Bits and Bytes

With Georgie at work, I get to dog sit and chill in the park with the little Momo monster. This is Rittenhouse Square, always good for people watching.

After dropping Momo off at home, it was time for some retail therapy (hello new shoes!) and finally, a trip to Shake Shack. Now, I’d heard good things and had so far only tried their milkshake (lovely) before, so was keen to give their bugers and fries a go, too.

The main reason for my reticence in trying the Shack is that it is right opposite Village Whiskey – where you can get the absolutely astounding ‘Whiskey King Burger’, also known as Probably The Best Burger I Have Ever Eaten. And their duck frat fries. And their pickeled cherry tomatoes… Heart attack heaven.

Back to Shake Shack though.

Above we have my selection: SmokeShack Burger, fries and chocolate shake.

The fries were excellent – crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, lightly salted. No need for condiments, these guys just went down a treat. And matched with the sweet chocolate shake, the two provided probably the lasting impression of the meal.

The burger however proved to be a let-down.

The bun was soggy, deflated and tasteless. The cheese anonymous. The patty OK. What saved the SmokeShack Burger from being a total disaster was the beautifully crisp applewood smoked bacon (same as at Village Whiskey across the road) and the zingy chopped cherry pepper and what I suppose must have been the “ShackSauce”.

Props to the Shack though for the overall design, friendly service as well as their corporate responsibility: it’s not every day you stop to enjoy a fast food joint’s logo and the fact that you’re eating off a table that used to be part of a bowling lane!

Overall then: a distinctly average burger made OK by its surroundings and sides. Sure, it’s cheap (the meal at Shake Shack was $15, that would barely pay for half a Whiskey King Burger). But this is ‘merica! Surely there must be better & affordable burgers out there than the one I had at Shake Shack today?