JFG Nation, Happy MLK Day! For all you government workers, hope you’re enjoying your day off. As for me, I’m just sitting here thinking that I should really stop making predictions. After seasons of pretty decent success with regular season predictions, I has just been GOD AWFUL when it comes to my postseason predictions. Let’s see how my predictions from last Friday went:

1. KC to cover +5.0, and UNDER 43.0: LOSER LOSER.
2. ARZ covers -7.0, avoid the O/U: LOSER. Once OT started, I was toast. 
3. SEA covers +2.0, OVER 44.0: BIG FAT LOSER, but OVER = winner. 
4. DENV covers -7.5, nothing on O/U: 7 points????? #&@#*@($(@#*!!! LOSER.

So every single home team won, and the Conference Championships are all the 1 and 2 seeds? Really? I *guess* it reflects that the best two teams from each side advanced, but it’s weird to have no lower seeds in the Final Four. This is first time since the 2004-2005 season that the top two seeds from each conference advanced…eleven years!

Now that the final four teams are set, let me hear it in the comments below: who will be in Super Bowl 50? I’ll give my pick on Friday.

Today’s junk food / fast food: Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack!!

Hey look at me, it’s like I’m GrubGrade over here! It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed any fast food, because (1) Ryan does it so well over on GG, as does Marvo on TIB, but (2) I could NOT pass up Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack release! I mean, the Shake Shack in DC is two blocks from where I work…

…and I absolutely love love LOVE fried chicken sandwiches. I mean, if it’s an option on a fast food menu, I’ll go for it every time. There’s a reason I love Chik-Fil-A. The Wendy’s Spicy Chicken sandwich has been my favorite on that menu for some time now. I would get ridiculed by my buddy Nilo for going to Fuddrucker’s and ordering a fried chicken sandwich there. And now that Shake Shack has its fried Chick’n Shack? No brainer; NEEDED TO TRY.

Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack signage was STRONG.

Also, hidden intel: my colleague went with me and ordered their Shroom Burger, and they had to inform her: “You should know that the Shroom burger is no longer vegetarian because we fry the mushrooms in the same oil as the chicken.” OOOF – I wonder if they plan to change that in the future, but I guess its good that they told her up front. Maybe because of the quick roll out, they hadn’t figured out yet how to separate the oils? Doesn’t matter to me, but to some vegetarians…this is a big turn off.

As you can see from the promo signs above, the Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack contains cage-free chicken, slow-cooked in a buttermilk and batter-fried. It has lettuce, pickles, and a buttermilk herb mayo on a potato bun. My sandwich came in a box because the sandwich was PIPING hot and I guess they didn’t want it to be crushed.

The immediate look of the crust on this Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack was AWESOME – dark, glistening. It reminded me of this Serious Eats article about how to achieve the perfect fried chicken. Buttermilk and brining are the key, and it looks like Shake Shack hit just the right chord.

I know some of you might be saying “What the hell is that exposed meat on this Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack??” The breading was super flaky, and kept falling off all over the place. I’ll show you the other side in a minute, but what I wanted to point out is that this exposed chicken revealed how juicy and REAL the chicken inside was!

I mean, that’s some moist chicken right there. This Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack had PLENTY of good crust once I lifted the bun…

…and the other side of this Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack was just fried chicken-y goodness! Yeah yeah fresh lettuce, pickles, blah blah blah BUT LOOK AT THAT CHICKEN.

CLLOOOOOSSSE UPPPPPPPPPPP. I mean, those little craggs that are shatter-crisp but not tough to chew? THAT’S what made me most excited about this Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack.

Below I sliced the sandwich in half so you could see the cross section:

That’s an awesome chicken breast. This Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack was NOT all breading. But how did it taste?

I’ll be honest – to me, the Chik-Fil-A sandwich is #1 in my book. But this is a VERY close #1A. Seriously. The thing about this chicken sandwich is the CRUNCH. Chik-Fil-A sandwiches can get a LITTLE soggy when they steam inside that foil bag a little too long, but it doesn’t matter because the flavor of a Chik-Fil-A sandwich is killer.

But this sandwich had all the flavor and an amazing CRUNCH. That feeling of soft potato bread AND crunchy chicken skin was divine. The breading to the chicken sandwich was nice and decently salty – like a Wendy’s chicken sandwich. The dill pickle adds even more brine-y flavor to the sandwich. The chicken itself doesn’t have QUITE the same amazing pickle-brined yet sweet flavor like the Chik-Fil-A chicken does, but it’s close. It’s still SUPER juicy, SUPER tender, and had all that great chicken flavor I desired.

Overall, the flavor of this sandwich is more herby than a Chik-Fil-A sandwich – the herb mayo seemed to accentuate the dill of the pickle to make that part of the flavor profile pop more. The lettuce doesn’t add TOO much to the flavor, but helps lock the mayo in place, whose creaminess helps ensure that the sandwich doesn’t finish too salty. Despite my description, the balance was good with this sandwich. Creamy, salty, dill, crunchy – it had it all.

The rolls were soft like Chik-Fil-A, and weren’t buttered or flavored…just soft. Didn’t hide the strength of this sandwich, which was the absolute CRUNCH of the chicken breast. So crunchy AND so juicy? This sandwich was top notch. Chik-Fil-A still gets the nod from me due to slightly better overall flavor, but this sandwich basically knocked it out of the park in every other way – texture, look, feel, etc.

Buy this. Now. Eat as many as you can, OR I WILL.

PURCHASED AT: Shake Shack, Metro Center, DC

COST: $6.92

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy