Taco Bell Black Jack Taco
Grade: B
Taco Bell may be trying to provoke with its new Black Jack taco ads, but the only thing that stands out with this taco is the shell -- and bummer for Taco Bell, black has no taste. The "zesty pepper jack sauce" really doesn't stand out in this taco. What you're getting here is a regular taco with a spiffy shell.
Rachel Been, AOL
Wendy's Bacon Deluxe
Grade: B+
This new bacon cheeseburger from Wendy's is big on applewood-smoked bacon flavor, which helps this sandwich rank well amidst the competition. Single, double or triple patty versions mean this Bacon Deluxe can try to satisfy the heartiest of appetites.
Rachel Been, AOL
Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Donut
Grade: A-
Imagine a cider-mill-style glazed cake doughnut with the gentle spices of autumn. That's what you have with Dunkin' Donuts seasonal 89-cent doughnut. Our testers found it to have a distinctly cruller-like consistency. Be warned: It's very orange!
Rachel Been, AOL
Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Muffin
Grade: B+
Our tasters were split on this muffin, with some calling it super moist and some thinking it to be super mushy. It tastes like pumpkin bread -- and that's good cause the muffin is the size of a small pumpkin.
Rachel Been, AOL
Dunkin' Donuts Low-Fat Apple Caramel Muffin
Grade: C-
Dunkin' Donuts says this is it's first low fat muffin, with only 3 grams of taste. But what they've created is a healthy monster -- a very dry, crumbly monster with veins of caramel and a heavy overcoat of sugar crystals. Tough, dry and chewy -- yum.
Rachel Been, AOL
Domino's Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes
Grade: B
Remember when pizzerias did those awful sugary dessert pizzas? Well, Domino's has wised up and decided to forgo such nonsense for its new lava crunch cake. Our order arrived warm with its advertised "flowing chocolate fudge" looking a bit like glossy plastic. But it did well in the taste department, with our eaters likening it to brownie batter or warm frosting. The cake itself tasted like a crunchy chocolate cookie.
Keith Morrison
KFC Grilled Chicken
Grade: B
Pardon us, but where did these chicken snobs come from all of a sudden? Folks all over the country were a-cluck over Oprah's free grilled chicken coupon giveaway, wondering how dare she throw her considerable influence behind something so declasse and unhealthy. Were they planning on going home and slow-poaching some tilapia with a pilaf of quinoa and an acai infusion? Because really, this stuff (the portion on the left) is pretty tasty. It's smartly seasoned, nicely juicy, properly cooked and yes, while it might be a wee bit greasy, a paper towel quickly blots off the excess. We're crying fowl on the naysayers.
Rachel Been
Taco Bell Volcano Burrito
Grade: D
This burrito is all bark and no bite. Either the chef grabbed the mild sauce by mistake or the 'volcano' they're getting their sauce from is dormant. The whole thing is so tightly packed with beef, there isn't much room for anything else, save for random strips of red tortilla shell sprinkled throughout. We're assuming they're supposed to add crunch, but they ended up just being soggy from proximity to the greasy beef filling. Sour cream, supposedly included as a cooling agent really just adds a layer of calories, but if you're just in it for the beef, go ahead -- have a cow.
Rachel Been
McDonald's Snack Mac Wrap
Grade: C+
Meet the Snack Mac Wrap, the Big Mac incarnation of the fast-food wraps that are increasingly popular with folks who like thinking they are eating healthily. So what do you get? The signature Big Mac sauce with two squished down meatball patties, a sprinkling of iceberg lettuce strips and two dill pickle rounds. Yes, it is a little less carb and calorie laden but since when is a tortilla a satisfying substitute for the three buns a regular Big Mac packs? In the end, go big or go home. If you really want a Big Mac, eat one. Your taste buds won't be fooled by this wrap unless you're only in it for the sauce.
Rachel Been
Taco Bell Chicken Soft Taco
Grade: B
Lettuce, cheese and chicken in a folded tortilla -- Taco Bell is keeping it simple with this one. And at 89 cents, the only way to describe it is 'pretty good' for a fast-food taco. One qualm -- the filling barely filled the shockingly normal-sized tortilla. With the addition of one of Taco Bell's mild, medium or hot sauces, it might have been able to achieve a B+. Don't let the price fool you though; you need to eat more than one of these to actually be full.
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Photo: necopunch, Flickr
