Tag: review

Volcano Nachos – Taco Bell

For some reason today I felt the need the try Taco Bell’s new Volcano Nachos (edit: i have since been reminded that Stephanie told me to get these. i apologize.). Volcano sauce will always have a special place in my heart because, well.. I got to meet the people who developed it. I had heard that they were planning on expanding the menu and assumed nachos would be the next step. What’s easier than taking a menu item that already and exists and dumping sauce on it? Personally, I would have gone with my Volcano quesadilla, but I can understand why Taco Bell would want to save such a delicious creation for later usage. I still believe that quesadillas are the Arizona Cardinals of the Taco Bell menu. Underrated.

As for the Volcano Nachos, I have to say they were pretty bleh. I think they went a little too far with these guys. Just a bit too much going on here. On top of the regular tortilla chips(no red coloring here), you get beef, beans, cheese, red tortilla strips, volcano sauce, cheese, jalapenos and sour cream. That’s a whole lot of shit for some nachos. The first thing that concerned me is why they decided to put tortilla strips on top of tortilla chips? Seemed pretty useless to me. Also, why is there Volcano sauce and nacho cheese? The whole creation lost me a little bit. It was also difficult to eat because of all the crap piled on. Normally, I am a huge fan of different foods piled on top of each other, but this was an exception.

I’m usually a pretty big fan of new Taco Bell menu items. They frequently do admiral job of mixing things up to offer fresh product. I have to say that they failed miserably this time. These nachos will cost you $3.79, but it probably makes more sense to everyone to simply order the Nachos Bel Grande for $2.59 and add Volcano Sauce for an extra $.30. This gets you the same exact thing without tortilla strips or jalapenos for a almost a buck cheaper. It’s a similar deal to the Volcano burrito, which you can get for $1.50 cheaper if you simply order a cheesy double beef burrito with Volcano sauce.

This isn’t a “shame on you” to Taco Bell, but it is a promise that I will never order these again. Thankfully, this particular meal was saved by an old favorite — Pintos & Cheese, or as I like to call it.. Bowl o’ Slop.

August 3, 2009
BIG Wreck from Potbelly

If you build it, I will come…

If you run an eating establishment located in my area and you begin advertising something that is larger than what is normally served, you can bet your sweet behind that John will be in line sooner or later. Ever since Potbelly began serving the BIGs version of their sandwiches, I have made it a goal of mine to get over there and put the name to the test. I have to admit, I had only tried Potbelly once before and was only somewhat impressed. Stephanie used to work for them so one day she convinced me to try it under the condition that it was free. I am a huge fan of sandwiches, but the Subways of the world seem to feel that stuffing as much lettuce as possible between two peices of bread is considered a sandwich. I beg to differ. To me, a sandwich is two toasted pieces of bread, a delicious sauce, and as much meat as possible. I frequently order sandwiches with no veggies at all. Potbelly seems to be a natural fit for me because their sandwiches are well toasted(none of this Subway microwave oven bullshit), usually heavy on the meat, and the optional additions are delicious.

Today, I believed that I had created my ideal sandwich. The Wreck. Salami, roast beef, turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese topped with oil, mayo, Italian seasonings and hot peppers. This may not be the healthiest sandwich in the world, but if you read this blog on a somewhat regular basis you may have found that counting calories is not one of my hobbies. While this sandwich had all the makings of being high up on the scale of deliciousnesses, it fell more into the “pretty damn good” category. There was less meat than I expected, which leads me to believe that they are using the same amount for the BIGs as they are for their regular sized sandwiches. The peppers were absolutely delicious, and the oil, seasonings, and mayo made for an almost perfect sandwich topping. If they went a little less heavy on the bread and cranked up the amount of meat, this sandwich would be in my hall of fame. I will have to consult with Stephanie on how to say, in Potbelly lingo, GIVE ME MORE MEAT!

I have to say, in conclusion, that I eat far more than the normal human being. This would probably be the perfect amount of food for someone who doesn’t consume more than 3500 calories per day. But if you are like me and enjoy your portions large, give it a try but don’t hold your standards too high.

July 27, 2009
KFC’s $5 Fill Up Box

You are now free to call me a hypocrite.

A few months back, I wrote a post demanding that certain fast food establishments stop the production of random new items to draw attention to themselves. One of these included the new grilled chicken at KFC, which I believe I called “completely going against everything you served at KFC for the last 50 years.” Well, ever since I began seeing the commercials for their new Five Dollar Fill up Boxes, I have had great admiration for KFC because of their direct rip on Subway’s five dollar footlongs. I have new found respect for the Colonel, even though he’s been dead for years. Dead or alive, anyone who takes a dig at Subway is a friend of mine.

With this new admiration, I decided to pick up one of these boxes on the way home from work last night. If you haven’t seen the commercial which is aired non-stop on what seems like every single channel, the five dollar fill up box comes with a chicken option, a side of your choice, a biscuit, and a medium drink. I was surprised to find that there were several different options, including a two-piece meal, three Original Recipe Strips, a Twister Wrap, five Hot Wings or five Dipped Wings. For some reason, I decided to try the new grilled chicken. You are again free to call me a hypocrite. For my side I, of course, got the mashed taters. I’m just not down with cole slaw from KFC. Here’s what I got:

I was rather disappointed when I opened the box. I was actually pretty disgusted. The chicken looked pretty bare and didn’t look like it was going to fill me up at all. Had KFC abused my new found trust? Upon putting the pieces on a plate, I realized that the breast was actually a pretty good size hunk of meat. The wing could’ve been a little better, but the appearance of the chicken was much improved from my first glance:

The outside of the chicken was slightly crispy and the chicken had the same greasy texture as the original fried kind. A paper towel was required to handle it, which is always a great sign. I am usually a frequent adder of Frank’s Red Hot to most plain chicken I eat, but the grilled chicken didn’t even require any. The meat was juicy, and the seasoning was tasty. I wouldn’t call this the finest piece of chicken I’ve ever eaten, but it was a definite surprise. The Taters? Delicious as always. I have to give KFC some props on this. For 5 bucks, this is one hell of a deal. I have to say I was satisfied with the size of the meal, and only had fruit snacks after, but that’s only because of my deep love affair with fruit snacks.

I would recommend you go and give one of these boxes a shot. You may find yourself as surprised as I was. Oh, and boo Subway. Nasty.

July 27, 2009