Coney's and Swirls (Hillsdale, MI)

Packs of families roam the street in the summer-like sun. Were it not for the still-budding trees, it could be June. The heat wave comes with the re-opening of seasons shops, like Coney's and Swirls, with ice cream, among other things. Thankfully, this provided me with yet another opportunity to review some onion rings. 

Presentation and Appearance: 3.5/5

These onion rings were presented in a wholly unique way, one that I've never seen for onion rings before. They came packaged, wrapped, and twisted in a wax paper bag (which was easily opened), with a bag of salt tied in for good measure.

Appearance-wise, the onion rings were fairly consistent in both color and breading. However, a number of the onion rings were fused together through overlapping breading, as well as one or two cracked rings littering the bag.

Taste: 2/5

The onion rings were a step above bland, but a hair below mediocre. Moderately, but not exorbitantly, greasy, they were also lightly seasoned. The onion taste, however, was hardly present. On closer inspection, the onion interior was pitifully small and thin.

A small container of ranch dipping sauce accompanied the rings. Rather than adding to the flavor, the creamy ranch completely overwhelmed any of the taste in the onion rings.

In light of the processed appearance, and the sub-par taste, these onion rings were almost certainly cheap and frozen, albeit freshly fried.

Texture: 2.5/5

Like the taste, the texture of these onion rings were unremarkable, at best. While the breading was thick, it did not deliver a satisfying crunch. In general, the rings were almost certainly overcooked, leading to the crispy-yet-not-crunchy breading exterior.

The texture of the onions was practically non-existent, given their thin and narrow cut. Despite that, the onions weren't at all soft or mushy.

The texture was almost completely middle-of-the-road, with no extremes, either good or bad.

Value: 3/5

A small-to-average wax paper bag monstrosity of onion rings cost $3.45, which is a bit high for a quick, frozen bag of grease. That said, the quantity was fairly sizable, and the onion rings were filling.

If this review seems scant, it's because it is. I ate these an hour ago and they left practically no impression on me, other than "meh".

Overall: 10/20