Shake Shack

By now most people have heard of Shake Shack, Danny Meyer's "roadside" burger joint in Madison Square Park. I happen to live very close to the park and often shake (no pun intended) my head at the huge lines there almost day and night. The lines are so legendary -- meaning it could easily take an hour or more to get your burger fix -- that Shake Shack's website has a live cam that you can check to see how long the line is before heading out. The burgers are LA-style, not too big, served on a classic soft hamburger bun, and if you want cheese, there is only one choice -- American cheese.

As much as I love burgers, I usually do not have an hour to stand in line. However, the other day, on a blistering cold weeknight, my husband and I noticed that there was no line and decided to grab some food. The only other time I went to Shake Shack, I had the Shroom Burger, which was a revelation -- a portobello mushroom covered with cheese, breaded and then deep fried. This time, I decided I needed to try the real deal and got a Cheeseburger. The verdict? Shake Shack makes a fine burger -- fresh ingredients, very moist, and not too greasy. The burgers perhaps are not "stand in line for 1 hour" good but definitely "stand in line for 20-ish minutes" good. The fries were just meh, though. My husband got the Double Stack, which combines a Cheeseburger with the Shroom Burger (pictured). It is definitely the way to go!