By Charly SHELTON

Shake Shack has opened in LA, What started as an East Coast obsession has spread all the way across the country in a line of chain locations hitting 17 states in the US and six other countries. It’s like the East Coast version of In-N-Out that didn’t stay where they started. They offer burgers, chicken, hot dogs and fries, as well as house made lemonades, frozen custard desserts and a few menu options for dogs to dine with their owners.

The hype surrounding the local opening of Shake Shack was intense. With 45 minute lines at the locations in West Hollywood and Hollywood, the opening of a Glendale location right across the street from the Americana at Brand made sense. The restaurant opened a few weeks ago and the longest line I personally have seen since then has been about 25 minutes. But the question remains- is the burger worth waiting for? My answer, unfortunately, is not really.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine burger. I was invited down for the pre-opening tasting and I tried several different burgers and fries offered, and some frozen custard. The ShackBurger, their basic cheeseburger, comes with lettuce, tomato, ShackSauce and American cheese. The SmokeShack burger comes with all-natural smoked Niman Ranch bacon, chopped cherry pepper, ShackSauce and American cheese. And all their burgers are 100% all-natural Angus Beef with no hormones or antibiotics, freshly ground and served on a non-GMO potato bun. The fact that it is all-natural and healthy does get them some points in my book, but not enough to tip the scale. The SmokeShack was alright, not bad for a bacon cheeseburger. The ShackBurger was honestly a little disappointing.

The burgers aren’t bad, they are just burgers. I don’t see what all the hype is about. It is a burger much like any other hamburger you can get at any restaurant anywhere you may happen to be. And especially in LA, with so many options for gourmet food and interesting takes on old favorites, I don’t see why people wait in line for this. And at $5.29 for a single basic cheeseburger alone, I don’t know that it is worth it. In every case but the ShackBurger and plain Hamburger, there are fewer calories than cents- the SmokeShack single is $6.84 and 620 calories, the double is $9.64 and 925 calories, and so on and so forth. Almost $10 for a double bacon cheeseburger, a la carte, that is only alright.

Now there was one thing I did really enjoy here- the ‘Shroom Burger. It is not a burger with mushrooms, it is a mushroom made into a burger. Two portabella mushroom caps are stuffed with muenster and cheddar cheeses, then breaded and fried to make a patty, topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce. This one was inventive and really well executed. The gooey cheese in the middle pops forth with the first bite and though it is a little hard to contain within the bun, it is worth it. This is worth waiting for, if the burgers are not.

For more information, visit shakeshack.com. Shake Shack is now open at 252 S. Brand Blvd in Glendale.

  Charly Shelton