The Shack

Finding a cheesesteak on a Sunday can be tricky in this town. My buddy Christopher and I decided to check out Papa Jakes in Beverly Hills. We get there, only for it to be closed, even though the sign in the window said "We are now open on Sundays." So then we decide to head over to Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica. I heard the cheesesteaks there are ginormous. We get there, starving, only to find out that they only have cheesesteaks on Saturdays. At this point, we decided to go to The Shack. I went to The Shack one Sunday for an Eagles game the first year I moved out here. It was pretty intense, and I don't remember the cheesesteak being that good. I do remember there being some cool folks there going wild during the game, and some not so cool folks, but the overall atmosphere was nice.

We get there, and were pretty much the only people in the entire place. The owner is really friendly, and took our order right away. Chris asked him what kind of cheese the steaks came with, and he said "White American, the way it should be." I totally agree! It took a really long time to get our food, I think someone forgot about us, but it wasn't such a huge deal.

We finally got our cheesesteaks, Chris ordered his plain:

and I ordered peppers, onions, and mushrooms:

I really hate to say this, but when I look at this picture I think of my mom saying, "That looks like a dog's breakfast." Trust me though, its better than it looks.

Chris thought the meat and the roll were good, but all of the cheese was on one side. With my steak, the cheese all seemed to be on the bottom, but at least it was melted. We both agreed that if the cheese had been blended throughout, it would have been a much better sandwich. I thought the meat was seasoned well, although I wish it was chopped into smaller pieces, and the veggies were cooked nicely. Not the best I've ever had, but enjoyable. Chris said that next time he will ask for the cheese to be melted throughout.

The fries were good, Chris enjoyed them a lot.

The staff was really cool and friendly. When the owner asked us if we wanted anything else, we said no, that we were full. Then he asked if we wanted a funnel cake. I can't turn down a funnel cake.

This really nice guy brought us the funnel cake and said "Just like at the state fair." Sure, if the state fair serves bricks with powdered sugar on top. Seriously, it was that hard, I actually don't know how its even possible to get a funnel cake to be that solid. It was hard as a rock, and it needed more powdered sugar. It was so hard that it was difficult to break off a piece. Chris hated it after the first bite, but kept eating it because he felt bad. He asked me repeatedly to put the funnel cake in my purse, or get a to go box and pretend that we would finish it later. Everyone seemed so excited to give us a funnel cake, that he felt a little guilty not eating it. I thought we could just say that we were full and they wouldn't think anything of it, but Chris said he wanted to make a good impression.

Overall, the food is alright, the staff is cool, and the place has a cozy feel to it. I feel bad writing anything negative about it, because I appreciate that the owner started a place like this. I just think they could use a little bit of help in the kitchen, that's all. We decided that we would definitely go back this fall for an Eagles game and a chicken cheesesteak. Maybe I can drag my good friend Leigha with us...when the Eagles play the Cowboys!

The Shack

2518 Wilshire Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90403

310-449-1171

www.shacksm.com