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Photo: Sarah De Heer, AOL
This morning, Dunkin' Donuts introduced their biggest breakfast sandwich yet: The Big 'N Toasty. According to John Costello, Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer at Dunkin' Brands, the Big 'N Toasty Breakfast Sandwich is targeted at those who need more than a bowl of cereal in the morning. "At Dunkin' Donuts, we realize that people on-the-go at times crave heartier foods to start their day," he says. "With the Big 'N Toasty Breakfast Sandwich, Dunkin' Donuts can satisfy even the biggest appetites with a fulfilling, portable breakfast at an affordable price," he said. Here's how it rates:
The Claims: The Big "N Toasty Breakfast Sandwich features two peppered fried eggs, four slices of cherrywood smoked bacon and a slice of American cheese, all packed between two thick slices of Texas toast -- the first sandwich to feature this thick-sliced bread.
The Price: $3.29 (prices may vary depending on location.)
The Verdict: Grade B. It's certainly a much heartier breakfast sandwich than what we've been seeing lately (breakfast wraps have been all the rage). This sandwich takes two hands to eat and kept us full for several hours.
The bacon was crisp and not too fatty. Surprisingly, it didn't have that chemical-like taste that we've found in other bacon offerings from fast-food joints. Don't like bacon? Not a problem. Customers can switch out the bacon with sausage or ham (or, if you feel like going for broke, you can get all three). The eggs were cooked well and seasoned with both salt and pepper. (They're not allowed to do this because of food safety issues, but this sandwich would be dynamite with some runny egg yolk running through it.)
While the bread was toasted nicely, there was just too much of it. It was the only downfall of the sandwich. To make this sandwich an A, Dunkin' would have to put an extra egg or two in there to balance it out.
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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2-28-2011 @8:43PM Ray said... As a breakfast meal It gets an "A" in my book! But I do like your idea of adding still more protein in between those 2 slices of Texas toast! As a meal with a medium coffee it's an even better deal. Who needs the hash browns? they only add empty carbs even if they do taste good! And I agree, it kept me going right into lunch.
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2-28-2011 @11:18PM REX said... FORGET ABOUT MAKING SANDWICHES. IN CONNECTICUT [especially in hartford, west hartford, newington, wetherfield, and rocky hill} YOU CANNOT GET A PLAIN JELLY DONUT, AND APPLE AND SPICE DONUTS, A BLUBERRY DONUTS.
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3-01-2011 @10:54AM Lassie said... There, there Rex. There, there....take a deep breath...now take another...now think, Rex, think! What is it you want to say? Think it out, and then speak. You can do it, Rex! Deep breath now....
2-28-2011 @11:39PM Mike said... Looks like something my grandsons made.
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3-01-2011 @12:00AM rufuc said... If you think this is the FIRST sandwich with Texas Toast, you have lost your mind. Check the Sonic Drive-In Menu or the Whataburger BBQ Chicken Sandwich.
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3-03-2011 @1:01PM paalleno said... EXACTLY! HOW DO PEOPLE TELL LIES LIKE THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE? THAT STATEMENT CAME FROM THE COMPANY ITSELF. YOU KNOW HOW I KNOW HE'S LYING, IT'S HIS OWN FREAKIN' INDUSTRY. HE KNOWS THE ENTIRE MARKET. I GUESS THE ATTITUDE IS "SO WHAT, IT'S JUST AN AD." HE NEEDS TO JUST SAY "THE FIRST BREAKFAST SANDWICH EVER." THAT WOULD BE JUST AS ACCURATE.
3-01-2011 @8:15AM Healthyeater said... Take away the bread, bacon and cheese and you'll have what someone SHOULD have for breakfast. But the way they cook the eggs (at least around here) I'd rather make my own than eat those rubbery round disks. Come on guys, wake up 10 minutes earlier in the morning and cook your own eggs followed by a big glass of water. See how much better you'll feel!
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3-01-2011 @9:59AM WminPhoenix said... Yummie! Heart attack on toast. Dunkin' Donuts is simply LGDF, low grade dog food.
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3-01-2011 @10:55AM Lassie said... Oh, come on! Looks delicious! I make something like this on Sunday mornings. Once a week maybe can't kill you. Could it? I'm all for oatmeal, yogurt, bananas for breakfast, if I have any. But Sunday mornings I loves some filling brekkie.
3-01-2011 @1:19PM Bob said... I had one of these this morning, the toast was greasy and the bacon although crispy around the edges was almost raw in the center of the sandwich......the only reason I got it was because of the $1.99 special coupon, I doubt I'll ever get another!
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3-01-2011 @1:38PM gov111w said... I bought this breakfast treat, it tasted great but I could not eat in my car while driving because the noise from my arteries closing down while I ate it drown out my MP3 player...!!!!!
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3-02-2011 @12:07PM allentownal said... I like Dunkin products but I have given up on them. The workers here donl't speak enough english to get the order right.
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3-02-2011 @5:50PM Mikki said... Gee, I can make the same thing at home, pulse let the yolk run a bit, and its a LOT cheaper and healthier. Just get up 15-20 minutes earlier and fix it along with a glass of OJ and then grab the coffee and drink it on the way to work.
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3-03-2011 @11:42AM OntheruninSoMD said... I tried one for the first time this morning and thought it was great. Very tasty and it sure filled me up. I skipped the hash browns and had a diet Pepsi, which limited the calorie count to only the zillion calories in the sandwich. But I'm not going to give up 20 minutes of sleep and wake up my household just so I can cook my own eggs at 5 in the morning. A breakfast sandwich like this is a convenient, filling breakfast I can grab on my way to work - I'll save the homecooked breakfasts for the weekends and preserve my arteries by making this an "every now and again" option on mornings when my schedule won't permit a mid-morning snack.
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3-14-2011 @12:54PM Donna said... I had this for the first time this morning. Like another poster said, I got it mainly because I had the $1.99 coupon and was running so late this morning that I couldn't cook my own breakfast like I normally do. After waiting 10 minutes in the drive up line I was handed this bag that was VERY heavy. I guess I really didn't know beforehand how big it was. I opted for the sausage. This thing was so huge I couldn't take it out of the bag with one hand, I was driving at the time. That's a LOT of food. I ate it all by taking it apart piece by piece, and now almost 5 hours later I am still full and not just a little bit sick!! Tasted great but won't be repeating the experience. Just too much food!
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3-16-2011 @11:26AM Jimmy said... Those aren't really fried eggs on there! It's a pre-formed patty thing that's made to look like a fried egg. Pretty sneaky!
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4-04-2011 @6:43AM CAROL said... Beware---I tried this sandwich and took only 3 bites. The toast was soggy and the edges were very hard. 1 hour later I began to itch and then I was covered from head to toes with hives. Spent the next 48 hrs taking Benadryl and using ice packs to sooth the swelling. Never ever have I had a food allergy---can't imagine what would have happened if I ate the entire sandwich---Thank God i didn't.
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4-25-2011 @8:38AM Richard Giannattasio said... I just bought 2 Big and Toasty breakfast sandwiches at Winsted, CT. The bread was dry, overcooked and hard as a rock, we could not eat them. I paid over $10.00 for the 2, and we could only eat the insides. We are very unhappy, and it will be a long time before we go back. Thank you.
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