Black Shack – Conceiving The Mosh

Black Shack Burger
http://www.blackshackburger.com/
320 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10016

THE CONQUEST
Much like I was once a twinkle in my Dad’s eye, Burger Conquest was once only an idea. In honor of my late Father, every year I celebrate my his birthday by doing something he would’ve done; hanging out with friends and have a BBQ, burgers and / or beer. It was on July 20th of 2008 while having just such a dinner at PJ Clarke’s, that’s the idea for Burger Conquest popped into my head. I like to refer to it as the day the site was conceived. Think of it as my version of the moment in time when Doctor Emmet Brown fell off the toilet, hit his head and thought up the flux capacitor. I said “why don’t we start a blog about hanging out and eating burgers?” Everyone laughed at me and went back to eating and having a good time. 3 months later, Burger Conquest was born.

To celebrate this year, I gathered up Team Burger for a trip to New York City’s Black Shack. Having recently created The Mayhem Burger, The Official Burger of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, along with Buck Shot from Mosh Potatoes and the Jeff and Ed, owners of the Black Shack, I wanted to return with my friends for a proper Conquesting of Burgers. The concept at the Black Shack is relatively simple; a gourmet burger at a fast food price. By offering a smaller and focused menu, they keep prices down by only relying on a few key ingredients to make their delicious food. Built over an old bowling alley (one of the old lanes serves as the entrance ramp to the restaurant), the very clean restaurant is always a buzz with rock and roll on the stereo.

THE BURGER
The choices are simple here; burgers, chicken, mozzarella (hand made in the store), tofu, salads and fries. There are 3 burgers on the menu, Classic, Cheese or Western but there is one more you can have if you ask for it by name…you guessed it; The Mayhem Burger.

1 toasted and butter sesame seed bun
3 gourmet 4 oz burger patties – 1 patty for each stage on the tour
1 piece of Fresh “Mosh”arella cheese (Mozzarella)
Coarse Pit Grinding Black Pepper
Crispy Onions – remind you to put on sunscreen so you don’t get burnt in the sun
Crumbled Crispy Bacon – because bacon is awesome just like the festival
AND DON’T FORGET THE BEER!

Believe me, it’s as big and as massive as it sounds, just like the touring heavy metal festival itself. So if you don’t think you can handle the pressure in the mosh pit, order “The Main Stage Mayhem Burger.” It’s all the same bottomings (condiments go under the patty) as the original Mayhem but with only 1 patty. As the lot of us piled into the restaurant and placed are order, Mayhem Burgers started showing up on everyone’s trays.

The Black Shack does it right. All the ingredients, toppings and contents of the burger are fresh, high quality and made with care. The patty is formed from freshly ground beef, the origins of which Jeff will NOT reveal, and it is juicy and filled with all the savory flavor one expects from a delicious burger. The burgers are cooked on a 600 degree grill and come up very quickly. I once asked Jeff, “how long does it cook before you give it the 1 flip?” He answered “long enough to shotgun a can of beer.”

The mozzarella or “mosh”arella as I like to call it is handmade, fresh, mere moments before it’s put on your sandwich. To prove it, I watched Jeff pull out a tiny zip lock back filled with oil, salt and cheese and hand form into a slab of fresh cheese. It’s quite a site, let me tell you. Once this behemoth sized piece of cheese hits the sandwich is forms a thick pillowy cushion that serves as a resting area for the rest of the sandwich. The onions and bacon are crispy, never flimsy or mushy and add a delicious crunch to the sandwich. Be sure to ask for a tasting cup of chef Jeff’s home made BBQ sauce. It’s really smoky and peppery but with a sweet kick to make sure it tickles your EVERY taste bud.

You don’t have to love heavy metal to love this burger but if you do, strap on your Manowar Cod Piece, apply your corpse paint, slip on that sleeves jean jacket with the Iron Maiden back piece pinned on and go to the Black Shack. Ask for the Mayhem Burger and tell ’em Rev from Burger Conquest sent ya. After eating anything on this menu, you will denounce ever eating fast food again if you’re in the area. Death to false burgers!!!

Check out what everyone else had to say: