DRMW
[Purist]
21832
Shake Shack @ NewYorkNewYork, Las Vegas
First off, Big Thanks to PuristS 'Raymond_S' for suggesting to try Shake Shack in a previous post!
Since we went to the MGM Grand Las Vegas to watch the traditional Lion Dance celebration for Chinese New Year, we decided to try a new place that has been getting a lot of attention. PuristS 'ED-209' went to the White Castle that opened up near Harrah's ( timeout.watchprosite.com ) but I have already tried their burgers when I was in Manhattan. Across the famed Las Vegas Boulevard from the MGM Grand is the NewYork NewYork hotel and casino. It's easily accessed from MGM Grand via the overhead bridge/crosswalk.
The weather was beautiful so it was a nice walk over to the other side. NewYork NewYork as the name implies is a New York City themed hotel. There's a large Statue of Liberty in the front facing Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd. Parallel to the main Strip is a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge with the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building in the background:
The Shake Shack spot used to be the ESPN Zone. Around the corner is the new open space area called The Park which connects NewYork NewYork with the Monte Carlo hotel. Those that have visited Monte Carlo in the past will recall the outdoor parking lot, it's gone and used for The Park. This outdoor experience is also being down to the Harrah's property that leads to the High Roller Ferris Wheel.
It's 11:30am when we arrived to Shake Shack. Being a Friday it was not as busy as I thought it would be. The lines moved quickly and they had a friendly greeter passing out menus and answering questions about the food. When you walk in you notice the giant menu display board:
The have several registers to take your order. They make your food only after you have placed your order and they had you a pager:
There's quite a few indoor seats and an outside patio on the front of the restaurant as well as on the side. Each table had this marking:
And this:
It seems like they use the old wood from bowling alley lanes from New York! Thought that this was kinda cool. As we waited for our food, I went over to one of the two condiment stations:
They had several flat screens playing ESPN sports. They had a large staff that was quick to clear tables and kept the restaurant tables extremely clean. One guest had their kids knock over a drink and spilled it everywhere. Although it was purely the kid's fault, they replaced the drink gratis which was a nice gesture. I noticed the staff were all smiling and they seemed like they enjoyed being there.
Once the pager alerts you that your order is ready, you head over to the Pick Up counter:
I had our food To Go so it came in a cardboard box and paper bag. In the above picture you can see the Fry station. The had a large bag with pre-cut fries when they dropped it into the fryer. I make mention of this as many compare this place to In-N-Out burger which cuts fresh potatoes. I'm not a huge fan of In-N-Out fries so it was interesting to see how Shake Shack compares.
For our first visit, we had burgers, fries, hot dog, and drinks:
The offer a Chicago style dog ( Shack-cago Dog) with pickles, onions, peppers, and cucumbers but I decided to get a the all beef plain hot dog. The casing had a nice bite and snap to it. It was cooked split open with a nice char. It looked plain but IMO it was really good.
The famous Shackburger:
We got the Single patty with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and their signature Shacksauce. Pictured above is the Shackburger with Bacon, below is a regular Shackburger:
The Shacksauce was not as sweet or tangy as the In-N-Out 'Secret Sauce' and definitely more bland. The soft texture of the burger is similar to that of Umami Burger. The Shakeburger had a nicer char to the meat and overall very tasty.
The offer a Chicago style dog ( Shack-cago Dog) with pickles, onions, peppers, and cucumbers but I decided to get a the all beef plain hot dog. The casing had a nice bite and snap to it. It was cooked split open with a nice char. It looked plain but IMO it was really good.
The famous Shackburger:
We got the Single patty with cheese, tomato, lettuce, and their signature Shacksauce. Pictured above is the Shackburger with Bacon, below is a regular Shackburger:
The Shacksauce was not as sweet or tangy as the In-N-Out 'Secret Sauce' and definitely more bland. The soft texture of the burger is similar to that of Umami Burger. The Shakeburger had a nicer char to the meat and overall very tasty.
Next we sample the fries with cheese:
As you can see it's a crinkle cut fries. Normally they cover it in the cheese sauce but since I ordered it to go, they thoughtfully separated the sauce from the fries so that it won't get soggy.
I do like Fries 'Well Done' and 'Animal Style' at In-N-Out but if I had to rate the two, the Shake Shack fries were much better than In-N-Out's version.
As you can see it's a crinkle cut fries. Normally they cover it in the cheese sauce but since I ordered it to go, they thoughtfully separated the sauce from the fries so that it won't get soggy.
I do like Fries 'Well Done' and 'Animal Style' at In-N-Out but if I had to rate the two, the Shake Shack fries were much better than In-N-Out's version.
For beverages, we had the 50/50 and a Strawberry Milkshake. What's a 50/50? It's half lemonade and half iced tea. It was more tart and lemony than sweet, IMO it was just ok. The milkshake however was excellent!
The Shake Shack Shakes use their frozen custard instead of regular ice cream. It has a thicker consistency to it. The strawberry that I order was very flavorful and not over sweet.
Overall it was a pleasant experience at Shake Shack. The burgers and fries were good but the standout for me was the milkshake.
The Shake Shack Shakes use their frozen custard instead of regular ice cream. It has a thicker consistency to it. The strawberry that I order was very flavorful and not over sweet.
Overall it was a pleasant experience at Shake Shack. The burgers and fries were good but the standout for me was the milkshake.
-MW
Shake Shack @ NewYorkNewYork, Las Vegas
First off, Big Thanks to PuristS 'Raymond_S' for suggesting to try Shake Shack in a previous post! Since we went to the MGM Grand Las Vegas to watch the traditional Lion Dance celebration for Chinese New Year, we decided to try a new place that has been g...
You missed their specialty, the Concrete.
Concretes Dense frozen custard ice cream blended at high speed with mix-ins. You can make your own, or choose from a selection of signature concretes (the crazy-great combinations are specific to each Shack). Available in single or double. Try one next ti...
re: Concrete
They had a special flavor, a Banana Caramel that sounded really good. I wanted to try the ConCrete or the Banana Carmel frozen custard but I could eat only so much for lunch. Guess I need to go back and try it! -MW
Concrete?
Haven't tried this place yet, but a Concrete sounds good. They have a 'jackpot' version with vanilla custard, Belgian waffle, strawberries, marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles :) Regards, ED-209
That means I'll definitely have to try it
Thanks for the recommendation Jerry, will have to try it on the next visit..... which will probably be very soon :) Regards, ED-209
re: Looks good
When you visit Vegas, you can do In-N-Out, White Castle, and Shake Shack all together to see which burger you like better! :) Of course they have gourmet places too. -MW
I assume....
Burger King and McDonald's aren't even on the radar of places to visit...!!! I'm always interested in your food threads, your a man of impeccable taste my friend :) Yours, Andy.
to be honest...
IMO the McD french fries are awesome. So were the apple pies when they were deep fried instead of the now baked ones. When I travel abroad, I always like to peek into a McD's, they usually have a pie flavor that is unique to the locals. In Hong Kong I got...
Brilliant...
I guess you can take the boy out of America but you can't take America out of the boy..!!! Andy.
Unfortunately....
There isn't much in Cape Verde..!! I normally like to eat out at a local restaurant when I'm away but they don't really exist except for the tourist British bars which wasn't local food, the hotel influence was African/Portuguese. Plus everything is impor...
The most important thing is...
The most important thing is that you enjoyed it and got to relax. It has rained yesterday and a little bit today but the sun is out, looks to be a nice week coming up ahead. Here's a pic just for you Andy: It's from Icepan, one of my favorite stops in Veg...
re: awesome
Andy, Beef Bowl Cut awaits you when you visit us in SoCal: You are welcomed in Los Angeles anytime my friend! :) -MW ...
Careful what you wish for....
I have a lot of free time this year my friend....!!! :) :)
I have to warn you...
When you come out to L.A., you're going to gain a few pounds so start exercising now! LOL Lawry's prime rib and lobster tail is on me, ED-209 will take you to Genwa Korean BBQ for some Wagyu, and Dr. No will take you to the famous Rainbow Bar&Grill. A...
Ha ha....
I'd better have words with my personal trainer and warn her..!! I'll bring some Tunnocks Caramel wafers with me too :) No such thing as a diet on holiday..!! Speak soon my food guru....I'll try to miss durian season ;)
even in Vegas...
"... I'll try to miss durian season" Even in Vegas I couldn't escape the evil Durian: LOL -MW ...
Here is a local Manchester double burger....
covered in hot chilli which was awesome.....I love hot spicy food... Andy. ...
Now that's what I'm talking about!!! It looks like a hearty meal...
That's one heck of a chili burger! Is that a slaw they put on the bottom or just lettuce? Do you prefer beans or no beans in your chili? -MW
I trust we can find a few of these in LA....
Just a tiny bit of lettuce underneath..!! I put beans in my chilli but probably not on a burger or hot dog :) I have to say this was a dahn tasty burger..!!! Are you a hot spicy fan..?
Here's last nights trio....
We tried to go to a place called SoLita in Manchester but you can't book tables and the queue was 2 hours...!!! So back to the Crafty Pig for some burger practice and chose the 3 slider taste plate which looked small but was a lot more filling than you th...
2 hours?!?!
If people are willing to wait 2 hours that's definitely a good sign that it will be good! Based on your pics, the brioche bread they used looks tasty. The fries look good too! -MW
Yep 2 hours..!!
Gets amazing reviews and gets called the best burger place in town regularly so no surprise.....next time I'll plan ahead and expect the wait while trying a few local pubs. I did see on the menu a 1.2KG rib eye steak...might interest you..!!! LOL I'll inc...
re: good
My favorite has been the Pineapple pie at McD's in Oahu, Hawaii, that was delicious! -MW
You are very welcome, MW, I'm relief and glad I didn't recommend
something disappointing to your high standards. I also see very positive energy in that place and wish they have one in the PDX area. The one in Miami have a ping pong table. Also, I saw another one in South Beach so we went again just to satisfy our crav...
re: relief
"...glad I didn't recommend something disappointing to your high standards." Wut? My standards are pretty low, if it taste good I want to hear about it! LOL. The employees were really friendly so this 'positive energy' you speak about was felt at this Veg...
I got to try a burger at Shake Shack next time I'm in NY
after all the hype from their recent IPO. Btw Ming, what do you think of Habit Burger? I feel it\'s the best fast food burger, even better than in and out imo. Cheers, Anthony
I've been to the one on Ventura Blvd...
I've been to the Habit out in Sherman Oaks, IMO their burgers are better than In-N-Out. The main reason I go to In-N-Out a lot more is because there is one not far from where I am. Plus we got Tommy's and Carney's nearby. Hmmm...maybe I'll do burgers at A...
