Roger Ebert on Steak 'N Shake

I doubt that anyone on the American continent doesn't love a good hamburger.
For those who live elsewhere, McDonald's ISN'T a good hamburger.
Steak 'n Shake is a good hamburger.
The famous film critic who recently passed wrote about one of my favorites:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/01/car_table_counter_or_takhomasa.html

And I thought I could write about food....

 

Yup. I love Steak 'N Shake! :banana:

 

Never heard of Steak N shake??? wouldn't mind a shake (strawberry) with my steak.

 

Well, it looks like I won't be trying Steak N' Shake anytime soon. None closer than one in Vegas.

 

You aren't missing anything.
Basic "the main ingredient is hunger" fast food , their steakburger meat would have no consistency or taste if not for the bone chunks and gristle.
Last time I had one I had a hunk of a cow's horn stuck between my teeth for days.

 

Krash, grab mamma and cruise to the Vegas Steak-N-Shake for burgers and fries. It's the right thing to do!

Bite your tongue BlueVista!

 

It constantly amazes me what I find here when I sign in! Station wagon owners have always been true Americans and Canadians. Sadly the Canadians may have to cross the boarder for a real hamburger. But it's worth the trip.
I can't remember my first trip to a Steak-N-Shake as a little lad. But I do remember from the time I met my high school sweetheart in 1956 following that exact ritual of driving about 15 miles to the big city of Peoria, Illinois to the Steak-N-Shake.
We were lucky and were under the illusion that those places were in every larger city. We've probably been to all or most in Illinois. Sadly only one remains in Peoria.
Peoria had a south side Steak-N-Shake, had a north side Steak-N-Shake and the favorite of most young teens, the Main Street Steak-N-Shake at the top of Main Street hill near Bradley University. For some reason those college towns have a lot of college kids, many of the cute girl type, I remember. They like good burgers and hot cars.
All of us snot nosed new drivers and our sweet hearts cruised Main Street and made several trips around the Steak-N-Shake. After fully dizzy and low on gas, we hopefully found a parking spot and backed in. Every curbie was a movie star. At least in our eyes. And like the article, not one familiar face---or butt. Yes, I did notice as they walked away after taking our order then leaving the food tray.
Eventually the cops patrolled Main Street and redirected many cars that looked like the hot rod type, operated by trouble making teens. At least that's what we were called. Still, we somehow got into the Steak-N-Shake parking lot. If not on Main, the other two.
Since my town was closer to the south side Steak-N-Shake you'd imagine that's where we'd go. But it was all about cruising and the north side Steak-N-Shake was over 10 miles across town. All three seemed busy most days, especially weekend evenings.
Now, as I grew older and wiser, we stop at the Steak-N-Shake in Gainesville, Fl after one of us leaves from a doctor visit. It is our special treat after sitting for hours looking at six year old Golfer's Digests.
And each summer as we visit our family near Peoria, Illinois we go to the new river side Steak-N-Shake on the other side of the river in E.Peoria, Illinois. That original used to be at the end of an Illinois River bridge. it too was a favorite hang out. The new one has a great river view. Even our home town of Pekin has a Steak-N-Shake now.
I can remember looking at menus. But we really don't need one. It's the burger-N-fries special and a chocolate shake every time. Why am I getting hungry!
And try as I might, I can't remember getting a steer horn stuck anyplace!

 

It's definitely cool that you can still take your old girl friend to the Steak 'N Shake, Cat! There's only one in Madison now and it is in a stupid location that is hard to find and hard to get to. Many have disappeared and I think the reason is because of the locations the franchisees choose. Has to be SOME reason that some of them don't make it because the places are cool! And they still have great burgers and a great menu with the old specialties. But...they aren't like the old days, at least the one's I have seen lately. They don't have the old drive-in feature with the girls waiting on you anymore and, as I said, the locations are tucked away from the mainstream. They somehow lose the flavor without the girls and the rods cruising around them and parked in the lots. It's really a shame that this franchise doesn't enjoy more notoriety...it's a great burger joint. It still tries to maintain the 50's look.....but without us hot rod 50's guys and the girls waiting on the cars.....it's just not the same. There will never be another hot rod 50's.

 

The three Steak-N-Shakes I'm still familiar with are also like that. You can't drive around the building, no curbies, and it's just not the same. I really don't know if the burgers are the same. After eating burgers from all of the other fast food places, including those little square gooey burgers, I do know I still love the Steak-N-Shake burgers.
They have those neat black-N-white photos inside with a splash of red. Somehow I don't remember those. But honestly we rarely went inside. It was that special thing of cruising around the building then parking and watching other cars do the same, as we ate in the car and snuggled. I doubt if mamma would snuggle anymore either!
And you are right about the new places being off the beaten path. The one in E Peoria, Illinois is now in a giant complex of all sorts of shops and stores. Makes me dizzy now just getting in the lot. The one in Pekin is actually easy to see and get too. It has moved twice since they moved there as the city moves farther east.
But the Steak-N-Shake in Gainesville, Fl is buried behind a McDonalds and several large motel complexes down a side road. Even though it is very close to I-75 you can hardly see it from there or the other main highway. It took me years to discover it after having coupons for burgers.
I wanna go back to the good ole dayz but I guess that ain't gonna happen. .

 

We actually have a single, stand-alone drive-in burger place right here in town - called 'Fins'...

 

Now Soyburger and Shake - yazzah!!!!!!:banana:

Even a Tofuburger and Shake would go over real well.........make a killing

 

:banghead3: MEAT ! We want real dead meat on our burger buns. Real ice cream and real fruits in our milk shakes. Real female curbies to walk to real cars to take our orders. No faux food made of grass and cow food.

 

And no fake girls! I want the real stuff with no plastic or silicone! :banana:

 

I nearly added that but my friend Xavier told me I'm one of few MATURE ADULTS here!