Posthumous Posting

Taco Bell's Daredevil Loaded Grillers

This edition of FatSats opens with an apology.  Normally, The Fat is able stay on top of what's out there in order to properly notify the blogosphere about new menu items currently available in the delicious and ever-changing world of food. Unfortunately, I've been delinquent in my duties (haha, I said dooty).  This latest post contains information about a delicious release from Taco Bell which is no longer in market: The Daredevil Loaded Grillers.  Many eaters, and fans of the Bell (including myself) were unaware that these menu items were part of a LTO, and that's why pages like this (click here) have been popping up all over the Internet.  I apologize for not getting this out in time.  It fell off my radar for posting, while the experience lingered in my memory and the pictures lived on my phone.

Apology accepted? Good. Let's get to it.

This fantastic addition to the already glorious Taco Bell menu had 2 things going for it:  there were 3 different grillers all varying in hotness, and they were all just a bit over $1 (depending on tax).  How could anyone NOT run to their nearest location to give these grillers a whirl?  Of course, there was NO WAY that I could avoid doing a side-by-side evaluation of the temperature/flavor differences, so I got all 3 at once.

The temperatures were: Mild Chipotle, Medium Habanero and Fiery Ghost Pepper.  Those of you who had the pleasure of reading my last post regarding Ghost Pepper chips from Trader Joe's have already endured my soap box opinion of misusing the Ghost Pepper title in a flavor profile, so I won't rehash that nightmare.  Nevertheless, Taco Bell is never afraid of throwing a little fire in the food, so I was reasonably excited at the prospect of a fiery griller from the folks at The Bell.

Each wrap is crafted individually, so I'm not going to pick apart the contents too much.  I don't really care about which had "more meat", or "less sauce".  The focus of this post will be on the flavors and how the different degrees of heat measured up.

The Chipotle was decent. (see left)  The smokiness typically found when using chipotle pepper was there, and married well to the other ingredients like the ground beef and the crispy red chips. Nevertheless, chipotle is a fairly common taste at The Bell and doesn't offer the eater a new or unique experience.  The flavor permeates through the cheese sauce and carries through the entire eat.  However, as with other items on the menu, this subtle, smokey sauce just blends together with the meat and doesn't "jump" out at the eater.  It works really well in the griller, but isn't something that would draw me back through the doors for a "reap-eat". (Comment if you think I should trademark that word or submit to Webster's. Definition: a) being compelled to eat something a 2nd time, or b) a food that is SO good it is worth eating until you die from over consumption)

The Habanero was a 

REVELATION! (see right)  There was SO much done right with the balance of flavors, and the bite that you get from the pepper in the sauce was perfect.  You can see in the pics that the peppers added to the sauce stand on their own and atop of the additional ingredients in the griller.  It had a unique zest of flavor that grabbed my attention from the first bite.  Additionally, there was an IMMEDIATE difference between the chipotle and the habanero. The smokiness was set aside for a refreshing mix of what tasted like jalapeno and roasted poblano.  If anything, having the chipotle first made the habanero eat better because it provided a stark basis for comparison.  I was a big fan of this griller, and were I to petition Taco Bell to bring back the Daredevil grillers, I would at least request that they reincarnate this singular flavor.

At last, we close with the "Fiery Ghost Pepper" griller.  Taco Bell always likes to issue challenges to their loyal eaters, and this was obviously what the "Daredevil" title was all about.  My hope was that TB would be granted some creative license to push the envelope a little further than most who claim that something will be "Ghost Pepper" hot.  For a few moments before the eat, I was a little bit scared that they'd really bring it, but alas I was disappointed again. Keep in mind, I'm not a "spice seeker", but I have an expectation that when people develop these foods they intend to market them accurately, and I hate when lies are revealed.

All this griller had was more heat.  There was nothing that contributed a better flavor to the experience.  I think there was some additional spice in the red chips that are in the griller as well as more spice in the sauce, but there wasn't anything else unique or composed that made the eat more enjoyable.  There wasn't any smoke like the chipotle, or depth of flavor like the habanero, just meat and heat.  Fat Mike broke into a bit of a sweat, but that's to be expected. 

If you sit down with the intention of eating all 3, then the fiery option makes for a nice finish to the challenge, but I would never recommend that anyone eat the fiery griller alone.  It's just not worth it. It's not hot enough to be considered a challenge, and there isn't enough of a balance in the flavors to claim that it's "good".  The habanero outshined all others by FAR.  I really wish that The Bell bottled up the cheese sauce they used in that griller and put it on shelves in the local grocery stores. Additionally, I wish that all of you loyal readers out there could go an experience it for yourselves.  I apologize for the tardy review, but at least I can offer you a heads up to go and grab this if it peeks it's head back out into the market.  Keep your eyes peeled, folks.  I habaner-KNOW you'll love it!!