Lay's Do Us A Flavor Pt. 2: Kettle Cooked Greektown GYRO

Part 2: Kettle Cooked Greektown GYRO chips

They said that it couldn’t be done.  They said that it was too ambitious.  They said that it was a gross idea.  I have no idea who “they” are, but if they're out there somewhere, I’d like to address them directly with this post: You're CRAZY. It’s been done, folks, and it’s been done well.  

First, of course, allow me to provide a little back-story because it wouldn’t be Faturated Sats without one. 

On the same day that my son and I kicked off this four-part saga with our deli drive, my wife was unfortunately spending her day at work.  Sure, she was curious why we would have driven 30min for lunch, but she knows not to dig too deep with questions attempting to diagnose my ridiculousness.  She came home not feeling so great and didn't have much of an appetite.  The boy and I had been gallivanting all over the place and snacking all day.  Understandably, I wasn’t going to cook a meal if there weren’t a group of appetites to satisfy. As luck would have it, she was in the mood for soup, and one of our favorite places by our house makes a MEAN chicken soup that she really loves. (Where are you going with this, Fat Mike?) 

Because I’m a dutiful and doting husband, I immediately decided that it was my responsibility to get her the soup she loved in order to help her feel better. But when I picked up the phone to place the order,* I realized we were ordering from a Greek restaurant!*  It was soon after that phone call, that this happened:

Having only finished my investigation of the Reuben chips hours before, I went into this eat with a bit of skepticism.  The Reuben experience had taken the wind out of my sails, and I wasn't sure how this next round would turn out.  Last year, Lay's rolled out the Cappuccino flavored chips and the prospect of a Gyro flavored chip seemed to be garnering the same public reaction of, "Ewww... what's that?" The Fat is always willing to take a chance and, believe it or not, I was looking forward to trying these, but after the Reuben experience I found it difficult to believe that the layered flavors in a Gyro could be captured on a chip.  I was happily surprised to be proven wrong.

Think about it: The spiced lamb, the Tzatziki sauce with dill and cucumber, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, and a soft cooked pita to wrap it all up like a warm blanket.  Mmmm...  Fat Mike loves the Gyro.

I took a couple bites of the Gyro and then followed up with a chomp into a delightfully spiced, kettle cooked chip.  It immediately perked me up, and I almost did the equivalent of a "double-take" looking at the bag in shock.  I reached my hand back in the bag and took another, then another, and then another.  Needless to say, it went on pretty much the same thereafter.  Before I knew it, I was eating more of the chips than I was of the Gyro itself.  My wife looked at me pleasantly and said, "Ah... so THAT'S why you went to the Greek place?"  Thankfully, my mouth was too stuffed with chips to reply.

*disclaimer: It's important to note that all my wife said was that she wanted soup.  I knew I could get away with helping her feel better while executing my shenanigans at the same time.

This was truly impressive.  You can see on the chip the different color combinations that make up the flavor dust.  Similar to a "Cool Ranch" there is a multitude of ingredients that all dance on your taste buds to achieve the artificial sensation of gnawing on a real Gyro.  Fat Mike was re-inspired by this find.  It's true that any kettle cooked chip will have a distinct advantage over the traditional or "ridged" executions, but I think it was the necessary vessel to hold onto the depth of flavor offered with the Gyro chip.  This one has the potential of being a REAL winner in the "innovative flavor" portion of the judging.  But the question is, will it drive revenue if released into the market? Will people be able to overcome their skepticism and take a chance if it wins? Will it be a surprise impulse purchase for chip buyers?  We can only hope that it wins and we find out. 

Lay's Do Us A Flavor Pt. 1: NY Reuben

At long last, the time has come!  Execution of Fat Mike's master plan for the Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" contest has finally completed, so it’s time to get all of you caught up.  As my loyal readers should know (hahaha) I look forward to the Frito Lay “Do Us A Flavor” contest every year, and this year looked to be very promising in terms of unique flavor profiles.  Once word got out about what the flavors were, I concocted an elaborate scheme to properly evaluate the selected flavors   However, anyone out there with a family can understand that "hatching a plan" doesn’t mean that you can just execute it whenever you want, so I appreciate everyone’s patience while I sorted out the “how” and “when” of this ridiculous adventure.  

Basically, the intention has been to not only taste all the new flavors of Lay’s chips in the contest, but to pair them directly with the corresponding foods in order to truly see if the brilliant minds at Lay’s were able to dissect the nuances and ingredients.  These posts are going to be published as a four part series, so keep checking in with the Fat as we run through all the flavor profiles.  Without further ado, I give you part 1: NY Style Reuben Lay’s Potato chips.

To say that the Fat has a distinct bias in this category is an understatement.  As someone who has spent the better part of my life in the NY metro area, I’ve been a fan of the Reuben for as long as I can remember.  To make matters worse, I’ve always had a near authentic version of the sandwich at my fingertips.  So, I’ll put it out there that this is not only a familiar flavor to me, but also one that I hold dear.  So much so, that I was willing to take my 3yr old son on a 30min car ride just to get a Reuben from one of my favorite delis. (see menu here)

As you can see, I was able to grab a near exact likeness to the pic on the bag, and really felt solid about the pairing.  Unfortunately, as excited as I was Lay's NY Reuben flavor fell a little flat for me.  I’ll concede that tackling a layered and complex flavor profile can be a dangerous undertaking, and I wish I could cut them a little slack on this one, but I think this missed the mark.  The lack of focus on the true flavor of a Reuben leads me to believe that the developers cherry picked what they thought were the “primary” flavors in the sandwich and they focused on the wrong things.  I didn't expect miracles, but one has to assume that some of these flavor scientists may have tasted a Reuben for the first time when exploring how to craft this one.

The chip comes off with a strong flavor of rye right off the bat.  Full praise to the Lay’s folks for not only grabbing on that traditional caraway seed flavor, but marrying it perfectly with a little hint of pumpernickel to truly grab the marble rye atop most sandwiches from the best Jewish delis.  I will throw high praise for that.  Nevertheless, underneath that “bread layer” isn’t anything magical.  If anything, the rest of the chip comes off as a glorified Cheddar and Sour Cream flavor.  An unfortunate side effect of the heavy rye taste is that it subtracts from any “brightness” that you’d get from the traditional Cheddar and Sour Cream chip.  If they had been able to focus on building more complex, creamy flavors like the Thousand Island dressing, or even took the brave leap of trying to nail the Sauerkraut flavor, then this chip would have accomplished more.  Aside from the fact that a Reuben is usually dressed with Swiss cheese, which has a very subtle flavor when combined with the other ingredients of the sandwich.  Focusing on the cheese as an ingredient in the first place was the worst mistake.  And while the chip in itself is reasonably flavored, to say that it tastes like a Reuben is a bit of a stretch.  Simply dressing a Cheddar and Sour Cream chip in Rye bread doesn’t cut it.  I’m sorry to say that this was a miss.  It was a valiant effort, but a miss nonetheless.  My battleship was on "J1", Lay’s, and you guessed "B2" on this one.  You were WAY off.  

I will say, however, that the kid didn’t have any issue with the chips at all.

Nice job, little man.  Thanks for taking the journey with me.

'Bos Knows Flava

There are so many new flavors of EVERYTHING rolling out these days that it's hard to keep up!  I don't know whether to credit the developers at Lay's for pioneering the new trend of creating bold, new flavored snack foods and distributing them to the masses, but it appears that everyone is jumping on board and the Fat is LOVING it.  Pringles has 29 flavors floating out there that need to be tried, cookie companies keep cranking out new work, and OF COURSE Lay's keeps busting out the "Do Us A Flavor" competition each year (keep checking Faturated Sats for a full breakdown of the 2015 entries).

In an unexpected twist, however, there is a new comer jumping on the "bold flavor" bandwagon. As I strolled through my local Duane Reade in NYC, I discovered that Combos are now joining the act.

We've all wandered into a gas station or service area over the years and seen the traditional flavors staring at us longingly from the shelves: cheddar cheese cracker/pretzel, pepperoni pizza cracker, pizzeria pretzel, and the delicious Buffalo Blue Cheese.  However, I'm happy to report that earlier this year some new, and (frankly) daring flavors were introduced:

I first encountered 7 Layer Dip tortilla Combos wandering past them during a scramble to grab a stash of snacks for a 3 hour meeting that I was about to attend.  It was pure happenstance that brought me to these, and just reading the flavor title made me curious enough to "impulse grab".  This was an ambitious undertaking because I know 7 layer dip well.  We be friends.  I scoop that nonsense down like nobodies business.  I was overwhelmingly interested in tasting whether Combos were able to capture that glorious taste.  I was worried that bringing to the meeting would hinder my ability to properly evaluate.  However, this bring elicited a strong reaction from the group I was meeting with. Everyone was curious about the flavor, and so I shared in order to able to gauge the group response and really get a chance to evaluate the Bos.

Unfortunately, I can't say that it was a rousing success.  The 7 Layer Dip claim came off more like the Pizza 'Bos without the spice, or the traditional cheese 'Bo with a hint of refried bean. It's a nice share, and the overall group response was positive, but just in an "okay" kind of way. What was missing was the crisp sour cream, or any kind of "fresh-lite" flavor.  I didn't expect miracles, but if you're gonna claim "7 layer dip" you can't just marry a tortilla 'Bo shell and stuff it with a variation on the spicy cheese.  If you come across them during a grab and go, indulge yourself.  Would I chase these down? Nah.  Good try, though.  Next...

Curious having found a new flavor of Combo, I did a little research and found that there were actually 3 new flavors out there.  Since the Internet is a GLORIOUS wealth of information I found that the Combos website has a "product locator" that can tell where any flavor of Combo your craving can be found within a 10m radius.  Awesome.  I did my due diligence, and found plenty of walking distance options to find the newbies.  That brought me to the Caramel Creme Pretzel Combos.

This was great! The perfect marriage of salty and sweet.  Fat Mike is a sucker for a good salted caramel and this one satisfies.  Because of the unevenly distributed filling of Combos, it's tough to get the right balance every time.  Nevertheless, the balance delivers when you get the good ones.  Most people are probably turned off by the idea of "dessert Combos", but this isn't a super savory thing. It's just a nice change to the snack.  If you want a 'Bo that's a little less "bitey" or "cheesy", then this is the way to go.

But the Caramel Creme is the ugly brother to the last of 'em.

WHAT a PLEASANT SURPRISE these turned out to be!! Sweet and Salty Vanilla Frosting Pretzel Combos. Not only do I recommend them, but I shared with some folks and received the exact same overwhelmingly positive response.  Even from some "pickier" folks. This is almost like eating a pretzel Oreo with that refreshing vanilla creme.  It's a brave flavor to put out there because some people can understand the salted caramel ones, but the two flavors just seem to juxtaposed to work out.  Aside from the fact that the amount of vanilla creme really needs to balance to pull this of..

 

Good stuff, Combos.  I'm hoping this one sticks around for a long time because I see PLENTY of circumstances in the future when I'll be actively seeking these out at a random gas station stop, or late night wander past a place that I know carries these.  I HIGHLY recommend that you folks out there check these out for yourselves.  The Fat tips his cap to the folks in the 'Bos offices.  Good thinking, and good execution.

Click...click, click...BOOM! Doritos Roulette!!

Years ago, when I was just a lowly college student at the age of 26 (and before Faturated Sats was in existence), Doritos released 3 flavors of spicy tortilla chips: "1st Degree burn Blazin' Jalapeno", "2nd Degree burn Fiery Buffalo", and "3rd degree burn Scorchin' Habanero".  (These would eventually evolve into "Jacked" or "Dinimita" flavor profiles now released in various "styles" of Doritos (which may or may not be considered actual "Doritos". I don't care what Stu Lumdsen says. Apparently, the flavor was too much for a normal sized Doritos chip, but I digress...)

When The Fat found these intriguing flavors back in the day, the FIRST thing he did was buy 'em and try 'em, of course.  In my case my readership was unaware, there are 2 primary mottos that Fat Mike lives by:  a) Why heat it, when you can eat it? and  b)(when you see a new bag of chips on the shelf) buy 'em, and try 'em.
For the sake of time, and to stay focused on currently available snack food I won't provide an impromptu review of the "original burns" for the masses.  Nevertheless, what The Fat did was take all 3 bags and mix them in a big bowl.  "Why" you ask? Because there was a certain thrill associated with sitting in front of a punch bowl of Doritos and never knowing what you were gonna grab when you dipped your hand in there for some crunchy goodness.  It was a GREAT experience and I've always pitied those around me who never had the opportunity to share in that tasty game of chance. Well, those moments of pity are sorta, kinda over:

Doritos Roulette!!!

The Fat was SO pumped when he saw these on the shelves. It was as if my own idea had manifested itself magically in front of me.  I was immediately drawn in by the description on the back of the bag (as if I needed to be "sold" on the idea) and busted it open to see what it was all about.  I was happily surprised, and impressed.  What intrigued me the most was the fact that the Doritos all LOOKED the same.  My apologies for not having shots of the chips, but you'll have to go buy 'em to see for yourself.

I thought that it would be easy to open the bag and see which were the "spicys" and which were the "niceys", but it wasn't.  By simply looking before you leap, you are spared nothing.  You reach in, and you take a chance... as promised.  That's what the Fat loves about innovative snacking.  Perhaps you can't eat a whole bag in one sitting, but you can appreciate the innovation.  I'll tell you all, that I opened this bag during a meeting a work and there were a lot of takers who all reacted similarly to myself.  People couldn't tell the difference, and it was almost smarter to continue when you got a hot one to get the relief of some refreshing nacho cheese, then it was to quit eating them.  Brilliant.

Yet again, I have a new-refound inspiration to "touch my Tos" on a regular basis.  These things don't quit, and I wholeheartedly support the Doritos Roulette wheel to keep on spinning as long as possible.  I'll be on Doritos red every time.  Nice job, boys.

Faturated Sats goes International with its FIRST featured guest post! Not to be missed!!

It's happened, folks.  We've got our FIRST Faturated Sats INTERNATIONAL food report!!

Greetings from:

Thanks to the diligent effort of an avid FS reader and "fan" named Myles Dickason, we've been provided with some info about delicious treats found only OUTSIDE the continental U.S.  For all the "frequent readers" out there (hahahahahahaha!), you're already aware of my frustration regarding the vast amount of adventurous foods that are (for some reason) unavailable for consumption here in the United States. I'm not going to get on a soap box about how unfair it is that government regulations need to be in place simply to protect people from themselves, but it's worth noting that for all the freedoms that we have it certainly appears that other countries may have a little bit more when it comes to their allowable creativity with their food (fast or otherwise).

Thankfully, there are people who are willing to volunteer their time and taste buds to us so that we can benefit from their experiences and learn more about what's out there in the world.  Moreover, should you find yourself within the borders of a country like El Salvador, you'll know what to run towards, and what to run away from.  Thanks, Myles Dickason, for contributing to this latest edition of Faturated Sats.  Your contribution is appreciated by us all (the small rabble of folks who are interested in this nonsense).

Editors note:  while you will find a spattering of commentary from me through the post, the following text has been provided directly by the guest contributor.  

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Fat Mike. Should the analysis of Fat Mike be deemed a necessity by the viewership, contributions can be made through Venmo or Pay Pal to send Fat Mike directly to the locations sited below. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of any Faturated Sats entity or party. ENJOY.

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El Salvador Faturated Sats.

Taste scale:

0 = I’d rather eat dry cat food.

5 = a decent banana
10 = better than pretty good sex

"Mister Donut"

#1 Mister Donut. “Sandwich Campesino” (Editor's Note: In Spanish, "campesino" means "a peasant farmer".  Loose translation = "Farmer's Sandwich".

Notes: Five customers waiting at counter, five employees behind the counter. Took thirteen minutes to take my order the first time.  Five minutes later same employee asked me what I would like to order. Two minutes later a second employee asked me what I would like to order.  “Parenthood” with Diane Keaton and Steve Martin playing on mute on restaurant television; scene where Juliette Lewis is on golf course in sprinklers in wedding dress. (Editor's Note: Steve Martin starred in Parenthood with Mary Steenburgen in 1989.  The movie being referred to is Father of the Bride which did NOT star Juliette Lewis. Please excuse Myles' lack of movie knowledge as it is not relevant to the food.)

Total door-to-food time: 23 minutes.

Sandwich: ham, cheese, 2 eggs grilled on thick toast. Taste: mostly butter, a hint of chemicals. Top piece of bread golden brown, not grilled on both sides so bottom piece was soggy white bread. I burped while eating sandwich and tasted orange juice, but I hadn’t had any orange juice that morning. Took three bites. Coffee was decent, not good or bad. I wanted to steal the coffee cup, but didn’t want to get arrested in El Salvador.

Price: $2.75

Final score: 4 = Soggy biscuit from fridge from yesterday’s biscuit and gravy doggy bag that you thought it would be a good idea to keep.

#2 Burger King. “Nacho Whopper”

Notes: Very excited about this one. Signs everywhere throughout El Salvador. Not available in the US. Some questions on my mind in preparation for this sandwich: “Will the nachos be crunchy or soggy? Is the green and red stuff in the advertising photos jalapenos and hot sauce? or ketchup and unknown green sauce? Why didn’t Burger King collaborate with Doritos for this burger?

Sandwich: Standard BK Whopper with jalapenos, BBQ sauce, and nachos. Also lettuce, tomato, onion. Nachos have green and red flecks on them—I think they’re the BBQ flavored nachos.  Flavors emerged in sequence: Jalapenos were first and primary flavor, followed by the BBQ taste. Hard to tell if BBQ flavor is from sauce or flavor flecks on nachos. Finally, taste of thick cardboard, but when you learned about recycling in science class and made “paper” out of soggy egg cartons. This is the third and final taste that anchors the taste profile and overall experience. 

Unshakeable flavor, in spite of mouth washing with orange soda. I felt strongly that I needed to stop eating this sandwich early, but felt compelled to continue; I stopped after ¾ of the burger was gone. 

Drink: orange soda, pretty standard. Fries: I ate two fries to complete the experience. Undercooked, not crisp / too soggy. Under salted. Weak finish to meal. Door to food time: 8 minutes.

Price: $6.29

Overall score: 6 = Summer barbeque overcooked brat with store brand yellow mustard.

(Editor's Note: A 6 isn't a bad overall score, but CHECK OUT THE PLAYPLACE! That would bump it up a notch for some)

#3 Los Pinguinos 

(Editor's Note - Translated, Los Pinguinos means "The Penguins" and I can't put together what these cupcakes have to do with Penguins at ALL. Please feel free to comment if readers have thoughts or theories)

Notes: These things look like Hostess cupcakes. I think they’ll taste the same too. I noted that there are 304 calories per package / two cupcakes. That’s more than two 12oz cans of Coke, which is impressive. They’re made in Guatemala.

Cupcake: Chocolate flavor is “dry” not “rich.” Tastes more like eating the powder coating on Count ChocoPuffs than a Hershey bar. (Editor's Note: There never has existed, nor shall there ever be a cereal named "Count ChocoPuffs" Although, I can only imagine what a union between Sonny the Cuckoo and Count Chocula would be like.  You're welcome, Internet. Get crackin' on that web series).
Cream-to-cake ratio is adequate; cream consistency is too liquid, not fluffy. “Icing” on top is a waste of high-fructose corn syrup, considering they also use it to make chocolate flavored edible panties. With the caloric content to power a 220 pound man to run 2 miles you’d think these things would taste better than licking the inside lid on a can of Quik chocolate milk powder. (Editor's Note: Nestle Quik powderhas been known as Nesquick since 1999 for those who are not familiar with the previous brand identity)  I felt a little sad after eating these, kinda like when I found out that Bruno Mars’ real name is Peter Gene Hernandez.

Price $0.75

Final Score: 3 = mealy apple; if I was stoned, would prolly get a 6 = sorta warm spaghetti that needs more sauce.

#4 Pupusas

 Notes: These things are the national dish of El Salvador. You can get them in really nice restaurants, but the best place to get them is from the street vendors. I got these from a restaurant in the airport. For some reason, these are typically breakfast or dinner foods, but are never eaten for lunch. I ordered them for lunch with a bottle of the national beer: “Pilsner.” While waiting for my food and watching the guy driving the fuel truck light a cigarette I thought that it’s pretty hard to screw up carbs, meat, and cheese, and indeed, every country has it’s version of the same thing. Mexico has the enchilada, Venezuela has the arepa, and here in the States we have Disco Fries with sausage gravy. Door to beer time: less than two minutes—excellent. Door to food time: fifteen minutes.

Pupusa: Cheesy goodness inside. Corn pancakes are heated on griddle with perfect tinge of burnt carbon edge with cooked and moist inside. Pickled vegetables are excellent but lack spicy heat. The only hot sauce in the restaurant is some mass produced vinegar trash. Pilsner is the perfect beer if you don’t want to taste your beer. It wasn’t watery, or delicious, or sour, or hoppy. I didn’t notice that I was drinking it.

Price: (including bottle of beer) $10.73 (or $1.25 for the same thing on the street going to the airport, but without the beer).

Final Score: 8 = Finding $15-20 bucks in the laundry.

**Special Thanks to RMD for this contribution.  You're a good man, and thorough.

Bonus:

These are some initial notes sent as "preliminary findings" before the official write up.  I thought it would be a nice piece of "bonus material" for those who got all the way to the end.  If you can read this, then you truly are gifted.

More Reasons to Ring the Bell - Pt. 2

And so, I bring you part two...

If you're a regular reader (Hahahahahahahahahaha!), then you already knew about the Taco Bell Cinnabon Delights donut that is served as a part of the glorious Taco Bell breakfast.  

Well, as of July 2nd every TB location started serving these delightful, little creations.  Initially, it was my impression that these were going to be served as an alternative to the aforementioned Cinnabon versions and only be available during breakfast hours.  To my elation, as my Father In Law and I walked into "The Bell" after 4th of July weekend we found out that these delights were on the menu ALL DAY!

After downing a considerable meal consisting of the Grilled Stuft Nacho, Bacon Club Chalupa, Doritos Los Tacos, and a Burrito Supreme, I opted to dive into this bag of happiness to see just what all the fuss (in my own mind) was about.

This was an exceptional experience that I never expected.  Apparently, when Taco Bell says, "made from Cap'n Crunch's Cereal" they are NOT kidding.  What I expected was to have a traditional donut, rolled in crushed Cap'n Crunch, with a vanilla frosting (of sorts) on the inside.  Instead, what I got was dough that smelled of the familiar Crunch Berries that the Cap'n is so fond of, and a taste which verified that every INCH of the donut is created from the very fabric of the cereal that I know and hold so dear.  The donut has a saturating richness and an overwhelming cereal flavor that even surprised the Fat.  It was a happy surprise, mind you, but a surprise nonetheless.  Here's what was the most astonishing part of the whole experience:  There was no "milky" center with frosting in the middle.  It was so STRANGE!

It's almost like the formula concocted by "The Bell" had inadvertently absorbed the creamy frosting center.  As you bite into it, it feels soft and moist (that's what she said.. wha?), but the frosting is just NOT there. This was amazing. The sweetness; the "ghost" of the frosting was there, but no evidence of its actual presence whatsoever.

 This is either a feat of amazing ingenuity, or a flaw in the execution because EVEN for Fat Mike this was (to use a term that I've learned from Chef Geoffrey Zakarian from watching "Chopped) cloyingly sweet.  The Cap'n Crunch delights are offered in 2, 4, and 12 packs but unless I was on some kind of determined bender (which I've consciously achieved in the past) I couldn't IMAGINE eating more than 4 of these.  I very much recommend trying the 4 pack to enjoy the rich, rich, rich, richness of the Cap'n Crunch Delights, but it's a little too much for an indulgence further than that.  I'm all about enjoying things that are delicious, but this is like nothing I've seen before.  Even the remnants left behind on the fingers are substantial.  And this is in addition to the sweetness of the donut itself, which as it turns out can be slightly overwhelming.

C'mon... I'm not a softy when it comes to new, elaborate creations.  I'm all for trying this. It's an experience that you'll never replicate.  However, this is some CRAZY sh*t.   Like nothing ever tasted before. My Father-in-Law said it was the most disgusting thing he'd ever tasted (and he enjoyed the overall "Bell" experience), but I'm torn because I appreciate having this out there, but I fear for the people that get 12-packs and call that a "normal" situation.

If you don't have a loyalty to the Cap'n, or a desire to simply try something new, then wait.  Not a life changer, but a worthwhile experience FOR SURE.  I see the ingenuity, I appreciate the change of pace, but I can't imagine there's circumstance (outside of the random nostalgia that I'll crave after this post) where I'd seek out these delights on my way to The Bell.  These may run the risk of being too exclusive to a certain group to be profitable, but I'll EAT MY WORDS if I have to (cause they'd be delicious).... pun.

Enjoy.  Talk to you soon!

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.