This marks the fifth and final entry in the one-year anniversary onion ring extravaganza on Mackinac Island. The Wife and I stayed at the Chippewa Hotel, on recommendation from from Sola Cepa superfans (you know who you are). Though conveniently located and well appointed, the one downside was fighting through literal throngs of people who wanted to eat at the Pink Pony (located on the first floor) any time we wanted to go in or out of the hotel.
The smart move, which is what we did, is just to wait until the last ferry leaves Mackinac Island and then go when there was no line or wait.
Here is a review of onion rings from Pink Pony on Mackinac Island.
Presentation and Appearance: 4/5
Purpose-built onion ring delivery mechanisms are rare, but a delight to see. The sleek stainless steel container has a bit too much empty space at the bottom, but the towering collection of onion rings rising to the heavens makes for an impressive sight - with the curved rod zigzagging up for about a foot. I'm more impressed by the specialized space in the plating for the two dipping sauces - an Asian sriracha sauce and a habanero honey BBQ sauce.
Though billed as "Gourmet Onion Rings," they strike me as a fairly standard, as thick-cut onion rings go. Panko breaded, which seems to be a theme on the island, they are well coated, though with patchy bits throughout. They have a reasonably good consistency in size, and the color is a bit of a dull golden brown.
In short, the onion rings themselves are good, if nothing special, but the plating demonstrates great care of, and appreciation for, this noble food.
Taste: 4.5/5
The onion taste is pronounced and strong here. They are juicy, but not too greasy. The flavor is bold, but not overpowering. Likewise, the Panko breading is well salted and seasoned, something that I've found is rare for most breaded onion rings. Though "gourmet" might be a stretch, they are obviously hand-breaded, well-prepared, and cohesive.
Both of the dipping sauces intrigued me, as neither fit the standard dipping fare for onion rings. The Asian Sriracha sauce was pleasantly spicy, and gave new depth to the onion rings when dipped. The habanero honey BBQ sauce, however, was the standout star. Here, the habanero honey BBQ sauce brings some of the most well-rounded flavors I've encountered in a dipping sauce. The BBQ base serves as fertile ground for the sweet honey to ebb and flow, with bits and hits of the spicy habanero swirling among them all.
My other culinary passion, beyond onion rings, is spicy food, and rarely have I seen the two meet. Here, with both sauces giving complementary spicy flavors, I may have found a new dimension of sweet lady Allium that I've never seen before.
Texture: 3/5
With onion rings, there's a delicate balancing act with the taste and texture of the onion. To a certain point, the more the onion is fried, the more juices are released, and the more pronounced the onion flavor. There's a risk, however, of going too far, and letting the onion dissolve into a watery vaguely-onion-tasting gruel.
These onion rings don't go quite that far, but they did sacrifice some stability and texture of the onion in exchange for the strong onion flavor. They are wet, juicy, and just a little overdone. Consequently, slippage is a major issue, an almost inevitable side effect of onions cooked even slightly longer than optimal. The Panko breading is crunchy and oddly smooth, with enough give to bend slightly. Usually, flexible breading mediates the scourge of slippage, but not so here.
Value: 4.5/5
At a price tag of $12 for 8 large rings, these would be outrageous were it not for the standard Mackinac Island surcharge. The menu bills it as "enough for two," which may be true, given the size, though it's a bit of a stretch. The hand-breaded rings, the customized presentation, and two delicious house made sauces make this a strong bang for your buck, especially on an island as devoid of good onion rings as Mackinac is.
Total: 16/20
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