Harlem Bespoke: There was a lot of hype about the Shake Shack one-day burger collaboration with the wildly popular Slutty Vegan chain from Atlanta and we stopped by the Harlem location on 125th Street to check things out. There was definitely a lot of folks who wanted to try out this burger yesterday since the lunch traffic was the most we had seen during the pandemic, but how was the burger? Chef Pinky Cole used to have a Jamaican eatery for a moment on 145th Street up until 2016 but has since found greater success in the south for very good reasons.
This burger with the cheeky commercial name actually has a freshness factor to it that most chains miss out on. That is to say, freshness in newness but also in the quality of the offerings. Our take on the excellent savory quinoa patty filled with other veggies such as edamame was that it was sort of like a falafel but the other ingredients like the seasoned lemon ginger kale, caramelized onions, secret sauce and the plush Hawaiian bun hit everything out of the ballpark. Definitely worth the wait in line!
All proceeds went to a local restaurant charity to help out small businesses and unfortunately was just a singular event for this week. With all that said, Pinky Cole should consider giving Harlem another try and open the first Slutty Vegan restaurant here in NYC since it would absolutely be a big hit. Check out more on the Harlem Shake Shack in our past post: LINK
This is not Slutty Vegan's most popular sandwich. I believe most of their burgers are made with Impossible burger. And, for my money, they are the only ones who could turn that product into pure heaven. I would love it if they opened a store in Harlem or even if they sent their truck up here for a few months. Unfortunately, their sandwiches are so rich that I couldn't eat more than two a year for health reasons. :-(
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