This trip has been a year in the making. Dozens of times as I walked the south end of the Strip during my family’s annual Vegas week (thanks to a yearly national dance competition), I spied the poster announcing the late 2014 opening of New York’s Shake Shack. Even before then, I’d had the Shack on my list of supping spots the last time I was in New York (for a dance convention); sooner or later, I was going to get one of their burgers into my mid-sized belly (even if they didn’t have turkey burgers).
The opportunity came with my 2015 Vegas trip (for dance!), joining some of the other dance moms who came to drown their sorrows after their kids’ dances received – gasp! – First Place* (my kid’s group did about the same). We were a big group which led to much variation in orders, meaning I could try both regular and cheese fries, differently flavored malts and shakes, and concretes (your choice of sweet or salty mixed into a dense custard). But I went for the burger, choosing the one that’s been begging to be put on Dianderthal’s Quest list – the Shack Burger. I ordered mine sans tomato, keeping the gooey cheese, the lettuce, and the Shack Sauce.
It got really quiet around the table once we were served. Perhaps rang a collective moan of satisfaction; of this shit is off the chi-zain bliss. I didn’t say a word until it was all done, my burger, that is. The Shack brought it with its smooth, soft bun and its gently charred patty. But best was the cheese! A forever melting sweet sludge of delight that squeezed itself into every crack and cranny to be found.
Full disclosure: I was a tad tipsy while indulging (already woozy before I arrived and even more so when I passed up a shake for a plastic cup of white – *Bonus* – their wine “glasses” come with a handy little indent fit for a thumb; so cute, I had to go back and get another a couple days later), so hard to say if my enjoyment of this burger was due to drunk hunger or not. But I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt since my companions for the evening raved about their burgers for days. Same for the peeps with whom I visited Shake Shack again a couple nights later. Ten friends can’t be wrong! So I will judge my Shack experience accordingly.
[*At this particular dance competition, there is Second Place, First Place, and Top First. I’ve witnessed ONE second place award given out in my several years of competitions. Therefore, First Place is actually last. These cute little ladies happen to be at a lower level than my kid. When you move from the Primary category to the Secondary category or higher, they add Elite Top First – the ultimate in placements, which means that your First Place is super extra last.]
Official Dianderthal Burger Quest Burger List:
1. The Spicy Bird at Umami Burger
2. Hawkins House of Burgers turkey burger with everything (mayo, mustard, pickles, tomato, red onion, lettuce), cheese added
3. The Chianina Burger at Working Class Kitchen with cheese
4. PCB (Plan Check Burger) at Plan Check with americanized dashi cheese, ketchup leather, schmaltz onions, mixed pickles, crunch bun
5. 25 Degrees Number One Burger (turkey subbed for beef) with caramelized onions, crescenza, prelibato gorgonzola, bacon, arugula, thousand island
6. Shake Shack’s ShackBurger, with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce
7. Burger Lounge’s Free Range Turkey Burger, served Lounge Style with organic white cheddar, grilled onion, lettuce, tomato, and house-made 1000 Island
8. Father’s Office Burger with arugula, caramelized onions, Gruyere, applewood bacon, and maytag blue cheese
9. Island’s California Flyer turkey burger (BBQ sauce, “Island Reds” – fried onion straws, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato & mayo)
10.Golden State turkey burger with provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli, and ketchup, (added grilled onions)
11. Oh My Burger BYOMB (Build Your Oh My Burger) turkey with OMB sauce, ketchup, pepper jack, and onion rings
12. Holstein’s California Turkey Burger with sprouts, tomato, avocado, cucumber claw, pepperjack cheese, and Russian dressing
13. Yeah! Burger (Make It Your Own – turkey patty, whole wheat bun, pepper jack cheese, sriracha mayo, ketchup, grilled onions, honey mustard)
14. The Habit (Veggie burger made like a Charburger, with mayo, pickle, tomato, lettuce, caramelized onions, cucumber, and sprouts)
15. The Counter (Build Your Own – turkey patty, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli, ketchup)
16. Burger City Grill (The BCG, turkey patty, pickles, grilled onions)
17. The Dallas at Bobby’s Burger Palace – spice crusted ground turkey patty with coleslaw, jack cheese, BBQ sauce, and pickles
Fry Factor
1. Island’s fries with ranch dressing
2. Sweet potato fries at Umami Burger
3. Golden State fried sweet potato wedges with garlic aioli (and a few with curry ketchup)
4. Working Class Kitchen’s frites
5. Burger Lounge’s fries with house-made Ranch
6. Holstein’s sweet potato fries
7. The regular fries and the cheese fries at Shake Shack
8. 25 Degrees Half & Half (sweet potato and regular fries)
9. Father’s Office sweet potato fries with blue cheese aioli
10. The Counter 50-50 fries (half regular, half sweet Ps)
11. Oh My Burger sweet potato fries
12. The Habit french fries
13. Plan Check sweet potato waffle fries and regular fries
14. Bobby’s Burger Palace sweet potato fries
15. Burger City Grill fries
16. Yeah! Burger sweet potato fries
17. Hawkins House of Burgers fries
Shake Shack
At New York, New York on the Vegas Strip (3790 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) in addition to several other East Coast locales, and coming soon to a certain West Hollywood corner near me :)… and you if you live in Southern California