Today (a Sunday) I saved up my appetite since I had resolved to conquer one of the reputedly larger items on the Taco Bell menu. (See more below.) But just because I would be tackling a serious quantity of food did not mean that I would not be supplementing this selection with some other menu items. The first of these:
Item #19: CHICKEN CHALUPA SUPREME
In my own mind there has historically been some confusion as to what exactly a chalupa was. I never knew the difference between a gordita and a chalupa, for instance. According to some quick Internet searches, chalupas were introduced at Taco Bell at some point during 1999. The Taco Bell chihuahua was a staple of Taco Bell's advertising during this time. In traditional Mexican cuisine, chalupas are deep-fried, shallow, crisp cups made from cornmeal; these cups are then filled with various meat and vegetable combinations. (The traditional Mexican chalupa is apparently not taco-shaped.)
For my meal this afternoon I went with the chicken chalupa, rather than beef or steak. The official Taco Bell website description:
For my meal this afternoon I went with the chicken chalupa, rather than beef or steak. The official Taco Bell website description:
"A crispy, chewy chalupa shell filled with marinated and grilled all-white-meat chicken, reduced-fat sour cream, crisp shredded lettuce, a three cheese blend and diced ripe tomatoes."
Price: $2.99
Taste: 7.5 (out of 10)
Value: 6.0 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 7.1 (out of 10)
I love the chalupa shell portion of the chalupa. It is a fast food texture like almost no other. It is crispy and chewy and flaky and soft all at the same time. The sour cream plays very nicely with this unique texture. This was also the first time I have encountered grilled chicken in a Taco Bell menu item; all previous chicken selections on this Live Mas adventure featured shredded chicken. I added a packet of Salsa Verde and a packet of Fire Sauce, and I feel like that was a dead-on condiment combination.
In the context of the chalupa, I feel the texture of the grilled chicken is the right choice. However, I would say that the flavor of the shredded chicken is a bit more robust than that of the grilled chicken. Still, it is hard to find fault with anything taste-wise in the chicken version of the Chalupa Supreme other than the lettuce. Perhaps it is because of the unique texture of the chalupa, or perhaps it was a random over-helping of lettuce, or perhaps the chalupa just holds more lettuce because it is a little roomier -- whatever the reality, the overwhelming perception that I had was that there was just too much lettuce.
In the context of the chalupa, I feel the texture of the grilled chicken is the right choice. However, I would say that the flavor of the shredded chicken is a bit more robust than that of the grilled chicken. Still, it is hard to find fault with anything taste-wise in the chicken version of the Chalupa Supreme other than the lettuce. Perhaps it is because of the unique texture of the chalupa, or perhaps it was a random over-helping of lettuce, or perhaps the chalupa just holds more lettuce because it is a little roomier -- whatever the reality, the overwhelming perception that I had was that there was just too much lettuce.
Item #20: NACHOS BELL GRANDE
Earlier in my Live Mas adventure I encountered Taco Bell's Nachos Supreme. From both the Taco Bell website description and my own Internet "research" it was not immediately clear whether there was any difference between said Nachos Supreme and the Bell's Nachos Bell Grande other than the obviously more notable name and, of course, size. (One "research" finding seemed to indicate that the only difference would be the number of sheets of toilet paper needed after the fact.) So today I resolved to put that ambiguity to bed. So to accompany the definitely-not-small Chicken Chalupa Supreme, I ordered the always impressive-sounding NACHOS BELL GRANDE. The official Taco Bell website description:
"A large platter of crisp, freshly prepared daily tortilla chips covered with hearty beans, seasoned beef, warm nacho cheese sauce, diced ripe tomatoes, and reduced-fat sour cream."
Price: $2.99
Taste: 8.0 (out of 10)
Value: 8.5 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 8.1 (out of 10)
Dear reader, after struggling to put away the Nachos Bell Grande -- and remember, to be fair, I had already consumed an entire Chalupa Supreme at this point -- I can attest that the only noticeable difference between the Nachos Supreme and Nachos Bell Grande is indeed size. And a glorious difference it is...for instance, I had no issues with running out of chips before the toppings were pretty much completely finished as I did with the Nachos Supreme. When you consider that there is only an $0.80 price difference, it's a no-brainer -- assuming you are that hungry. Tasty, tasty, tasty and great value.
Item #21: CINNAMON TWISTS
I am not a dessert guy. I never have been, and I probably never will be. So while I initially thought that the most challenging portion of my Live Mas adventure would perhaps be the breakfast menu -- due to the limited hours of availability -- I am beginning to suspect that it will in fact be the dessert menu that presents the most daunting challenge. As a result, today I decided that I needed to begin dipping my toe into those sugary waters. Item #1: an order of Cinnamon Twists. (I was pretty sure that they would either be gross or stale. Or both.) From the Taco Bell website:
"Crispy, puffed corn twists, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar."
Price: $0.89
Taste: 8.0 (out of 10)
Value: 8.0 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 8.0 (out of 10)
To say that my expectations for the Cinnamon Twists were low would be a bit of an understatement. But they were tasty. Really tasty. If you have ever had Cinnamon Toast Crunch, that gives you an idea of what the flavor is like. However, there was also a bit of a spicy note. This helped to cut what might have otherwise been borderline-excessive sweetness. But the best part of this little bag of tastiness is the texture...really light and airy, but super crispy as well. There was not even a hint of staleness, so perhaps these are prepared daily in addition to the tortilla chips. Maybe this dessert thing won't be so awful after all. (But it probably will be.)
As always, the bill of goods received:
Peace out until tomorrow, home slices.
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