New Jersey: This Restaurant Serves The Best Soft Pretzel

Professional sports arenas, school cafeterias, and sports bars might be the most common establishments thought of when it comes to grabbing a great soft pretzel meal. However, in New Jersey, there is a restaurant that dates back to the 19th century that serves a pretzel appetizer that is worth raving about.

Located at 51 Broad Street in Ridgewood, the Steel Wheel Tavern just sounds like a place that serves the best pretzel meal in New Jersey. This restaurant is right across the street from the train station in the historic downtown area. The ambiance and mood of the area is perfectly fitting to serve such comfort foods. They not only are accommodating to those commuters getting off of work, but the Steel Wheel is your local spot to pull up a barstool and share a great time.

As for the pretzels, the order can either be shared amongst the group or held as your own meal.

There are three non-negatable elements to making a memorable pretzel. First and foremost, it has to be warm and baked fresh. This allows the pretzel to have a perfect balance of a slightly crunchy exterior that is then filled with a chewy, warm inside. Then, we have the salt. This is important because if the ratio is not right here, it can ruin the entire thing. You can certainly tell if a pretzel is freshly prepared if the salt is properly stuck upon the pretzel. If it falls off instantly like rock candy, you may have a stale or reheated frozen item in your hands where the salt was adhered by using water.

Lastly, we have the dips. Now, a great soft pretzel should be able to stand on its own. Meaning, you savor every bite without needing something to take over the taste. However, at the Steel Wheel, the warm cheese sauce that comes with their giant soft pretzel is full of flavor. It's a cheddar ale spread that may be the perfect blend of cheese and beer ale. Sitting right beside it is a spicy mustard dip. The only challenge with this order is that it all works so well together. Before you know it, they are gone, and you've licked the plate clean.

The baked soft pretzel spears will cost you $9 at the Steel Wheel Tavern in Ridgewood. This town establishment is also well-known for its live music nights. You can find the full schedule of weekly entertainment here.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) recently shared a study that details the top fast-food chains in the country based on customer satisfaction. While I agree with the top choice, the others are questionable. And hey, taste is subjective. I'm something of a fast-food restaurant connoisseur.  So, here I will re-rank the country's top five fast-food restaurant chains based on personal experience. (Hence, "Definitive" in quotes in the headline.)

First, let's examine the numbers in this report, as there are certainly some valuable points to consider. It appears as if their customer satisfaction entails 11 important factors. These include areas such as the accuracy of food orders, staff courtesy, and cleanliness. Another important measurement these days is the efficiency of the chain's app.

The ACSI report is based on 16,250 customers who were surveyed. Their top five looked like this:

Technically "other" landed at number three, but for the sake of top brands, that is the top of the list.

While I do like the variety in cuisine displayed in ACSI's list, I am surprised at many of the names I see there. To create this ranking, I did follow and considered the customer satisfaction criteria previously laid out in the survey. Though I am a drive-thru-first type of person, I will quickly peel out of the parking lot if I detect the joint doesn't look like it takes cleanliness seriously. Regardless of how much I am craving that chicken sandwich. In other words, those scored questions are legit measurements.

It's worth mentioning that I travel quite a bit as well. Whether taking my kids to a weekend lacrosse tournament or heading south to visit family, a fast-food meal is often all I have time for. Nonetheless, I don't just stop for anything, and I do aim for the healthiest option possible (most of the time).

So, imagine I just pulled off a magical interstate exit where all of these fast food restaurants had an open establishment. I'm considering the criteria points ACSI has laid out, and looking for a quality meal. Here is my official re-ranking of the top five fast-food restaurant chains in the country.

*Side-note, the ACSI also includes statistic results on full-service chain restaurants. That is not applicable to my ranking, but Chili's is the clear number one, with all the rest being second.

I'm a pizza enthusiast, let's just get that out of the way. Remember, this ranking is for fast-food chains so that local brick oven establishment that you love doesn't count here. Pizza Hut represents nostalgia for me. That deep dish out of the cast-iron pan has consistency. Plus, there's the individual size that easy to eat in the car. If this location happens to be one of the old school hut style designs with the lunch buffet, then it would rank even higher than five.

ONLY for the fries and coke with crushed ice. If McDonald's did not have these two items, it would not be on the list and I would never go here. These are the only two menu items I ever order, and each time I have the same reaction where I appreciate how good and consistent the fries are.

I think this is the only fast-food establishment where I order vegetables. That has to be worth something. Fresh peppers in a burrito any day of the week. If my wallet is feeling crazy, I'll throw a mound of their guacamole on any order. Plus, there's nothing like getting one of those fresh chips that is folded over three others and accidentally smothered in extra salt.

I really want to put Jersey Mike's here but it is not on the ACSI survey (perhaps since there aren't as many of them). Wendy's takes this spot due to the little things they offer. The nuggets are best "traditional" nuggets in the game. Plus, the baked potato with appropriate toppings is a subtle curveball to fast-food world that has the ability to serve as the secret weapon. The frosty is always reminds me of "Mr. Deeds" which means I have to get it (and it's delicious).

No surprises here. It holds strong as the king of the fast food mountain in my definitive list. That #1 chicken sandwich meal is clutch every time. Add in their own style of nuggets and it's no wonder why Chick-fil-A always has a line. Furthermore, I find each location has very professional and well-trained staff. The real bonus point here is that I recently discovered the chicken biscuit breakfast sandwich. Needless to say, Chick-fil-A is the only of these fast-food establishments I can hit for any meal of the day.