Review: Taco Bell on the cheap

There aren't many fast food places that I walk out of these days routinely spending under $5. Taco Bell is one of the few remaining. I don't try order the cheap items, its just hard to spend a lot of money there.

For this trip I decided to deviate from my usual choices and try some items off the value menu to see how good a really cheap taco bell meal can be.

The first item I tried was the 1/2 pound Beef Combo Burrito for $1.29. This is essentially a Bean Burrito with taco meat added. It contains ground beef, beans, cheese, onions, and enchilada sauce.

I didn't have a scale with to verify the 1/2 pound claim, but the burrito was fairly hefty. The onions were crunchy, the enchilada sauce tangy. For $1.29 this was pretty good. Personally I prefer something with sour cream like a Burrito Supreme or 7-Layer Burrito, but if you are a fan of TB's Bean Burritos you will like this.

Recommendation: A good burrito for the price, but there are better on the menu if you're willing to spend more.
Taste: 6/10
Quality: 6/10
Value: 9/10


The second item I tried was a Spicy Chicken Burrito, also for $1.29.

This burrito was noticeably smaller. It contained shredded chicken, onions, tomatoes, rice, and a spicy cream sauce.

The flavor was decent, though not what I would consider "spicy" even with the requisite 2 packets of hot sauce (which are purple now???). Aside from the misleading name, the burrito had a good balance of flavor and creaminess. If you are hungry, though, you might want to avoid this one. It is small compared to other burritos at a similar price point -- presumably because of the use of chicken.

Recommendation: Good flavor, but get 3.
Taste: 8/10
Quality: 6/10
Value: 6/10

Chick-fil-A offering free spicy chicken sandwiches in Jacksonville, Florida

On March 12th, 19th, and 26th Chick-fil-A is giving away its new spicy chicken sandwiches in its Jacksonville, Florida locations. The sandwich is being tested for a national release.

If you live in Jacksonville and have the chance to try one of these out please post your impressions in the comments!

Burger King Sued Over Value Menu

Apparently its hard to make the $18,000 / month Manhattan rent selling hamburgers for a buck each.

Review: Panera's Italian Combo Sandwich

Next up is the Italian Combo sandwich at Panera. The sandwich consists of slices of roast beef, turkey, ham, salami, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, peperoncini, and a "special sauce." It's available either as a whole sandwich or as a half sandwich paired with a soup or salad. In my case, I opted for the half sandwich with a bowl of French onion soup.

Overall the experience was quite good. The French onion soup was topped with sharp Parmesan cheese and fresh-made croûtons that were crunchy, but not dry. The soup itself might be a bit salty for some tastes, but not for this reviewer.

Fans of Italian sandwiches might be disappointed with this offering, however. If it weren't for the peperoncini the sandwich would have been very bland -- and therein lies the problem. The single whole peperoncini on the sandwich was small compared to the overall sandwich, so it was difficult to get even a bit of it in most bites. The bites that did had an amazing balance of zest, but they were infrequent.

The final component of the meal was a portion of French baguette. It was a decent size and hearty. If you are not full by this point in the meal the baguette should clinch it. To be honest, there is probably enough food in these meals without it. At $7.10 for this meal without a drink, they probably should have left the baguette off for a cheaper price.

So is the Italian Combo sandwich worth your time and money? It's something worth trying at some point, but I'd sample some of Panera's other sandwiches first.

Recommendation: Not a must-eat, but worth a shot sometime.
Taste: 6/10
Quality: 8/10
Value: 5/10

Pizza Hut unveils stimulus plan to thwart impending recession.

In what reads like an Onion article, Pizza Hut has announced $5 1-topping Pizza Mia pizzas when you order 3 or more "to ease the financial strain faced by Americans." The announcement suggests single taxpayers use their upcoming rebate checks to buy 3 pizzas every Friday for 40 weeks.

I would love to see video of a press conference announcing this. Absolutely hilarious!

Pei Wei manager tests new recipe on Maricopa sheriff's deputies.

Unfortunately for him, he's served his last coconut curry.

azfamily.com

Burger King to test Kraft-branded Mac and Cheese.

In an attempt to counter McDonald's successful snack wraps, Burger King has announced plans to introduce a Kraft-branded macaroni and cheese product in several test markets. No word on when or where this new product will be available.

chicagotribune.com

Slowdown in chain restaurant growth

A new report shows chain restaurant growth slowing over last year -- showing signs of recession. Despite a tough environment some chains showed impressive growth: Panera Bread up 18%, Qdoba up 42.9%, Chipotle up 26%, Jimmy Johns up 33%.

forbes.com

Robbed at Spork-point

Peter Albert of Anchorage, Alaska has found a new use for those late-night Taco Bell runs.

Review: Mushroom Swiss Grillburger

Today I'm reviewing DQ Grill and Chill's Mushroom Swiss Grillburger. The burger consists of a 1/4 pound hamburger patty in a toasted seedless bun. It's topped with a slice of swiss cheese, mushrooms, and garlic mayo.

The first impressions of this burger were rather disappointing.



I was looking forward to a mound of juicy sauteed mushrooms but was greeted with a sloppy mushroom gravy and an excessive amount of mayo. The construction of the burger left a lot to be desired.

The taste was not much better. The swiss cheese had little flavor and the hamburger patty was noticeably inferior to many of DQ's competing chains' burgers. The mushroom gravy did have a bit of the strong mushroom flavor I was looking for, but not enough to compensate for the sloppy eating experience it created.

At $6.08 for a basket with fries and a drink this burger fails on the value side of things as well.

Recommended: Not at all.
Taste: 5/10
Quality: 3/10
Value: 3/10