‘Tapping’ a trend

BLACK TAP – THE LATEST NYC BURGER TO COME TO THE STRIP

When Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer opens at The Venetian this December, it marks both new ground and a homecoming. It’s the first non-New York location, but its ownership has strong Las Vegas connections.

Black Tap is helmed by Chef JoeIsidori, who earned a Michelin star at the city’s DJT, and Vegas veteran Chris Barish, who co-founded Light nightclub. “Las Vegas is a second home to me, making this opening incredibly special,” said Barish.

So what’s had New Yorkers lining up for hours outside Black Tap over the past couple of years? Wonderfully purist burgers, craft beers and outlandishly irresistible Crazy Shakes served in nostalgic luncheonette decor.

Try the simple, delicous All-American or the Greg Norman–aWagyu beef wonder with buttermilk-dill sauce, blue cheese and arugula.

Black Tap is famed for its ludicrously indulgent Crazy Shakes. Outsized versions of diner shakes, these monuments to excess are as share-worthy as they are delicious. First-time “Black Tappers” are left slack-jawed at the likes of the original Cotton Candy–a strawberry shake adorned with a lollipop, rock candy and whipped cream, or the Bam Bam, which features Fruity Pebbles, a Rice Kris pies treat, a Pop Tart and a Nerd rope.