This week’s Flavor Savor is all about fast food innovation, though we’ll note for all the fall freaks out there that pumpkin spice, candy corn and apple cider are hot on our heels despite the near inevitability that it will in fact get hotter than hell again in most of the US before we settle into autumn.
Taco Bell, who always seems to have a keen eye on its exact demographic, continues to crank out delicious new items and boxes along with a rewards system that never fails to add one more taco to that already overladen sack.
This time, it’s all about the Cheesy Street Chalupa, a diminutive but decadent little attempt at authenticity that sees your standard chalupa shrunk down, covered in cheese and smothered in a tangy, zesty sauce that’s then given the, I guess, “street” signature combo of cilantro and onions rather than the Midwestern mom style lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and shredded cheese we grew up on from the Bell. The first time we tried this one of us didn’t get the sauce and found it dry and uninteresting, but as with so many other things at Taco Bell, the right sauce makes all the difference (looking at you, creamy jalapeno sauce).
This is also true of another recent concoction, the Jalapeno Ranch Nacho Fries, which are some very bastardized mix of nachos and poutine that should really be considered an abomination but in fact are so good that we actually scraped the last little bit of them out of the cardboard container. In both cases you can easily swap out for different proteins including a veggie option, and you can generally get yourself a Fire Reward for next time. A great deal all around for anyone who finds themselves making runs for the border often.
Over at McDonald’s, there’s not so much innovation as there is returns of old friends, but at least we've moved past collab meals where the only interesting part is the box. Ronald McDonald and friends are now peddling nostalgia, and we're here for that party. It begins with the Collector's Meal, which is, as per usual, a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets feature (though there's also a breakfast sausage McMuffin meal. But, it also includes one of six different collectible cups, which us geriatric snake people will recognize from the before times.
There’s also the return of strawberry pie, which has never, ever ever been a bad thing in our book.
Shake Shack, meanwhile, has brought forth a rather unassuming sounding set of new dishes that turn out, like most things at Shake Shack do, to be way better than you could have even imagined prior to that first bite. Their Carolina BBQ lineup is a sleeper hit, with a perfectly balanced burger that’s got a sweet tangy sauce, a perfect fried pickle that's crunchy and a perfect complement to applewood smoked bacon and a balanced pepper jack. No one thing takes center stage, but the parts of the whole combine to make something that tastes a whole lot more interesting than a barbecue burger sounds. Also to be explored are the BBQ Cheese Fries and the Smoky Classic BBQ burger that swaps out fried pickles for regular, and adds crispy onions to the party along with pepper jack and the tangy, smoky and delicious barbecue sauce it shares with its partner.
Pair it up with what our local shack staff guided us towards as the best pick for shakes, a Peaches and Cream shake that’s all summer nostalgia no waiting, with that delicious juicy peach flavor that defines our early summers and a rich cream that again seems perfectly balanced with the fruity fragrant peach, and you’ve basically ascended from mere fast food into a foodie fast casual paradise…which to be fair, is usually how we feel when we eat there. Don't sleep on these while they're still around, and if peaches aren't for you, try out
There’s always one or two places every season that head in the spicy direction and this time that place is BK. Burger King’s got a brand new Fiery lineup that doesn’t just present you with burger and fry five alarm fires, but goes that extra step to offer a Spicy Strawberry and Sprite that’ll get you that capsaicin induced dopamine rush while still effervescent and lemony limey.
We've yet to try this one out but when we do we'll be sure to let all the chileheads know if it gets you the spicy rush with a flavor instead of just heat for heat's sake.
Stay tuned for more snack releases and fast food lineups from our new feature Flavor Savor. Now it's time to whip out those fast food apps and get yourself some grub!
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