Surely there are some takeaways from my "Summer of Taco Bell." For instance, what was the best-tasting -- and thus, highest scoring -- menu item at Taco Bell? (In the subjective opinion of yours truly, of course.)
BEST-TASTING / BEST OVERALL -- CHEESY GORDITA CRUNCH
There were a number of contenders for this title, but in the end the winner turned out to be a menu item that I had never even HEARD of before my Live Mas journey began. And it happened very early on, on only my second "official" visit to the Border.
The Cheesy Gordita Crunch scored a 9.5 (out of 10) on the flavor scale -- the only menu item to do so -- and also pulled down a solid 7.5 (out of 10) on the value scale due to its reasonable $2.49 selling price. This combination of flavor and value resulted in the highest overall score of 9.0 (out of 10).
As a refresher, here's the official Taco Bell website description:
"Warm, pillowy flatbread covered in a melted three-cheese blend, wrapped around a crunchy taco and topped with a zesty Pepper Jack sauce."
In my estimation there are 3 critical factors to the success of the Cheesy Gordita Crunch:
1. The gordita itself. This "pillowy flatbread" is delicious and sadly underutilized by Taco Bell.
2. The textural contrast provided by the gordita and the crunch taco shell.
3. That delicious (and also very sadly underutilized) pepper jack sauce. It adds a ton of flavor and just a hint of heat.
Honorable Mention for Best-Tasting:
Steak Quesarito (9.0 out of 10)
Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supreme (9.0 out of 10)
Honorable Mention for Best Overall:
Chipotle Chicken Ranch Loaded Griller (8.9 out of 10)
Steak Quesarito (8.8 out of 10)
BEST VALUE -- CHIPOTLE CHICKEN RANCH LOADED GRILLER
Getting the Chipotle Chicken Ranch Loaded Griller for only $1.00 is like stealing. Of course, the caveat here is that the $1.00 selling price is only available during the Border's daily "Happier Hour," from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. (One can have their choice of the three Loaded Griller offerings for $1.00 during Happier Hour.) However, even at its non-Happier Hour price of $1.49, the Chipotle Chicken Ranch Loaded Griller is definitely a deal.
**UPDATE: Taco Bell's $1.00 "Happier Hour" menu now only includes medium soft drinks and small frozen drinks -- no more $1.00 Loaded Grillers.**
Taco Bell's official description:
"Delivers the taste of spicy chicken wings with ranch dip because we take our grilled, all white meat, marinated chicken and cover it with kicked-up Chipotle Ranch Sauce and cool reduced-fat sour cream, then wrap it all up in a warm flour tortilla and grill it so it's ready to eat on-the-go."
The Chipotle Chicken Ranch Loaded Griller scored a perfect 10.0 (out of 10) on the value scale -- the only menu item to do so -- and also pulled managed a very respectable 8.5 (out of 10) on the flavor scale, resulting in the second-highest overall score of 8.9 (out of 10), trailing only the overall champion -- the Cheesy Gordita Crunch.
The Chipotle Chicken Ranch Loaded Griller also succeeds due to 3 critical factors:
1. The quality and quantity of the chicken, especially for a $1.00 menu item.
2. The grilled flavor of the tortilla.
3. The heat and flavor provided by the Chipotle Ranch Sauce, which to the best of my knowledge is not used in any other menu items.
Honorable Mention for Best Value:
Beefy 5-Layer Burrito (9.5 out of 10)
Loaded Potato Griller (9.0 out of 10)
Bean Burrito (9.0 out of 10)
Beefy Mini Quesadilla (9.0 out of 10)
BEST BREAKFAST ITEM -- STEAK & EGG CHEESY BURRITO
The most appealing facet of the Steak & Egg Cheesy Burrito is its simplicity. There is nothing unnecessary or unpleasant present to spoil the unpretentious combination of tasty steak, cheese and eggs wrapped inside of a tortilla. Add to that trifecta of breakfast goodness an admittedly undersized amount of creamy jalapeño sauce and you end up with one hell of a delicious breakfast.
Taco Bell's official description:
"Fluffy scrambled eggs, lots of warm, melted cheddar cheese, marinated, premium thick cut steak, and creamy jalapeño sauce all wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla."
The Steak & Egg Cheesy Burrito scored a noteworthy 8.5 (out of 10) on the flavor scale -- the only breakfast menu item to score so highly -- and also pulled managed a very respectable 8.0 (out of 10) on the value scale due to its $2.49 selling price. Make no mistake, this is a hefty quantity of breakfast food for the price. The combination of these scores resulted in the highest overall breakfast score of 8.4 (out of 10).
On the whole, I did not find Taco Bell's breakfast offerings to be on par with their regular menu items -- but that probably makes sense. Taco Bell has had decades to tweak and improve its regular menu offerings, but it has fewer than 6 months of breakfast-serving experience. Given time, I believe the Border will improve the quality of its breakfast fare.
Honorable Mention for Best Breakfast Item:
Sausage Waffle Taco (8.0 out of 10)
Bacon Grilled Breakfast Burrito (7.8 out of 10)
Dear reader, I will return with a look at some of the least successful menu items from my Live Mas adventure.
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