Shake Shack

Starred review from April 3, 2017
Garutti and Rosati, respectively the CEO and culinary director of Shake Shack, unveil a must-read chronicle for fans of Danny Meyer’s famous eatery. This origin story is also a treatise on restaurant management, with chapters on corporate culture, the marketing efforts behind opening a new location, and a who’s who covering every aspect of the operation, including the hot dog supplier, the furniture maker, and their graphic designer. Among the several behind-the-scenes tales is a whopper on how a million-dollar mistake involving French fries ultimately provided invaluable lessons in creating a superior fried chicken sandwich. The 70 recipes cover burgers, dogs, crinkle-cut fries, and shakes in their many varieties. Recreating a Shack burger is one part achievable (smash-cook them on a cast iron griddle) and one part impossible (butcher Pat LaFrieda’s top secret beef blend). Still, the fun is in the trying, especially with various guest chef burgers such as David Chang’s Momofuko shrimp stack, with beef and shrimp patties dressed in a sauce of mayo, ketchup, and miso paste, as well as the Shack’s elusive peanut butter bacon burger. Peanut butter is also integral in the healthy dog biscuit recipe. The authors’ choice to include a pumpkin spice shake over their epic peanut butter frozen concoction can only be attributed to brain freeze.

Starred review from May 15, 2017

Restaurant cookbooks often include an origin story, but rarely one so compelling as Shake Shack's. In this fascinating account of the wildly popular fast casual restaurant chain, a host of contributors--CEO Garutti, culinary director Mark Rosati, Union Square Hospitality Group CEO Danny Meyer, and many others--reflect on the ideas and actions that led to the company's success. Burgerphiles will drool over signature recipes for burgers, hot dogs, crinkle-cut fries, fried chicken sandwiches, shakes, and more (even dog biscuits). Though some recipes, such as those for frozen custards, have been tweaked for home kitchens, most include plenty of technical tips and step-by-step photographs to inspire confidence. VERDICT Essential for most collections, this cookbook features American favorites and a must-read restaurant retrospective. If the latter captivates you, try Alice Waters's 40 Years of Chez Panisse.

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