My philosophy of restaurant quality (also called the Onion Ring Standard) took some time to develop, but it first began here, at Saucy Dog's Barbecue in Jonesville, MI. I went there with a friend on a whim my freshman year of college, and decided to try the onion rings. I was blown away. Every time I have returned, I got the onion rings again and again. Simply put, these are the best onion rings I have ever had.
Presentation and Appearance - 4.5/5
When I think of an onion ring, there are usually at least two images that come to mind. The first is a thin, crispy, somewhat refined breaded strip of onion. The second type is like these onion rings: thick, a little rustic, and almost meaty in its appearance. The batter on the onion is smooth. The bubbles and crumbs that interrupt this smoothness lend to it an air of authenticity and charm, one that feels completely genuine. These onion rings feel like a perfect representation of the restaurant they come from, and that is to their strength.
I've docked half a point for presentation for two reasons. One, the size of the basket is just a bit too small. The mass of onion rings, while heaping and appetizing, has a tendency to spill out over the edges. Second, one onion ring was dropped off the basket and landed on the table just before they got to me. I ate it anyway, but it's not a great feeling.
Taste - 5/5
I don't even know where to begin. The batter was smooth, almost buttery and creamy, and delicious. There weren't a tremendous amount of seasonings in the batter, but the subtle flavor was a strength. The inner onion, meanwhile, was unique among onion rings. It was lightly sweated/sauteed prior to being dipped and fried. This gives it a light, not overpowering, flavor of onion throughout the ring. The batter and the onion meld in a delicious, slightly greasy, blend. They are a seamless, tasty whole.
A brief word on the accompanying dipping sauce. While often the sauce accompanying the onion ring is a poorly masked attempt to hide the poor flavor of an onion ring underneath a deluge of sauce, these sauce is the perfect complement to these onion rings. I would be hard pressed to find anything I'd rather dip these rings in. I have nothing bad to say about the taste of these rings.
Texture - 4.5/5
The texture on the batter is near perfection. Firm without being too hard, smooth without being too rich, it is a beautiful medium between all extremes. My only complaint comes with the irregular cooking of some of the breading (the bits and crumbs that disturb the overall smoothness), which were good, but not necessarily consistent with the rest of the onion ring.
The onion is interesting and unique, as noted in the taste section. The lightly sweated/sauteed onion could go disastrously wrong, with the onion becoming a mushy paste, and not firm enough to hold shape. This is not the case here. The sweating gives it just enough give to be soft and smooth, but it has sufficient firmness to hold the shape of the ring together. The best part of the texture is that there's just enough contrast between the batter and the onion to know there's a difference, but they complement each other perfectly.
Value - 5/5
A basket of these onion rings (as an appetizer) costs $5.49, and it is worth every penny. They aren't incredibly expensive (indeed, they're practically cheap by most restaurant standards), but you get what you pay for, and more. While the heaping basket has some presentation flaws, it lets the eater know they're getting a tremendous amount of delicious, thick, huge golden brown onion rings.
Total: 19/20
No comments:
Post a Comment