Vintage Burgers

Burger places with the words "black" (i.e. Black Iron Burger Shop, Black Market) and "Shack" (i.e. Shake Shack) are not exactly few and far between in New York City.  Was I skeptical going into a place called Black Shack Burger?  You betcha!

So when I walked into the spot on Lexington Ave, I was surprised to find an unassuming, cozy hole-in-the-wall with plenty of room for the club and nostalgia to boot.  The menu, posted up above the register in a style I haven't seen since the early nineties in small-town Michigan, offers four kinds of burgers in which to indulge - Hamburger, The Western Burger, The Steak House, and The Black Shack. 

My informal poll turned thumbs up around the table.  The tomatoes are fresh and thick cut, the lettuce is crispy, and the meat tastes surprisingly like that of Shake Shack, a universal favorite of the BURGER CLUB regular crew.  The only thing that left something to desire was the bun -- a recurring theme on this blog -- which grew soggy and eventually broke down entirely as the burger-eating went on. 

Beyond the burgers, the thoughtful extras are make the meal...chocolate soda in the fountain, anyone?  That's right, along with cajun-style fries, home-made mozzarella, and some of the most creative milkshake flavors I've seen outside of the ice cream aisle in my grocery store.  Read: chocolate-peanut butter and mint chocolate chip.

I'm already ready to go back and try the rest of the menu.