Despite all this nostalgia, I'd yet to ever try their onion rings. Here's a review of onion rings from Steak 'n Shake. Thank you to Ryan V., David S., and Micah W. for accompanying me.
Presentation and Appearance: 2.5/5
Color is an oft-overlooked variable when reviewing onion ring quality. Too pale, and the rings seem lifeless. Too dark, they're almost inevitably overdone. Getting a light golden brown is deceptively complex, and these onion rings succeed in spades. The breading is more than a little gnarly, and definitely fails to properly cover the onion rings in full.
The meager mound of onion rings makes a pitiful pile on a plain white plate, variate in size and covering but consistent in color, if nothing else.
Taste: 3.5/5
These onion rings are demonstrably juicy and moist. While these terms often describe admirable attributes in any number of dishes, it's a bit odd to describe onion rings as such. However, the flavors work. The onion taste is strong, and reinforced by an ample helping of delicious juices, percolating within the recesses of the golden circles.
There's also a preponderance of grease, but somehow, when mixed with the juices, it seems to work. The batter is reasonably well seasoned, and delivers a nuanced taste of salt and pepper. Though these onion rings don't look like they'd have a tremendous amount of flavor, it managed to hide within.
Texture: 1.5/5
What these had in taste, they lost in texture. The juicy onion interior of the rings came at the price of an overly-mushy (and probably over-fried) onion, leading to a characteristic lack of firmness and structural integrity. The rings were also shockingly dense, perhaps owing to the batter welded firmly to the moist onions.
The frequent shedding and slippage of the onion, and the inability of the dissimilar parts to stay together, drive this point home. While the batter did manage to maintain a slight crunch, just as the last gasps of a man chopped in half technically have some sound and meaning, it was insufficient to cover up the wet onions and the weak breading. While they have the original appearance of density, in truth, this was an illusion, delivered by Big Steak 'n Shake to foist the chaotic blob onto unsuspecting diners.
Value: 3.5/5
Too often in this world, I feel as though I don't get what I pay for. My consumer surplus, after factoring in the regret of a bad purchase, can erode entirely. The onion rings from Steak 'n Shake, however, are about what you pay for. For $2.59, I got a small plate of alright looking, alright tasting, onion rings, that went down with heat and grease to accompany my tall, cool shake.
Total: 11/20
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