Steak and Shake

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Besides my family, the only thing I miss about living in the Midwest is this fantastic semi-fast food chain. Anyone else want to join me in praising the tasty steakburgers of Steak and Shake? Best restaurant ever.

― shookout (shookout), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

There's one on the other side of town here. I ate there once. It was okay.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

If you're from the midwest, then you should be familiar with Culvers. If you're familiar with Culvers, you know that Steak & Shake makes crummy skimpy burgers and pathetic potato sticks that they call fries. The shakes are good, I'll admit.

― Long John Wonky, Monday, 15 November 2004 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I have to constantly remind myself it's "semi-fast-food," because price-wise it's not really competing with McDonald's et al. It's great, though -- they've been shake-happy lately, and the shakes are good and all -- I grew up with Friendly's, so my standards for burger joint shakes are very high -- but the strength really is the burgers, and the chili. Best chain restaurant chili I've had, and while that isn't saying much, their chili might be my favorite chain restaurant item period. It's certainly in the Fucking Ten.

The pepperjack melt platter with double order of chili + peach shake = I am all set for the day.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I have never ate the food at Steak and Shake, but I have had their milkshakes -- they are pretty awesome.

― Leon the Fratboy (Ex Leon), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

my STL friend lived there in the latter years of hs, so I'm mildly intrigued

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Culver's is a guilty pleasure.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

these guys are only in the midwest??? i had no idea. i haven't eaten at one in a long time but they seem to be really popular and i love 'em cuz they're retro without being corny or forcing it. do the cooks still wear paper hats?

― John (jdahlem), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:55 (twenty-one years ago)

is it basically Johnny Rocket's without the rockabilly flair?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 November 2004 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Judging from the Johnny Rocket's web page, no -- JR looks like it's more in the Fuddruckers, Red Robin, Ground Round, Ruby Tuesday's vein. This is like Friendly's without the ice cream and with half the menu missing, or sort of like Sonic if Sonic wasn't a drive-in. It's a burger joint, but the emphasis isn't on big, thick, sandwichy looking burgers -- stylistically, they're the same burgers as McDonald's and Burger King, just made with better meat and made to order.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

that's Johnny Rocket's

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Culver's has really good root beer floats. Made with Frozen Custard! (Is frozen custard only a Midwest thing?)

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, good milkshakes and great ambience, but I never understood the appeal of the burgers or the chili even (they may be an acquired taste.) They'd been touted as the Midwest's version of InNOut, but I didn't really see that at all. I sorta felt when I lived in St Louis that people's fascination with the chain might be one of those things I would have understood better had I been born and spent my formative years there eating at SteakNShake at 1am (rather than a year and a half of my twenties where I was tired of crappy fast food.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Steak & Shake? Culver's? In the Midwest? That's news to me. More proof that the Twin Cities have NOTHING. (No 7-11, no Jack in the Box, no Sonic's...)

― MC Transmaniacon (natepatrin), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I love it. Mrs adam worked at one for a while! Then she graduated to The Olive Garden...

― adam... (nordicskilla), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

They do frozen custard in the northeast, but it seems more common here -- when I was a kid in NH, it'd be more common to have a few frozen custard flavors at an ice cream place than to have a frozen custard place as such. (They have them in Rochester, though.)

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:10 (twenty-one years ago)

S&S is so overpriced and the food is so tiny. That said, it was tasty. And it's the only place that I've ever had someone purchase my dinner by accident.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Steak N'Shake cheese fries + malt + 2am=my secret gluttony shame

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay now CUSTARD is just ridiculously great. I don't remember what the name of St Louis' world famous custard place was, but it was to fucking die for. I was just glad it was a far drive from my house, cuz if it had been nearby I could have been in big trouble.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:12 (twenty-one years ago)

TED DREWES

― John (jdahlem), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:15 (twenty-one years ago)

YES!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Where is the love for PAPA JOHN'S?

― adam... (nordicskilla), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Ohmifuckingawd I am salivating a little just thinking about it.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to live aross the street from a Papa John's and a gas station with a Dunkin' Donuts in it. Who says Ohio isn't great?

― adam... (nordicskilla), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

People who are unemployed there. Gays. Case Western University students.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Papa John's is last on my list of chain pizza places (Domino's would be last, except they'll sell you a pizza for $2.99, they don't give a fuck).

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I would almost rather starve than eat Domino's and give that right-wing anti-abortionist homophobic fuck a dime of my money.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm surprised someone would say that Steak & Shake is overpriced. I'm always amazed at how cheap it is. But then again I live in NY, so my scale is all off.

It's a lot better than Joh-nny Rockets. Johnny Rockets is a substandard Steak & Shake.

I've never heard of Culver's. When I said midwest, I meant Indiana.

― shookout (shookout), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, but we have Culver's in IN now. (ONE OF US ONE OF US!)

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Used to eat at S&S in Indianapolis many years ago. At the time, I liked the atmosphere -- they seemed like the last holdout of old-style shiny metallic diner decor, with lots of formica, chrome, stainless steel and bright fluorescence when everything else was going all stained wood and potted plants. This was before franchise-land discovered retro.

― briania (briania), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I was born in indiana and I've never heard of culvers! But then again I'm a vegetarian. Steak & Shake's pretty good even for me though due to the cheese fries and malts.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

also neener neener neener I have ted drewes a block away from my place.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I've spent too many nights at Steak and Shake.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I sued to eat at the S&S in Indianapolis too, and I do when I'm there visiting...haven't lived in Indy for eleven years, but dinner my first night in is always Steak & Shake (the one on 86th St., nearby my old high school).

― shookout (shookout), Monday, 15 November 2004 21:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Who did you have to sue to get to eat at Steak & Shake?

― n/a (Nick A.), Monday, 15 November 2004 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha nice typo.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 15 November 2004 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha. Oops.

― shookout (shookout), Monday, 15 November 2004 22:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Um... There are Culver's in the Twin Cities - very guilty pleasure.

― mgaul, Monday, 15 November 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I've only been to Steak & Shake a couple of times. It only really exists just outside suburbia, so we used to drive the 20 minutes to Joliet if we wanted some.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 15 November 2004 23:25 (twenty-one years ago)

a coffee and shake at 3 am at steak n shake = total bliss

― bnw (bnw), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

jaymc, theres one like right in evanston'ish. like howard/clark or something like that in a big shopping plaza.

― phil-two (phil-two), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

and now there's one in the Brook, dude!

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 00:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Really? It can't be Howard/Clark, though, I used to drive by there every day on the way to work.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

somewhere around there. its like in a giant parking lot of some sort of walmart/kmart/target/marshalls kind of shopping plaza. maybe dempster or something.

― phil-two (phil-two), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I have never ate the food at Steak and Shake, but I have had their milkshakes -- they are pretty awesome.
-- Leon the Fratboy (nicole.kessle...), November 15th, 2004.

whataminit, milkshakes aren't food? shit!

Um... There are Culver's in the Twin Cities - very guilty pleasure.
-- mgaul (mgau...), November 15th, 2004.

cool, you used to have to go to the western suburbs, like wayzata or minnetonka to find culver's when i lived there years ago. those crinkle-cut fries are life affirming.

― j.m. lockery (j.m. lockery), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 01:52 (twenty-one years ago)

culver's and steak n shake are both sickening. i don't know what's wrong with y'all. I suppose s n s is a far better late-night option that taco bell or white castle.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but you guys have Baker's Square up there in Chicagoland. The Evanston one by my ex was always packed at odd hours by kids who really wanted PIE!

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 04:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Baker's Square lost all it's appeal after it changed its name from Pop'nFresh Pies. Now THAT is a name.
But yeah, I remember going there at odd hours as a kid, not having enough $ to buy an actual meal, so quelching my munchies with a slice of French Silk. And I dared Jason R@inw@ter to drink the melted remains in an ice cream dish that we had been using as an ashtray/garbage.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

there are steak-n-shakes in the suburbs here but I've never eaten at one.

papa john's is the worst pizza chain EVAH!!

― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 05:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i love both steak and shake and papa john's.

s-n-s does great grilled cheese (they'll put pickles on it for me if i ask nicely), and that and a shake are a fantastic dinner for me.

islington has a papa johns. it's the only pizza place that's programmed into my phone. mmm. garlic dipping sauce. i also have a thing for pizza hut breadsticks, but nothing else there.

i think there's a culvers by my parents house. i should try it at christmas.

― colette (a2lette), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Steak and Shake = never heard of it = the Midwest is weird. (Such sweeping stereotypes are what makes America great.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

For a minute there, I had 'Papa John's' confused with 'Taco John's', which is the worst shit ever. I don't even think we have Steak and Shake in Chicago, but I've been there on the road.

― k3rry (dymaxia), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

papa john's uses canned mushrooms. enough said.

― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

K3rry, I don't know about the city proper, but there are definitely s n s's in the burbs.
Sam, is totally correct. Papa John's barely qualifies as food. In college, they would have trucks parked outside the bars around closing time, and you could get room-temperature papa john's pizza for $5. All things considered, it was still overpriced.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 16 November 2004 16:19 (twenty-one years ago)

They have some Steak and Shakes in the South too. They have some funny word that looked Japanese for "takeout" in red neon. It seemed corny though, really retro and 50's but not authentic. OK burgers, decent chili. Sucky fries.

― Donniewalder, Wednesday, 17 November 2004 05:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Papa John's is like the only national pizza chain that consistently allows hot peppers as an option, though.

― Allyzay Science Explosion (allyzay), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 05:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I ate Papa John's breadsticks all the time in college. The butter and cheese sauces were k-nasty, though, so I dipped my sticks in the marinara.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 07:35 (twenty-one years ago)

And if I'd known it was that kind of party, etc.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 07:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Ally's right about Papa John's -- and I definitely like it a lot more than Pizza Hut or Domino's. But my pizza radar is all screwed up; Louisiana is only just now discovering good pizza, and I'm not sure it will catch on, and Bloomington's good local pizza culture is mostly the west coasty college towny we-can-put-gouda-on-there-for-you-y wouldja-like-some-artichokes-with-that-y stuff, which can produce some good dinners but nothing that looks or acts like real pizza. (The best pizza here, for my money, is actually the small chain Pizza Magia, started by a guy who used to be with Papa John's; it's almost indistinguishable from north-of-Boston pizza, medium-crust, thick sauce heavy on marjoram).

Anyway. Steak and Shake. I was going to post about their seasonal white chocolate shake, which I was drinking when I started to catch up on this thread, but have now finished. It tastes -- obviously -- nothing like white chocolate, but a lot like cookies. Those sugar and butter cookies, you know, that are just sketchpads for frosting and ball bearings? Those. It tastes like those.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 02:46 (twenty-one years ago)

what, you don't like mama bears???

They have some funny word that looked Japanese for "takeout" in red neon

TAKHOMASAK

― teeny (teeny), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Mama Bear's is all right, but it didn't stand out any except for the wings.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

six months pass...

They aren't selling lime freezes anymore! What the fuck? That was the main reason why I'd go to Steak and Shake!

― Ian Riese-Moraine: exposing ambitious careerists as charlatans since 1986. (East, Sunday, 12 June 2005 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

somewhere i have a fantastic picture taken from a speeding car on i-64 rollin' west into st. louis with a "this is steak & shake country" billboard sized next to the arch. gotta dig that up.

― hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 12 June 2005 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

TED DREWES

word. we stopped there for a hot fudge sundae on my journey west and, well, teeny is one lucky-ass bitch.

― metal assembly (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 13 June 2005 04:54 (twenty-one years ago)

some advice if you're visiting tucson: burgers and shakes at SHARI'S DRIVE-IN! they don't stay open very late but if you can get there during the day you're in for the tastiest greasebomb east of tommy's in LA.

― metal assembly (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 13 June 2005 04:56 (twenty-one years ago)

taken by ME

http://photos12.flickr.com/16150945_e17f55d8a0_o.jpg

http://photos9.flickr.com/14104292_26a901a93a_o.jpg

― metal assembly (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 13 June 2005 05:02 (twenty-one years ago)

We had a frozen custard place here for a few months, and then it closed mainly because the service was so slow that no-one really wanted to go there again, and then they got their supplies on their busiest night (Saturday). Don't know what they were thinking...

Damn, I want a burger now, but I'm waaay the opposite way on I-10 from Tucson.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: exposing ambitious careerists as charlatans since 1986. (East, Monday, 13 June 2005 09:54 (twenty-one years ago)

i could go for some breakfast.

― metal assembly (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 13 June 2005 10:00 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

New Halloween Sippable Sundae Milk Shakes

Dark Chocolate Fudge Sippable Sundae Milk Shake topped with chocolate whipped cream. Dark like midnight. Dark like no moon. Talking dark chocolate here. And, like its cohort new Caramel Apple (cross-reference childhood memories, fall afternoons), it's available for a limited time. Summon one to your table...

...

Bobbing for apples is so last Halloween.

Yeah, we're not easily swayed by trends, either. But just look: the Caramel Apple Sippable Sundae Milk Shake - essentially a traditional caramel apple, without the stick. Like its alter ego, Dark Chocolage Fudge (costumed with chocolate whipped cream), its available for a limited time. Why bob?

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 26 September 2005 16:04 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

the skinny little pic-nic fries have got to go

― iiiijjjj, Sunday, 27 January 2008 22:32 (eighteen years ago)

Ick. I like the food, but the service usually blows and I still have bad memories of the 6 months I worked there at age 17.

Physically handicapped baboons with glaucoma could have ran the place better. we had a cokehead manager stealing money out of the register!

― Bo Jackson Overdrive, Monday, 28 January 2008 04:39 (eighteen years ago)

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