shake shack, nyc

East Coast vs West Coast; Shake Shack vs In-N-Out Burger; this summer it was finally my time to weigh in on the classic debate with my own opinion.

As I travel back to New York for another several weeks in Long Island, I found it only fitting to finally share the rest of my summer adventures with you. Now before I give you my verdict, I find it imperative to tell you that I generally dislike fast food hamburgers. The only ones I tend to crave are the geographically unobtainable Whataburgers and Mighty Fine burgers. Both Texas originals, both beating out my current west coast offerings by a Texas mile. As a child who was given a dollar to spend at Toys R Us in exchange for avoiding Happy Meals, it’s no surprise that fast food has been a rarity in my adult diet.

When planning my trip to New York, a dear friend informed me that I had to visit Shake Shack at least once during my stay. Given my fast food stance, I was skeptical, but coming from the girl who rounded out her wedding night in Times Square with a 50 block cab ride to Shake Shack in her wedding dress I knew I had to oblige.

There was a Shake Shack between the landing docks of my Circle Line boat tour and the Robert Kerr Theatre where I was to see childhood classmate and fellow high school alumna, Lauren Worsham Jarrow perform in the (soon to be awarded that very evening) Tony Award winning Best Musical production of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. I only had about 45 minutes from dock to theatre but figured that was plenty of time to grab some fast food.

I rounded the corner to see a line out the door and down the block but was assured that it was only 12 minutes from start to finish. Amazingly enough, in exactly 11 minutes I was seated at a communal table with a Smoke Shack and crinkle cut fries in hand. The Smoke Shack is a bacon cheeseburger topped with diced red cherry peppers and special sauce. I normally hate special sauce, but wanted to give the burger a fair review in its intended state.

It. Was. Incredible. The sauce wasn’t overpowering, the bacon was crisp, the meat perfectly charred yet tender and the cherry peppers gave it a bright pop of heat at the end. This became my staple last meal as I flew back home each week and I later discovered that their frozen custard milkshakes are divine. I recommend malted caramel if you can’t decide. The Smoke Shack was so good that I never branched out to try other menu items, but our buddy Julius over at Droolius.com has fantastic reviews of the various menu items including the Orlando grand opening.

My verdict between Shake Shack and In-N-Out? No comparison. It’s no secret that I strongly dislike In-N-Out, so to avoid the west coast drama I’ll keep this short and sweet. It’s a good thing I live on the coast with the inferior burger joint because I fear the number of Smoke Shacks I would consume if given the opportunity.