We needed to eat. We had been driving for hours. I hate traffic in built up areas, and this was right off the interstate, or so I though. We took the off ramp and started looking. It took us almost a half an hour to find the place, so I almost stopped somewhere else. But to my relief we finally spotted it.

It was nice inside, looked almost brand new even. The waitress seated us and brought us menus. This can't be fast food can it? A waitress? Seating us? Prices were not too outrageous either. Waitress came and answered some basic questions, and took our order fairly quickly. She and the others were fairly friendly too I might add. You could hear them talking about personal lives, boyfriends, girlfriends, rent, that sort of thing, and doing so with smiles. Nobody was shouting. Nobody was upset or stressed. This is fast food? I ordered a portabella and swiss burger with fries, and a huge Coke with no ice.

It didn't take long before our waitress brought it out. OK, that was fast, and it is food. It wasn't the smallest burger I've ever seen either. There are few people in here though and that makes me wonder. Is it any good? I picked it up and made ready for the acid test: first bite. Juices ran down my fingers. Ummmmm this ain't fast food. It can't be. Fast food is dry and tasteless. The PC health nuts do their best to make sure it is. Juices RAN DOWN MY FINGERS! OK, enough. I took a bite.

Let me tell you something. I have eaten all over. I've had the best of American cuisine. It's takes something to impress me anymore. This was GOOD. The portabellas were done perfect. The cheese melted in with the juices running down my fingers. It was clear this was not made from cheap generic ground beef. It was one of the most flavorful, tasty burgers I have ever bitten into.

We had to wash up afterwards, and we left full. We didn't spend too much money either, not for what we got. Had we gone to Burger King we almost certainly would have spent more, probably McDonalds too. Now to some of you this chain is nothing new, but some of you probably have never heard of it, I suspect it's fairly new. This place beats all of the fast food burger joints hands down. Even the not so cheap ones.

I don't normally rave about fast food places. I eat them, but they are just places to eat, on the cheap, when you are hungry now and can't stop to cook. This was quality I would expect from a finer restaurant, not fast food. Did we just catch them on a good day or something? Perhaps. That wasn't the impression I got though. And given the chance, I'd make further "investigation" forays into their establishment, "just to make sure" naturally.

If you get a chance to try them out some day, it might be worth your stop. It was ours. I'm referring of course to Steak and Shake.

Surprised? Anybody who wants to open one here has my vote.