I had worked my ass off at the job on this particular day, arriving home a hot and sweaty mess. I jumped in the shower and realized that I worked up quite a hunger. I didn't really feel up to eating out, however, so I threw on a T-shirt and shorts and hit the drive thru. Ah, the drive thru. Thank Christ for the drive thru. It's so convenient for those times when you pull into the Taco Bell parking lot and it resembles a Wal-Mart parking lot. And also convenient for when you don't want to comb your hair or change out of sweatpants or chance seeing anyone you know or a million other reasons.
(According to some cursory research, In-n-Out Burger claims to have opened the first restaurant with a drive thru in Baldwin Park, California, back in 1948. I have heard tell that In-n-Out Burger makes some tasty-ass burgers if you are ever out on the West Coast.)
Let's get started.
Item #22: BEEFY NACHO LOADED GRILLER
You may recall, dear reader, that I was quite fond of the first species of "Loaded Griller" with which I had a culinary encounter: the Chipotle Ranch Chicken Loaded Griller, which earned one of my highest scores to date. I was able to achieve "Happier Hour" pricing on that particular purchase, making it a steal at $1.00. I had to shell out $1.49 for this incarnation of the Loaded Griller since I purchased it after 5:00 PM.
The official Taco Bell website description:
"Delivers the taste of beefy cheesy nachos because we take our seasoned beef covered in warm nacho cheese sauce and crisp red strips for crunch, wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla and grilled so it's ready to eat on-the-go."
Price: $1.49
Taste: 7.0 (out of 10)
Value: 8.5 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 7.4 (out of 10)
Like its brother from another mother (the Chipotle Ranch Chicken version), this baby packs formidable value. This is a heaping helping of quasi-Mexican food for the price. Unfortunately, from a taste perspective, it is not quite as successful. It sounds crazy, but there might just be too much beef in this sucker. The crunchy strips are a nice touch, though they obviously would turn soggy if this item weren't eaten immediately given the liberally applied nacho cheese sauce. But to some degree it's just mouthful after mouthful of beef. (Which is good if you're in a truly beefy mood, but not as good if you are an eater with a comparatively short attention span. Which apparently I am.)
Also, now that I am many items in to my Live Mas adventure, I believe that I can state definitively that I do prefer the taste of Taco Bell's grilled tortilla over the ungrilled version. It took a bit of getting used to initially, but it does add another flavor component that would otherwise be absent. But I think this is a major reason why menu items such as the Meximelt, the soft taco and a few different burritos have earned relatively disappointing marks.
Item #23: CHICKEN QUESADILLA
I have quite a lot of experience with quesadillas. When I was younger and found myself in unfamiliar culinary territory -- i.e., a Mexican restaurant -- the quesadilla was my go-to option. Eventually I found that my favorite type of quesadilla is generally the shrimp quesadilla, provided that the shrimp tastes fresh of course. Which got me to thinking about an interesting point: there is no seafood at Taco Bell.
I traveled to Hawaii a few years ago, and one of the best meals of my life was a meal where I consumed shrimp & fish tacos at a simple roadside stand. They were so delicious. I have a feeling that this deliciousness was because the principal ingredients were extremely fresh. This would be the main challenge in bringing fish or shrimp tacos to Taco Bell, I suppose. But I wonder if Taco Bell couldn't employ a technique that it already uses with its potatoes: frying them. The fish could ostensibly be breaded then frozen. When needed, it could be fried, then lovingly placed in a crunchy or soft taco shell. Perhaps it is just wishful thinking, but pretty much every other fast food chain has been able to add fried seafood items to their menus, for better or worse.
But ultimately that is an issue to be settled at another time. For the time being I had to "settle" for the Chicken Quesadilla.
The official Taco Bell website description:
"Grilled and marinated all-white-meat chicken combined with a three cheese blend and a creamy jalapeño sauce all folded in a freshly grilled tortilla."
Price: $3.19
Taste: 8.5 (out of 10)
Value: 5.5 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 7.8 (out of 10)
This is one of the best-tasting items on the Taco Bell menu. But there just isn't much food for the price. The grilled chicken pieces are delicious and texturally pleasing, but they are too few and far between. On the other hand, the jalapeño sauce combined with the three-cheese blend creates a sublime flavor that I wish was just a little bit spicier, but is otherwise without fault.
The packaging of the quesadilla at Taco Bell is a little bit strange, which turns out to be a detriment of sorts. The overall shape of the quesadilla is a half-moon, but it comes in a rectangular envelope that sports a clear plastic window. Since the quesadilla is grilled, it goes into the package piping hot. This creates condensation on the inside of the window, which can make the last bite or two to come out of the envelope a bit slimy. I simply don't think it's necessary for me to see inside the package before I open it.
Item #24: CHURRO
Ah, dessert. My eternal nemesis. Today's sugary opponent: the Churro.
The official Taco Bell website description:
"Taco Bell's version of the Mexican donut, dusted in cinnamon sugar and served warm."
Price: $0.99
Taste: 8.5 (out of 10)
Value: 7.5 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 8.3 (out of 10)
I was worried that the Churro would be chewy and stale. Nothing could be further from the reality that I experienced. This baby was pure dessert heaven. It combined all the best parts of a fried funnel cake and a fresh donut. It was warm and sweet, but not overly sweet. It struck a really nice balance between texture and flavor. My only quibble would be that it's not huge for the price, but it's not a ripoff. (Having said all of that, I'm kind of disappointed because I am pretty certain that I will not like any of the remaining dessert items as much as the Churro.)
As always, proof of my plunder:
Keep living mas, peeps. Till next time...
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