Midtown Lunch

When Zach last reviewed Black Shack (Lex btw. 38+39th), he found the burgers to be fine, but not destination-worthy. But that was all the way back in 2009, so I stopped by the Shack this week to see how things were going.

First, the menu has expanded considerably. In addition to the regular burger, Black Shack Burger, and Western Burger that Zach reviewed, they now have a Steakhouse Burger, plus a Sloppy Joe and chicken sandwiches, as well as salads, grilled tofu and fresh mozzarella sandwiches. The bad news is that prices have gone up considerably. The burger that cost Zach $4.50 in 2009 now costs $6.25, for example.

Now I was tempted to try the fresh mozzarella sandwich (they make the mozz in house), but since this is Midtown Lunch, I went with the meatier options: the Steakhouse Burger and the Sloppy Joe.

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The blog Law & Food took it upon themselves to try every burger in Midtown East recently and came to these tough to argue with (?) conclusions:  Black Shack (on Lex btw. 37+38th) is meh, Sarge’s (on 3rd btw. 36+37th) is better for deli food, Five Guys (on 3rd btw. 43+44th) does its job but isn’t as good as Blarney Stone (on 3rd btw. 45+46th).  And the winner is… Rare Bar & Grill (on 38th and Lex), even though admittedly it’s a splurge, and Blarney would be their choice for a day to day burger.  Noticeably absent is the burger at P.J. Clarke’s (on 55th and 3rd), but according to AHT (our Mayor of all things hamburger) it’s not that good anymore.

Related:
2009 Readers’ Poll: Best Fast Food Hamburger

My Happy Hour review is coming up at 3, but I thought I’d mention this interesting news for those of you who can’t wait.  Black Shack Burger (on Lex btw. 37+38th) has now added beer to their libation list of shakes, sodas, tea and lemonade. Current brews available are Corona, Sly Fox Phx. Pale Ale, Sly Fox Pike Pilsner and Heineken. This officially enters them in to the pantheon of post work places to head to for a burger and beer. And what do you know, it’s Friday already. Eastside lushes engage!

In related news… Blondie sent me word that the ‘wichcraft in Rock Center has also added beer.

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What is it with today and burgers? Frites N Meats, Five Guys, Pop Burger, and now this… Burger expert Nick Solares weighs in on Black Shack today, the new burger place that opened on Lex btw. 38+39th a few weeks ago. As always, his A Hamburger Today review is geared towards the real burger aficionados (who notice things like “toothsome”-ness), but in the end he pretty much agrees with us average Midtown Lunch’ers. It’s a perfectly good version of a fast food burger, but nothing to go out of your way for.

Related:
Black Shack is Not a Destination Burger, But Will Work Out Just Fine For the Area

Considering how burger obsessed NYC is, it still amazing to me that Black Shack (the new burger spot on Lexington btw. 37+38th) managed to fly under the radar all this time. Fork in the Road broke the news on Wednesday, and yesterday I headed over to check the place out. The whole thing is less surprising once you see the joint.  With only a paper “Black Shack” sign in the window, it would be real easy to walk right by this place and not notice it. Black Shack is owned by the same folks that opened 67 Burger in Fort Greene- but unlike that place, which has 14 different toppings and a “beer milkshake”, Black Shack is a completely pared-down old-school fast-food burger joint.

Check out what they’re serving, after the jump.

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Whoa!?!  How did we miss this one? Fork in the Road posted an interview today with the owners of The Black Shack, and brand new burger joint that just opened on Lex btw. 37+38th. They‘re using LaFreida beef, serve sweet potato fries, and their menu [PDF] is about as cheap as you’re going to find anywhere in Midtown. I’ve never been to Burger 67, the Fort Greene burger place with the same owners, but Nick Solares sounded like a fan when he wrote about it on A Hamburger Today (although he did say if they ever came to Manhattan “it would likely be lost in the shuffle, given the stiff competition it would face.”)  www.blackshackburger.com

I know where I’m eating tomorrow…

Photo courtesy of Fork in the Road.