Shake Shack Opens Today in Westport

Multiple Eaters July 20, 2011

Delicious…that’s my opinion and I’m sticking with it.

The ShackBurger: Shake Shack brought its world-famous (yes they have a location in Dubai) offerings to Westport today and I enjoyed one of the best hamburgers, hot dogs and shakes in the area. With all the hype of opening day I felt a bit nervous as I waited with dozens of other customers for my ShackBurger, Shack-cago Dog and fries.

The ShackBurger includes Shake Shack’s signature burger topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce, half wrapped and half exposed to tease the customer. After one bite it was clear why so many love this delightful hamburger. The meat was deliciously seasoned, the tomatoes were ripe and flavorful, the lettuce was crispy and the cheese was nicely melted. The ShackSauce was the epitome of a tomato-mayo delight and was a great complement to the meat and cheese. Overall it was an outstanding hamburger.

Shack-gago Dog: Overlooked by many is the Shack-gago Dog, a Midwestern transplanted Vienna hot dog topped with Rick’s Picks Shake Shack relish, onions, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper, celery salt and mustard. The only difference between this hot dog and my favorites from the Windy City was the bun; Shake Shack uses a potato bun versus the tradition Chicago Poppy Seed bun. It all worked perfectly together. The all-beef hot dog had great flavor and each of the toppings added to the culinary pleasure of this simple treat without overwhelming the hot dog. Add one of the Concretes (I liked all the flavors that we tasted) and you have a Burger-Dog-Shake Tri-Fecta.

--Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger

Concretes: And then there was CONCRETE...No joke. Shake Shack outdoes itself with these composite "blizzards" for gourmands, permanently designed to bind your "oohs" to your "aaahs." This is custard at its finest. As the PR states, the CONCREATIONS evolve when "soft serve shacks up with premium ice cream" - it's rich, it's creamy, it must be devoured. On our first of what will probably be THOUSANDS of visits, we sampled 3 such marvels, each more outrageous than the next. The juxtaposition of the smooth custard with the various "mix-ins" creates a texture trip from which you taste buds may never return.

The "Sasco Crete," especially created for the Westport location, is made with creamy vanilla custard and a slice of locally baked blueberry pie mixed in. Perhaps not my favorite of the three but fabulous for fresh pie lovers. And as with every site specific item at the various Shake Shacks, a percentage of the proceeds for the "Sasco Crete" is donated to local non-profits, here to the Westport Art Center. Very cool. Next on our agenda -the Banana Post Road. Chocolate custard, caramelized cocoa nibs, bananas and sea salt - enough to blow your mind! This sensational combination evoked unusual, otherworldly grunts from us all and spoons were majorly double-dipped! And then there was Hopscotch. This was certainly Nirvana for my sweet-tooth. The custard gods at the Shack start with frozen vanilla custard and add chunks of Guittard milk chocolate. (Guittard chocolate is an American company but was started by a Frenchman during the 1800s has been family-run for four generations.) As if that wasn't enough, toffee bits and caramel are mixed in for a truly Bucket List experience. Craving Concrete you can eat? Well get on your Yak and get to the SHACK - and come hungry!

--Sarah Green