Shake Shack - The 2nd Ever Polar Brrrger Club

Shake Shack
http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/
11 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10010

THE CONQUEST
“Snowpocalypse 2010” hit NYC again and with almost 2 feet of snow, stomachs begin to grumble. While most New Yorkers are content to stay bundled up at home, the brave and hungry reunite for the 2nd ever “Polar Brrrger Club.” It's an event I host through Burger Conquest, that happens whenever massive snow falls descend upon the Big Apple.

The blizzard-triggered event happened Monday, December 27 at 1:30 p.m. EST. All fun-loving burger fanatics were encouraged to dress up in their best Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses and brave the snow to join together to eat a delicious burger from the Shake Shack. The Shake Shack is located at the corner of 23rd Street and Madison Avenue in New York, NY. It was easy to find me, standing just in front of the Shake Shack in a Louis Lunch baseball hat.

Why a Louis Lunch hat? Not just because I look good in it but also because this morning, the burgerverse suffered a terrible loss. Ken Lassen, son of Louis Lassen, the man who invented the hamburger in 1985, passed away. Louis was the man behind New Haven's Louis Lunch. More than 100 years later, ketchup is still banned there and the burgers are made on the EXACT SAME GRILLS that the restaurant opened with. Rest In Piece burger brother.

The first ever gathering of the Polar Brrrger Club took place on Friday, February 26, 2010 drawing quite a crowd of burger fanatics ready to brave the elements just to get their burger fix. Several of New York’s most important eaters joined in the freezing cold burger fun.

“The lines at the Shake Shack are always ridiculously long but when the weather gets worse, the lines get shorter. I’m from Detroit and was raised in the snow so for me, a blizzard is the best time to get one of those delectable Danny Meyer fresh made burgers from Pat LaFrieda beef!” claims Burger Conquest founder Rev. Ciancio. “I can’t think of a better way to warm up then with a hot juicy hamburger!”

SECOND POLAR BRRRGER CLUB

FIRST POLAR BRRRGER CLUB


THE BURGER
What can I say here that I haven't said in the 7 other Shake Shack reviews on this site ? Let the fact that the Danny Meyer created, Pat LaFrieda beef supplied stand is listed in our TOP BURGERS NYC list and that we have chosen this burger joint for our very speecial event speak for itself. You could also look below at the burger rating we give or read a quote from something I said that Adam from A Hamburger Today posted on their twitter:""Nobody would do this for a salad."

By the way, kudos to Adam, who was the only Polar Brrrger Clubber bold enough to order custard on a cold day. I toast you brother, I toast you with my cold glass of Brooklyn Ales Shakemeister.




8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Thanks to Gothamist, A Hamburger Today, Channel 7 Eye Witness news, Dan from That Burger Tent and everyone else that came out to enjoying making an ass out of themselves in the cold.





THE JOURNEY
While it looks like running around a park in a Hawaiian shirt while eating burgers is just a party but it's a lot of freaking work. Forget about the hours spent just making the plans, calling the Shake Shack, sending out a press release, organizing press requests, posting up all over the net, that takes work but the really hard part of an event like this is actually getting to the location. When "Snowpocalypse" hits NYC, NYC stops moving. No trains, no buses and no taxis. If you want to get somewhere, you have to walk there. And even though I live in Manhattan, walking 14 blocks and 5 Avenues in a blizzard is no easy feat. Here's a photo pictorial of my journey to the Shake Shack.


Abandoned Hot Dog Food Cart on 37th Street at 10th Avenue. Redefines the words "free wieners."


Corner of 37th St and 10th Ave, where minivans get stuck and bike deliveries are still made.



This billboard at 35th St and 9th Ave says it all.


I'm not at all advocating you go out looting but the cop shop on 35th St between 9th and 8th Avenue is having it's own snow issues.


8th Avenue and 34th St. The famous New Yorker Hotel is blocked by snow. While normally people might use this as a location to snake cabs from unprepared tourists, the only thing you can catch there today is a cold.



They say violent crimes happend every 38 seconds in urban areas (another fact I made up for the sake of this blog) and the reason criminals don't get away with anything is smart phones. Remember this when reading the post above about the po-po's on 35th above.



34th Street betwen 8th Avenue and Park Avenue is arguably the busiest section of streets in NYC and in a snow covered, blizzard torn, NYC Snowpocalypse, its still the busiest section in the city. Lesson learned, it doesn't matter, New Yorkers are still in a hurry.


Herald Square and Greeley Park are snow covered but not open for outdoor seating.


Broadway was practically a ghost town and unless you had a large shovel or a small elephant, you aren't going anywhere.


If you can get to the ACE hotel on 23rd St, they are open for business.


Amazing view looking South down Broadway.


It pays to walk in this kind of weather and whichever restaurant ordered supplies from this company, will not be having a full dinner service yet.


You'll rarely hear me pat myself on the back (I made that up too) but this might be one of the most awesome photos I have ever taken. Looking at the Flatiron Building from the North as the snow is blowing off the buildings around it.


Finally, the burger prize was in sight. As expected, Madison Square Park, the majesty that holds the Shake Shack was in sight.


Yeah that's right, people were already gathered and excited to be inducted as a member of the Polar Brrrger Club.


Including Channel 7's Eyewitness News!!

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
316 Burgers

The Polar Brrrger Club Returns to the Shake Shack

THE POLAR BRRRGER CLUB RETURNS!

New York City-based blog Burger Conquest announces the second ever “Polar Brrrger Club” event happening tomorrow at the original Shake Shack, Madison Square Park.

“Snowpocalypse 2010” has hit NYC again and with a possible 2 feet of snow, stomachs begin to grumble. While most New Yorkers are content to stay bundled up at home, the brave and hungry reunite for the 2nd ever “Polar Brrrger Club.” Hosted by The Rev from Burger Conquest (http://burgerconquest.com), this event happens when massive snow falls descend upon the Big Apple.

The blizzard-triggered event is happening Monday, December 27 at 1:30 p.m. EST. All fun-loving burger fanatics are encouraged to dress up in their best Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses and brave the snow to join together to eat a delicious burger from the Shake Shack (http://shakeshack.com). The Shake Shack is located at the corner of 23rd Street and Madison Avenue in New York, NY. You’ll find The Rev standing just in front of the Shake Shack in a white camouflaged sun visor and sun glasses.

The first ever gathering of the Polar Brrrger Club took place on Friday, February 26, 2010 drawing quite a crowd of burger fanatics ready to brave the elements just to get their burger fix. Several of New York’s most important eaters joined in the freezing cold burger fun. Story and photos are available at this link:
http://burgerconquest.blogspot.com/2010/02/shake-shack-first-ever-polar-brrrger.html

“The lines at the Shake Shack are always ridiculously long but when the weather gets worse, the lines get shorter. I’m from Detroit and was raised in the snow so for me, a blizzard is the best time to get one of those delectable Danny Meyer fresh made burgers from Pat LaFrieda beef!” claims Burger Conquest founder Rev, Ciancio. “I can’t think of a better way to warm up then with a hot juicy hamburger!”

Burger Conquest, the Glorious Pursuit of Delicious Burgers was started by The Rev as an attempt to find the best burgers in the world, while enjoying adventures with his friends and colleagues. In just over two short years, The Rev and Burger Conquest have logged in more than 300 burgers in places as far as Anchorage, Alaska, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and all over the continental United States. It has been featured on The Travel Channel, Food Network, NY1, Fox News, Thrillist, Grubstreet, Serious Eats, A Hamburger Today, Metalsucks, Alternative Press, Metal Hammer, SiriusXM, The Mayhem Festival, The Warped Tour and many other media outlets.


Put In Mouth PR can be reached for any promotional materials, information or media opportunites.
therev@putinmouth.com

Rye House - Obsession Rules The World

Rye House
http://ryehousenyc.com
Frnt A, 11 West 17th Street
New York, NY 10011

THE CONQUEST
Obsession rules the world and if you want to make a dent in it, especially in a city like New York, with so many options, you gotta show passion for something. You see, I am passionate about Burgers and so are you, now we are connected.

I am also passionate about beer, bourbon, rock and roll and having a great time with my friends, hence me opening Idle Hands Bar with my friends Rob and Marc. If we've learned anything since opening in September of this year, it's our passion to run a great bar that has people in it. The more we go out and meet other bar, restaurant and shop owners in this wonderful city, the more we realize there is a lot of support for people with an obsession.

Through the bar we met John Freeman. John is obsessed with beer and works as a brand manager for Innis and Gunn. They are a Scottish brewery who ages all of their AMAZING beers in Oak barrels. We serve their regular and rum casked beers at Idle Hands. Innis and Gunn have a bunch of other oak aged beers in the works but none are available in the states yet. John recently got some samples in and asked us out on a beer tasting bro-date to try them. We are obsessed with them so of course we said "YES!"

So you gotta have some obsession, even if that something is Pittsburgh. Enter Rye House. Located in the Flatiron district, this gastropub-mixology-rustic-eatery is run by a couple of folks who are OBSESSED with Pittsburgh. Whether it's the Primanti's inspired "Pittsburgh" with Grilled Andouille Sausage, Provolone, House Slaw sandwich that is topped with Fries or the 25 person picnic table made from Pennsylvanian wood, you'll know these guys love PA. Good luck picking out a delicious microbrew or an interesting cocktail, the drink menus are literally overflowing with great choices. Planning on getting a bite? Strap in big boy, you're going to want to eat everything that the Culinary Institute of America trained executive chef Greg Johnson has to offer. It's a culinary comfort food cornucopia that includes Sloppy Joes, Cubans, Boiled Peanuts, Fried Mac 'n' Cheese, Perogies, Truffle Grilled Cheese, Braised Short Ribs & a whole lot more. After tasting some of the bourbons and beers you get the feeling like the food is necessary to keep you from falling off your seat. Thankfully Greg Johnson wants you to love the food and has made it taste amazing. If you need some help deciding know that Greg's favorite thing on the food menu is the Rye House Burger with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and fries with your choice of Cheddar, Blue or Gruyere Cheese.

THE BURGER
Even with Greg's suggestion, we all still wanted more. Solution: Burger to split as an appetizer! A picture is worth a thousand words but this burger only needs one word, repeated several times: juicy, Juicy & JUICY! The Gruyere cheese melts down into the fat to create an unbelievable flavor. I had not planned on getting a burger but I sure am glad I did! Big thumbs up on the well done fries, which we discussed with Greg and he agrees, French Fries should ALWAYS come well done.

People are obsessed with Sloppy Joes. Why? I have no idea. I have always hated them and went hungry on days when that's what the lunch lady made. Rob and Marc on the other hand, they LOVE them and when they saw them listed on the menu, their eyes lit up. At Greg's urging I tried one. This doesn't taste like your standard Manwich! It more reminds me of an Ortega made taco served on a sweet brioche. If all Sloppy Joe's tasted like this, I probably wouldn't hate them.

Know something before we move forward; I love Cuban sandwiches. Not enough to bother making a whole new website or twitter account but I definitely have a penchant for a taste Cuban sandwich. I don't eat them all that often but when I get a hankerin' for one, look out. When I read "Cuban. Slow Roasted Pork, Gruyere, Pickles, Fudge Farms Ham" on the Rye House menu, there was no stopping me. Damn! DAMN DAMN, that is some DAMN crunchy bread on the outside but soft and warm on the inside. I order mine without pickles and I don't care what you say, they are disgusting and Cuban is better without them. Greg's whole grain mustard is legit even thought it's a little dominant in the taste. None the less, it's still very good. The ham is closer to thick bacon more so than traditional ham. Nothing about this sandwich is traditional and almost makes me wish this was the standard Cuban; crispy pork with melted down fat and bacon inside of a warm crouton. Yay!

Now, let's talk about some beers that you can't have yet (na-na-na-na-na-boo-boo.)

INNIS AND GUNN ENGLISH PALE ALE

• English Strong Ale
• 6.4% ABV
• Scotland

THEY SAY: This innovative IPA has been created with an eye to history and tradition. IPA's originated in the 1800's during the long sea journeys between Britain and India. Beers were transported in oak barrels containing hops (to preserve freshness) and arrived having absorbed the character of both the oak and the hops.

This is the only IPA that has been matured in oak, like its predecessors, with the addition of hops to individual barrels. Innis & Gunn Indian Pale Ale is available exclusively in Canadian liquor stores and in Waitrose in the UK. We are only producing 64,000 bottles, so don't miss out!

REV SAYS: The warmest, softest, buttery and coddling hopped based ale you'll ever have and it's aged for 55 days! In fact, calling it an IPA is a misnomer along of the lines calling a limousine a taxi.


INNIS AND GUNN WINTER BEER

• English Strong Ale
• 8.5% ABV
• Scotland

THEY SAY: Warming Scottish beer with natural hints of ripe fruit, vanilla, and caramel. Every ingredient we have used to brew this beer has been selected for its intensity of flavour. Large amounts of pale ale and crystal malts impart the caramel fruit character, strength and body. The WGV, Styrian and Goldings hops give the sherry like intensity and ripe fruit aroma. And the heavily toasted boubon-oak mellows the beer and provides a deep, complex, oaky background. It’s the perfect antidote to the cold dark nights of winter, a beer to be sipped, savoured and appreciated.

REV SAYS: Wow. Just wow. This beer spends 61 days aged in an oak barrel and is made with out any traditional winter warmer spices. It's like watching a stunt man punch someone. It looks like it hurt but no one was actually harmed.




Rye House Burger: 8 out of 10 ounces
Cuban: 9 out of 10 ounces
-Rev





THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
312 Burgers