“In Sight It Must Be Right”

Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert waxes ecstatic about the Steak ‘n Shake restaurant chain and his memories of the restaurant growing up in Urbana, Ill.

Ebert’s whole blog entry is worth reading (as are the comments and his replies). But here is a choice excerpt, of which many roadies will concur:

If I were on Death Row, my last meal would be from Steak ‘n Shake. If I were to take President Obama and his family to dinner and the choice were up to me, it would be Steak ‘n Shake — and they would be delighted. If the Pope were to ask where he could get a good plate of spaghetti in America, I would reply, “Your Holiness, have you tried the Chili Mac or the Chili 3-Ways?”

A downstate Illinois boy loves the Steak ‘n Shake as a Puerto Rican loves rice and beans, an Egyptian loves falafel, a Brit loves banger and mash, an Indian loves tikki ki chaat, a Swede loves herring, a Finn loves reindeer jerky, and a Canadian loves bran muffins. These matters do not involve taste. They involve a deep-seated conviction that a food is absolutely right, and always has been, and always will be. These convictions are fixed at an early age. I do not expect to convert you.

Yes, Steak ‘n Shake is a “fast food” chain — just about the first, I think, except probably for White Castle. Certainly it is the best. How many hamburger chains bring you a glass of water and silverware, and serve you on china?

And this recollection of when Ebert appeared on David Letterman’s show years ago:

My Steak ‘n Shake fetish is not unique. On an early visit to the Letterman Show, during a commercial break, I said to David:

“I hear you’re from Indianapolis, home of the head office of Steak ‘n Shake.”

“In Sight, It Must be Right,” he said. Our eyes locked in unspoken communion.

“Four Ways to Enjoy,” I said.

“Car, table, counter, or TakHomaSak,” he replied.

“Specializing in Selected Foods…”

“… with a Desire to Please the Most Discriminating.”

“Thanks for Your Liberal Patronage …”

David didn’t blink an eye or miss a beat. We had both obviously memorized the original menu. “… signed, A. H. (Gus) Belt, founder,” he said, and we shared a nod of great satisfaction. Augustus H. Belt founded Steak ‘n Shake in 1934, and after three changes in ownership over the years, it still preserves the original logos, mottoes, typography, design, approach, philosophy and, most crucially, recipes. The founder built well.

My memories of Steak and Shake largely match Ebert’s, except that my parents to took me to the restaurants in Decatur, Ill., not Urbana. (However, I have often enjoyed myself at Ebert’s favorite Steak ‘n Shake on Green Street in Urbana.) And, in my adulthood, I kept going to Steak ‘n Shakes after rock concerts in St. Louis.

My wife doesn’t get the attraction to Steak ‘n Shakes, mostly because she grew up in southern Illinois, where the restaurants are scarce.

Alas, the original Steak ‘n Shake in Bloomington, Ill., was razed about a decade ago. The land on which it sat, an island between the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. 51, suffered from horrendous drainage problems, no doubt contributing to that restaurant’s demise. Still, it seems horribly wrong that the owners let Restaurant No. 1 go.

The best place to check out a Steak ‘n Shake is the one at St. Louis Street and National Avenue in  Springfield, Mo. Not only is this Steak ‘n Shake on Route 66, but it was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.