Steveats: Steak 'n Shake garlic and regular steakburgers

Garlic steakburger.

This feature went away for a while, but now... IT'S BACK! I tryout questionable food items so that you don’t have to in… Steveats. (Note: Title developed in about 10 seconds of brainstorming.)

While making the drive from Rhode Island to Texas, and during a scouting trip to Houston, there was one fast food chain that consistently caught my eye – Steak 'n Shake.

We don't have any in Rhode Island, and frankly, I hadn't even heard of it until regularly listening to the Doughboys podcast. The “commissioner” of the show, comedian Evan Susser, is always stumping for the chain, and I do love me an affordable fast food burger. Once we moved out here, there was one I passed constantly on i-10, and even when we traveled to Missouri for a wedding, there was one right next to our hotel!

So, it was clearly FATE that this is my first non-New England food item to write about. I've been twice, getting a regular burger one time, and the second time, a garlic burger. And you know what? They were good!

Now from the photos, you probably know that these are not life-changing burgers. They're just really well-done, simple fast food burgers. The meat does taste like a clear step up from the McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King level, even though it it as their price point vs. Five Guys or a fast casual place. I didn't get a shake either time though, because I'm now An Old and I can't handle the calories. (I've now found a regular basketball game though, so maybe a third visit in is order.)

One thing though – The fries are garbage. I had them plain, and I had them Cajun style, and both times they disappointed. I'm not sure if it's more of a Southern / Texas thing or just random, but I've now run into several places that go with the shoestring fries, instead of a “normal” or a steak fry. Every time I get a shoestring fry, it just reminds me of the cheapo ones you'd buy from the freezer section of the grocery store. (But even now, they have plenty of fuller-sized options available.)

I'm focusing a bit too much on the fries here, though. The steakburgers alone made my Steak 'n Shake visits enjoyable, and I'd definitely go back. That... will not be the case with several other places I've visited out here. BUM BUM BUM!

Normal burger, with hand for scale.

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