This is the Shake Shack thread.

[pinback]

Before I tell my own stories, I'd like to open the floor so you may give your own thoughts and opinions, but also so I can gauge if this is a hostile crowd.

[AArdvark]

Never having been inside one, would you compare it to a Five Guys? I just browsed the menu and it looks similar to a Five Guys

[Flack]

The closest one to me is four hours away in Texas, which means (a) a long drive for me and (b) an 8-hour video for Pinback.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I absolutely love everything about them if they are the place I am thinking of. Checking....

OK, first website announces TWO NEW DENVER LOCATIONS and because all Internet writing is terrible, doesn't put the addresses....

Ah yes, this was at 29th and Larimer, a few blocks from where I used to live. I would walk over there and get it. They are pretty awesome.

[pinback]

I had never been. The first time I saw one was in LaGuardia airport, next to Gate 40. I had heard about it, but as someone who's had to suffer for years hearing people talk about how great In-n-Out is, which it isn't, I wasn't gonna get sucked into another overrated hype job.

However, I was very hungry, and my plane was leaving out of Gate 40, so okay, I'll try one. Just the single "Shackburger". Here it was:



It took me about 90 seconds to plow through the whole thing, at which time there was only one thought running through my head, which was: That was the best burger I ever had.

Over the course of the next couple days in North Carolina, I sampled a few other local burgers, which were all very, very good, but I couldn't get that Shackburger out of my head, and then all I started hoping for was that I'd go back through LaGuardia again on the way back, to see if I was just in a good mood, or just hungry, or if my original impression was correct.

I went through LaGuardia. My plane's gate? Gate 40.

This time I tried the double, just because I could. Here it was, although the picture ended up blurrier than I'd like:



I didn't even finish it. I didn't have to. The point was just to see if I still agreed with my earlier self. I immediately knew the answer: Yep, these are the best burgers I've ever had.

In the interests of FULL DISCLOSURE I will admit that one of the reasons I like them so much is that it is my absolute #1 favorite burger preparation. That is, smashed on a griddle, with nothing but lettuce, tomato, and "burger sauce" (here called "Shack sauce"), a creamy combination of mayo, ketchup, and various other seasonings. I like many other burger preparations, but if I had to choose only one, that's it. And the Shack does it perfectly. The sauce is great, the veggies are bright and fresh, the burger has a nice griddled crust on it, and it even looks perfect (if your photo isn't too blurry.)

In February, they got the approval to build the first Cincinnati location.

See ya there.

[Jizaboz]

This kind of looks like the way they make burgers at "Backyard Burger". It's pricey but it's outstanding.