More Reasons to Ring the Bell - Pt.1

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I give you Taco Bell's limited edition:

After the 4th of July, I had the pleasure of sharing a Taco Bell experience with my Father In Law, who had NEVER rang the bell before!! Can you believe it?  I was so proud and excited to share his first experience and serve as a guide to the deliciousness that is the TB.

However, the MOMENT that we walked in I realized that there was potential for me to "bite off more than I could chew" (no pun intended... well, sort of I guess).  My excitement level skyrocketed when I remembered that there were some new menu items that I was going to be able to experience for the first time.  There were 2 prominent standouts that I wanted to share with you all, and that's why were rocking this Taco Bell visit as part of a 2 part series.

First came the limited edition Grilled Stuft Nacho.

You've probably seen the "Sharing Sucks" campaign that they rolled out for this.  Fat Mike has always believed that Taco Bell is as smart with their advertising as they are with their food creations. I was so pumped to try this because it touted all of the key elements that make for a GREAT Taco Bell creation: Seasoned beef, deliciously warm nacho cheese sauce, crunchy red tortilla strips, and a cool sour cream to finish.  The addition of the tortilla strips is crucial because it gives the whole thing a gloriously subtle crunch despite the very "Quesadilla-like" feel to the whole creation. 

Each bite was pleasantly refreshing.  It was well put together and held tight through the entire eat.  It wasn't one of those "explosive" things that require you to keep eating just so you don't dump the whole thing all over the place.  I really liked the beef, but it also comes in chicken and I'd be tempted to try that the next time around.  I will say, that the ground beef mixed really nicely with the other ingredients, and I worry that the chicken wouldn't absorb the surrounding elements as equally. Further investigation will need to be done.

Here's the hard truth:  Is it delicious? Yes.  Is it FANTASTICALLY convenient? YES!  Does it replicate the nacho eating experience in a compact and portable form as they tout in their ads? No.
As you can imagine, I'm a bit of a nacho enthusiast.  I don't say that to imply that I am the ultimate judge good nachos from bad, but rather to emphasize that I'm open to enjoying different nacho executions in different forms.  I like a pile of homemade tortilla chips with everything piled on top.  I like the "pub nacho" with round tortilla chips and artificial cheese sauce substitute rather than the fresh grated stuff.  I even like the new "gourmet" nacho where each chip is delicately laid on the plate and topped with well crafted, individual ingredients like refried beans and a fresh jalapeno.  This, however, is more of a "stripped down" nacho that just takes the key elements of making a plate of nachos and folding them all together.  Sure, it has a zesty bite with the sauces, beef and chips, but the only thing that rounded out the flavor to really equate a plate of nachos was the sour cream.  That clean, smooth element rounded out the Grilled Stuft rather nicely, but it didn't carry enough wait to say, "Hey, that tastes like nachos!".  Certain things like black/refriend beans, or pico de gallo, lettuce, or some kind of pepper needed to add some essence to really replicate the experience.

Nonetheless, this item is SCRUMPTIOUS and perfect for a "grab and go" Taco Bell stop.  If I were walking through the streets of NYC and happened past one of the randomly placed Taco Bell locations while on my way somewhere else, I would absolutely swing in and grab this for the walk. In fairness, it's not that bad for you and taking it as a walking snack might cancel out half the meal. At least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.

So worth it.