Shake Shack Finally Moves Into the West Village

Shake Shack packs it up and moves to the West Village

The West side of Manhattan is practically a Shake Shack wasteland, but no more. For the burger giant’s 17th New York City location, it’s moving into the West Village at 225 Varick Street. The previously Shack-barren neighborhood will also be home to the chain’s test kitchen — that means more sous-vide chicken sandwiches and other “out of the box” items — though the test kitchen is not open to the public. The location should open summer 2018.

Secret menu at Agern

Agern chef Gunnar Gislason is offering "Agern After 8" every night at the bar and kitchen counter, a $75 menu that includes snacks, three courses, and a glass of wine as well as gratuity. There’s no printed menu: It’s Gislason’s pick of dishes among the Field & Forest and Land & Sea menu sections. In the future, it may serve as a testing ground for new dishes.

Food-based play focuses on refugee life

Traveling play “Oh My Sweet Land” — an unusual concept where the show takes place in different kitchens each night while exploring the the life of a refugee — gets an official Times review, which comes with a warning: “Don’t come hungry.” That’s because there’s actual cooking during the show, providing tantalizing smells alongside the “devastating” stories.

Beer and vinyl bar in Prospect Heights

Bierwax is opening at 556 Vanderbilt by the year’s end, featuring local brews and a 5,000 records-deep vinyl collection with lots of jazz, hip-hop, funk, and soul. The owner is fundraising through IndieGoGo.

A Top Chef Delivery

Top Chef regular David Burke of Tavern62 on the Upper East Side has been delivering Citymeals on Wheels in person this month, amNY reports. “It’s nice to be the delivery guy sometimes, instead of the cook,” he says. For September, diners at the restaurant can also support Citymeals during dessert. One dollar of every raspberry meringue tart goes to the nonprofit.

Urbanspace Garment District returns

Urbanspace Garment District returns for the fall and will run through October 27: The sibling to Mad. Sq. Eats is set up on Broadway between 40th and 41st Streets from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will feature vendors like Top Hops Beer Shop, Bex Waffles, Chick’nCone, Melt ice cream sandwiches, and more.

Stage NYC’s first run

The Times writes about a new 12-week city program called Stage NYC: It’s a pilot program that offers restaurant job training to 22 young people through classes at the International Culinary Center and on-the-job experience for restaurants like Del Posto, Marea, and Bar Boulud. It was started by the commissioner of NYC’s Small Business Services, Gregg Bishop, with $180,000 in public and private funding. “He thinks that paying apprentices to learn skills on the job could be one way to solve the restaurant industry’s labor shortage, as chefs find it harder to fill entry-level positions and retain workers,” the Times reports.

Who makes a better burger?

An east coast versus west coast fast-food debate.