Visit #15: Sunday, July 6, 2014: 3:49 PM

One of the over-riding themes of my Live Mas adventure thus far seems to be that when I am relatively certain that I am going to dislike a particular menu item, it turns out that that particular menu item actually tastes pretty damn good.  That theme would continue on this particular visit to the Border.  But I think this phenomenon also speaks to a larger tendency in the American mindset:  if I like something, why would I try something new that I might not like?

My answer to that conundrum is that I might like the "new something" better than the known, liked something.

Item #35:  LOADED POTATO GRILLER

Earlier in my Live Mas adventure -- in fact it may have been on my very first visit -- I experienced the Cheesy Potato Burrito.  My biggest issues with that cheesy, starchy monster were that it was a bit too much quantity-wise and the texture was a tad too one-note in nature.  On today's docket was the Cheesy Potato Burrito's "little brother," the Loaded Potato Griller.

The official Taco Bell website description:

"Delivers the taste of loaded potato skins because we take our crispy potato bites, cover them with warm nacho cheese sauce, flavorful bacon, cool reduced-fat sour cream and wrap all of those delicious ingredients up in a warm flour tortilla and grill it so it's ready to eat on the go."

Price:  $1.00

Taste:  8.0 (out of 10)

Value:  9.0 (out of 10)

Overall Score:  8.3 (out of 10)

From the official description and also from my own tastebuds, the only differences I can detect between the Cheesy Potato Burrito and the Loaded Potato Griller are:

1.  The Loaded Potato Griller is appreciably smaller.

2.  The tortilla enclosing the Loaded Potato Griller is grilled.

3.  The Loaded Potato Griller has bacon!

All three of the differences move the taste needle in a positive direction.  The crispy little pieces of bacon add a punch of flavor and help to break up the monotonous potato texture.  As noted in previous blog posts, I am a fan of the grilled tortilla flavor.  And the size is so much more manageable.  Plus, it only costs a buck between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM.  What's not to love?

Item #36:  7-LAYER BURRITO

The 7-Layer Burrito is where the aforementioned over-riding theme had a chance to rear its head once again.  The deck was seemingly stacked against me liking this item based on its components, so if the theme held, I would have to like this burrito.

The official Taco Bell website description:

"A warm, soft flour tortilla wrapped around premium Latin rice, hearty beans, a three-cheese blend, crisp shredded lettuce, diced ripe tomatoes, reduced-fat sour cream, and chunky guacamole."

Price:  $2.59

Taste:  7.0 (out of 10)

Value:  5.5 (out of 10)

Overall Score:  6.6 (out of 10)

The 7-Layer Burrito had seemingly innumerable undesirable qualities at first glance:  lettuce in a heated, enclosed space; an ungrilled tortilla; a complete lack of meat; and guacamole.  This would be my first toe-dip into the Border's guacamole pool.  But then a funny thing happened:  it kind of tasted good.  I didn't hate it.  What the hell was going on here???

I am not sure whether it was a particularly good-tasting batch of beans, or the unexpectedly not-unplesant tanginess of the guacamole, or the cheese and sour cream ooziness...but whatever it was, it worked.  The 7-Layer Burrito is certainly not my favorite Taco Bell menu item.  But given a menu item using all of these ingredients, and no others, it is hard for me to imagine better execution.  I do have a bit of a problem paying nearly 3 bucks for a meatless burrito, however.

Item #37:  CRUNCHY TACO SUPREME

And now I return to the beginning.  In an earlier post I wrote of the inception of the relationship between the Border and myself.  Strictly speaking, there is a key variation between the Crunchy Taco first experienced in my (relative) youth and the item I sampled this afternoon:  I went with the Crunchy Taco SUPREME today.  But at its heart it is still the plain Jane staple I scarfed down each and every time I visited Taco Bell prior to a few years ago.

From the Taco Bell website:

"A crunchy, corn taco shell filled with seasoned beef, reduced-fat sour cream, crisp shredded lettuce, real cheddar cheese, and diced ripe tomatoes."

Price:  $1.39

Taste:  7.5 (out of 10)

Value:  6.5 (out of 10)

Overall Score:  7.3 (out of 10)

I can say this much authoritatively:  I have thoroughly spoiled by the two Doritos crunchy taco variants that I have tried thus far.  The "plain" corn taco shell employed here was still texturally pleasing, but it certainly tasted a bit bland compared to the Doritos variants.  Otherwise, the tasty beef, sour cream and cheese combination worked as well as ever here.  But it is hard to justify paying $1.39 for this taco when the Doritos variants cost just 40 cents more.

The receipt from this afternoon's installment of my Live Mas adventure:

Keep it real 'til next time, dear reader!