Last week, there was Fresh-N-Fast (obviously a reference to In-N-Out), and this week, news of another burger joint, called Black Shack. No, it isn’t a play on Shake Shack, nor is it affiliated with the not-safe-for-work BlackShack.com — but it is a reference to a popular fast-food joint (think Black instead of White and Shack instead of …) Chef Jeffrey Maslanka has had the name in mind for ten years, and to realize the concept, he teamed up with his colleague at Fort Greene’s 67 Burger, owner Ed Tretter.
The toppings are significantly scaled down from the condiment cornucopia over at 67 Burger, and the burger is smaller — it’s a flame-grilled, four-ounce patty of 100 percent ground chuck (“we went for smaller, faster, cheaper,” says Maslanka). But there’s at least the option of Maslanka’s homemade barbecue sauce, which can also be slathered onto grilled tofu (housemade mozzarella is available, too). The obvious question: Will Black Shack be able to compete with the bevy of entrants in the burger field? “It’s always weighed on my mind that I feel like we’re coming in on the tail end of this burger craze,” Maslanka tells us. “But on the same end, the burger craze doesn’t seem to be stopping. We spent the summer touring the burger spots in the city and eating everyone’s burger, and I think I can hold my burger up to anybody’s.”
Black Shack menu [MenuPages]
Black Shack, 320 Lexington Ave., nr. 38th St.; 212-213-0042
