Perhaps Taco Bell doesn't turn a profit on the Dollar Cravings Menu. Maybe its sole purpose is to drive traffic to the restaurant in the hope that said traffic will eventually come to order items that do not reside on the Dollar Cravings Menu. If that is the case, Taco Bell wouldn't want the items priced at $1.00 to taste TOO good, or else customers would rarely order anything else. It seems to be a delicate balancing act.
Today's visit features 3 items, all priced at $1.00.
Item #57: BEEFY FRITOS BURRITO
The official Taco Bell website description:
"Seasoned beef, Frito chips, and cilantro rice wrapped in a flour tortilla and filled with warm nacho cheese sauce."
Price: $1.00
Taste: 7.0 (out of 10)
Value: 7.5 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 7.1 (out of 10)
The Beefy Fritos Burrito works pretty well in most respects. As it turns out, Fritos are a perfect addition to a burrito. Their salty crunch would be welcome on many other burritos at the Border. The ground beef is tasty, as always. The rice is perfectly adequate. It's a decent portion of food for the price.
But the Beefy Fritos Burrito is also mildly disappointing. The reason: This is the first Dollar Cravings Menu item that feels a little bit cheap. It's the nacho cheese sauce. The way that it mixes with the rice creates an unpleasant sensation in the mouth. Using real cheese here -- which is probably not feasible, given the $1.00 selling price -- would be a huge improvement. The nacho cheese sauce just doesn't cut it here, and it kind of ruins the whole shebang.
Item #58: TRIPLE LAYER NACHOS
The official Border website description:
"Freshly prepared, crisp tortilla chips, hearty beans covered in warm nacho cheese sauce and topped with a tangy red sauce."
Price: $1.00
Taste: 7.5 (out of 10)
Value: 6.5 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 7.3 (out of 10)
I have never been a huge fan of vegetarian nacho platters. Nachos don't normally seem "complete" without shredded chicken or ground beef on top. But if I were forced to consume nachos sans meat, I could do worse than the Border's Triple Layer Nachos.
I think the name refers to the construction of the dish: a layer of beans topped with a layer of nacho cheese sauce topped with a layer of tangy red sauce. (Apparently the tortilla chips themselves do not constitute a layer.) The beans and the red sauce are the stars here. The nacho cheese sauce just sort of holds everything together. $1.00 is a good price for any order of nachos, but the bottom line here is that it's not much food -- even for $1.00. I miss the meat.
Item #59: CARAMEL APPLE EMPANADA
From the website:
"A crispy golden pastry pocket filled with chunks of warm apples in creamy caramel sauce."
Price: $1.00
Taste: 7.5 (out of 10)
Value: 8.0 (out of 10)
Overall Score: 7.6 (out of 10)
I know I've stated this on multiple occasions, but I suppose one more time won't hurt anything: I'm not a big dessert guy. But for the most part I have enjoyed the handful of dessert items on offer from the Bell. The Caramel Apple Empanada (C.A.E.) is no exception.
First positive: it's fried. The texture of the pastry is spot on. Second positive: it's not overly sweet. The caramel has a salty note that keeps things in balance. The not so positive: the apples are not really recognizable as apples, at least from a flavor perspective. I'm not certain whether or not the C.A.E. would be appreciably better (or worse) if they were, but in the C.A.E.'s current configuration the apples really just serve to interrupt the caramel. One other not so positive: it's too much. Sweet-toothed Border patrons may disagree with me here, but it's just a little too much food -- especially at the end of a meal.
The receipt from this evening's visit:
Only one more visit to go until my Live Mas adventure will conclude and the entire Taco Bell menu will have been conquered. (At least until Taco Bell adds a dozen new menu items -- it WILL happen eventually.)
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