Address: | 2450 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505, USA |
Phone: | +1 616-447-2200 |
Site: | fatboyburgers.com |
Rating: | 4.1 |
Working: | 7AM–3PM 7AM–8PM 7AM–8PM 7AM–8PM 7AM–8PM 7AM–3PM 8AM–3PM |
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Tyler Groenendal
It may (or may not) surprise readers with the amount of time I put into research and planning for Sola Cepa. I meticulously determine which restaurants have onion rings (through copious online stalking,) plot out a rough schedule, and plan accordingly. This week, that all went out the window when a coworker walked by my desk at work, saw me looking at the menu for Fat Boy Burgers, and said "Lets go there for lunch today!" Sometimes, spontaneity eclipses the well-laid plans of a young onion ring connoisseur, but the onion ring standard remains the same. Heres a review of onion rings from Fat Boy Burgers. Thank you to David Welch and Jimmy Birney (aka "The Jimmy) for joining me. Presentation and Appearance: 4/5 The entire aesthetic of Fay Boy Burgers is grounded in nostalgia, particularly for old time diners of years past. The presentation of the onion rings is perfectly consistent with that, plated in a red plastic basket with the classic red and white paper resting beneath the onion rings. The presentation suits the onion rings well, and though it is a bit basic, it is certainly a classic. The appearance of the onion rings immediately tells me they are freshly battered and handmade (though it does already claim that on the menu.) Like the presentation, the onion rings call back to an earlier age, and look like theyd be perfectly at home in any classic greasy spoon. That said, there were some gnarly bits that were a tad excessive, and some chipped batter littered the bottom of the basket when I was done. There were no cracked rings, that I can recall, or missing breading. Taste: 4.5/5 I was immediately drawn into these onion rings on first bite. They were rich, almost buttery, and layered with just enough grease. I usually dock onion rings for grease (often, because its horribly excessive,) but I really didnt mind it on these. In fact, I think the grease contributed greatly to the flavor. The batter was fresh and well-seasoned, and blended beautifully with the underlying (and overlying) grease. The onion itself, however, was not especially strong. There was a consistent, light onion taste, but it was certainly not the highlight of the rings. Like most good onion rings, the onions were definitely lightly sweated before being battered and fried, which improved the (somewhat weak) flavor dramatically. Despite the shortcomings in the onion realm, I genuinely couldnt get enough of these onion rings. I found it hard to just eat one bite of a ring, and often ended up practically devouring them whole, chomping away at the ring bit by glorious bit. The one downside, however, was a lack of accompanying dipping sauce, which I think are necessarily to truly bring out the best in an onion ring. Texture: 3.5/5 The texture of these onion rings fascinated me. They were not hard, or thick, or crunchy (like so many onion rings are.) Rather, they were soft, light, and airy. The delightfully light texture and the greasy, full-bodied flavor complement one another wonderfully. There was no deep, satisfying crunch, but I think this is a good change from the standard. Ive docked points solely because of the inconsistency in the batter, which lad to excessive chunks of overdone breading all over the onion ring. I understand why this was the case, and Id rather have some overcooked bits from a handmade ring than the perfectly smooth, frozen, manufactured chimera so common to cheap chain restaurants, but it was a mark against the rings nonetheless. Value: 5/5 For $3.59, I got the "large" side of onion rings to go with my patty melt. Frankly, I would have been perfectly filled on just the side of onion rings! For the relatively small amount of money, one gets an enormous mound of homemade, greasy onion rings. Ive paid much more and gotten far less at many other restaurants in the area. Fat Boy Burgers has, to date, the best onion rings Ive reviewed in the Grand Rapids area. Give them a try sometime. Total: 17/20 Source: Sola Cepa
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Bryan Holt
First, I grew up in the Cheshire/ Creston area. My old football coaches business practice is directly across the street. I loved growing up in this area. Before games we would meet at the restaurant so theyre a lot of good memories associated with the building. Today me and my son did our Saturday routine of going to Fat Boys after swim class. As we pulled up a another beautiful Caucasian family was just arriving. It looked like they just returned from a soccer game. They order their food and took a seat. Then me and my son did the same. We are sitting there waiting for our food it took awhile they seemed to be busy. The first familys food arrived and Im guessing the person that brought their food was the manager a salt and pepper haired gentleman. He apologized for the wait and gave them a gift card. When our food came it was wrong and no one apologized for the hour long wait that we endured. The gentleman did not even acknowledge us. Then as the other family left he stated in a loud voice please come again. My son and I left again we were totally ignored. Ive spent plenty of money at this establishment and they do have great food. But after feeling so disrespected I will not be coming back! The only good that came from this was I was able to explain to my son what subtle racism is and to show him how to not act on others feelings. Please if by chance the owners see this please take down the pictures of Jimi Hendrix and Sammy Davis because they would not have been welcome in your establishment on this day 11/1/2014.
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Christopher W Falco
I have been going by Fat Boy for quite a few years, but March 11th was the first time I have ever eaten there. My son and I stopped in around 1:30 today for lunch. We each got a bacon burger with cheese, and an order of chili cheese fries to share, and I got a small order of onion rings. I look for the following things when having burgers; a great burger, great fries, and great onion rings, and the food has to be hot and fresh. First, the burgers were excellent, I will be mentally kicking my self for not stopping here years ago when I think of all the great burger opportunities that I missed! The onion Rings were incredible. If not the best ones I have ever had they are certainly in the top 3. Same kicking myself comment here. The one disappointment were the chili cheese fries. They had obviously sat a while waiting for the rest of our order as the fries and chili were barely lukewarm. My son ate the majority of them but agreed they would have been so much better served hot. I posted this same review on Facebook under the review section of the Fat Boy page, and in the posts on the page itself. No one from Fat Boy replied, which bothers me. Do they care part of the order was not well received?
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Thomas Harrison
The food is fresh, tastes great, and there is plenty of it. That is the after all the point of going out for a meal at a diner? Its locally owned and operated, the money made there goes right back to GR, not some corporate office. Sorry for the "fancy pants" posters who complain about some of the "DIY" stuff like getting your own silverware. It is setting next to you when you order/pay. Next time go to Dennys, its right down the road, the food is just as terrible as ever and costs more. But you wont have to grab your own fork...and yes theres an option to tip, add a buck cheap-a$$.