a late lunch. They're also not cheap; part of this could be the exchange rate between the US and Canadian dollars not being swell.

Anyways, I went to the kiosk and ordered a double bacon cheeseburger, crinkle fries with cheese, and one of their limited time Trolls shakes -- the Cinnamon Roll Shake. That's a lot but hey, once a year amiright?

Holy crap it was so good. The burger was greasy cheesy goodness. Every bite you know it's bad for you but it just tastes so good. The cheese sauce makes the fries delicious. And the shake, I love cinnamon and it was just delicious. I may or may not have had a nap before going to the hockey game that night.

I do still want to try In and Out, the California rival to Shake Shack, one more time to settle the rivalry for my own view once and for all. But Shake Shack will be tough to beat. And if they do come to Toronto, tough to resist.

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Eating in New York: Shake Shack

 I know for most New York City food adventurers, regional burger chains aren't near the top of their lists. But Shake Shack is to the Eastern US and In-and-Out is to California, so with a short window for a bite between a Late Night taping and a stand-up show, I popped into a location just off Broadway for a burger and a shake.

It was a small storefront with no in-store seating but plenty of patio space, and thankfully it was a fairly warm November day so dining outdoors wasn't a problem. Ordering was by kiosk/tablet, with one out of service and four available. After a wait I placed my order and was asked to provide my mobile number, with the promise of a text when it was done.

I got an order-received text and went to sit outside for a bit, as there were no spots available on the waiting bench inside. After a few minutes I headed inside when a spot opened up, and watched the disinterested worker call out names as the bags came off the line.

Eventually they called out Jeff, and I took my bag and shake and repaired to the least dirty of the patio tables on the street corner, about a block from the Ed Sullivan theatre. 

They have crinkle fries, on which I passed because, as regular readers will now, I'm not a fry guy unless they're crispy with minimal potato, a la McD's. So I'll start with the shake. Like winter, Christmas is coming and they've launched their seasonal line of holiday shakes. There's a Chocolate Peppermint and a Christmas Cookie -- I went with the Chocolate Milk and Cookies.

It was thick, chocolatey and rich. A real challenge to suck through the straw. It was very tasty but I didn't finish it; I could tell the richness and the sugar was going to hit me too hard if I did.

On to the burger. I did a double ShackBurger, hold the lettuce and tomato, add bacon and onion. It's two patties of Angus Beed and comes with cheese and ShackSauce on a toasted potato bun.

It was cheesy beefy juicy tasty, and in line with Five Guys and all the smash burger chains that proliferate these days. If you have a burger craving it's a solid option. It's not an everyday burger, but it's a treat burger. Did I have a local option I'd get one a few times a year, but I don't think it lives up to the cultural hype. 

I do like it better than I recall liking In-and-Out, but that was a good 15 years ago so I made need to get to Cali and refresh my memory. 

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