There’s a New Burger at Shake Shack but You Should Just Stick to the Old Ones

07
Jun
2016
baconcheddarshack2

The new Bacon CheddarShack at Shake Shack with aged Wisconsin-and-American cheese sauce and double-smoked bacon.

A new burger at Shake Shack debuted last Friday to the masses but we first got a taste of the Bacon CheddarShack back in February at the Burger Bash in South Beach. Back then, we lamented over our disappointment in the bacon-and-cheese-topped creation, the overly-thick, fondue-like cheese sauce overshadowed the best part of a burger: the beef. For the first time ever with Shake Shack, we didn't even finish our burger (though, that may have had something to do with it being our 14th burger of the night...). So, when we got word of a chance for Round 2 with the CheddarShack, we strapped on our bibs and stepped into the greasy ring once again.
The Bacon CheddarShack in South Beach..

The Bacon CheddarShack in South Beach..

We're told that Shake Shack tweaked the recipe to its cheese sauce – a Wisconsin aged-cheddar and American cheese blend – and we did find it a tad thinner then the one we tried in Miami. But despite the better cheese sauce recipe, we still weren't all that impressed by it. Also to note, this is not the same bright orange sauce that comes slathered on an order of cheese fries. If we had our way, we'd dump a hefty ladle-full of that stuff on our burger rather than the fancy, aged sauce – it may not be as sharp, but it packs more flavor. The bacon, on the other hand – double-smoked from Niman Ranch – was very good. The strips were smoky and cooked to a satisfying crisp; we'd let this pig candy grace our beef any day of the week. We did end up finishing our burger this time but in the end, like almost every other special burger Shake Shack has introduced over the years, the CheddarShack can't hold a candle to the original. The ShackBurger is a true classic and it's still the best thing on the menu, limited-time-only or otherwise. The only other burger that comes close is the bacon-and-cherry-relish-topped SmokeShack, a once limited edition that has since earned its place on the permanent menu. It's one we keep in regular rotation. So, while we do recommend a trip to Shake Shack soon, it's not because of the limited-time Bacon CheddarShack. IT'S BECAUSE IT'S SHAKE SHACK. And their regular burgers are just so damn good. Order one. And make it a double. Shake Shack | 1216 18th Street NW | 800 F Street NW | 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE | DC | 7924U Tysons Corner Center | McLean | 1100 South Hayes Street | Arlington | shakeshack.com



Go to the top of the page
%d bloggers like this: