Tag: Fast Food

REVIEW: Wendy’s Peppercorn Mushroom Melt

Adam 5 Comments

Wendy s Peppercorn Mushroom Melt

In 30 years of eating food, I’ve experienced the following:

  • Certain foods look amazing to eat and are amazing
  • Certain foods look disgusting to eat and are disgusting
  • Certain foods look amazing to eat and are disgusting
  • Certain foods look disgusting to eat and are amazing

Wendy’s new Peppercorn Mushroom Melt falls into the lattermost category. A beautiful cheeseburger, this is not. However, what it lacks in Instagram quality food pornage it more than makes up for in the umami-bomb-dot-com sphere.

Essentially a regular menu item that combines the chain’s attempts at on-again-off-again mushroom cheeseburger concepts, the melt nails the drool-worthy steakhouse burger taste thanks to layers of meaty flavors.

Wendy s Peppercorn Mushroom Melt Innards 1

I don’t say this lightly. I trend towards the less-is-more category when it comes to toppings, and with asiago cheese, sautéed and roasted mushrooms, peppercorn aioli, and crispy fried onions, there’s a natural hesitance to ask what exactly Wendy’s is covering up.

In this case, the doubt is unfounded; the quarter pound cheeseburger patty anchors the flavors, remaining beefy and juicy beneath all the toppings. The asiago cheese is a great compliment. Full-bodied and a tad nutty, it pairs wonderfully with both the beef and the peppercorn aioli, creating enough of a gooey cheesesteak effect to leave you with a familiar taste that also manages to surprise.

Wendy s Peppercorn Mushroom Melt Innards 2

But it was, surprisingly, the two ingredients that I had the least hope for that took the burger to another level. The mushrooms and crispy fried onions introduce contrasting textures that up the seasoning level in the burger and just work. The mushrooms, in particular, have a deeper and fire-grilled flavor that tastes a step above most fast food sautéed mushrooms, while the crispy onions have a cravable haystack onion tone.

Wendy s Peppercorn Mushroom Melt Side View

Complaints are minor, but worth noting. The first is that construction is an issue: both the onions and mushrooms jumped ship with even the slightest bit of handling. It’s a problem exacerbated by a tendency to stick to the bun and threaten the integrity of the burger.

The second is the lack of a sweet contrast to the otherwise rich flavors. Undoubtedly, the decision to go with crispy haystack onions will leave some people happy and others (myself included) slightly wishing Wendy’s would have gone with caramelized onions like the bygone McDonald’s Steakhouse Sirloin Third Pound burger.

Still, we can’t have everything, and McDonald’s caramelized onions notwithstanding, the Peppercorn Mushroom Melt is a welcome addition to Wendy’s permanent menu, even if it does sorta look like a dog threw up between a hamburger bun.

Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: Single (1/4th pound; also available as Double and Triple)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 690 calories, 42 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1110 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 31 gram of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Big Mac Bacon

Marvo 10 Comments

McDonald s Big Mac Bacon

Does bacon make everything better?

That is a question many companies have tried to answer with various bacon-flavored products that I’d list, but it’s so long that if you’re reading this on a smartphone, your finger will cramp from all the scrolling.

For some of those products, like bacon soda, the answer is definitely HELLLLLL NO. And for products like the new McDonald’s Big Mac Bacon, the answer is, “Well, you should read the rest of this review.”

If you’re a person who’s unfamiliar with the Big Mac, it’s (everyone say it with me) two all-beef patties, Special Sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun. This pork-infused version has all that, plus three strips of thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon and it’s available for a limited time.

But here’s the thing regarding the limited time availability: You can get the Big Mac Bacon long after it’s taken off the menu and you could’ve had it all this time. After all, it’s just bacon with a Big Mac, which you can custom order. It’s like requesting no salt fries, tartar sauce on a McChicken, or getting plain soft serve in a McFlurry cup so that you can make an Apple Pie McFlurry. Of course, there’s an upcharge for the three slices. My local McDonald’s asks $1.50 for them.

How do I know this?

Well, because I ordered a Big Mac with bacon this way before the Big Mac Bacon was officially available.

So does bacon make the iconic Big Mac better?

Let me put it this way: If you were to offer me a regular Big Mac and a Big Mac Bacon, I’d choose the regular one.

McDonald s Big Mac Bacon Closeup

The three surprisingly crispy bacon slices add smoky, salty, and porky flavors, but perhaps too much of them. They cause the burger to lose a lot of its Big Mac-ness. The Special Sauce gets less special because the bacon flavors drown it out along with the pickles and onions. It loses a lot of its tanginess, which is what makes the Big Mac so appealing to me. If this had a better balance between the bacon and the Big Mac, I’d probably like it more than I do.

McDonald s Big Mac Bacon Center

With all that said, I enjoyed the Big Mac Bacon, and it’s worth trying. It’s a long overdue twist on a classic that doesn’t get many twists, but this twist doesn’t make it a better Big Mac to me.

Purchased Price: Not sure
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 610 calories, 33 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1210 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Arby’s Cajun Fish Sandwich

Adam 1 Comment

Arby s Cajun Fish Sandwich

When I think of things that scream Americana, I think regional flavors, wholesome activities I never learned to do like fishing, and chicly decorated fast food restaurants that blare Kacey Musgraves music from their dining room halls. It makes sense, then, that Arby’s decided to welcome in 2019 with a regional take on its seasonal fish sandwich.

Now, I’m not from Louisiana, but I did once rack up a $103.67 bill at a John Besh restaurant. So, I have some experience with the stereotypical (and delicious) Cajun flavors, including the bayou’s take on aioli, remoulade.

Nominally, the remoulade makes Arby’s newest variation of its fish sandwich “Cajun.” I say nominally because Arby’s could have gone the extra mile and stacked shrimp, crawfish, and andouille sausage on top of the triangular fish stick that constitutes the (not-meat) of the sandwich. Overkill? Maybe, but we are talking Arby’s. If venison and pork belly can make it into the fast food world, then shellfish can’t immediately be ruled out.

Arby s Cajun Fish Sandwich Fish

The lack of gumbo-on-a-bun notwithstanding, the sandwich has some Cajun flavor. Emphasis on the some. The remoulade is zesty, with a slight back-heat and just enough sweetness to give that iceberg lettuce a bit of extra flavor, and a composition somewhere between creamy and bumpy (yes, bumpy). But, much like the fish itself, it’s relatively plain, like a slightly spicier version of tartar sauce (which, coincidentally, has nothing to do with steak tartare.)

Arby s Cajun Fish Sandwich Toppiings

Even with the double-sided application, the remoulade fails to achieve optimal bun-protein-sauce ratio, mostly due to the oblong state of the fish and the circumference of the bun. This result is different tasting bites—some more prominent with the fish, others more bun, still others the whole fish and caboodle. And while the fish is executed perfectly — crispy, mild, flaky — it begs for a more assertive guiding flavor.

I get it: Each year, fast food chains attempt to position themselves in the fish sandwich wars with a “new” and updated take on what is actually a very boring sandwich blueprint. And, sometimes, something as simple as adding a sauce makes all the difference. But in the case of Arby’s Cajun Fish Sandwich, the remoulade is a little too mild, and a little too sparse to do the bayou justice.

Purchased Price: $3.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 590 calories, 260 calories from fat, 29 grams of total fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 1060 milligrams of sodium, 63 grams of total carbohydrates, 43grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, 20 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Burger King Big King XL

James 2 Comments

Burger King Big King XL

What is the Burger King Big King XL?

Well, as the name implies, the newfangled BIG King XL from Burger King is pretty much a jumbo-sized variation of its Big King burger — which, itself, is basically Burger King’s rebuttal to the Big Mac.

For the uninitiated, we’re talking more than 1/2 lb. of flame-grilled 100 percent beef, a double serving of gooey American cheese, a smattering of sliced onions, a crown of lettuce, a deluge of pickles, and a heaping helping of the proprietary Stacker sauce underneath the topmost sesame seed bun.

How is it?

In a word? Heavy. Literally, metaphorically, figuratively and phonetically. I’m not quite sure how much the sandwich weighs, but this thing has to be at least a solid pound with all the accoutrements included. Indeed, it’s so big that it might prove a challenge to eaters with smaller mouths, so keep that in mind before you shell out the moolah for this one.

Burger King Big King XL Top

As for the overall taste and texture, it’s pretty much exactly what’s advertised — a humongous, sumo-wrestler-sized version of the tried and true Big Mac imitator, which is definitely more than enough to fill up just about anybody who doesn’t have the metabolism of a hummingbird.

Burger King Big King XL Patties and Toppings

Burger King Big King XL Lettuce

Is there anything else I need to know?

I thoroughly enjoyed the Big King XL, even though as a limited-time-only offering it’s rather staid. Personally, I would’ve enjoyed having some bacon in there, or it would’ve been cool to see the King give the plus-sized burger a more unique hook — perhaps one of the more esoteric toppings, like jalapeno rings or mushrooms, or even an all-new sauce. But as is it’s still a perfectly fine, flavorful and filling hamburger that ought to satiate anybody with a craving for high-calorie mega-fast-food.

Conclusion:

You know exactly what you’re getting into with the Big King XL, and that’s mostly a good thing. There’s no denying it’s a tasty burger, and if you’re on the prowl for a fast food offering that will stick to your ribs, look no further.

Purchased Price: $5.29
Size: XL… what else?
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 980 calories, 63 grams of fat, 27 grams of saturated fat, 3.5 gram of trans fat, 215 milligrams of cholesterol, 1660 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, and 56 grams of protein..

REVIEW: Starbucks Red Velvet Loaf Cake

Heather 2 Comments

Starbucks Red Velvet Loaf Cake

What is the Starbucks Red Velvet Loaf Cake?

It’s one of Starbucks’ new winter food items, vanilla cake meets red velvet cake in this bakery treat, with a white chocolate icing. It’s served by the slice, and I was not disappointed with the size. The cake slice was even larger than I anticipated.

How is it?

I love red velvet, but I’ve always felt it’s something people either really like or don’t like. So as someone who adores it, this loaf cake was pretty darn good. On first bite I made sure to get the vanilla, red velvet, and icing all in one, and the red velvet was definitely the most flavorful. It was rich without being too sweet. I also appreciated the denseness of the loaf cake. But I will say the density makes it more of a dessert than a quick snack.

Starbucks Red Velvet Loaf Cake Icing

Now let’s talk about the white chocolate icing: A thin layer with nice flavor. I do wish there was more – my husband and I agreed we wish the icing-to-cake ratio was the same in every bite.

Is there anything else you need to know?

I would have a beverage on hand, because the loaf cake was just a teeny bit dry (hence my 8 out of 10 rating). Not enough for me to make a stink about it, but I was hoping it would be super moist. The red velvet portions of the cake were more moist than the vanilla. (Side note: My apologies for using the word moist. I know people dislike that almost as much as red velvet.)

Conclusion:

I would definitely order again – this was a nice treat that paired well with my latte for my afternoon pick-me-up.

Purchased Price: $2.95
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 370 calories, 16 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 90 milligrams of cholesterol, 470 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 grams of dietary fiber, 29 grams of total sugars, and 5 grams of protein.