Red Robin....YUMMM

Today, we decided to go to Red Robin, which was suggested by Z. Apparently, the head hancho at our office really likes these onion rings - he'll go and just order onion rings and be happy. So we invited Z to come along on our onion ring quest. However, Z forgot that we were going to RR today and had brought her lunch to work. So alas, today's quest was just me and F.

As soon as we sat down, we ordered the onion rings. Yes, without even looking at the menu, we ordered the appetizer. Jumping the gun? Nah, we just know what we like.

Let me just say that F was so excited about these onion rings. Why? For those of you unfamiliar with RR's onion rings, they give you a tower of 13 o-rings. I was expecting this huge tower of onion goodness, so was slightly disappointed when the tower was smaller than what my mind had imagined. But then I realized...it's only 13 rings. It's not like those would make the next Chrysler Building



As you can see, F was very happy with her tower of rings.



Tower of Onions (minus 2 onion rings...)

These onion rings were everything that F could hope for. A crunch exterior with a sweet tender onion inside. And I must admit, I did like the crunchy breaded batter.

After a while, we were wondering how they got such bug onions. Did they combine two onion parts to make one big onion ring? We decided to investigate...



F disecting the onion ring.



Yup, it's just one big onion ring. They must get giant onions...

I forgot to mention... An order of onion rings comes with 2 dipping sauces: ranch and a spicy bbq type dipping sauce. Personally, I don't like bbq with my onion rings, so I opted for the ranch. F seemed to favor the bbq flavors. I tried them together, but decided I'd remain a ranch purist.

We decided to share the seafood platter. This was just one big dish of fried fish, shrimp, and clams. It was...ok... It left me wanting another corned beef sandwich from Pete's....

They did have some cool decor. Like this American flag made of baseballs.



So...

Verdict: Excellent. But I'd get a burger the next time.

Until next time, happy eating.

Pete's Fine Meats

There's a local butcher shop on Richmond by Chimney Rock. I have driven past this place many times, but never knew they actually served food. From the name of the store, I thought they were purely a meat shop. A father-daughter date quickly corrected my misconception of the place, and I found my new favorite cheap-eats sandwich shop.

First, I want to point out that this shop really makes you think you've stepped back in time. The decor is simple and reminds me of the '50s. The tables are simple, something you'd see in a black and white movie. And the layout itself can seem a little cramped, but a good place to hole up with a newspaper and your sandwich. My dad says it reminded him of the places he would eat with his dad as a kid. Call me corny, but it makes me happy to think that I've shared the same experiences with my dad as he did with his dad.

When I began this onion ring quest, I scoured through many a menu trying to find onion rings listed as a side dish. Many places obviously had fries. More surprisingly was how many places also offered sweet potato fries instead of onion rings. And shockingly some burger joints didn't even offer fried goodness! So I went to Pete's menu, hoping and praying that they at least had fries. I was pleased to discover not only did they have fries, but they also offered onion rings!!! Our next destination was set.


So on a rainy Wednesday, F and I headed out to Pete's Fine Meats. We looked over the menu trying to decide which sandwiches we wanted to go with our O-Rings. I settled on a nice turkey sandwich. F couldn't make up her mind. Here's what went down:


F: What's corned beef?


A: It's a type of meat.


F: Is there actual corn in the beef?


A: *silence* Um....no...


F: Then why is it called corned beef?


A: *puzzled silence* I don't know. *confused silence* But it's really good. We used to make corned beef hash all the time.


F: It's good? I'll give it a try...


So we were set on a hot corned beef sandwich with all the trimmings, a turkey sandwich with all the trimmings, and onion rings.


Sidenote: F and I were 2 of the 4 girls in the entire shop. The rest of the customers were all men. And they were looking at us like "what are you doing invading our secret men's club?" Needless to say, it felt slightly awkward.


Our food was prepared fast and we were happy to try the onioin rings.

The batter on these O-Rings was less than at Southwells, and it gave a very satisfying crunch. I personally enjoyed them. However, we came to the conclusion that F would prefer breaded onion rings rather than battered. But if battered is your preference, I would definately come here.

Verdict: Better than Southwell's, but still left F wanting a little extra crunch.

The real star of the meal was the hot corned beef sandwich. Oh. Em. Gee. This is my new favorite sandwich. I'm super serious. If I'm ever looking for a cheap sandwich that's good and fulfilling, I'm no longer turning to Subway. I am coming to Pete's. This thing was absolutely amazing. Much better than my measly turkey sandwich. It had tons of corned beef, melty cheese, lettuce and tomatoe. SO GOOD. Words cannot describe what my tastebuds experienced.

We left, the rain had let up, which gave us a chance to stay dry. We left stuffed and happy. As it should be. Yes, the next place had better be pretty good to beat these sandwiches.

Southwell's

Down San Felipe, between Beltway 8 and 610, there's a little burger joint called Southwell's. I had read various online reviews of this place, and after numerous positive reviews we decided it was worth a try.

The storefront is tucked away in a little strip mall. Honestly, if I wasn't looking for it, I would have driven right past it. By the time we got there, the lunch crowd had gone, so it was pretty much empty. We loved the little wooden booths - it gave it one of those "old time joint" feelings. And the fact that most of the customers had seen younger days made me think this was the type of hangout you'd see back in the day.

We ordered a cheeseburger, a grilled chicken sandwich, and, of course, onion rings. We eagerly sat down at a booth a waited for our food. It took longer than I thought it should have for our food to arrive. I mean, how long does it honestly take to grill up some chicken and a beef patty? After what seemed like forever, our food finally came. The cheeseburger was nice and juicy with great flavors. The chicken sandwich was tender and tasty. Both of these were huge. We thoroughly enjoyed the sandwiches.

The onion rings, on the other hand, were only so-so. They were battered, but the ratio to batter and onion was way off. Too much batter for our liking.

Verdict: Fail

But do go here for the burgers, they're great!

The Quest

How this all began...

Where does one start when trying to find the best onion rings in Houston?

Urbanspoon.com?

Yelp?

Or simply by word of mouth?

This is our journey to find Houston's finest offerings of oniony goodness, whether it be fried, baked, or any other inventive way a chef decides to prepare them.

Girls on a Mission

F - the one who initiated this quest. She is obsessed with Onion Rings. I'm serious. As a foreign student from China, she has been deprived of normal American items such as Onion Rings. Poor little Asian girl.

This is a picture of F saying "Onion Rings!"

A - the friend who took it upon herself to find the best onion ring spot for F. A first class foodie (if only in her mind), she also likes to find the best foods the city has to offer. She is also the narrator of this blog. :-)

This is A saying "Wait, you're taking a picture of ME???"

Z - she suggested one place, and got dragged into this quest. We'll see how far she decides to go on this journey. (No picture yet...we're workig on it...)

With open minds and empty stomachs...

We hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as we will enjoy eating the O-Rings. Trust us, we're doing this for your benefit.... Ok, maybe a little bit for our satisfaction, but someone has to do it.