Burger and Fries c/o Shake Shack

On Valentine's Day - also in my world known as 'a regular Thursday' - I went into Center City to get a hair cut. Afterwards I figured I'd give Shake Shack another try. My first experience was generally positive; the wait wasn't long, the burger and fries were decent, and because it was warm I got to sit outside. The thing of it is that Shake Shack seems to create quite a rabid and loyal follower, and I wasn't so impressed that I felt like it was the end-all of burgers or fries. I had tried the burger with bacon, so this time around I decided to try the more original version, an order of fries and a Brooklyn Lager. Again, a decent burger, excellently crispy fries, but nothing so obscenely special. I guess their niche is that their ingredients and ambiance are far better than the Mickey Ds and Burger Kings of the fast food world...but I concluded that I'd actually rather spend more money for a truly special burger from Village Whiskey across the street than slightly less money at Shake Shack.

That said, they did give me a coupon for a free 'concrete' under the heading of 'Shake Shack wants to be your Valentine,' which is probably the most depressing Valentine a person can have if you're into that sort of thing. I will definitely return to redeem a fancy milkshake, and maybe, just maybe, I'll try their mushroom burger option just to be entirely sure that this relative indifference is warranted.