EAT: Shake Shack Boston Seaport
The Boston Seaport district isn't short on much. There's plenty of bars, high-end restaurants, luxury condos, and businesses popping up daily. But what about delicious, fresh food options that won't break the bank? Cue Shake Shack, home of ridiculously delicious burgers, fries, sandwiches and 'concrete' shakes to fill the void. Recently opened as their 100th Shack, the Seaport location (77 Seaport Blvd) is situated at a perfect spot just next to a nearly completed CVS and Starbucks. Think of it as a the area for 'locals' to hang out and run errands in the Seaport.
If you've never had Shake Shack, you're missing out. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening party with Georgina & Dan several weeks ago and try the limited edition Coppa burger from Chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa restaurant in Boston's South End. The burger, topped with provolone cheese, griddled mortadella, cherry peppers, caramelized onions, mayo and shredded lettuce, was absolutely to die for and of course included Shake Shack's 100% all-natural Angus beef hamburger patty. It was a local twist on a national favorite. If you're not a red meat lover like I am, try the Chick'n Shack with a crispy chicken breast, lettuce, pickles, and buttermilk herbed mayo. It takes the prize as one of my all-time favorite chicken sandwiches.
Now let's talk about the frozen custard 'Concrete'. I'm an ice cream lover. Infact, it's one food I couldn't live without (FINE! It's a long list...) Shake Shack takes ice cream to the next level with a dense, rich and creamy frozen Vanilla and Chocolate custard that uses only real sugar with no corn syrup. A+ for Shake Shack on that one. When I visited, the Concrete flavor of the week was whoopie pie. Yes... huge chunks of whoopie pie mixed in with vanilla frozen custard. It was a perfectly to-die-for New England treat. My personal favorite however was the cookies and cream milkshake. I'm a cookies and cream addict, and a Shake Shack addict, so to combine the two was just perfect. To top it all off, the shake is completed with a heap of whipped cream and cookie crumbles. Talk about perfection.
The Shake Shack in Boston's Seaport feels distinctly 'Boston'. Maybe it's because it's in the fastest growing neighborhood in the city. Maybe it's because of the giant 'Boston' flag on the wall in the dining room. Or maybe it's because of the Whoopie Pie concrete and Coppa burger I enjoyed while at the restaurant, but it feels like the perfect fit for the city, and the neighborhood. Did I mention the logo for this location features an anchor and that five percent of sales from the Seaport Salt & Malt Concrete will go to Courageous Sailing which provide education and ocean access to Greater Boston community members... Maybe that's why it feels so good to eat more than my share of burgers at the Boston Seaport Shake Shack.
