The westernmost outpost of the Danny Meyer burger empire is located in Vegas, most befittingly in an outdoor courtyard of the New York-New York hotel/casino. Considering how popular they are in the eastern half of the US it has generated a lot of buzz; it's been on my Vegas bucket list ever since the opening was announced. A year later I got the opportunity to go as my sister had a Shake Shack craving.
CONCEPT: Fast-casual burger chain with burgers priced between $5 and $10, along the lines of a Five Guys or Smashburger with the cult appeal approaching that of In-N-Out Burger. According to Shake Shack's official website, the burgers are made with the following ingredients:
- 100% natural all-Angus beef sourced with cows not fed with hormones or antibiotics. The meat is freshly ground.
- Fresh veggies - choose from a combo of lettuce, tomato, pickles or onions.
- The bun is a non-GMO Martin's Potato Roll.
The fries are of the frozen crinkle-cut Yukon kind and the shakes are made from freshly spun frozen custard.
VENUE: Located *outside* the casino formerly the site of ESPN zone.
SERVICE: Counter service only. When my family went on New Years Day lunchtime we were in line for less than 5 minutes. This was considering that the line was outside. There was a slightly longer wait for our food to be ready.
Your meal is ready when your buzzer rings.
My first Shake Shack meal consisted of a Shack Stack burger (Cheeseburger and a 'Shroom Burger topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce) and their crinkle-cut fries. I sipped a little bit of my sister's shake as I wasn't in the mood for a shake at the time.
- My sister says that it's an East Coast thing for softer buns (dunno if this is true). I appreciated the softer, sweeter bun and it's comparable to a perfectly toasted In-N-Out bun.
- Veggies were fresh.
- The portobello mushroom was freshly fried and I could hear the pop of the mushroom meat opening. The melted muenster cheese just made the mushroom burger just taste meatier.
- Burger patty was cooked to my liking. Cheeses made the burger slightly moist.
Crinkle fries were cooked consistently so all fries were crispy but they were a little on the plain side. The shake was also a little on the plain side but this was due to my sister's preference. Next time I'll get a different flavor shake and have it malted.
Though the prices reflect the Vegas standard (read: expensive!) the burger quality is worth a return visit. Though my preference still is a good In-N-Out burger more I can appreciate this burger for what it is and I understand why the East Coasters are up in arms about this chain. It certainly beats White Castle and Five Guys.