Burger Joint vs. Shake Shack
I finally got to check out Shake Shack...was always unwilling to wait on lines but I went to the UWS location at 11:30am on a weekday morning. I didn't have a shake (my middle-aged metabolism can't handle it on top of burgers & fries) but had a burger and cheese fries. Atmosphere was fun and service was very quick. As for the food: burger was good (though I wasn't asked how I wanted my burger cooked) and crinkle fries were okay, though not piping hot. I was actually looking forward to Velveeta-style sauce on the fries but the sauce seemed to be made of real Cheddar cheese--tasty but I really wanted that gloppy fake-cheese sauce.
I've been going to the Burger Joint for years and I have to say I prefer it to the Shack. The burgers are heftier and lend themselves to more customized cooking. You can have toppings added by the cooks, as opposed to the Shack where you put them on yourself (not a big deal, I know, but it's nice to receive a hot burger fully loaded instead of unwrapping it and putting on toppings yourself). I like the BJ's fast-food-style shoestring fries, which I ask for right out of the fryer so they're piping hot.
Two down sides to the BJ: Prices are higher than at SS, and the choices are fewer at BJ. Nevertheless, given the choice, I'd rather eat at BJ. Your opinions are welcome (and I'm sure there are a few out there!)...
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I’ve been to Burger Joint only a couple of times and I think that their burgers are nothing exceedingly beyond satisfactory. It’s good for a quick take-out or, say, for a regular lunch during a workday, but if for something more special, Shake Shack trumps this place by a mile.
Shake Shack has that thicker, very tasty and juicy beef patty that’s obviously from a good cut or higher-rated beef. The bread is also much better than Burger Joint's. I’m not a big fries person, but I also prefer SS.
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I've only had one BJ burger (and fries), but that was enough. I thought both were terrible. Once was enough. Frankly, I've never had a "decent" burger anywhere in the last fifty years. (I'm past 70.) The last one I had out (home ones rule!) was at a place called "King George" in Forest Hills.
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They never ask you for the temperature, you have to request a certain temperature if you want it done rare or well done, etc. The patties are so thin that it is hard to do very rare, though. The crinkle cut fries are frozen, and not that great, but you don't go to Shake Shack for the fries. They are crinkle cut because that is what Danny Meyer grew up with in St. Louis. The patties at Burger Joint might lend themselves to more customized cooking but they aren't as fatty as SS's custom La Frieda blend of meat and they don't get a carmelized salt crust from being griddle like SS's burgers. The burger to get at the Shake Shack is the shack burger, which comes with tomato, lettuce, and cheese, and their custom Shack sauce. I always order the Shack burger and had never had to put the topping on myself.
Temperature of shack burgers:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/596096Shake shack fries:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/594613Shake shack vs. other places in town
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/582894
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/572641
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/557886
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/515934
