Taco Bell Quad Steak Burrito

Unbeknownst to me, Taco Bell had rolled out a new version of their steak not too long ago. This change was meant to eliminate certain issues such as the rubbery texture and overall low quality of their previous steak. I thought to myself, "What better way to try out this new steak than in their new Quad Steak Burrito?" It is purported to have four times the amount of steak as compared to the Steak Burrito Supreme, after all. To add onto that, just one burrito cost me almost as much as an entire Beefy Crunch Box. Needless to say, my expectations were somewhat high. As soon as I received my order, I realized that the burrito truly was big in size. This was undoubtedly one of the largest burritos I had ever seen from Taco Bell. Once I took my first bite, the first thing that struck me was how strong the fire-roasted salsa was. I've tried the fire-roasted salsa before; the best way I can describe it is that it tastes a lot like BBQ sauce. The only problem I had with the salsa is that it masked the flavor of just about everything else in the burrito. As for the steak, I could definitely tell that a few changes were made to it. For one, it actually tasted and felt like I was eating a real steak. I even managed to make out some gristly bits. As for the amount of steak in the burrito, I wouldn't necessarily say that it consisted of four portions, but it was still more than enough to satisfy. Overall, I thought this was a great way to sample Taco Bell's new steak recipe. If I were to order this next time though, I'd probably ask for them to hold the salsa so that I can appreciate the other flavors a bit more. Although it may be a bit on the expensive side, I'd say it's worth trying at least once.

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Burger King BK Stuffed Steakhouse Burger

Adding in different ingredients to form a burger patty is not a new concept to me. However, I was surprised to hear that Burger King had introduced a burger "stuffed" with jalapenos and cheese. I thought it sounded like a pretty good combination, so naturally I decided to try one for myself. After unwrapping it and taking the first bite, I was a little disappointed. By the time I had finished the burger, I realized a couple things:

1. The burger was not as spicy as the advertising suggests. The poblano sauce didn't carry much heat, and I felt as though it didn't contribute much to the burger at all. The jalapenos fared a bit better when it came to spiciness, but the pieces were so small and scattered that they hardly made an impact.

2. The cheese was definitely a letdown. Essentially, what they did was take 1/4 of a slice of cheese and cut it up into tiny pieces to be scattered all over the patty. Supposedly the burger contained cheddar cheese, but it tasted more along the lines of American. I would have preferred better tasting cheese and a lot more of it.

On a more positive note, I did like the bun as well as the meat from the patty. It had that signature charbroiled taste and it was seasoned well. However, for a burger that was meant to prominently feature the jalapenos and cheese stuffed inside of it, I ended up feeling underwhelmed.

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Doritos Taco

If you look around on the web, you’ll find that Doritos Taco flavored chips have a legendary status. Apparently, they were the second flavor of Doritos released but were discontinued many years ago. Recently, Doritos brought back the Taco chips, at least for a limited time. The bag has the all-to-familiar-nowadays “Limited Edition” label on it, so there’s no knowing how long they will be around. I picked up a bag recently to experience the nostalgia. Love the retro bag design! The chips have a pleasant, familiar taco flavor that is much more subdued compared to many of the other flavors of Doritos that are out there. That’s not to say that the chips are lacking in flavor, just that the flavor isn’t as bold as most other flavors of Doritos. Lots of the other flavors try much too hard to be interesting and exciting. Doritos Taco, on the other hand, tastes like it doesn’t have anything to prove and is comfortable being just “taco.” This is just fine with me. I like the flavor of the chips and hope that Doritos makes them a permanent item.

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Not Just Cereal Toasted Rice

As I’ve mentioned before, I love breakfast cereal. I don’t just eat it at breakfast time – it makes a mighty fine lunch, dinner, or late-night snack. So, it’s no wonder that I love what Nassau Candy has done with their line of Not Just Cereal Products. They have taken four types of breakfast cereal and covered them with mild chocolate. What genius! The company was kind enough to send me samples of each variety to try. Each was pretty good, but the Toasted Rice variety, surprisingly, stood out as the best. It’s just toasted rice cereal (think Rice Chex) covered with milk chocolate. Toasted rice cereal by itself doesn’t have the greatest flavor, but this is a situation where the sum is greater than the parts. The combination of the toasted rice cereal and the mild chocolate is absolutely wonderful, like the two were just meant to go together. It’s a snack that you’ll find hard to put down, so it’s a good thing that it comes is a relatively small three-serving package. Or, if you have my appetite, you can think of it as one large serving. According to the company’s web site, Not Just Cereal products are available at Walmart. I’m not sure if you can find them anywhere else, but it’s worth a special trip to Walmart to get some Not Just Cereal Toasted Rice for your snacking pleasure.

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Sonic Drive-In Footlong Quarter Pound Coney and Tots

There are a lot of reasons to like Sonic Drive-In. First, it’s a drive-in. It can be a lot of work to get out of the car and walk into a restaurant. I prefer to just eat in the comfort of my own car while I listen to the radio. Second, they have a large menu full of tasty food. Third, they sell tater tots. Tater tots!! Why can’t I buy tater tots at more restaurants? They are so much better than French fries. The Tots at Sonic are great – deep-fried to a golden brown outside with a moist, creamy interior. And, they have a generous amount of salt on them. Saltaphobes beware! The Tots are the perfect accompaniment to the Footlong Quarter Pound Coney. It’s a mighty big hot dog covered with chili and cheese. You’ll need two hands to eat this behemoth. I’m not sure what kind of meat the hot dog is made from, but it tasted pretty good. A Footlong Quarter Pound Coney and a large order of Tots just about enough to fill me up, which gives you some idea of how much food it is. I recommend this as a meal for someone with a big appetite.

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