Update: We tried it! Click here to read our review.
Remember Oreo Cakesters? This tiramisu flavor would’ve been great in Oreo Cakesters form. The soft cake-like cookies would’ve been like the texture of the ladyfingers. (Spotted by Vicky at Times Supermarket.)
In the midst of one boring burger after another from various chains around the country, we as a collected people desperately needed a wholly edible celebration of meat and cheese to bring us out of our dull fast-food doldrums. And, thank God, it was our good friends at Sonic and their new Sweet ‘n Tangy Bacon Cheeseburger to do it.
The latest creation to come out of Oklahoma City’s favorite fast food corporation, this delightful cheeseburger is a flavorful mélange of things that, honestly, should not work. But here, they come together in delicious harmony to make what I classify as a near-perfect burger, one that should appease the taste buds of even the hardest-hearted burger-eaters of them all. Fries, sadly, not included.
It features a Sonic pure beef patty paraded about with the blissful fanfare of smokehouse cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, grilled onions, shredded lettuce, and a large quantity of honey mustard. They’re all deliciously served on a toasted “bakery quality” brioche bun.
The smokehouse cheddar cheese is the first thing to be tasted, even beyond the largesse of the meat. It’s a relieving flavor that, when mixed with the proud honey mustard, gives a tongue-biting zing that is usually not featured on too many mainstream burgers these days. The follow-up of crispy bacon gently tempers that with the right amount of fat and salt.
If you’re so inclined, there is also a slider variation of this marvelous burger, perfect for those that have big tastes but very little pocket change.
But, still, if you’ve got the gut and gumption, just go for this five buck version and gently eat away those taste-destroying burger blues.
Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available at publication time.
Starting today (Monday, April 13), TIB will not accept Spotted photos taken in stores, until further notice. If you happen to spot something new, and it’s something you plan on buying, and you’d like to let your fellow TIB readers know about it, please take a photo of it at home.
With this way of doing things, we won’t have photos of a lot of new products, but that’s okay. Safety is the number one concern during these times.
If you’ve sent in photos sometime within the past few days, we’ll be posting them throughout this week and maybe next week.
Stay safe, everyone!
Marvo
Editor
The premium entree with a premium price features Angus steak with baby broccoli, onions, red bell peppers, and mushrooms in a savory black pepper sauce.
I got it as part of the $20 Family Meal online promotion that Panda Express is offering, which is $25 here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
I also got it delivered through DoorDash, tipped the Dasher $5, and, because it’s a premium entree, the Black Pepper Angus Steak added another $4.50. So it was less of a deal for me. But if you do takeout, this $20 deal is THE BEST (even at $25), and I think it should stick around for longer than April 17.
Did you hear, um, read me, Panda Express!
I’ve consumed a lot of different black pepper-flavored products over the years, and every single one of them had a bold black pepper flavor, which is what I was expecting with this. So I’m surprised by the mild usage of the seasoning in the sauce.
While chewing on forkfuls of tender Angus steak pieces, veggies, and savory sauce, there was one word I couldn’t get out of my head: pizza.
Yes, that’s an odd word to put in a Panda Express review and the taste isn’t always there. Maybe it’s my subconscious telling me I should eat pizza instead of Panda. I dunno. But the combination of the savory sauce and tender Angus steak pieces starts off a little peppery and then it morphs into a flavor that’s like the Italian sausage on a pizza. Also, I feel the crunchy bell peppers and onions maybe help push the flavor in my mind.
Look, the whole pizza thing is weird, but despite that, I love it. It’s my new favorite Panda Express Angus steak entree, and I hope it sticks around.
Did you hear, um, read me, Panda Express!
I didn’t know baby broccoli was a thing. Baby carrots? Yes. Baby corn? Yes. Baby bok choy? Yes. Also, while I’m on a baby vegetable tangent, I think Brussels sprouts should be renamed to baby cabbages.
The baby broccoli’s size varies from infant to toddler. The thin infant ones are adorable, but the thicker ones look as if some watercress walked into the wok somehow.
Although its flavor reminds me of Italian sausage and pizza, I think Panda Express’ Black Pepper Angus Steak that doesn’t taste like it has a lot of black pepper is worth the premium price.
Purchased Price: $25 (as part of special $25 Family Meal deal)
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (5.10 oz) 180 calories, 7 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 750 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 19 grams of protein.
(Spotted by John W at Family Dollar.)
Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.
Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if the product is old, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.
If you’ve seen the product, help out your fellow readers by letting them know in the comments what city and store you found it in.
