Steak 'n Shake Quest: Back with a Vengeance!

Sometimes life gets in the way of things. Which is sort of sad, but on the other hand, in this situation you can take that statement to mean that my long absence from the quest does not mean I have died (unless you wanted me dead, in which case, this isn't sort of sad, it's entirely, 100 percent sad).

No, it means I continue to live, and in a state that has made it difficult to maintain my questing duties, though I still reside in Indiana. (State! Indiana! Ha!) New jobs, new homes, new planets. One of these listings doesn't impact me and was not a part of why the quest paused. And the hint is, I have not been able to verify yet, for-real and in-person, that there is NOT a Steak 'n Shake on Mars for me to add to the quest.

But never fear. A stop post, a for-real stop post, is on the horizon.

In the meantime, I do have some sadness/happiness to confess. The quest has been on pause for so long that I have officially had to add another stop to the list. Sadness, because the name of the quest is now officially wrong (though I won't change it because "Around the State in 71 Steaks. And Shakes." just doesn't have the same pleasant ring to it). Happiness, because MORE EXCUSE FOR QUESTING!

I discovered this addition from the Steak 'n Shake Facebook page several weeks ago.

See all those happy people in that picture? They're happy because Batesville just got its very own Steak 'n Shake! Prior to this, their closest options were all at least 20 miles away, and two of the three were in ...

... OHIO!

So the good people of Batesville definitely deserved this. 

And patient quest followers, you have definitely deserved a 71st stop to make up for my absence of more than a year. You've also deserved exactly what's coming ... in the next stop-post.

For those of you keeping score at home ...

For those of you keeping score at home, you likely know that I'm now at 54 of the 70 Steak 'n Shakes in Indiana -- I have just 16 left to hit, plus my planned victory lap at my favorite location, the one where we started it all: Nora, Indianapolis.

For those wondering why I seem to have slowed recently, the answer may become apparent if you choose to check out my GoogleDoc for Quest Progress. I do still have some stops left in Indy, as I tried to save some for later in the quest so that I wouldn't be spending the homestretch being forced to drive 3+ hours away for every single stop -- but beyond those few, many of the stops left are an hour or more away, and often in geographic areas I don't find myself in frequently (I'm looking at you, east-side-of-Indiana-and-subsequently-dangerously-close-to-my-nemesis-Ohio).

But progress is being made, slowly. Watch for more of my wild and crazy adventures soon!

Intermission: Things that make me smile

I've still got a couple of stops to post on, but first, I would like to post something that just makes me smile like none other today.

Blogger is fantastic in that, in looking at the stats for your blog, it lets you see what links people are using to get to you, and what Google keywords they are using to get to you.

Here's a recent screenshot, with my favorite circled.


That might be hard to read, but it definitely says "gangsters with fedoras."

That's right. People are Googling "gangsters with fedoras" and are finding my Steak n' Shake blog. Thank you, Señor Mizener, for making that possible.

I love the world. :)

An unintended hiatus

You may be wondering what has happened to the quest, given that I haven't posted any progress in more than a month.

The good news is, it is still on.
The bad news is, sometimes life impedes my progress. I didn't want to admit it, but turns out that if you get married, take a honeymoon, and move, all while trying to continue to balance three-credit hour classes, two jobs, and a partridge in a pear tree, sometimes your Steak 'n' Shake quest gets pushed to a back-burner.

This is especially true if the man you just married simply is not the SnS fan that you yourself are.

But rest assured, friends and fans, I am still working on it. I've made some stops that I need to get the posting caught up on. I'm behind schedule, but optimistic.

So, watch for those posts soon, and in the meantime, enjoy what YouTube turned up for me in the "Steak 'n' Shake" and "Halloween" theme.

Remember this fantastic horror movie from just over 10 years ago?



Yeah, that came out when I was in high school, which makes me feel old.

Anyway, before Heather was out ghost-hunting in the woods of Maryland, she was serving you food at the local Steak 'n' Shake restaurant!



Oh YouTube. Sometimes you're fantastic.

Tasty food: "Ur doin it wrong"

Draft 1:
Dear Steak 'n' Shake,
At first, I was excited to see coupons in my mail from you when I got home from work.


But then something caught my eye.


At first, I thought, "It can't be! It simply cannot be!"



But I was wrong. And, disappointed with you, I nearly canceled the quest.
Love (but fading fast),
Marcy

Draft 2:
Dear Steak 'n' Shake,
I love you, I really do.
But sometimes, you make me cry with the stuff you put out.


Love,
Marcy

Draft 3
Dear Steak 'n' Shake,
I know you have a variety of customers who come through your doors to enjoy your wondrous food.


But I've got to say, just because some of those customers happen come in after using certain recreational pharmaceuticals and other related items, doesn't mean you should make menu items that specifically cater to them and advertise that they're a significant chunk of your customer base.


Really, who thought that one through?
Love (through the good times and the bad),
Marcy

Draft 4
Dear Steak 'n' Shake,
Please let me into your testing kitchen.
Because there is no excuse for things like this to make it out of there.


Love,
Marcy

I dream of Steak 'n' Shake

Sometimes I find reason to post that isn't an actual stop at Steak 'n' Shake.

For example, a few nights back, I had a dream about Steak 'n' Shake. And not just a dream where I happened to be at Steak 'n' Shake -- that would feel like no big deal. I often dream about places where I happen to spend a lot of my time -- the library, the lotion store, misery.

I must say, though, that it's a bit strange to dream not just about being in the place, but about the menu -- specifically, something on the menu I've never had before.

My dream started with me entering a Steak 'n' Shake. I don't really know which one. But it was probably in Indiana.

Once I got there, I found Mizener, along with a bunch of people from Purdue. They were having something like a going away party for Mizener, since he was leaving for Texas, and I was actually kind of upset that no one had called me to come join.

Once I walked in the door, though, they waved me over to join. I was making my way there when I noticed a coworker, Heather, sitting at a table in another part of the dining room. She was there with about four other women. I went over to say hi to them, and they invited me join at an empty seat at their table.

I sat down. Pretty quickly, a waitress came out to take my order -- everyone else at the dable was already eating -- and I asked for the blueberry pancakes, something I've been wanting to try but so far haven't actually awaken early enough to order.

After a moment or two, the pancakes came out, and they were glorious, but not exactly what I had anticipated. Instead of being pancakes with blueberries in them, the pancakes were standard pancakes -- but they came with not plain butter, but a butter-blueberry blend of amazingness that I wanted to buy in a bottle and bring home to use on my own pancakes. Or just guzzle.

Heather and her friends chatted with me, but I frankly don't remember what we chatted about 'cause I was so engrossed in blueberry pancakes. I hope for all our sakes that the conversation did not result in a solution to bring world peace, with me as the one taking minutes for our little meeting, 'cause the U.N.'s going to be dumping large vats of buttery-blueberry syrup on the world if that's what it comes down to.

A Guacamole Steakburger? Thank you, Steak 'n' Shake!

This past week, I checked my mail and found what I initially thought were just more Steak 'n' Shake coupons.


I mean, Steak 'n' Shake coupons are Steak 'n' Shake coupons, so I was pretty happy, despite what the "just" in the above statement implies -- but then I noticed that I had the Holy Grail of Steak 'n' Shake Coupons.


Well, MY Holy Grail of Steak 'n' Shake Coupons, anyway. Dan Brown and his spawn of spawn of spawn of Jesus Christ can go suck it. You too, Indiana Jones.

Okay, maybe that's a little harsh. Still, I was happier seeing this in my mailbox than I was seeing Tom Hanks with slicked back and greasy-looking almost-mullet hair or an ophidiophobic Harrison Ford, so you can see why this calls for a glorious and joyous post all its own.

What's that, Steak 'n' Shake? You want me to have a Guacamole Steakburger and fries, for just $4.49? I mean, that's what I'm assuming a "$4.49 Guacamole Steakburger & Fries" coupon means. And I think I shall. As Barney says in Season 4 Episode 2 of HIMYM, "I love this burger so much, I want to sew my ass shut."

Yes, dear Guacamole Steakburger, that is how I feel about you.

Love,
Marcy

A plan in the works

I've decided to take my extended-weekend-due-to-holiday-and-campus-power-outage and use it to knock out some of the Steak 'n' Shakes that are a distance from my current home base.

Specifically, I'm going to hit a few Steak 'n' Shakes in the Region.

Which means I've been playing phone tag with some of my friends that do live up there or will be up there for the Fourth, trying to figure out a plan of attack that allows me to knock out at least two, if not three.

This includes my friend Liz. She is awesome. And here is reason #427 why she is awesome:

"Let's get chocolate-wasted."

Dear Grown Ups movie, that is probably the highlight of anything you have contributed to my life, ever.

And, SPOILER ALERT!, you may not have to Catch Caragher™ in the photos for some of these stops. (That's right, Brett. I just trademarked your name in a game. Ha! :-P)

A final note, for anyone who will be up in the Region this weekend and is interested in joining for a stop, get in touch with me. I love company!

They say it's my birthday ...

... and happy birthday to me!


Well, happy birthday to me AND Fiancé. That's right, we share a birthday. And actually, it's not so much a happy birthday to him, at this point ... he's a little over the Steak 'n' Shake Quest (I know -- crazy, right?), so I'm guessing he was marginally less-than-thrilled with the gift of a Steak 'n' Shake gift card.

Nevertheless, we will be going to Steak 'n' Shake tonight to celebrate the birthday. And since he's turning super-old, he's getting a surprise special treat tomorrow night. Basically, he needs to stop complaining about the Steak 'n' Shake or he won't get the stripper hooker escort very nice surprise I have planned for him as an alternative to yet another Steak 'n' Shake dinner.

Also, my sister-in-law is awesome, for knowing me well enough to get me a Steak 'n' Shake gift card for my birthday.

A Steak 'n' Shake Plot in the works ....

This post will not have anything to do with the tales of a recent Steak 'n' Shake excursion. Though I promise that another post is coming.

Instead, I want to use this opportunity to highlight what is probably the most epic conversation I've ever seen on the Facebook status platform (which is saying a lot; one week, I spent countless hours reading all the way from page one through page 189 on Failbook).

Most epic conversation ever, AND it involves Steak 'n' Shake.














































































An apology, because they're all individual images -- I couldn't figure out how to merge them into one once I got my screencaps. Also, I realize that they're too small to read without opening them individually. I apologize. I don't know how to fix it. If you do, please let me know. :)

Anyway, the epic awesomeness of this conversation is twofold. First off, apparently we're now going to possibly/probably have a pseudo-bachelorette party the night before my wedding. In Warsaw. At Steak 'n' Shake. I don't think there is any way to top that, quite honestly.

And secondly, if you actually read it all (I hope you did!), you'll notice that I mention having spoken with Brad Stevens. Yes, THE Brad Stevens. It was fantastical. And also slightly mortifying.

On the day of this particular Facebook conversation, we had a tornado warning for our area. So my student worker and I had to let everyone in the building know that we were under warning (for what few didn't know), and that they were encouraged to go to the basement (because college students sitting in a 90-percent-glass-walls building need to be told that in the event of a tornado, any above-ground floors are unsafe ... no, seriously, they apparently do need to be told).

So I took the second floor, and the first table I approached in the music quad contained none other than Brad Stevens.


Yes, that Brad Stevens, THE Brad Stevens, of Butler Basketball and Fear-the-Glasses Friday fame.

He was sitting at a table with three students, and I got to talk to them thanks to a tornado warning!

"Just to let you guys know, there's a tornado warning covering our area right now. It goes until 7:45, so you're encouraged to head to the basement until then."

I said this all with a pleasant smile that I only realized after the fact was probably creepy (" *GRIN* Hi there! Tornado on the way! Potential for much damage! Maybe you should go to the basement! *GRIN* 'Cause me grinning like this and pressuring you into the basement sounds totally normal!").

Though frankly, that's not what I'm counting as mortifying.

What I'm counting as mortifying is that I forgot to turn my phone to silence when I got in on this particular evening. That wouldn't have been a big huge deal, except that the university weather alert system now sends you an email, a text, AND a phone call to warn of inclement weather.

When I departed to share the warning news with everyone, I had only received the first two of these three.

And so it happened that as I finished grinning like a crazy person, telling Brad Stevens and Crew that the basement would be a smarter location for them, my phone rang.

And my ringtone is still the chorus from the Charlie Sheen "Winning" song.



So just as I turned to step away and tell the next table of kids that, that blared out of my phone. While I was still right next to their table.

And now Brad Stevens thinks that I-I-I-I-I bang seven gram rocks, 'cause that's how I roll.

*sigh* Totally NOT winning.

On the other hand, it was probably marginally better than if I had had, say, "Too Big Yo" as my ringtone instead.

And yes. I just spent a good chunk of a Steak 'n' Shake Quest blog post talking about my brush with celebrity. However, it started with a conversation about Steak 'n' Shake, the night before my wedding, in Warsaw. Which would not only be winning, but would be EPIC winning.

Additional details: What We Eat

Well folks, I went home to Fort Wayne THE REGION DEAR STALKERS this weekend, and a friend told me, after I'd revealed the details of this quest, that I ought to record the details of the food I ordered at each Steak 'n' Shake, too.

Since we're not too terribly deep in yet, it is still doable -- definitely doable -- for me to backtrack and fill you all in. My memory, though not the sharpest, can at least remember the first four trips.

Nora
Chili
Frisco Melt
Fries
Chocomazing Shake (not actually ordered, but delivered by Daniel nonetheless)

54th & Keystone
Frisco Melt
Cheese Fries

Michigan & 86th
Grilled Chicken Salad
Chocomazing Shake

71st & Woodland
Chili
Cheese Fries

I know, I know. I don't change it up much. And, as a creature of habit, I probably never will. You're lucky I'm getting out of my shell and actually going to all of these Steak 'n' Shakes and not just settling (well, I'd hardly call it "settling," actually ...) for Nora, all the time every time.

Then again, if you're reading this blog, there really isn't any way that you could get lucky, at least not from a blogging perspective. Unless I died on the road to the next one.

A sign from above

I think this may have been meant as a sign that I was destined to do this quest. Or at least go to Steak 'n' Shake tonight.




I'm fine with either one.

"Around the State in 70 Stakes. And Shakes.": The Quest

Starting a new blog is always a weird thing.

I have had many blogs in the ... fourteen ... years that I've been actively using the Internet. Starting anew is always weird, 'cause you feel like you have to explain yourself. Someone could be reading that doesn't know you. Or someone who knows you might just want to know why you're blogging here, somewhere new, and not where you used to.

And really, all I ever want to do is just jump right in and talk about whatever it is on my mind that caused me to start a new blog.

I'm going to go with that feeling this time. If you know me, you'll get this -- I hope -- and if you don't, I hope you get to know me and enjoy reading.

I hope you find the answer to that question on your mind. Which at this point almost must be, "Around the State in 70 Steaks. And Shakes. What does it MEAN?"

It means that within the next year, I will be visiting every one of the 70 Steak 'n' Shakes in the glorious state of Indiana. Well, I will, along with my friend Brett, for as many as he can. Brett has this habit of having medical issues come up that sometimes keep him from doing things, and sometimes should keep him from doing things but don't succeed. For example, he emailed me this weekend from the ER for some ankle sprain thing. Quote, "They said it was a really bad sprain and gave me a strong antinflammatory and some pain meds. Still hurts like a bitch though".

I guarantee, though, if I had texted "Sns?" while it was "still hurt(ing) like a bitch though", he'd have agreed to going. His "as many as he can" issue actually has nothing to do with health issues for him. I just wanted to write about his sprained ankle. Which hurts like a bitch.

Reality is, he's leaving this glorious state of Indiana at the end of May to pursue education in the area of instrument repair in Wisconsin. Hopefully the instrument repair he learns is applicable to all states and not just instruments in Wisconsin, but he'll be learning his trade there at any rate. I don't know why. I mean, do they even HAVE Steak 'n' Shakes in Wisconsin? I have a friend who lives in Minnesota who insists upon Steak 'n' Shake visits when she's in town because they have none up there. Wisconsin is close, so I'll assume they don't.

Guys, it's a safe assumption that Brett will DIE when he gets to Wisconsin. He will have nothing to eat. This blog might just turn into a "Save Brett from Wisconsin!" quest, rather than a Steak 'n' Shake quest.

Which brings me back to the original point of this post. The quest, to go to all 70 Steak 'n' Shakes in this glorious state of Indiana.

And I maintain it is a glorious state. Ignoring the hellish ice-storm that happened about a week ago and actually delayed the beginning of this quest, we must face the fact that Indiana, the crossroads of this nation, home of an internationally-known racing venue, and birthplace of a somewhat strange but decidedly likable singer, may-he-rest-in-peace -- Indiana, that Indiana, is also a state with 70 Steak 'n' Shakes. The only state coming in with more Steak 'n' Shakes than the great Hoosier state is Florida, which has 81.

Someday, I'd like to visit Florida. Maybe when I'm old and am forced to retire there.

Ha ha ha -- except that I'm not going to be able to retire. Ever. *weeps inside*

Anyway. Short of Florida, no other state, not one, has as many Steak 'n' Shakes as Indiana, not even the state where Steak 'n' Shake was founded. That's right, my friends, Illinois has but a mere 69 (insert immature giggle here) Steak 'n' Shakes! May it hang its head in shame.

So now that we've answered the question of what exactly this quest is about, the inevitable follow-up question (probably delivered with a slight note of disgust by those doubters) is "WHY?"

Firstly -- well, why not?

Steak 'n' Shake has been my go-to place for the last eight years. As an undergrad, I went regularly with my sorority following major steps in the initiation process for new members. I also went frequently with anyone in that organization (and its brother organization) pretty much any time we just wanted to hang out somewhere. Steak 'n' Shake is open 24/7 -- it's basically ideal for college kids who routinely pull all-nighters, or are having a good weekend and just need to get some food in those stomachs to keep all that jungle juice company.

Since graduating, I've gotten a "real grown up person" job, but my nocturnal habits haven't changed because I work a modified second shift. Every other "real grown up person" out there (well, most of them) get out of work at 5 p.m. on Friday and get a chance to go out for dinner or drinks with their friends to kick off their weekend. I get out of work at 1 on it's-technically-Friday-morning-but-let's-face-it-you-haven't-gone-to-bed-so-it's-really-still-Thursday-night. How is a person like me to kick off a weekend with such a schedule?

Ah yes. That familiar red glow, shining like a beacon through even the darkness of 1 a.m.

Steak 'n' Shake has never failed me. Well, except that one time ....
Don't worry. I'm not going to rehash a million memories here and now. There is no time, and besides, I've got to fill this blog with something other than posts documenting each Steak 'n' Shake trip. At that point, the blog is only 70 (well, 71, counting this one) posts long. And as you may have gathered by now, I'm simply too long-winded for that.

An additional answer to that "Why?" is that, from a practical perspective, now is the best time. Brett is still in town right now, and is probably the only person willing to actually drive around the state with me to go to these various Steak 'n' Shakes. I still work this something-like-second shift, but hope to move to day hours at some point before I finish my Master's program, and let's face it, SnS just has so much more entertainment and promise in those witching hours than it does during the traditional happy hour (which, by the way, is set to happen twice a day at Steak 'n' Shake -- can we count the ways that Steak 'n' Shake truly is one of the most awesome places to spend time?).

And, probably most importantly, from the practical perspective, I currently live in Indianapolis

(for all those stalkers out there: I currently live in The Region. No, I don't know which city. But trust me, I live up there somewhere. I totally wish I lived in Chicago. I spend all my time rooting for the Chicago Bears and bitching about how Indiana's DST is all wrong. If you don't believe me, check the Steak 'n' Shakes. Around noon. That's your best chance of finding me and trying your "Does this smell like chloroform?" pick-up line, before you actually pick me up and hide me in your basement and force me to put the lotion on my skin, which I promise I already do because I spend most of my second paycheck at Bath & Body Works, but this is all neither here nor there ....)

and if you're on a quest to go to the 70 Steak 'n' Shakes in Indiana, there's no better place to start a quest from, than Indianapolis. After all, 33 of those Steak 'n' Shakes are in Indianapolis itself, or in the surrounding suburbs you can reach from Indianapolis relatively quickly. That's nearly half! (Don't say you aren't learning anything useful from this blog. Look at how I'm teaching you math! AND I'm acting excited about it, so that you might get excited too! Sort of how you ask your puppy, "Want to go to the vet?! Aren't you excited to be getting fixed?! Of course you are! Now that's a good boy! We're just going to love our trip to the vet that's going to result in you not being able to create any more puppies!" Except my contagious enthusiasm is not going to result in any readers being neutered.)

And as for the other 37 Steak 'n' Shakes -- while many are a distance from Indy, none are as far as some would be if I lived in any other city in this state. If I lived in Fort Wayne, for example, the trip to the one down in Terre Haute would take nearly four hours. If I lived in Evansville, driving to any location in The Region

(where I currently live, stalker types ... so remember that on whatever day we plan the Evansville trip, no one will be expecting to see me for a solid day ... just sayin' ... you know ... you might want to target me on that day if you plan to kidnap me and dump my body in Lake Michigan, or if you really, really hate me and want to kidnap me so you can dump my body in Ohio ....)

would take more than five hours. One way. AND, if I lived in Anderson, and was trying to go to a Steak 'n' Shake in Tokyo, Japan, it would take a whole 35 days and 21 hours to get there. And that route includes kayaking across the Pacific Ocean in Step 26! AND, worse yet, toll roads! (Me 'n' toll roads have a bad past, worse than most people's. Don't ask.) Driving from Indianapolis, that same trip would take only 35 days and 20 hours.

So, you can clearly see the benefit provided by starting such a quest in such a city as Indianapolis. In fact, according to Google Maps, not one of these drives is going to take more than three and a half hours. If Brett's driving, it's a safe bet that not one will take more than three hours. Plus, we don't have to kayak or swim anywhere, unless we want to. And, of course, no tolls. Victory!

"But Marcy," you may say. "Liking Steak 'n' Shake -- albeit in the abnormal ways that you must -- and living in a central part of the state are certainly not reasons alone to up and decide one day to go to all the Steak 'n' Shakes in your state." Because, in case you weren't aware, you do use phrases like up and decide. "Marcy," you are still saying, "for serious, why are you going to all the Steak 'n' Shakes in your state when you could just as easily go to one favorite location in Indianapolis and waste less time in driving and less money on gas?"

Amen, amen, I say to you, people in glass houses sink ships, or would, if it weren't for my horse.

And so. Welcome to the blog for our Steak 'n' Shake quest! Brett and I will document this quest as we check different SnS locations off our list. At least, I will. I can't promise anything in regards to Brett posting. For all I know, next time he'll accidentally slam his fingers in his car door and be lacking an ability to type. But this documentation will happen one way or another, and will likely cover exciting happenings of our Steak 'n' Shake quest. Because trust me, when we go to a Steak 'n' Shake, it is pretty much always an exciting happening.

Check back here for our adventures, as well as opportunities to join us when we come to a Steak 'n' Shake near you! Brett and I appreciate your visit:




Also, if you've got any Steak 'n' Shake gift cards just laying around, those would probably be appreciated by us in exponential fashions as we progress in this quest. :)