I was really on the fence about trying Shake Shack. I thought the only location was on the Strip at the NY NY Casino and I had very, very little desire to head all the way down the Strip just for a burger. Shake Shack had been taken off the list until Jake and I went to Summerlin for lunch to try Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken… and then I saw the Shake Shack literally across the road in the same mall. Like 20 feet away. It seemed like a sign to me to kill two birds with one stone and try BOTH of these NY restaurants while in Las Vegas! Hey, we were on vacation (and sharing!) after all.
If you’re standing right here looking at Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken, Shake Shack is directly behind you. How could I NOT try them both?! Funny enough, both of these places are from New York!
Here’s the view from the inside. See… I wasn’t kidding. There’s the Shake Shack right outside the window!
Since we had plans to go across the street as well we only got a couple of things. Some of the sandwiches sounded really good though.
Uhh, I forgot to photograph the flip side of the easier-to-read menu. I guess I was too excited for fried chicken.
They feature Boylan soda here as well as their own brewed iced tea.
Each table has a bunch of different flavored honeys for your chicken! There was Wildflower Honey, Chipotle Honey and Wasabi Honey as well as Blue Ribbon’s own BBQ sauce. Jake MADE me try the Wasabi Honey even though I didn’t want to. It was gross, let’s just leave it at that.
[honey iced tea + lemonade / $2.95]
Jake made a mixture of lemonade plus Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken’s honey iced tea. I LOVED THIS. The honey iced tea tasted wonderful with the infusion of the honey! I made him go get another glass of it once it was all gone and then he actually THREW THE CUP AWAY without asking me. Once I figured out he threw the cup away I just stared at him with my mouth wide open in disbelief, so we went and got me another cup so I could have another glass of delicious honey tea. I wanted to take that stuff home with me, it was so good!
[fried chicken thighs / $3.50 each]
Chiiiiiiicken. Deep fried chicken. Oh-I-love-you-so.
We decided to just get two single chicken thighs. In retrospect, we really only needed one. But actually I was really glad I didn’t have to share my piece…
Look at that crazy crunchy skin! There were a ton of flavorful spices in the thick batter – I highly suspect there’s some double-dipping-coating action going on for this chicken. I drizzled mine with a little bit of wildflower and chiptole honey.
Mmmm…. honey drizzle…
When I started to eat my piece, the top skin pulled off together in one large piece and I decided to save that goodness for last. I think I was too happy eating my chicken to take a photo of the inside of the chicken. The chicken thigh was very juicy and really flavorful. I dipped it partly in a little more honey and some BBQ sauce. The skin was really the best part though with it’s savory and flavorful bits of crunchy, delicious, fatty skin. Mmm!
[smoked mac & cheese / $3.25]
We didn’t want to seem like heathens only eating fried chicken so we also got a small side of smoked mac & cheese. I thought it was just okay. The smokiness of the mac started to become a little too overpowering to me after awhile. I’d probably try a different side next time (uhhh, maybe something green). Hooray for fried chicken!
Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken
1770 Festival Plaza Dr #200
Las Vegas, NV 89135
(702) 329-9300
Time for some Shake Shack!
Jake said he was totally full at this point. Apparently I didn’t explain very well my plan of basically ordering a second lunch.
He thought I was just ordering custard! Nope!
[shake shack cheeseburger / $5.29]
I got a cheeseburger. And fries. And a custard. I’m insane, I guess.
But I have to say… it was pretty worth it. I didn’t really have high expectations for the Shake Shack burger, to be honest with you. But one bite pretty much sealed the deal for me. The burger patty is quite thin. It looks like it gets pressed and smooshed out on the grill creating a fine crust on the patty with crunchy little edges. Extra burger flavor!
I got it with just cheese, lettuce, and Shake sauce. It also comes with tomato but I wasn’t in a tomato mood – and I wanted Jake to try it, too (he’s anti-tomato). The patty was really flavorful and well seasoned. I don’t know what they shake on that sucker but it tastes damn good. The cheese is perfectly melted on top and almost oozes into the patty. The potato bun is toasted and maintains a nice crunch on the bottom while the top is soft and squishy-ish. It melds together really well to create a tasty little bite. I can see what the hype is about! It is a damn tasty burger.
[crinkle cut french fries / $2.99]
Crinkle cut french fries are my very favorite kind of french fry. I love the crinkle edges which gives them more crisp per square inch! These were perfectly fried, golden, and delicious. I even dipped them into my custard. I love that salty-sweet combination!
[vanilla concrete / $3.59 + peanut butter sauce / $0.60]
I got a simple custard, or concrete. Just plain vanilla with a little peanut butter sauce on top. The peanut butter sauce was salty and nutty and didn’t have any extra added sugars to it. It tasted divine swirled into the luscious and creamy frozen custard.
Shake Shack
10975 Oval Park Drive
Dining Arroyo
Las Vegas, NV 89135
(702) 964-1025
An excellent 2-for-1 outing if you ask me! We got to try TWO New York places all in one day – in Vegas, no less! I can only dream of the day that they (hopefully) expand just a littttttttle bit further west.
Can I just say how much I want to high five you right now. 1) you save the chicken skin for last and eat it like it’s dessert; 2) you went what I call beast mode eating for lunch. I’ve been on a fried chicken kick lately and can’t find the perfect place here in SD (where is your go to fried chicken place here in SD btw?). I’ve heard so much about Shake Shack – how is compared to In-n-Out? The smooshed patty looked similar to Smashburger (I didn’t like their burgers last time I visited).
I *always* try and save the best bite or my favorite bite for last! That way the flavor of it lingers in your mouth and you can daydream about what you just ate even though you finished eating. I hope I’m not the only one who does this, haha.
Hmm… I don’t think any place has “mind blowing” fried chicken in SD, really. I have yet to try the new Crack Shack (maybe I will this weekend?) but Bonnie Jean’s is good (honey pecan chicken, oh yes) and I also like the chicken at Crispy Fried Chicken but I don’t like their sides (except the cornbread). Louisiana Fried Chicken is also good but I actually prefer the catfish there.
Compared to In-N-Out… well… they’re kind of different. The Shake Shack burger definitely tasted more “well seasoned” to me. Have you tried Freddy’s Steakhouse? It’s more similar in style to Freddy’s. I liked it A LOT more than Smashburger and I like their Shake sauce better than In-N-Out (stupid pickles). You’ll just have to go to Vegas and try it haha
Ooh I’ll definitely have to hit these up next time. I think Shake Shack is opening an outpost in LA so HOPEFULLY SD is on their radar as well. Have you had the fried chicken at Coop’s? It’s divine.
I haven’t tried the fried chicken at Coop’s! Thanks for the reminder, week definitely have to go check it out. Yummy!
We’ve tried the Shake Shack a few times whole in NYC. A tip, order a double patty if u really like meat because their patties are on the thinner side. The bun is egg bread which seems a little softer. The wait time was insane, 45 minutes. This was back in 2007.
I still like In n Out better for theor burgers. Their fries suck. Shake Shacks fries were much better since they were krinkle.
I’m not sure if I’d be down for a 45 minute wait for Shake Shack. We didn’t have to wait long in Summerlin, though I can imagine the wait would be longer if you’re visiting on the Strip! I liked the thin meat, actually – I liked it for the crispy edges! Shake Shack’s fries are of course much better – crinkle cut is my favorite style!
We didn’t know that the wait would be that long. Cripes.
Our friend, who was our guide, said it was typical. Shake Shack was newish at the time. Maybe the lines have died down since there’s other locations in NYC
I just saw that Shake Shack is opening in LA this month! Crazy!