Though a lifelong resident of the Wolverine State, and a state certified expert in geography (and by that I mean I was a Michigan state finalist in the 2009 National Geographic Bee), my knowledge of the eastern portion of my home state is shrouded in the fog of mystery. Anything east of Ann Arbor, or, if I'm being generous, the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, swirls together into a haze of sameness in my mind.
As the spirit of discovery and exploration is integral to the spirit of Sola Cepa, I resolved last week to explore new realms in search of fried and battered goodness. Incidentally, The Wife happened to be out of town for a week, and I was bored and lonely.
With that in mind, I set off to the Saginaw Bay and Michigan's Thumb, but not before taking a stop at a regional chain, Halo Burger, in the Flint area. Thank you so Sola Cepa superfan Garrett for the suggestion.
Here is a review of onion rings from Halo Burger.
Presentation and Appearance: (3.5/5)
The onion rings are served in a rounded and oblong cardboard container, resting atop a double layer of proprietary paper, which is itself atop a quintessential red plastic tray. Fast food containers fascinate me, particularly when they are of irregular shape, and I believe they can elevate the dining experience. This container is no exception. An extraneous quantity of Marzetti Ranch cups fill out the rest of the still empty tray.
The golden brown rings nestled within are breaded, possibly by hand, and appear to be thin and crispy. The coloring is consistent, though the coating has a few gaps and cracks in the facade. Much like the container, they are fairly unique, as fast food onion rings go, both with the breading and the relatively thin cut of the onions. The onion rings harken back the style of old school fast food - made fresh and, as far as I can determine, not frozen. They don't seem mass produced, and a degree of care is evident in the making.
Taste: (3/5)
My first bite brought a pleasant wave of flavor contained in the breading - another rarity, as breaded onion rings are typically more mild in flavor than their battered siblings. It's well salted and well seasoned, with just enough grease to function as a mechanism for taste delivery.
The onions were cut deceptively thin, especially relative to the bloom of the breading, with narrow slivers of onion hiding betwixt the crumbs. Though the circle is not broken, it is a bit thin. The onions are sweet and on the milder side, but the thin-cut makes it difficult for much flavor to permeate past the breading, with precious little onion juice intermingling with the amorphous, effluent grease.
All told, most of the flavor for these onion rings are concentrated in the batter, though the mild taste mixes fairly well without being completely overpowering. The accompanying Marzetti Ranch added little to the flavor profile, merely serving as a vague, creamy sensation covering up the breading.
Texture: (2/5)
In some sense, breaded onion rings have a leg up on battered in terms of texture. The crumb coating tends to stick together better, leading to a more cohesive dish. Unfortunately, these systemic advantages were overshadowed by structural integrity issues in the Halo Burger onion rings.
The thin and slippery onions, combined with a very tight breading, led to more than a few instances of slippage. While the crunch of the craggly breading was satisfying, it wasn't strong enough to hold the rings together. They were almost comically easy to break, disintegrating on a slight breeze, or an askance look.
Value: (4.5/5)
Though there were some inherent problems in the makeup of these onion rings, they were fresh, hot, clearly made in house, and for the price of $3.19, there was more than enough for a filling snack.
Total: 13/20
