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KFC is reportedly spending $50 million to market its new original recipe boneless chicken (a 10-piece mixed bucket is $14.99). I admit, I do like the commercials that show people thinking that they’ve accidentally eaten the bones.
The boneless chicken comes in both white and dark meat. After eating a piece of each kind, I concluded that the chicken is good but not great. Despite the so-called original recipe flavoring, it’s much different than eating a regular piece of original recipe chicken. The skin is too thin and you really lose that fried-chicken goodness. Put another way, if I wanted to eat chicken tenders–which is pretty much what the boneless are like–then I’d order chicken tenders. It doesn’t help that KFC asks you what kind of dipping sauce you want for your boneless chicken. |
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Pizza Hut loves experimenting with crusts. First we saw the Stuffed Crust Pizza, then the Cheesy Bites Pizza, then the Double Deep Pizza (remember the rolled-over crust?) and now the Crazy Cheesy Crust Pizza ($12.99 for a single topping). It’s like the Cheesy Bites version in that you’re supposed to pull off the crust to eat separately, but the cheese is not rolled up in the dough this time.
Out of the aforementioned kinds, this was my favorite. The circular crusts hold a cheese-blend made up of provolone, asiago, mozzarella, fontina and mild white cheddar. It’s got so much flavor that I wish the rest of the pizza had the same blend. I would probably order this again. The new pizza was launched in early April and will stick around for up to three months. |
Posts Tagged ‘fast food’
New items at KFC, Pizza Hut
Sunday, May 5th, 2013New items at Taco Bell, McDonald’s
Sunday, March 17th, 2013 |
I knew it was a matter of time for Taco Bell to start selling a Cool Ranch taco. After all, the original Doritos Locos taco has been selling super well, even though I previously noted that the shell doesn’t have enough flavor.
In this case, the Cool Ranch version ($1.39) actually tastes like the chip it’s patterned after. In fact, you can see the Cool Ranch seasoning. Still, I’d like to point out that when you bite the taco shell, meat, cheese and lettuce together, you won’t taste the Cool Ranch at all. But I guess it’s a fun marketing gimmick. A funny note: the Cool Ranch taco was supposed to be available last Wednesday, but most stores didn’t sell it until Thursday, causing outrage among Taco Bell fans. |
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I admit, I really like the sausage burritos at McDonald’s, and now there’s a version with steak (officially called the McSkillet Burrito with Steak and selling for $1.89). For some reason, this item is not even listed on McDonald’s website. Anyways, the steak had decent flavor, although there could have been more of it. I don’t think there’s any compelling reason to switch from the sausage version, which is only $1.
Another new item is the Fish McBites, which are vastly different from the regular fish sandwich. These are meaty, not dry at all and make for a nice snack. I also like that the carton is designed to hold two sauces on the sides. It currently comes in snack, regular or sharable sizes. |
Noodles and pork
Saturday, December 22nd, 2012
Noodles & Company has expanded its menu again. Previously, I wrote about its new salads. This time around, I was invited to try the pork.
According to Noodles & Company, the pork is naturally raised, antibiotic free and available on any menu item in the restaurant. If you’re not sure where to begin, it’s recommended you try the Peppery Pork Sandwich or the Barbecue Pork Mac.
I asked for the pork on the Penne Rosa and the Pad Thai. With penne pasta, you typically expect chicken, meatballs or even salmon as a topping, not pork, so I ordered it to test how versatile pork really is. I have to say it was surprisingly good. I still would prefer chicken or meatballs on the penne, but the pork is a suitable companion.
On the other hand, the Pad Thai was perfect with pork. I squeezed some Sriracha over the top, and folks, that’s a great meal right there. I would order this again for sure.
In the Madison area, Noodles has locations downtown, near west, far west, on the east side, in Fitchburg and in Monona.
New items at Noodles, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut
Sunday, September 9th, 2012 |
Earlier this summer, Noodles and Company invited me to try the new salads on its menu. The American version is a spinach and fresh fruit salad, the Asian version is a Chinese chop salad and the Mediterranean version is a Med salad, which is what I ordered. It’s made up of romaine, mixed greens, tomato, cucumbers, red onion, olives, cavatappi pasta, spicy yogurt dressing and feta, and I followed the restaurant’s suggestion and added marinated steak to it. At first glance, I thought I was given just a few pieces of steak, but I was delightfully surprised to find a lot more hiding beneath the greens. Overall the Med salad is a wonderful combination of flavors, though I was indifferent to the pasta. Frankly, it’s nice to see Noodles and Company expand its menu for non-carb lovers like me. |
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I didn’t have high expectations at first, but I actually really like the new Spicy Chicken McBites at McDonald’s. It’s not like popcorn chicken that’s 95 percent breading; rather, it’s a sizable portion of chicken breast with a little kick (spicy but not too spicy). It’s an easy snack in the car if you don’t care to eat a sandwich, and you can choose from snack size, regular (as seen in the photo) or shareable. |
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It’s not that new, but I wanted to write about the Pizza Hut Dinner Box. Since I ordered it originally, Pizza Hut has added another size. So the original version is now called the Big Dinner Box and comes with two medium, one-topping pizzas, breadsticks and your choice of wings or pasta. The plain Dinner Box consists of one, one-topping pizza, breadsticks and cinnamon sticks. At $19.99 and $10, respectively, I think they’re great deals for the amount of food you get. And now Aaron Rodgers is endorsing it, so what does that say? |
New items at Bison Jack’s, Taco Bell, Sonic
Sunday, June 10th, 2012Here’s a look at some new items on menus around town:
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In March, Bison Jack’s invited me to try some of their new sandwiches; most of its menu was heretofore bison dogs. I love reubens, and I was actually impressed by Bison Jack’s version. If you didn’t know the corned beef was actually bison, I would dare you to say that you could notice the difference. General Manager Matt Brink told me they go through all the same steps of corning the meat, and it shows. |
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Taco Bell has been advertising the hell out of its Doritos Locos taco. The taco itself is fine, but I was disappointed the bland shell didn’t taste more like a Dorito. For instance, you don’t get any of that cheesy residue on your fingers, part of the fun of eating Doritos.
(As an aside, my favorite flavor of Doritos was the Taco Bell version, until it was replaced with the less tasty taco version. Funny how the two companies reversed its cross promotion.) I also tried the new beefy nacho burrito, which has nacho chips inside. While that may seem like a good idea on paper, the chips are soggy from all the nacho cheese. I would have preferred a crunchier chip, but that’s what happens when you put chips inside a burrito. |
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Sonic has some great burgers, but now I’ll be sure to order its hot dogs, too. I tried the new Wholly Guacamole Dog, which comes with jalapenos, tomatoes, diced onions, cheese sauce, pepperjack cheese and of course, guacamole. Lots of flavor here. I would definitely order it again, though next time I would hold the pepperjack cheese, as I didn’t feel it added anything to the final product (weird texture, too).
For some reason, Sonic doesn’t list this dog on its website, so I couldn’t find nutritional info. Maybe that’s a good thing … |
Hilarious fast food recipes
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
