It seems I have always been generally aware of Steak ‘n Shake, and I know a lot of people who like the restaurant. The couple of times I ate there, I was never really impressed. It was years ago before chefs raised the level of burgers to an art form. However, a friend of mine, Frank Yost, loves the place and posts photos on Facebook whenever he eats there or stops in for a happy hour milkshake. With that in mind, I asked Wendi if she wanted to stop there for lunch on our way to Columbus. We visited the one off I-71 in Mansfield.
Because Steak ‘n Shake is an upgrade to the standard fast-food fare, Wendi wanted to sit down and enjoy the burgers rather than trying to eat while rolling down the highway (we were going to see our great-nephews at their school for Special Person Day, which Wendi will write about in an upcoming blog post). We headed inside, and the place was packed. Rather than waiting for a table to open up, we sat down at the counter, similar to what we did at The Thurman Cafe.
Like Wendi is wont to do, she gravitated to a burger with an egg on it, the Steak ‘n Shake specialty burger: The Royale Steakburger. Here is the menu description: A Double Steakburger with melted American cheese, applewood smoke bacon, lettuce, vine-ripened tomato, and mayo. All topped by a delicious fried egg. Neither one of us was going to leave the restaurant without one of its famous shakes. She settled on the Double Fudge Chocolate shake.
Wendi said she wanted an egg on her burger because I got bacon. My choice was the Bacon ‘n Cheese Double Steakburger with fries. My shake of choice was the Salted Caramel Pretzel shake.
We both really liked the burgers. With the fries and shake, the meal was filling. After lunch, I began wondering why I didn’t originally have a higher opinion of the eatery. It was a good, classic burger. Nothing fancy, but tasty and juicy. It reminded me of Bob’s Burgers in Akron. We were introduced to Bob’s Burgers at the National Hamburger Festival in Akron. I am not a fan of smashing a burger, but that is exactly how Steak ‘n Shake cooks its steakburgers on a grill. They start out looking like small hockey pucks of beef. As they cook, a worker uses two spatulas to smash the burgers.
I asked one of the workers what cuts of beef the restaurant uses, and she did not know. However, she did say the beef is 80 percent lean, 20 percent fat. In reading about he history of Steak ‘n Shake, I discovered it was started in 1934 in Normal, Ill,, and owner Gus Belt would wheel out a barrel of T-bone, round and sirloin steaks and grind the meat in front of diners. This was to show them the quality of the beef.
When I asked Frank what he liked about Steak ‘n Shake, he said, “Prices are great. The burgers are delicious (the first burger I got there was a triple on a pretzel bun with a pickle and some salt and pepper). And I love the salted caramel pretzel shake! And having a happy hour where the shakes are half price is awesome too!”
There is no Steak ‘n Shake near us in Wooster, Ohio, but we would definitely grab a bite there to eat again. We would suggest you doing the same.
