Apparently, a new Shake Shack opened up on August 2 on 86th Street on the Upper East Side. It wouldn’t be a big deal in my book (let’s just say I’m a regular at the one in Madison Square Park), but this new one just happens to be located seven walking blocks away from my apartment. Yes, that’s a mere 10-minute walk door-to-door for the best fast food in town, which I put on the level of In ‘N’ Out Burger on the West Coast. Needless to say, I stopped by on my way home from work this week.

Not surprising was the line that greeted my upon arrival. It was out the door and snaked around the side of the building toward the eating area. Watching dozens of people chowing down on their meal while waiting in the back of a long line is just cruel and unusual punishment. But, I soldiered on anyway. Many of my friends ask me, “Hey dummy, you don’t eat meat. What could you possibly order from a burger joint?”

This is true. Much of the menu consists of meat burgers and double meat burgers, with a side of meaty meatiness. Except for the Shroom Burger. Ah, yes, the good ol’ Shroom Burger, an in-house special consisting of an oversized mushroom stuffed with melted cheese. It is fried till kingdom come, slathered with sauce, and placed within the tasty confines of a Shake Shack burger bun. In other words, fungus as God intended it to be prepared and eaten.

(A warning though: The first bite is usually an exercise in pain tolerance as the hot, melty cheese dribbles down the back of the sandwich and onto your unsuspecting knuckles. It’s a small price to pay for 600 calories of delicious goodness.)

No Shake Shack meal is complete without a complementary side. I usually spring for the chocolate shake, but I was in the mood for something less healthy, I went for the cheese fries instead. I’m not sure if each Shake Shack has their own distributor, but the fries at this 86th Street location seemed crispier and fresher. Coupled with the included cheese dip (real cheese too, not some Cheese Whiz-tasting crap), this was a perfect ending to my first visit of the neighborhood burger joint.

Oh, and by the way, it feels damn good to say Shake Shack is my “neighborhood burger joint.” Nanner nanner nanner.