“Irish Fries” at Shake Shack. These were really the extent of my St Patrick’s Day celebration this year… Shake Shack’s regular fries with a bit of sour cream, scallions, and nice smokey bacon.
Double SmokeShack burger from Shake Shack Madison Square Park. This is one of the better “specials” Shake Shack has offered… applewood smoked bacon and a cherry pepper relish are added to the regular Shack Burger with great results. It’s spicier than I expected, which was a very pleasant surprise. If you’ve never been to the Shack, don’t go and get this. But, if you go all the time and want a change or a tasty, spicy, smoky burger, go for it while it lasts!
The squirrels in Madison Square Park eat better than any other squirrels in the world. Mmmm, Shake Shack!
Shake Shack Battery Park City served it’s first burgers yesterday. I’m pretty excited to have Shake Shack close enough that I can get a burger home and eat it while it’s still hot. My first burger wasn’t quite as good as those from the original location… but it was close so I’ll give it time. The fries were better for some reason. Washing it down with a Port Brewing Anniversary Ale that I managed to find a couple of weeks ago was just an added bonus.
The Shackbury Creme Egg special Easter concrete. So that’s not exactly what they called it, but it’s what they meant. And they nailed it—it was just like the real thing, but in ice cream form.
Cadbury Creme Eggs are one of the few candies that I loved as a kid and still enjoy today. I hate milk chocolate and most overtly sweet things and Creme Eggs are both in addition to being sticky and messy. Plus the foil wrapper is always ripped which somehow doesn’t fit with today’s standards of sanitary food items. So maybe my love for them is based entirely in nostalgia, but I’m OK with that. Anyway, I hit Shake Shack for a quick bite and was greeted by this sign (btw, I’ll admit the Easter Dog sounds terrifying) and of course had to give it a try.
Eataly NYC
It took me a few days, but I finally made it to Eataly, Mario Batali’s new NYC food mecca. After enjoying a Shack Burger and Shack-cago dog, I walked the less than 100m to the entrance just off Madison Square Park. There was a staffer at the door saying this entrance is only for the cafe even though it clearly connects to the whole place. He was turning away hordes of people at that door— I wonder if they budgeted for that full time position? Anyway, at 1pm I walked right into the main entrance. When I left, the line was longer than the line at Shake Shack. I know this is NYC, but a line longer than at the Shack for a glorified grocery store is a new one for me.
Everyone with a food blog has written something about this place, so I’ll just post a couple of pics and move on. The place is unquestionably awesome. It’s kind of like a shopping mall for Italian food related items, complete with the greatest food court imaginable. They’re clearly going for an Italian food education vibe with clearly printed descriptions of important categories of food and specialty items.
There’s also an attached wine store, with a small but thoughtful collection. There was some nice Arneis to taste at the door.
One of the more interesting parts of Eataly is their beer collection— a mix of Italian microbrews (that I didn’t even know existed) and Dogfish Head. I would’ve been shocked had the Dogfish newsletter from a few days ago not told me all about this. Better yet, the roof of Eataly is going to be transformed into a brewpub collaboration with Dogfish. Seriously, between this, Shake Shack, and Eleven Madison park (and Tabla, I guess), Madison Square Park might be the best all around culinary destination in the city.
In-N-Out at Home
Oh, yes please. Serious Eats delivers another DIY solution for famous, brand name burgers. We had fun with Fake Shack. Lots of fun. But that was really only for novelty, because I have ready access to the real thing. But this… In-N-Out without having to fly all the way back to the West Coast? That has real utility!
Shake Shack Battery Park City??
I will try not to get my hopes up after the roller coaster of emotions I experienced when Shake Shack teased me with a planned opening and subsequent cancellation of a SoHo location. But, my hopes are up.
Shake Shack haul. When your Manhattan apartment doesn’t have a balcony to grill on for Memorial Day, this has to do.
The rain has denied me Shake Shack for the past few days, so it was time for burger night. No fake shack this time, but there is some Shake Shack inspiration here. Pat La Frieda burger cooked in the shack method, crumbled Montgomery Cheddar (you don’t melt Montgomery Cheddar and it’s too crumbly to slice), tomatoes, arugula, and more or less homemade Shack sauce on a toasted kaiser. Served with homemade potato chips.
The beer is Dogfish Head 2010 Aprihop. I haven’t liked Aprihop in the past, but this video about the change in style sums it up. This is a real IPA with apricot notes and it’s delicious. Definitely worth seeking out—just make sure it has the 2010 bottling date on the neck.
