Debunking Beer Can Chicken: A Waste Of Good Beer, And Dangerous
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Photo: Erik R. Trinidad
Wendy's has quite a reputation to maintain when it announces a new menu item. They have to not only live up to their current marketing slogan, "You know when it's real," by using the freshest ingredients that a national mega-chain can be supplied, but they must also strive to sustain their "recipe of quality" -- a formula which has earned them top honors in Zagat's Fast Food Survey for the past two years. Enter the new Asiago Ranch Chicken Club, the self-proclaimed "bold new take on chicken that's anything but boring." Here's how it rates:
The Claims: The Asiago Ranch Chicken Club sandwich comes in three variations of chicken -- Grilled, Homestyle, or Spicy – each topped with strips of applewood-smoked bacon, a slice of Asiago cheese, ranch dressing, lettuce, and sliced tomatoes. (470-660 calories, depending on the style of chicken)
The Price: $5.19 each. (Manhattan, NY; prices may vary depending on location.)
The Verdict: Grade A. While these three sandwiches are merely enhancements of existing sandwiches, the new combination of toppings makes all the difference. At its core, the chicken breast fillets are as good as Wendy's gets; the Homestyle variety is breaded and seasoned like a KFC fillet, the breaded Spicy one packs decent heat for a national fast-food chain, and the Grilled version is lighter in taste and texture. All three are tender, plump and juicy. And, typical of Wendy's chicken sandwiches, the fresh tomatoes and lettuce take the edge off of the chicken's saltiness, while the soft bun complements them all.
The new combination of toppings is a bonus to what is already a solid group of chicken sandwiches. The ranch dressing is tangy, the smoked bacon is salty, and the Asiago cheese has that difficult-to-describe taste that foodies now refer to as "umami." The three distinct flavors don't compete against one another, nor do they fuse into a single hodgepodge. Perhaps it's the varied textures of melted cheese, crispy bacon, and creamy dressing that prevent that from happening; rather than clump together, the three tastes and textures swirl harmoniously in your mouth when you chew, and you can still taste each distinctly. And at the very moment you swallow and get ready for the next addictive bite, you know that it's real.
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Fast Food Reviews
Wendy's Asiago Ranch Chicken Club
Grade: A
Our tester said: While these three sandwiches are merely enhancements of existing sandwiches, the new combination of toppings makes all the difference. At its core, the chicken breast fillets are as good as Wendy's gets; the Homestyle variety is breaded and seasoned like a KFC fillet, the breaded Spicy one packs decent heat for a national fast-food chain, and the Grilled version is lighter in taste and texture. All three are tender, plump and juicy. And, typical of Wendy's chicken sandwiches, the fresh tomatoes and lettuce take the edge off of the chicken's saltiness, while the soft bun complements them all.
Taco Bell's Quad Steak Burrito and Quesadilla
Grade: C+
Our tester said: This "new" burrito and quesadilla may pack more meat, but it is not inventive on any other front. It is what it is, and "what it is" is an obvious attempt at damage control, a food item to remind the public that you can get actual beef chunks -- and plenty of them -- at Taco Bell. Sure, the Quad Steak items are filling and have that familiar fast-food Mexican-inspired taste you expect from Taco Bell, with a spiciness you can control via your preference of thier Mild, Hot, or Fire Sauce. To be fair, the abundance of steak pieces does alter the texture of the burrito, with more beef per bite during your eating experience, rather than the mouthfuls of mostly rice you get with the regular steak burrito. But apart from that, this "new" burrito is nothing new at all. Taco Bell may claim to "think outside the bun," but they didn't think much further than that in this one.
McDonald's Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon & Cheese Burger and Snack Wrap
Grade: C+
Our tester said: This "new" version of the Angus Third Pounder is really nothing new at all -- and it boasts the highest calorie count of any burger on the menu (at the time of writing). Sure, it will satisfy your hunger, and the beef is tasty, but the sauce flavor is lacking. My gripe with this sandwich is that when trying to analyze its flavor, I was searching for the chipotle taste in the BBQ sauce, but couldn't find the deep, smoky spiciness that chipotle peppers are known for. In fact, when I sampled the sauce by itself, it was rather familiar: It tasted exactly like the brown barbecue sauce served with Chicken McNuggets, and more recently, in the McRib sandwich.
Burger King's Jalapeno & Cheese Stuffed Steakhouse Burger
Grade: B-
Our tester said: For a fast-food chain known for the "heat" to come from flame-broilers, not spices, this new burger actually packs a lot of kick and is quite spicy -- when you find it, that is. The distribution of the jalapeño bits in the patty isn't always even and there is no "bite" in every bite. The saltiness of the cheese takes down the heat a tad, just as the lettuce and tomato attempt to offset the mild spiciness of the poblano cream sauce (which only has a hint of spice above what seems to be plain mayonnaise).
Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Biscuit
Grade: B+
Our tester said: While we expected this breakfast biscuit to be on the way-too-buttery side, we were surprised it wasn't too salty or greasy. The biscuit is soft and firm yet moist enough that it doesn't crumble when being handled. By itself, the biscuit has the right amount of salt, and is actually a bit sweet, with the flavor of sweet cornmeal, as in a good piece of cornbread or the batter around a corn dog. The spicy chicken filet packs a bite, more than expected, with a satisfying aftertaste of pepper – and if it's not hot enough for your morning palate, you could always add a packet of Texas Pete's Hot Sauce. The chicken's spiciness is offset by the sweetness of the biscuit, giving it a nice overall balance. It's the perfect part of Chick-fil-A's complete breakfast, which also includes tater tots, plus orange juice or coffee.
Starbucks Veggie, Egg, & Monterey Jack Sandwich
Grade: B-
Our tester said: Although the sandwich was fresh, and the bread was a better quality than the Dunkin' Wake-Up Wraps' tortillas (which were kind of hard), our panelists thought there was just too much bread, not nearly enough vegetables (we only had two or three peppers buried in each sandwich's egg), and it was bland. "More salt," begged one panelist. "More flavor!" When it came to the cheese, though, the Monterey Jack of Starbucks had an edge over Dunkin's low-cal cheese, which, said one panelist, "tasted like fake cheese food." Starbucks, add more vegetables and amp up the spice, please.
Dunkin' Donuts Wake-Up Wraps
Grade: B+
Our tester said: Everyone on the panel agreed this wrap (which isn't really a wrap at all) had the kick you want in a breakfast sandwich. It was more highly spiced than the Starbucks Veggie ABS, and the sausage had good flavor. The tortilla, though, could use a remake. It tasted just a touch stale. Dunkin', we'll come back for the spice, and the low-cal ease, but freshen up the tortillas, please.
Wendy's Natural-Cut Fries with Sea Salt
Grade: C
Nutritional Information (medium): 420 calories, 20 grams fat, 500 mg sodium
Our testers said: "When I eat fries, I expect them to satisfy my salt craving. I would have to add salt to these fries for that to happen. While these fries have a stronger potato flavor, I found them to have an odd chemical-like aftertaste. Since I can no longer order the old fries, I'll have to go to McDonald's for my fries." "I was expecting larger grains of crunchy salt. They're good, but it's impossible to tell the difference between these and the old fries. There's only visible potato skin on a few fries in the batch."
Dunkin' Donuts Sausage Pancake Bites
Grade: B
Nutritional Information: 300 calories, 20 grams fat, 550 mg sodium
Our testers said: "Still has that fake maple flavor, but I can deal with it." "They're not too greasy and I even enjoyed them cold." "If I had to choose between other fast-food breakfast sandwiches and these bites, I would chose these."
Subway Fiery Turkey Jalapeno
Grade: C-
Nutritional Information: 440 calories, 18 grams fat, 1350 mg sodium
Our testers said: "It was a just a standard Subway sandwich with the ingredients in a different combination." "I love super hot foods, so considering it's fairly cheap and fairly tasty, I would consider ordering it the next time I'm at Subway." "This sandwich could easily rival BK's Angry Whopper -- it was so hot, I lost the flavor of the other ingredients on the sandwich. For once, the sandwich came together exactly as advertised -- with a ton of jalapeños."
Subway Steak & Cheese
Grade: C
Nutritional Information: 380 calories, 10 grams fat, 1230 mg sodium
Our testers said: "This is a weak take on a classic Philly Cheese steak with ground up beef, melted cheese and a chipotle sauce. I found myself looking for the beef, there was hardly any on the sandwich." "It's not the sort of thing I would rave about to friends." "It wasn't great and it wasn't bad -- there are other sandwiches I'd order again before having this."
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2-09-2011 @1:31PM franklapp said... Looks good, but salt, salt and more salt, I'd bet.
The only things at Wendy's for a low salt diet are the baked potatoes and the orange slices.
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2-09-2011 @2:10PM Beverly Hyder said... Just another example of poor nutritional choices at a fast food restaurant and a total hype piece promoting bad eating. Pile enough junk on trash food and someone will eat it. Wendy's is another chain that refuses to let you "have it your way." Not long ago I was rushed and decided to stop at Wendy's for a small burger with mustard and added chili. I was told I could not get added chili, even tho the restaurant sells it, unless I bought a bowl of it and I would have to add it myself. So from now on, if I do have to have fast food, it's Sonic for me. They actually know how to add a bit of chili to a burger without going into shock.
2-09-2011 @4:41PM nibblett said... Yes Wendy's comes up with some rather tasty food. The problem I have with them and most fast food places are that the staff just CRAM the food together SHOVE it deep into a bag.ANd when you go to eat it, its usually a SMushed squished soggy MESS..At no point resembling the cripsy chicken or fresh lettuce and tomatoe slices or crunchy bacon you Advertise!
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2-09-2011 @5:14PM cc said... I want to try it soo bad but the sandwich alone cost $ 5 bucks! It sounds like an improvement on their old Monterey Chicken Ranch Sandwich(delicious).
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2-09-2011 @5:32PM keith said... The problem is by the time they throw it together and you get it, the sandwich will look like someone sat on it, the condiments will be on one side coming out, the lettuce will appear to have been underwater for 2 days, and you'll get a half of slice of bacon that you can see through. All these fast food joints should be fined for false advertising. None of what you get looks like what they advertise and people are getting wise to it.
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2-09-2011 @5:41PM keith said... I'll open up a can of dog food before I eat at sonics. You obviously work there.
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2-09-2011 @5:57PM Chester said... Wendy's should have left their fries ALONE. they HAD the best fries out there...now I won't eat them
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2-10-2011 @5:17AM Donald Anderson said... I like sandwich.but I was told I could not get added chili, even tho the restaurant sells it, unless I bought a bowl of it and I would have to add it myself. So from now on, if I do have to have fast food, it's Sonic for me.and i telling u this is a good dish.
http://justaboutarticles.info/?p=104910
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2-23-2011 @3:00PM Dark Jester said... Wow, don't know what sandwich you ate. I just picked up 2 of these bad boys (spicy) and I have to say I'm completely unimpressed.
At best I would consider them on equal ground with Jack in the Box's Spicy Chicken sandwiches. Since JitB came out with theirs more than 15 years ago, I'd have to wonder what took Wendy's so long to catch up. It's definately not a slap in the face above and beyond other chicken sandwiches on the market, as some of their commercials claim.
The spices in the breading overpower almost every other flavor in the sandwich except the cheese. For $1.50 more than a JitB Spicy Chicken, I find myself wondering where that extra money is going. Bacon? Can't even taste it. Maybe it's detectable on the Grilled or Homestyle versions, but I wouldn't miss it at all if it wasn't on the Spicy version.
The piece of lettuce I got was a really thick leaf from the heel of the lettuce head, and looked like it had been sitting out for a couple hours. Nobody wants the woody with a hint of dirt flavored lettuce leaf from the bottom of the head on their sandwich. Bite the .02 and throw it in the trash where it belongs. give me a nice piece of lettuce on my sandwich. The tomato slices were still greenish colored in spots. Fresh ingredients are nice, but at least let the tomatos ripen fully before slapping them on sandwiches.
Not saying it's a bad sandwich overall, it tasted fairly decent. As I said I would consider it an equal of the JitB Spicy Chicken if it wasn't for the extra cost for no discernable added bonus. Careful with the Umami buzzword too. Using it in a manner inconsistent with it's meaning makes you appear rather pretentious. Trying to force it into a food review where it doesn't belong will not make you cool.
You know when it's real(ly not a good deal).
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