Now Serving: Steak 'n Shake

This week, trying to figure out my spot was difficult. A week loaded with work, rain, and even a concert (in the rain) didn't lend me much time in my search for Baltimore's best burger. Even just last week, i'd said I wanted a more traditional sit down dining experience instead of the shacks i'd been going to.

However, during my drives down to DC, I'd always see "Steak n' Shake" just off 97. Like any food off the highway, it WANTS to be seen. It NEEDS to be seen. Teasing me. Taunting me, This was no accident. And this is the week where I'd go in to investigate. After all, even though it's a national chain, it does meet my qualifications to review as it's location in Millersville is the only in MD (Next closest is either Fairax VA or Hershey PA).

Room for your tour bus. Photo Credit: Capital Gazette

As I'm pulling up, the first thing I recognize, as I'm driving past a "YUM! Row" of restaurants is that Steak 'n Shake is sitting on lots of real estate. I didn't really know what my expectations were, but it conjures up thoughts of a retro-but-not-really-retro shop from the 50's, with indoor and outdoor seating. I get in, and expectations again flipped on it's head with a sign: "Please wait to be seated". Guess I'm getting served after all (Even though they have a drive through). It's slow, but the staff is friendly. Big smiles to match their clean white shirts with bow ties. Feel just a little like a Johnny Rockets without the jukeboxes or parlor tricks.

I'm given a menu and a few minutes. Prices rival that of most fast food joints, and include fries. Shoestring fries. Some of the shoestringiest  Thinnest fries I've seen. Seriously, I wore VANS in high school, and the laces were probably 3 fries thick. They have a lot of specialty burgers, but I choose the "ROYALE STEAKBURGER®*, a basic double steakburger with american, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo and fried egg.

I know you're just here for the pictures. 

Now, before I go any further, I do have to address the "Steak" in Steakburger. From all I can gather, the Steakburger is supposedly just a higher grade of burger. There's no actual steak in it. And quite frankly, it's not really of any higher quality. I've had Waygu, Angus, Bison, which are all higher grade. This burger meat is really not of a higher quality. (I'd read on wikipedia where they tried to sue another chain for using the term steakburger, and was thrown out because basically a judge said their beef wasn't that good). It's not that the beef is horrible or inedible. I mean, I did eat almost all of it before I gave up on the beef and just ate the rest of the bacon (Zero issue with the bacon). Sometimes when you smash cook a burger, you smash all the juice out. Egg was a good touch, but was fried hard. Would rather have the yolk bust and lather itself all over the burger instead.

Shake options are plentiful. And got mine half price for happy hour. It's tall. But this isn't Baltimore Shake Blog. Maybe if I go back, it'll just be for the shake.

Kit Kat shake, Thicc