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It's that time of year again, the 40-day Christian season of Lent, a time when fast food restaurants ramp up their seafood menu selections to capitalize on religious dogma -- hell, even KFC plays up their Fish Snacker. The rules of the season mandate that no meat is to be eaten on Fridays -- vegetarians need not change their eating habits -- but to the observant carnivorous fast foodie, this usually means replacing those burgers and fries with fish and chips. Wendy's heeds this call, and has jumped back on the bandwagon this year, offering a Premium Fish Fillet sandwich to fill this religious niche. Here's how it rates:
The Claims: Wendy's Premium Fish Fillet is 100% North Pacific cod breaded with panko crumbs, served in a bun with a leaf of lettuce and tartar sauce (500 calories). A slice of American cheese is optional (for an additional 40 calories).
The Price: $3.99 for the sandwich, plus an extra 30 cents if you want cheese. Add their natural-cut fries to make it a "fish 'n chips" combo with a drink for $5.99. (Prices may vary at participating locations.)
The Verdict: C+. Cod is a very mild-tasting, flaky white fish, which intrinsically makes the core of this sandwich mild and very bland. The panko crumbs, which are usually used as breading in Japanese katsu, give the fillet a nice crunchy texture, but really do nothing to enhance the flavor. The crisp lettuce and soft bun add their contrasting textures to the sandwich, but they too don't add anything to the overall taste either. What's left is the cheese, which helps -- get it with cheese if you have the means -- and the tartar sauce, which is good, however Wendy's only uses a light smear of it. With everything else very mild, I wanted more of that tanginess; it's the only thing in it with a distinguishable taste. I'm not saying smother it in tartar sauce like McDonald's sometimes does with their Filet-O-Fish sandwiches, but perhaps use twice the amount. (I'm willing to take in the extra calories for a little more flavor.)
Unless you're looking for something light, the overall taste, in addition to their natural cut, sea-salted fries (Grade C; see our separate review), makes for a bland albeit self-proclaimed "real" fish 'n chips offering. If only they served it in the traditional way, with more salt and malt vinegar...
- Read what people are giving up for Lent at AOL News.
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Fast Food Reviews
Arby's Angus Three Cheese & Bacon Sandwich
Grade B
Our tester said: Arby's is no stranger to roast beef sandwiches, so rather than introduce something completely new, they've decided to improve upon something they're already known for. The beef is sliced and piled into a decent portion that delivers a good texture per bite, without being too sloppy. The bacon is decent; chewy with a slight crispness that goes well with the soft Italian roll.
Domino's Chicken Wings
Grade: D
Our tester said: The revamped Chicken Wings are definitely not worth getting (at least the ones I got fresh at one particular New York City location), unless you really want to serve wings at a pizza party and don't feel like going to a separate place for them. They are small, subpar and not meaty at all.
Domino's Boneless Chicken
Grade: C
Our tester said: The new Boneless Chicken comes in nuggets similar to those at Wendy's -- only smaller -- and they are decent, with soft white breast meat lightly breaded in a coating of breadcrumbs, a few herbs, salt and pepper.
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.
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3-14-2011 @6:59AM Rob said... I am a Wendys fan, and it's a big disapointment. The BK Big Fish is a much better, larger fish sandwich for $3.19
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3-14-2011 @9:54AM TunMan said... I found that they are going to lose their support very quick. In some areas they have completely upped the prices on all their value menu items. Can't get much for a dollar now. Guess this is just the passing time and condition of things. HTtP://Bit.Ly/CouponSavings has tons in the way of saving with coupons, taking all the foot work of finding good coupons out of your already busy schedule. Plus great free stuff on their page for samples. No membership required. Love that, more than all else.
3-14-2011 @6:34PM Daniel said... Agreed, I really liked the BK spicy Big Fish which they had on their menu for a limited time, it was the best fast food fish sandwich you could get. Too bad they discontinued it.
3-14-2011 @4:32PM Tiger said... At Wendy's, I finally found a fish sandwich which had some substance to it and tasted just right -- loved it!
3-14-2011 @6:26PM Bob said... Hey I Liked Wendy's Fish Sandwich! I Tried them the other day and they were 2 for $3 and My Son and Wife Liked them also! Way Bigger than we had expected for the $$ and Real Great Fish Sandwich!! Much Better than BK and way Better and Better Value than McD's!
Each Person should try them and make up their Own Mind! We Loved it and thought it was a Huge Sandwich especially for the Price! 6 Big Sandwiches came to $9 and we all had a time getting the second one down! Way to Go Wendy's! I Love their Spicy Chicken Nuggets also!
3-14-2011 @5:36PM jim said... would never step foot in wendys again. that has to be the nastiest and dirtiest chain around. my daughter and i went to the one in belton mo. she ordered a salad and when she got to the bottom of it it had 2 gloves{ inside out} in it, all the manager and the non english speakin employees did was laugh about it
3-14-2011 @7:25AM Rob said... Wendy's natural cut fries--- Grade C ? the taster is cukoo. I say a B, AND 100% better than their old fries, if he/she can't tell the difference they are on drugs.
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3-14-2011 @8:40AM Billboo said... Quit the dating adverts in these sites, will ya!
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3-14-2011 @6:57PM jon phillapott said... I totally agree with you Billboo.. It's no different than exploiting advertisements for free.. Hey! go to http://www.headprimer.com/ There! Has does THAT feel..?
3-14-2011 @9:22AM Katrina Nelson said... When i am very tiered then i eat the fast food and slept.
lean muscle x
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3-14-2011 @9:29AM PSILOVEU said... Yuck!
Wendy's "Premium Fish Fillet" is 400% OVERPRICED. If it included cheese as standard, it would be worth about a buck, maybe. This is simply a case of exaggerated, optimistic advertising for an inferior product.
Wendy's new fries are very disappointing as well. The fries used to be good enough to tolerate Wendy's famously-lazy customer-service, but no more.
Wendy's recent changes-for-the-worse will prove, if you try too hard to "please the shareholders" then you will simply "lose the customers".
Fast food is horrible for the body anyway.
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3-15-2011 @12:28PM Esteban! said... I gotta agree. I had one last week and felt as if it were overpriced. Seems like 3 or 4 bites and it was gone.
3-16-2011 @12:58AM CATMAMA said... I LIKE WENDY'S VERRY MUCH, BUT HAVE NOT TRIED THEIR FISH SANDWICH YET. I LIKE MOST FISH SANDWICHES, SO WILL PROBABLY LIKE THEIRS. IT DOES SOUND A LITTLE PRICEY, BUT WHAT I DO DISLIKE INTENSELY ARE THE NEW FRIES. THEY ARE ALWAYS SOGGY AND OVERCOOKED. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THESE.
3-14-2011 @9:30AM andy said... First, I noticed the pun used by inserting "hell" in the line about KFC since this is a religious related article. Not funny! And also, eating fish on Friday is strictly a Roman Catholic thing. It is not associated with all religions. Frankly, I wish restaurants would stop doing it. I am Christian, but not of the Catholic faith.
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3-14-2011 @10:28AM Erica said... The restaurants aren't taking away items to accomodate the Fish sandwich, so why does it bother you?
3-14-2011 @9:52AM flea said... You don't have to chose fish if you don't want to. So what if the Catholics have something to choose, doesn't mean the non-Catholics have to eat it. Why should all restaurants stop offering it? Why would this offend you. Too much energy is wasted on worrying about the ridiculous. Does anyone care if it also offers Kosher food? I don't think so. Look for the positive!
3-14-2011 @10:27AM sue said... So you think restaurants should serve fish on Fridays? Should they stop serving fish altogether? What bothers you about having a choice? As a Roman Catholic I don't eat meat on Fridays during lent so with your thinking I shouldn't go out to eat on a Friday. I guess vegetarians should never go out to eat. I enjoy ordering fish while out to eat whether it is lent or not.
Oh and I love your christian attitude. I guess it should be all about you and no one else.
3-14-2011 @4:41PM Mike said... Hey Andy, like you I am Christian but not Roman Catholic. There are a lot of Catholics in this country. A number of them continue to abstain from meat on Fridays even though the church no longer tells them to. A number of other Christians, though by no means all, observe Lent, too, in some fashion or other. How are we hurt if restaurants cater to their dietary preferences? I think waht's really bothering you is articles like this one that seem to suppose all Christians are Catholic despite a great deal of evidence to the contrary. I'm not crazy about that either and we see it alot.
3-14-2011 @6:36PM WADE said... So what's with your remark- "I'm Christian- but not Catholic" and "I wish they'd stop doing that". What problem do you have with Catholics? We were around long before you lazy Protestants were, anyway. As far as Lent goes, at least we COMMIT ourselves to something- you people ceratinly don't!
3-14-2011 @7:02PM chewhorse said... no!.. No!!... NO...!! Let's not make a religious debate out of fast food!.. Eat fish if you choose, otherwise divert your eyes toward the numerous other choices and let it go at that.. Cheesh!!