The Deli at Jewel Food Store

Sometimes we get chicken fingers at the Jewel food store. The chicken isn't bad so we decided to get some of their onion rings. In a word, they are "disgusting". The oil they used to cook them tasted old, all of the rings congealed into a lump, and they tasted awful.

We tried to like them...we really did, but in the end we all agreed that they are terrible. Don't waste your money.

Portillo's

Portillo's is a largish, and very well known, fast food chain here in Chicagoland. They have a wide variety of foods, such as Italian beef sandwichs, hotdogs, ribs, and other very yummy items. And they have onion rings and chocolate shakes! Woohoo! Well, we had to try them. Here are the results:

Mommy: She really likes Portillo's as a whole and she likes the onion rings, but sometimes the onion rings are a bit inconsistent. Some days they are a little over-cooked and other days they are under-cooked. But, these are her favorite so far.

Daddy: As mentioned with Nikko's, Daddy likes his onion rings slightly over-cooked and crispy, so on days when this is the case Portillo's is one of Daddy's favorites. But, on those days when they are under-cooked Daddy isn't a fan of Portillo's. The rings are mushy and clammy. (Is "clammy" a word?)

Ian: Loves Portillo's onion rings. When we go there we have to get him his own order of them, otherwise no one else gets any. These are his favorite so far.

Camryn: She'll drink the shakes there, but they aren't her favorite. The shakes at Portillo's are not up to the same standard as their other food items.

Conclusion: Portillo's is a very yummy place to eat. They have a wide variety of food to choose from and the prices are reasonable. Give the onion rings a try. They're pretty good. The shakes aren't bad but they're only slightly better than McDonald's shakes.

Nikko's

Today we started our search at a local burger joint called "Nikko's". It's an interesting place that has parking spaces with menus. You place your order there and someone brings it out to you, but they have indoor seating as well.

Nikko's is located at the corner of Willow and Rand road in Arlington Heights. It is one of those Greek gyros fast food restaurants. The smells that come out of the door are fabulous.

With anticipation we got one order of rings and passed them around. Here are our comments:

Mommy: Felt that the rings were a bit over-cooked, but they were still ok. But they weren't sweet enough for her.

Daddy: Liked them. He doesn't like under-cooked onion rings so these were decent. They were sweet and crunchy.

Ian: Thought that they were a little over-cooked, but they were crunchy and yummy. But, they were very hot when they came so he had to wait a few minutes while they cooled down. This was an annoyance to him.

Camryn: Enjoyed the chocolate malt, though clearly the ice cream they use is just soft serve, so it was "so so".

Conclusion: Nikko's is a good restaurant for burgers and gyros and the onion rings are decent, but the rings and malts aren't good enough to make a special trip back.

A new beginning

Welcome to the Onion Ring diaries! Tag along on our journey to find the most excellent onion rings and malts. It may take us a lifetime of searching, but we will not rest until we locate the Holy Grail of fried treats.

Ok, that's actually a lie. We'll do lots of resting while we search. Those of us who love onion rings don't have the stamina to tirelessly search for anything.

But, look we will, and we will post our opinions of what we find (with pictures, too!). We hope you enjoy the ride...