REVIEW: Burger King Impossible Croissan’wich

Burger King Impossible Croissan wich

What is the Burger King Impossible Croissan’wich?

After the success of the Impossible Whopper, Burger King has brought the plant-based revolution to the breakfast menu in the form of the Impossible Croissan’wich.

How is it?

Before the McGriddle took over the fast food breakfast game, Burger King Croissan’wiches were number one in my heart with a bullet. I’ve probably eaten 200 Sausage Croissan’wiches in my lifetime, and I can happily report the “Impossible” version is about 95% as good as the old reliable I love so much.

Burger King Impossible Croissan wich Top

I’ve had a couple plant-based breakfast sausages, and this was easily the best texturally. It wasn’t chewy or gritty at all. Coupled with BK’s classic fluffy egg and croissant, it actually had the exact same bite as a regular Croissan’wich.
The only reason I won’t say it’s quite as good is because the flavor of the sausage was slightly off.

Burger King Impossible Croissan wich Patty

Burger King Impossible Croissan wich Side

This seemed to overcompensate, and pump too much of that smokey sausage gravy spice that always puts me in mind of Stove Top Stuffing. I said the same thing in my review of the Dunkin’ Beyond Sausage Sandwich (You’d think I’d know the spice I’m talking about by now).

I don’t.

Anything else you need to know?

I actually made a resolution this year to stop eating pork products*. I wanted to slowly but surely wean myself off eating meat every day, and I figured pork would be easier to kick than beef or chicken.

I was right, but man have I been craving a nice breakfast sandwich. I eat turkey bacon, but I haven’t had any sausage in 2020 until this, and it didn’t disappoint at all.

*Ok, I cheated once last month for the review of the Dunkin’ Croissant Stuffers. There was so little bacon in that, I’m not counting it.

Conclusion:

This is my favorite plant-based fast food item to date. I was right on the edge before, but now I’m a full-blown believer in “plants” as a sustainable protein source.

Between this and the Whopper before it, Burger King is absolutely leading the way when it comes to fast food plant-based options. I’m probably gonna eat a lot of these going forward.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 491 calories, 29 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 1058 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of total carbohydrates, 4 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 21 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Summer Strawberry Salad

Wendy s Summer Strawberry Salad Dressing

Summer is often a terrible time for many people, including me. As the uncomfortably cruel and rigidly taunting sun beats down on me, salty sweat drips down my head as I desperately try to find a cooling balm to bring my core temperature back down to a normal range, oftentimes failing miserably.

But this is when I raise my sunburned hands to the sky and thank the equally-heliophobic Wendy’s for its yearly berry salad. For 2020, it’s the Summer Strawberry Salad.

On a cool bed of crisp green lettuce — mainly romaine — sits a Tuscan cheese blend dusting, cuts of applewood smoked bacon, succulent grilled chicken breast, and surprisingly candid candied almond slivers. The salad’s complete reason for being, the sliced bits of strawberries, lay in the leafy shade, giving the entrée its summer branding and doing it remarkably well.

Gently spritzing the large helping of zesty champagne vinaigrette over the top of the salad, it managed to slide down into every nook and cranny, guaranteeing a savory experience. The strawberries are plump and notably firm, not a bruised berry in the bunch.

Each juicy bite, like a fruity fire extinguisher, cools me down internally as I nibbled carefully, enjoying the salad wholeheartedly. The tangy dressing, with its olive oil feel and garlicky taste, offers a decent counterpoint to the abject sweetness of the strawberries and, even more so, the candied almonds.

Wendy s Summer Strawberry Salad

The romaine lettuce leaves were also surprisingly fresh. Bits of the Tuscan cheese — featuring a blend of Parmesan, Asiago, and Fontina — tantalizingly resting on them with the vinaigrette acting as a delectable glue keeping them in their place. The bacon, though predictably salty, mixes well with the grilled chicken, the candied almonds giving a sweet aftertaste that was definitely needed.

Wendy s Summer Strawberry Salad Berry Close

But what it all comes down is to the strawberries in the nomenclature. While I would have liked more of them, they held this summer salad together perfectly, especially in the half-salad I ordered, the large size only about two dollars more.

In these cruel summer months, Wendy’s has gifted us with a berry-good meal-deal that has me counting down the heated days to next year’s salad unveiling. But, until then, this will definitely do.

Purchased Price: $5.69
Size: Half
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 410 calories, 21 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 125 milligrams of cholesterol, 790 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 45 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Southwest Cheddar Cheeseburger

What is the Jack in the Box Southwest Cheddar Cheeseburger?

It features a beef patty, smoked cheddar cheese, chipotle sauce, grilled onions, lettuce, and tomatoes on a buttery bakery bun. If you want something with a bit more heft, it’s also available in a double version that has two beef patties and two slices of cheese.

How is it?

I thought it gave me an idea of what a cheeseburger would taste like if Jack in the Box decided to make one using two of its tacos as the burger’s bun. (Please make this happen, Jack in the Box!)

It’s all thanks to the beef patty and chipotle sauce, which I’ve said previously tastes like a combination of Jack’s taco sauce and mayonnaise. It’s not at all spicy, but instead more smoky and peppery. I’ve enjoyed it with other Jack in the Box chicken sandwiches and breakfast burritos, and I like it on this.

The other ingredient that gets product name-billing, the smoked cheddar cheese, doesn’t seem to enhance the burger. I’m not sure it does anything else besides sweat. I mean, look at the photo above. It appears as if it’s guilty of something. What are you hiding, smoked cheddar cheese?

Maybe the cheese helps with the smokiness of the chipotle sauce. Or perhaps it sweats to make you not pay attention to how little flavor the grilled onions have in this cheeseburger.

Also, I feel as if the vegetables in the cheeseburger slightly affect the flavor punch of the chipotle sauce.

Is there anything else you need to know?

You can get it a la carte, but it’s being promoted as the headliner of a $4.99 combo that also comes with a small fries and drink.

Conclusion:

I know it reads as if Jack in the Box’s Southwest Cheddar Cheeseburger isn’t worth the price. But here’s the thing, it’s worth it because of the chipotle sauce, and because the price of the combo is low enough that I can forgive the other ingredients.

Purchased Price: $6.99*
Size: Medium combo
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available at time of publication.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did. The combo has an advertised price of $4.99.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Baconator Pringles

Wendy s Baconator Pringles

Like many of you, I imagine, going to the grocery store is one of my absolute favorite things to do. When I turned 30, I got a birthday card that said on the inside, “You have a favorite grocery store now” as though I hadn’t had one since my 20th birthday? Ha!

Anyway, there I was this past Tuesday, strolling along the aisles of the Skokie Jewel-Osco (an Albertson’s chain, for anyone eager to find these crisps) when I spotted an endcap display wall of glowing Wendy’s signs. Okay, they weren’t glowing, but the bright illuminated red Wendy’s sign graphic on the black tube of Pringles made it LOOK like they were glowing. This store had the new Limited Time Only Wendy’s Baconator Pringles.

Pringles has pulled off some pretty complex flavor combinations before, and I was eager to try these out. The image on the front is the classic, original Baconator with two quarter-pound patties, six strips of bacon, cheese, ketchup, and mayo on a bun.

Wendy s Baconator Pringles 2

Wendy appears on the pop-top lid and there’s a code printed on the underside of the lid for an offer for a free Baconator, Son of Baconator, or Breakfast Baconator with a purchase when you order using the Wendy’s app.

Wendy s Baconator Pringles 3

I was ready for this tube (can? cylinder?) of Pringles to have an overwhelming bacon smell, but it actually was balanced from start to finish, and the crisps were visibly seasoned with a light orange powder (I always prefer it when I can see the seasoning, don’t you?).

There are an awful lot of artificial bacon flavored and scented items out there, and some of them are offensive – this isn’t one of those items. These crisps have tangy sauce flavor, onion, and a great balance of bacon and charred burger.

Compared to the Baconator itself, the crisps could have used a little more bacon flavor, but I appreciate that they didn’t just make a bacon-flavored chip. These crisps taste like meat.

Wendy s Baconator Pringles 4

The aftertaste is slightly sweet, almost like Cheerios. Maybe they were going for bun flavor? But if you don’t like the aftertaste, just shove more meat crisps into your gob, you goof.

Overall these are a surprisingly balanced crisp that do taste like all the elements of a Baconator. Maybe Pringles will bang out a fried egg-flavored crisp next and we’ll have an excuse to eat Breakfast Baconator Pringles in the morning.

I’d try it.

I sincerely hope you’re able to locate these Baconator Pringles. If you’re in the Venn Diagram of people who love Wendy’s and people who love Pringles, these are a little slice of heaven just for you.

Purchased Price: $1.99
Size: 5.5oz can
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15 crisps/28 g) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Brownie Batter Master Shake

Sonic Brownie Batter Master Shake

What is the Sonic Brownie Batter Master Shake?

Have you ever had the urge to take a big sip of brownie mix before putting it in the oven? Well, I’d suggest stopping by Sonic now that they’ve essentially created a liquid brownie.

Sonic Brownie Batter Master Shake Top

How is it?

As delicious as “brownie a la mode sipped through a straw” sounds, this is a shake of diminishing returns.

Sonic Brownie Batter Master Shake Brownie Bits

At first, the mix of vanilla ice cream, ribbons of brownie batter, and soft little chunks of brownie bits was borderline perfect. The batter and ice cream pairing highlights the vanilla base while also giving it a strong brownie flavor. And the little Cocoa Puffs-sized brownie bites were small enough to fit through the straw without making me suck to the point of a brain hemorrhage. We were on our way to a world-class shake.

Sonic Brownie Batter Master Shake Bottom

As I sipped away the ice cream, I lost interest in the shake entirely. In fairness, I should have expected this from the name, but the massive reservoir of batter at the bottom of the cup was a buzzkill.

It was just a three-inch deep pile of dark chocolate sludge that was loaded with mini chocolate chips. The last few sips of any shake are usually gross on their own, but that paired with the texture and temperature of the brownie mix made for a real downer of an ending.

Anything else you need to know?

I know what you’re thinking. He’s complaining about the brownie batter in a brownie batter-flavored shake. I know, I know, but the bottom was like getting a soda and sipping four sips of straight flavor syrup at the bottom of the can. It’s too much.

By the way, I’m not positive what constitutes a “Master Shake,” but I’m bummed Sonic didn’t also release a Frylock and a Meatwad to go along with this.

Conclusion:

I love chewy brownies, and I was well on my way to loving this shake, but it wasn’t constructed well. It could have been that mine wasn’t mixed properly at the restaurant. Get a mini size, give it a good mix before drinking, and I think you’ll be ok.

Purchased Price: $3.89
Size: Small
Purchased at: Sonic
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 760 calories, 431 grams of fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 26 grams of saturated fat, 450 milligrams of sodium, 85 grams of total carbohydrates, 57 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 11 grams of protein.