Tag: McDonald’s

McDonald’s Smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with Cheese is like a combination of two other Quarter Pounder varieties — Quarter Pounder Deluxe and Quarter Pounder Bacon – but with the usual condiments kicked to the curb, the pickles punched out of the park, and the onions out of the picture.

The latest Quarter Pounder variation features a beef patty, two American cheese slices, applewood smoked bacon, Roma tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and a new smoky sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun. It’s also available with two beef patties.

Before seeing pictures of this burger, I thought because of the “smoky” in its name that it would have a barbecue sauce. But as you can see in the photos, the smoky sauce looks like mayonnaise or ranch dressing. Its tangy and smoky flavor makes it similar to a bacon-flavored ranch dressing, but it doesn’t have a strong flavor even though it’s on both buns.

Is the sauce tasty enough that I’d want it on every McDonald’s burger? I’m not sure because I feel it’s there specifically to enhance the bacon’s flavor, much like the hot fudge in the new Oreo Fudge McFlurry enhances the chocolatey cookie crumbles. So putting it in burgers that don’t have bacon might not work. Speaking of the pork, I loved biting into the slices I had in mine. They were thick, salty, meaty, slightly crispy, and, as I’ve experienced with the regular bacon Quarter Pounder, paired well with the beef patty.

The lettuce was crunchy, somewhat green, and fell out from the burger like it was pretending to be in a Big Mac. As for the Roma tomatoes, two bright red slices added a slightly sweet and acidic bite. While eating the burger, I forgot two American slices were in it because my taste buds didn’t notice them. Instead, they ended up more focused on the bacon and smoky sauce.

Overall, McDonald’s Smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a tasty variation of its classic burger, and it successfully makes me think of a BLT. I do believe its name is more of a mouthful than the burger itself, but I guess I should be glad that it’s not the McDonald’s Smoky Bacon Lettuce Tomato Quarter Pounder with Pasteurized Process American Cheese.

Purchased Price: $7.99*
Size: n/a
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 770 calories, 51 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 115 milligrams of cholesterol, 1410 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 36 grams of protein.

*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 “Customize” button that appears with most menu items when ordering from the McDonald’s app opens up various ingredients and options you can add that don’t come standard. Want your fries with MORE salt? That’s an option. Want to turn an inexpensive McDonald’s hamburger into something that costs twice as much with the addition of bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes? You can do that, moneybags. The “Customize” button also allows you to order McDonald’s limited time only Oreo Fudge McFlurry long after it’s gone.

Before being an official menu item, I could order an Oreo McFlurry with hot fudge sauce for an extra 35 cents, which ends up being slightly more expensive than what I paid for this official version.

While it’s not the most unique McFlurry idea I’ve stuffed into my face, I still think it’s a delicious treat. How could hot fudge in an Oreo McFlurry not be delicious?

Mine was mixed well, and every spoonful had a bunch of crunchy Oreo crumbles. The cookies add a bit of a darker chocolate flavor than what the hot fudge does. Also, because the topping is mixed into the ice cream, its flavor doesn’t come through as it does with a hot fudge sundae.

Also, I miss the fudge’s gooey texture, which isn’t there beyond whatever got flurried onto the inside of the lid. Instead, all the chocolatey topping does is enhance the Oreo flavor, which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Since McDonald’s didn’t put much thought into this treat, I decided to put as much effort into enhancing it one step further. Thanks to a birthday surprise through the McDonald’s app, I could get a free cinnamon roll. So I decided to combine the two treats, thinking it would be awesome. It ended up being okay because the cinnamon roll overpowered the ice cream and cookies. They’re definitely better apart.

With the McDonald’s Oreo Fudge McFlurry, I guess we finally got a McDonald’s Menu Hack that doesn’t involve us having to put it together on our own. It’s available for a limited time, and it’s definitely worth a try while it’s around or when it becomes the slightly more expensive McDonald’s Oreo McFlurry with hot fudge sauce that you can get by tapping the “Customize” button.

SIDE NOTE: It seems while the Oreo Fudge McFlurry is available, it’s not possible to customize a regular Oreo McFlurry with hot fudge sauce. Makes sense. But you can add caramel topping to one. Maybe an Oreo Caramel McFlurry is in our future?

Purchased Price: $4.39
Size: Regular
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories, 20 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 340 milligrams of sodium, 99 grams of carbohydrates, 77 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 14 grams of protein.

What is it?

McDonald’s newest McCreation is the Chocolatey Pretzel McFlurry. The sweet treat features chocolatey-coated pretzel pieces and caramel topping blended with vanilla soft serve. It’s available for a limited time at participating locations.

How is it?

The dessert is creamy, chocolatey, crunchy, caramel-ly, and cretzel-ly, um, I mean pretzel-ly.

First off, let’s talk about those pretzel pieces with a chocolatey coating. For the most part, they’re crunchy. The cocoa coating dampens the crunch a tad, but that’s better than uncoated pieces getting soggy in melting soft serve. I was expecting some saltiness from the pretzels, which would’ve made this more of a sweet and salty treat. But I’m fine with their crunch and whatever pretzel flavor comes through, which I’ll admit is not a lot. However, there are a lot of pieces. Every spoonful I dug up had a few. As for the coating, it has a mild chocolatey flavor that’s more noticeable than what’s inside it.

The caramel in the Mount McFlurry crater in the middle of my cup is gooey and sweet. But, unlike the pretzel pieces, it’s not as noticeable in every spoonful after I’ve stirred everything a few times. Also, while it adds butteriness and more sweetness, it might’ve been better if it was salted caramel. Perhaps I should’ve asked for a salt packet to sprinkle on top. Oh, wait, salt melts ice or something, right?

Anything else you need to know?

Speaking of McDonald’s caramel topping, if it seems as if the fast food chain uses it often when it comes to new McFlurry varieties, you are McCorrect. Last year, it was the Caramel Brownie McFlurry. In 2020, it was the Chips Ahoy McFlurry. And in 2019, it was the Stroopwafel McFlurry. I’m not complaining, but I’d like to remind the R&D folks in McDonald’s test kitchens that they also have hot fudge and strawberry toppings.

Conclusion:

McDonald’s Chocolatey Pretzel McFlurry is tasty. Though, I’ll admit it’s not the most exciting combination when compared with previous limited time McOfferings. I don’t think it’s as scrumptious as the Stroopwafle or Caramel Brownie McFlurry, but it’ll satisfy a summer sweet tooth.

Purchased Price: $3.59
Size: Regular
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 670 calories, 19 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 320 milligrams of sodium, 109 grams of carbohydrates, 75 grams of sugar, 2 grams of fiber, and 15 grams of protein.

What is McDonald’s Minute Maid Tropical Mango Slushie?

Just in time for the season of consistent daily double-digit UV index levels, McDonald’s has added a new flavor to its cold drink lineup — the Minute Maid Tropical Mango Slushie.

How is it?

It’s 82 degrees in my office, and the frozen beverage is doing a great job at keeping me cool as I suck its high-level UV index-colored goodness from a straw. But, after trying so many different mango-flavored products that have an easily recognizable mango flavor over the years, which make them so great, I have to say I don’t have a crushie on this slushie.

If I went up to random people on the street, asked them to try the Tropical Mango Slushie, and then asked what flavor they think it is, I’m not sure most people would say mango. Some might say peach, and others might say apricot because that’s what I taste. For those who answered with non-mango fruits, I’d tell them that they’re wrong. Then I’ll say they should never accept a slushie sip from a stranger. However, I do notice something that’s more recognizable as mango in the aftertaste. But it’s a fruity flavor that I associate with beverages that have artificial sweeteners, which isn’t optimal for a drink that doesn’t have any.

Anything else you need to know?

If you find yourself at McDonald’s and desire a limited-time slushie flavor, go for the Minute Maid Strawberry Watermelon Slushie. It’s better tasting, and it tastes like what its name says.

Conclusion:

McDonald’s Minute Maid Tropical Mango Slushie will temporarily cool you down during the season that makes your antiperspirant work super extra hard. But if you’re a mango maniac, its flavor might not be a letdown.

Purchased Price: $2.00
Size: Medium
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 220 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of carbohydrates, 59 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of protein.

Hacking menus at fast food restaurants isn’t a new concept. It’s been around for decades but only became more publicly known with the rise of the internet. Most hacks are fairly simple in execution: add a different condiment, swap meats, etc. However, some are insane monstrosities that push the limits of what is a sandwich, like the Land, Air & Sea sandwich from McDonald’s new Menu Hacks line.

The chain has been notoriously silent on the various ways in which customers have used existing menu items to create new (and sometimes colorfully named) products. It was sort of a shock to see it outright acknowledge the menu hacks with this recent promotion. Of course, it’s a win-win for McDonald’s with little effort and will easily end up making the chain some money through customers who are curious about what these items are.

The Land, Air & Sea consists of a Big Mac, McChicken, and Filet-O-Fish stacked together like an edible Jenga tower. It’s worth noting that any of the hack items you order will require you to assemble them yourself. I’m sure most people would assume that, but glancing at the ads can make it seem they’re pre-assembled. It makes sense why we have to do the assembly, but I still would have liked the sandwiches to come as ordered.

I set out the three sandwiches and attempted to replicate the photo from the ad as closely as possible. I was shocked by how much it looked like the promotional photo without much fluffing done. The first flavor to pop was the Filet-O-Fish and tartar sauce. After that came the familiar taste of the special sauce, chicken, and beef. Three bites in, the sandwich imploded into a pile of meats, sauces, and bread. While not awful, the flavor created by combining the three sandwiches wasn’t particularly interesting.

One issue was the leftover bun conundrum. After assembling it, I was left with the buns for both the Filet-O-Fish and McChicken. This was why I had hoped the assembly would be done in-store to avoid food waste. Lucky for me, I have a husband who will, without question, eat whatever I hand him, so the buns didn’t get thrown out.

My biggest issue was the cost. Ordering the Land, Air & Sea through the app was $9.99. I had an inclination that I could get the three sandwiches cheaper but went with the official item in the event there was anything special. There was no special packaging, wrapping, or anything to indicate the hack item. It was just a McChicken, Big Mac, and Filet-O-Fish. After it all was said and done, I went back to the app to see if I could get a deal on the three sandwiches. Through an in-app deal on the Big Mac and Filet-O-Fish, I could get all three for under $7.

The Land, Air & Sea has been a well-known off-menu hack for over a decade, so it’s no surprise that McDonald’s would include it on its Hack Menu. There is certainly a novelty to it, but I think the overall experience makes it hard to recommend. If you’re adamant about trying it, I’d certainly explore the cheaper ordering route instead of through the official Hack Menu. I do like McDonald’s is now openly acknowledging the hacks and would like to see other ones (like the McCrepe) featured on a future menu.

Update: We also reviewed other Menu Hacks — the Crunchy Double and Surf + Turf.

Purchased Price: $9.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 1330 calories, 69 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 160 milligrams of cholesterol, 2150 milligrams of sodium, 123 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 55 grams of protein.