Buffalo Wild Wings (Everywhere)

Dusk. The city streets of downtown Grand Rapids darken and are filled with all the hustle and bustle one would expect from a Monday evening in March (not very much.) As the evening progresses, I am called by my never-ending quest towards onion ring perfection. Thanks to the suggestion of regular Sola Cepa reader Kyle Hanby, Buffalo Wild Wings had been on my hit-list for some time. That Monday night, the rings and I finally met. 

Presentation and Appearance: 4/5

The plating and presentation of these onion rings is nothing revolutionary. Heaped into a mass and sitting atop some paper in a basket, they're not breaking any new ground. That's not a bad thing. I appreciate a restaurant that's willing to stick with what works rather than pointlessly concoct crazy new plating designs for the sake of being different. It's fitting and it works.

The appearance of the onion rings themselves is similar. Nothing groundbreaking, they're in a general pub style. Irregularly sized and somewhat loosely breaded and battered. This means there are a few hobs and gnarls on the otherwise smooth surface of the onion rings themselves, but this does make them a bit more interesting to look at. Otherwise, they're fairly consistent in color and covering.

Taste: 1.5/5

I don't even know where to begin. I'll start with picking one up. Immediately, my fingers become coated in a thin layer of grease, which covers the whole of the onion ring. They almost seem to glisten in the dim interior of Buffalo Wild Wings. The coating is at least a little seasoned, but I didn't get a lot of flavor from it.

Frankly, if it weren't for the shape and name, I don't think I would have known these were onion rings. The actual onion interior was cut extremely thin, and they somehow managed to sap all of the onion flavor out of it. This was mostly a circle of greasy, crispy bread that kind of smelled like an onion.

For all the faults of the onion ring itself, the grease DID make the food taste better (which I think is the entire point of grease,) and the accompanying zesty dipping sauce (which the menu calls Southwestern Ranch) was outstanding. However, the greasy crispy bread that kind of smelled like an onion (aka the Buffalo Wild Wings onion rings) merely served as a vehicle for the delicious sauce.

Texture: 3.5/5

Though the taste was severely lacking, these onion rings (aka the greasy crispy bread that kind of smelled like an onion) had a satisfying crunch on consumption. The firmness was nearly perfect. Not so hard and overcooked as to be difficult to bite through, but firm enough to substantially hold its own shape.

The onion itself, however, lacks any texture whatsoever. Possibly because there's basically no onion at all.

Value: 2.5/5

For the price (a little over $5), you get a decent sized starter/side basket of onion rings. They go will with their trademark wings, but leave something to be desired on their own. I've docked this category a bit simply because the onion taste is not there. Largely tasteless, the greasy crispy bread is at the very least filling, and would probably be a bit better with a beer or two.

Total: 11.5/20