{"id":15434,"date":"2013-10-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-01T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=15434"},"modified":"2023-09-04T21:38:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T07:38:55","slug":"review-mcdonalds-chicken-caesar-premium-mcwrap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2013\/10\/01\/review-mcdonalds-chicken-caesar-premium-mcwrap\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: McDonald’s Chicken Caesar Premium McWrap"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"McDonald's<\/a><\/p>\n

In the year 49 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with Legio XXX in the first dice throw of the Roman Civil War. During the next year and a half, he and his soldiers would march all over Italy, Spain, and Greece in pursuit of his rival, Pompey. It was an arduous campaign, but eventually Caesar and his legion won out, long credited by historians at having maintained their stamina through nothing more than anchovies pulled from the Rubicon, greens picked from the fields, and stale bread donated by sympathetic but frugal bakers throughout the continent. To this day, we commemorate these events with a salad in Caesar\u2019s honor.<\/p>\n

Okay, so that\u2019s not exactly how the Caesar salad first went down, but it\u2019s a lot more interesting than the crap I read on Wikipedia<\/a>. I guess it\u2019s fitting. The Caesar salad has never been the most compelling thing on the menu, especially at fast food restaurants. It\u2019s that ubiquitous item that\u2019s always just there<\/i>, although nobody exactly knows why<\/i>. Who knows? Maybe there\u2019s some kind of law to make sure Italian flavors are given a spot on the menu board, but the point is that the Caesar salad has been in need of a makeover for a while now.<\/p>\n

And just short of Stacy London and Clinton Kelly<\/a>, who does the best makeovers? That\u2019s right, Ronald McDonald himself.<\/p>\n

\"McDonald's<\/a><\/p>\n

You won\u2019t find the Chicken Caesar Premium McWrap on the McDonald\u2019s website, but the new flavor variation joins the Sweet Chili Chicken<\/a>, Chicken and Bacon, and Chicken and Ranch<\/a> Premium McWraps. Among other things, this means it comes in a convenient lightsaber-like receptacle, which may or may not interest you for Halloween costume purposes. <\/p>\n

Anyways, the new McWrap apparently hasn\u2019t gone nationwide yet, but I picked mine up in the Baltimore metro region. Encased in a tomato-basil wrap and featuring Caesar dressing and parmesan cheese shavings, it\u2019s available with either grilled or crispy chicken and, of course, contains more varieties of greens than a Whole Foods salad bar. <\/p>\n

\"McDonald's<\/a><\/p>\n

The tomato-basil wrap really adds a nice touch that sets it above the other McWrap flavors. True, tomato-basil isn\u2019t very traditional for a Caesar salad, but I have to think it\u2019s still preferable to eating a stale, oversized crouton that\u2019s been unnaturally contorted into a wrap. In any event, the wrap has a subtle and earthy sweetness about it, with an exceptionally moist texture that does a superb job of binding all the flavors together. <\/p>\n

Actually, it does a little too good of a job binding ingredients together, with my one complaint being that the wrap has a tendency to get stuck on the roof of your mouth. I can imagine this being quite the more obnoxious if you also happen to be eating French fries, but thankfully a large soda helped my tongue lasso the sticky wrap chunks away from the roof of my mouth. Yes, I did just write, “sticky wrap chunks.”<\/p>\n

\"McDonald's<\/a><\/p>\n

The interior of the wrap was for the most part enjoyable. A single tomato added some crunch and brightness, while I was able to pick up on the black pepper, garlic, and unmistakably umami undertones of the Caesar dressing. I also liked the sharp and pungent aftertaste of the parmesan cheese, which was slightly melted in the radiant heat of the chicken. No, this is not the authentically nutty and meaty-sweet Parmigiano-Reggiano that\u2019s ideally grated over a Caesar salad like the winter\u2019s first snow, but it\u2019s a nice break from the proverbial strings of waxy cheddar cheese thrown into most fast food wraps.<\/p>\n

Sounds like a real winner, right? Well, not quite. While good, the dressing and cheese just aren\u2019t plentiful enough, and specifically they aren\u2019t plentiful enough in proportion to the amount of foliage within the wrap. Speaking of foliage, the greens didn\u2019t pack the crunch a usual Caesar salad gets from the interior leaves of romaine. Already down croutons, a more than token tomato was necessary for some textural contrast. <\/p>\n

Another problem I experienced was that the flavors of the dressing and cheese failed to permeate the meat. So even though the chicken was juicy, it tasted of a generic grill flavor. Because of this, eating through the center portion of my wrap tasted too much of lettuce and slightly bland chicken.<\/p>\n

Is the Caesar Chicken Premium McWrap the makeover that fast food Caesar salads have long needed? It\u2019s a good start, but it\u2019s not quite hitting it out of the park. While the new flavor wins with the tomato-basil wrap, the strength of its starring ingredients (the dressing and the parmesan cheese) don\u2019t stand out enough and aren\u2019t applied liberally enough to make up for several bland bites. Like the true story behind the Caesar salad\u2019s origins, the McWrap\u2019s taste isn\u2019t as interesting as you\u2019d really like it to be, and not quite befitting of the real Caesar.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – 440 calories in the grilled version, according to the McDonald’s menu board. Full nutritional information unavailable.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> McDonald’s Chicken Caesar Premium McWrap (Grilled)
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $4.49
\nSize:<\/b> N\/A
\nPurchased at:<\/b> McDonald’s
\nRating:<\/b> 6 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Moist and yummy tomato-basil wrap. Juicy grilled chicken. Surprisingly sophisticated Caesar dressing. Not having to buy a lightsaber holder for my Halloween costume.
\nCons:<\/b> Revisionist history. Parmesan cheese lacks the sophistication of true Parmigiano-Reggiano. Chicken has a somewhat slimy coating. Not enough dressing in the interior of the wrap. Greens dilute overall taste.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the year 49 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with Legio XXX in the first dice throw of the Roman Civil War. During the next year and a half, he and his soldiers would march all over Italy, Spain, and Greece in pursuit of his rival, Pompey. It was an arduous campaign, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1481],"class_list":["post-15434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-mcdonalds"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11431,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2012\/03\/01\/news-mcdonalds-japan-tries-to-encapsulate-the-grand-canyon-las-vegas-broadway-and-beverly-hills-with-their-2012-big-america-burgers\/","url_meta":{"origin":15434,"position":0},"title":"NEWS: McDonald’s Japan Tries To Encapsulate The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Broadway, and Beverly Hills With Their 2012 Big America Burgers","author":"Marvo","date":"March 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Thank goodness for the creative minds in Japan who come up with their limited time only fast food menu items, and thank goodness for the creative minds at Google who came up with Google Translate so I can read about the latest fast food items in Japan. 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Indeed, BK has recently launched not one BUT THREE new Caesar Chicken Sandwiches, including both a grilled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Burger-King-Chicken-Caesar-Caesar-Sandwich-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Burger-King-Chicken-Caesar-Caesar-Sandwich-3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Burger-King-Chicken-Caesar-Caesar-Sandwich-3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Burger-King-Chicken-Caesar-Caesar-Sandwich-3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Burger-King-Chicken-Caesar-Caesar-Sandwich-3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35672,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2019\/03\/26\/fast-food-news-wendys-parmesan-caesar-chicken-salad\/","url_meta":{"origin":15434,"position":2},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Wendy’s Parmesan Caesar Chicken Salad","author":"Marvo","date":"March 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Wendy's has added a new salad to its menu -- the Parmesan Caesar Chicken Salad. It's made fresh daily with romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breast, grape tomatoes, a three-cheese Italian blend (Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano), crunchy Parmesan crisps, and Wendy's creamy Marzetti Simply Dressed Caesar Dressing. 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They were so dinky that I couldn\u2019t help but feel ripped off. 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