Bud & Stanleys Pub & Grub — Restaurant in Plainfield Charter Township

Despite having gone on the day prior to New Year's Eve, Bud and Stanley's Pub & Grub was filled with the noise and revelry characteristic of a major celebration. I was not deterred. My sole goal, as it has always been and will ever be, was to sample and review their onion rings. I steeled myself through the din of the crowd, with an internal cry of "Sola Cepa!' giving me strength to persevere.

In my long, and never-ending, quest to review onion rings, I thought I had seen it all. It seems that most restaurants are content to plop out a mound of onion rings in a plastic basket, resting atop a thin layer of greasy paper.

That's why the presentation of these onion rings delighted my jaded eyes in a way I've never thought possible. The onion rings sank deep into the recesses of the conic container, and were stacked well above the end of the cone, making a tower pleasing to the eye and to the palate. The accompanying container for the ranch dipping sauce, attached right to the cone, left me in awe of the wondrous innovations we see in civilization today.

The appearance of the onion rings was good at first glance. A golden brown batter covered a wide array of onion ring sizes. The main problems came in the inconsistency of the coating, with more than a few onion rings lacking full cover, or some extra gnarly bits tagging along.

For all the glitz and glamour of the presentation, the taste was lacking. There was a fair portion of grease in the rings, spurting into my mouth with every bite. The batter lacked sufficient seasoning and flavor, and seemed mostly to serve as a barrier to keep the grease inside rather than providing taste in and of itself.

The onion, however, had a pleasant, if subtle, taste. On one or two rings, the onions were cooked in such a way as to pack a bite filled to the brim with the juices and flavors of the onion. the onions were sweated, but perhaps a bit too long.

The accompanying ranch sauce had was heavy and packed a decent punch, but it mostly served to mask the bland batter of the onion rings, rather than work in concert to improve the dish as a whole.

The battered rings were soft, lacking in crunch and rigidity. This perhaps contributed to the outrageous amounts of slippage I encountered while eating, far more than standard. More often than not, my first bite led to accidentally eating the entire onion, leaving a messy pile of batter sitting on a napkin in its stead.

The primary culprit of the slippage was the batter. It was far too thin, and left too much space between the onion and the batter to sufficiently cover, and maintain hold of, the onion in the rings. There were a handful of exceptions, where the batter was secure and thick and held the integrity of the ring together, which were a welcome reprieve from the norm.

The sweating of the onions, prior to battering and frying, made them juicy, and closer to the side of mushy than I usually like. Fortunately, it didn't devolve into a unsatisfying paste, as so often happens.

For $5.75, I got a reasonably sized portion of onion rings. The presentation no doubt made the pile seem bigger than it would in a traditional basket. The portion size was fine, but for the price, and the quality of the rings, I found it lacking.

It would serve well as a shared appetizer for two, or, for a light, early dinner for an onion ring...

We arrived on a Friday night at 6:30pm. Place was packed. Our friends had arrived before us and got a table. We were a party of five. The wait staff were extremely busy. We ordered beverages and food. Regardless of how crazy busy it was at the restaurant, the food arrived in a timely manner. Food was hot and delicious. I had the salmon dinner. Salmon was very moist and flavorful. My husband ordered the prime rob and it came out exactly as he requested. Our friends ordered a pasta dish, hamburger salad and the meatloaf dinner. Presentation on all five meals were colorful and perfect. Temperature of the food on all five meals was hot. Our server made sure we were satisfied with our meals and checked back to ensure our drinks were refilled. Every d loved their meals. The atmosphere of the restaurant felt like it was a local hangout. Families, couples and friends were all enjoying themselves. It does have a bar if you prefer to sit there rather than high tops, booths or regular tables. Even though it was busy, we were still able to engage in conversations without having to yell to be heard above music or the crowd. Not having to battle with bad acoustics in the setting was nice too. We are looking...

Original Pub Burger: My favorite! Juicy and made just right! Got it Pink and No Pink and the Pink was better.

The Pretzel Burger: Was good, but a little drier. Maybe need a different cheese? The chipotle was good, but needed more. Otherwise, it was spicy, which I like.

The Garlic Burger: Was okay, too. Not my taste like I thought, so I will leave it at that.

Patty Melt: It was good and the sweet caramelized onions were a nice touch. The bread is rye, which I typically like, but it is a bit of an acquired taste and the swiss goes with it, if you like that kind of thing.

Batman Burger: It was honestly a lot better than I was expecting. I am not as much of a Colby Jack fan, but that burger was awesome! Maybe I am just a really big fan of bacon? It was juicy and a little sweet, which I like!

Jambalaya: My friend had it and it was scrumptious!

Fries: The fries were awesome!

Atmosphere: It was cozy and the food low priced for the quality.

Price: I spent $36 and some change on THREE LARGE BURGERS after tax. Not bad compared to where restaurants are these days.

Yes, I ate all three and the...