REVIEW: Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator

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Wendy s Breakfast Baconator

What is Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator?

A pre-10 a.m. take on Wendy’s famed Baconator hamburger, this walk-of-shame variation features grilled sausage, American cheese, a flattened egg, and enough Applewood smoked bacon to choke a hog. It’s also topped with a Swiss cheese sauce and served to you with a coffee and a smile.

How is it?

Take what you think you know about breakfast sandwiches and beat it into salty submission. While the Breakfast Baconator might not look as jam-packed as, say, some monstrosity from Carl’s Jr., Wendy’s has somehow managed to pack quite a bit of grotesquely gorgeous morningside taste in its bid for total breakfast domination.

Besides the requisite slab of fried egg and cut of grilled sausage — nicely done, by the way — the two distinctly separate layers of Applewood smoked bacon, while definitely the definition of “too much,” work perfectly for the breakfast sandwich. It might be even better than the lunchtime variety. And while the Swiss cheese sauce was somewhat lighter than expected, the two slices of American cheese make up for it, giving this pile of meat a surprising bite from the dairy.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Wendy s Breakfast Baconator 2

With so much bacon — I counted eight strips on mine — the salt in this sandwich is mouth-puckeringly strong. I say skip the hash browns and order an extra cup of coffee instead. You’ll need it way more, even after the Breakfast Baconator is a belching memory.

Conclusion:

Calorically rich in its Applewood smoked goodness, it really is a perfect-enough fast food breakfast and quite obviously the cornerstone of Wendy’s burgeoning breakfast menu, which, at least in my part of the country, could be considered fightin’ words. I mean, have you seen those Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits?

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: N/A
?Rating: 8 out of 10
?Nutrition Facts: 730 calories, 50 grams of fat, 19 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 280 milligrams of cholesterol, 1750 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 7 grams of total sugars, and 34 grams of protein

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Iced Matcha Latte

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Dunkin Matcha Iced Latte

Update 3/4/2021: We also tried the blueberry-flavored version! Click here to read our review.

Matcha is not for everyone.

I can easily understand how its grassy and slightly bitter flavor can be a taste bud turnoff. Even when the bright green tea powder is mixed with milk and ice, like it is with Dunkin’s Matcha Lattes, it still won’t be for everyone.

But if you love the flavor, as I do, then Dunkin’s Matcha Latte is a perfectly adequate drink.

It’s available hot, iced, or frozen, but because it was 75 degrees when I ordered it, I decided to go with an iced latte. And, because I sometimes like to test my lactose intolerance, I decided to get mine with whole milk.

Dunkin’ makes a big deal about how its matcha green tea powder is from the Nishio region of the Aichi prefecture in Japan, where the finest tea leaves have been grown for more than 800 years. To be honest, I can’t determine how fine the tea is or whether the tea is from Nishio or the city of Uji in Kyoto prefecture. But I don’t care because I’ve enjoyed every slurp of Dunkin’s Iced Matcha Latte.

Full disclosure: I’m a man who is easily satisfied when it comes to matcha lattes. I’ve had a number of them, from either Starbucks or in bottled form from one of the many Japanese beverage brands I can get my hands on here on this rock that’s the closest U.S. state to Japan. Out of all of them, I don’t think I’ve ever had a lousy matcha latte.

Dunkin Matcha Iced Latte Closeup

To me, they all generally taste the same because it’s a simple drink. It’s pretty much matcha powder and milk. But this one from Dunkin’ doesn’t have as strong of a matcha punch as others. Maybe my dairy choice subdued the sweet, slightly bitter flavor, but it did make the drink creamy. Speaking of cream, I thought this tasted like a less sweet, less bitter matcha ice cream.

This offering from Dunkin’ isn’t going to change your mind about the green tea made from baby leaves if you don’t care for its flavor. But if you do enjoy the earthy matcha tea, it’s a perfectly fine latte and it’s nice to be able to buy one from someplace other than Starbucks.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: Medium
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 32 grams of sugar, 10 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Checkers/Rally’s Fully Loaded Fries Bacon Steak Sub

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Checkers Fully Loaded Fries Steak Sub

I don’t know who dreamed up the idea of putting fries inside of every fast food sandwich, wrap, crepe, and pupusa imaginable, but whoever that person is, rest assured, he or she is my hero.

Carrying on the proud tradition of L-T-Os like Taco Bell’s Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries Burrito is the latest and greatest potato-stuffed fast food roll-up from Checkers/Rally’s, the newfangled Fully Loaded Fries Bacon Steak Sub. As the name implies, the product consists of all the usual Philly cheesesteak ingredients — albeit, sans the onions and with some good old American cheese subbed in for the more traditional Swiss.

Also in the mix is a decent Montreal Au Jus mayonnaise (which I think we can all agree is way better than the kind they make in Quebec City), an ample amount of bacon and, of course, a sizable smattering of the fast food favorite’s beloved “Famous Seasoned Fries,” all wedged inside of a lightly microwaved — I mean, “toasted” — hoagie roll.

This is definitely a fast food novelty that proves the validity of the expression “big surprises come in small packages.” When I ordered my sub, I was kinda’ disappointed by how small the sandwich was. From end to end, the thing is barely six inches long, but I promise you, there is a LOT of meat, cheese, sauce, and French fry hanging out inside the roll.

Checkers Fully Loaded Fries Steak Sub Closeup

By now, you really don’t need me to tell you how great Checkers/Rally’s fries are — even though they end up getting a tad soggy amidst all the other ingredients, they still taste fantastic here. And the steak strands, while perhaps a bit too stringy for some, are nonetheless chewy, juicy, and flavorful. To me, the bacon was good, but not great — I don’t know if that’s attributable to too much salt, but when all else fails, I’m always the first to blame sodium for everything.

I wasn’t too enamored by the American cheese, which was practically frapped with my order. And the Au Jus juice — while a welcome condiment in today’s Sriracha-this/Boom Boom Sauce-that fast food marketplace — didn’t strike me as anything truly noteworthy. This sub would have benefitted from having an entirely different sauce in the mix — a nice mesquite BBQ sauce or tangy honey mustard would’ve been my preferred accoutrements.

While it would’ve been nice to see the fast food chain make this sucker as ingredient heavy as its Philly Cheesesteak Sub forerunner, for just $4 and some change this isn’t a bad little pick-me-up at all. It’s fairly unique and quite filling, and best of all? You don’t even have to worry about finding a place to stow away your carton of fries — because they’re like, already in there, man.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Checkers
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories, 300 calories from fat, 34 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2 grams of fiber, 29 grams of protein, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1520 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar

REVIEW: McDonald’s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

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McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

My mother recently enrolled in the 23andMe ancestry service, and I found out I’m about 3% more Irish than I had initially thought.

I wasn’t sure how I’d get over the fact that my entire life had been a giant lie, but luckily for me, the news coincided with the annual release of McDonald’s Shamrock Shake – a treat that’s probably as authentically Irish as I am. I’m about 8%.

To me, late-February/March is Shamrock Season. The winter holidays are all done, Baseball isn’t starting for another month, and there’s not much happening other than the rebirth of the single greatest item McDonald’s has ever offered.

I said it. I’m standing by it.

While I fully intend to have about 12 Shamrock Shakes over the next few weeks, I had to put the O.G. on hold and try the new Oreo Shamrock McFlurry first.

Mashed up Oreo? Shamrock infused vanilla soft serve? That weird McFlurry spoon!? How could I pass that up?

They couldn’t possibly improve on perfection, could they?

McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry Lidless

If I were rating on looks alone, we’d be talking about a 3 out 10 review. I honestly think the guy took a couple of spoonfuls for himself before he handed it to me. It was a mess.

That classic Shamrock Shake green doesn’t pop as well in a McFlurry. I guess the Oreo cookies had something to do with that, but it still wasn’t as fun. I also thought I’d get it served a cool little clear cup, but I just got a sloppy blob of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a non-festive paper cup.

But ya know what, looks, like the lifelong belief in your family’s genealogical history, can be deceiving.

If you like the Shamrock Shake, there’s absolutely zero reasons you won’t like this McFlurry.

McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry Down

It’s as if they made a Mint Oreo-flavored ice cream. They use regular Oreo cookies, but it may as well have been the Mint ones.

The Oreo cookie pieces were nice and fresh, but the best parts were the little bits of crème dispersed throughout. I feel like that texture often gets lost when Oreo is used in ice creams. They really popped here. Between the crispy cookie pieces, the soft serve, and those little chalky yet chewy crème pieces, it made for a perfect blend.

If I had one minor complaint, it would be that the mint was slightly subdued compared to a classic Shamrock Shake. I would’ve loved one more pump of syrup to compensate for the Oreo additive, but it didn’t ruin the experience at all. The touch of chocolate and crème flavor was a tasty twist on the norm.

Hot fudge topping was also offered (which may have been an extra charge), but I skipped it, fearing it would overpower the Shamrock and Oreo flavors. This doesn’t need more chocolate.

So yeah, I had little doubt about the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry. It’s legit.

I still prefer drinking my Shamrock Shakes, but this is close.

My test results conclude that the classic Shamrock Shake is about 3% better than the Shamrock McFlurry. Get em both. It’s Shamrock Season.

Purchased Price: $3.59
Size: Regular
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 560 calories, 17 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, .5 grams of trans fats, 45 mg of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 93 grams of carbohydrates, 71 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Totchos

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Sonic Tatchos

Looking down at the empty tray that once held Sonic’s latest foodstuff, the Totchos, I feel mostly disappointment where satisfaction really should be. Sure, its tater tots are a tried and true fast food go-to, and the melted cheddar cheese is always tops, but while the name is quite clever, the execution is lazy at best.

Totchos, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, is a combination of tots and nachos. Sonic has taken said tater tots and covered them with, of course, gloopy cheese, something called “Baja sauce,” bits of diced onion, and slices of jalapeno. That’s all well and good, but then they absentmindedly threw on a few squares of bacon.

I had to look online to make sure this wasn’t a mistake.

Sonic Tatchos 3

Needless to say, at least for me, it was somewhat distasteful to find bacon, a very un-nacho-like meat, on my cheesy tots. I prefer a pork product with a far more Mexican bent like, say, chorizo. But, still, this is what I was given, so I forged ahead with this ignoble experiment and gave the Totchos the old intento universitario.

As the cheese began to solidify quickly, I stirred my fork around the messy meal and realized it’s basically Sonic’s Cheesy Tots – sans its always delightful chili and with a scant scoop of Baja sauce in its place. You can’t go wrong with Sonic’s Cheesy Tots.

Sonic Tatchos 2

Tasting a few well-covered potato portions, the addition of onions and jalapeno is always novel, and the Baja sauce, though mild as a San Francisco breeze, did add a delightful tang when mixed with the nacho cheese. But what hurts these Totchos, sadly, are the salty cuts of bacon that give an unlikable taste for me, especially when mixed with all the other well-assembled parts.

Maybe order them without the bacon next time?

Ultimately disappointing, there are so many things Sonic could have done to make these Totchos a true nacho reality, like sour cream or even strands of chicken would’ve done alright by me. But, instead, this is what we got and it’ll have to do until they decide to head back to the test kitchen for more Totcho combinations.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: Medium
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 550 calories, 36 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 1670 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

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