It's rare that I review food on 10-4GB, but occasionally something is so noteworthy that it has to be mentioned. For example, Jack-In-The-Box's Egg Rolls received a 5 out of 5 review not too long back, and I stand by that opinion.
I was even having a discussion on this same topic when we pulled into Burger King on our way out to Maine to look at a car (which, unsurprisingly, didn't work out). While we bemoaned the non-existence of JITB in the New England states, we took turns ordering from BK's Value Menu, which is pretty much all people order from these days.
BK's Value Menu is a little Chintzy because while every other fast food joint in the nation has developed the "99 Cents Menu" or "Dollar Menu," BK has instead created a menu that says clearly - "these things may be cheap, but they give you a lot of bang for that buck or so." What I didn't realize is that they are lying.
I hit my fast food basics: the $1 Chicken Sandwich, the small fries, the small Coke. But I got cocky, I took it too far. I ordered the new Italian Chicken sandwich, which I assumed would be a loss leader bargain at $1.39.
I'll make a sidenote here: while my loyalties lie with McDonald's one hundred percent in all aspects due to the fact I spent all my formative high school years there discovering that some people never really leave those years, there are some things where McDonald's is simply not up to snuff compared to other similar dineries, and the Chicken McNugget is one of them. The McNugget is, when fresh, a tasty little beast, but it doesn't compare to BK's lean and zesty Chicken Tenders. The McNugget instead falls to fourth or fifth on the list, battling it out with Wendy's cheap but chewy 5-Piece Chicken Nuggets.
I throw this at you because the meat that was on my Italian Chicken sandwich was not a freshly deep-fried breaded chicken breast. Instead, it was as close to a Chicken McNugget as I have ever tasted outside of the Golden Arches. In fact, it was three nuggets, placed on a hamburger bun, and covered in marinara sauce. It was a sandwich clearly invented on freezer clean-out day. It was a travesty.
But I tried it anyway. My appetite held out as long as it could, which was still well under a minute. By the time we pulled out of the parking lot with our food, the sandwich was already crumpled back up in its paper and back in the bag, and I was halfway through my fries.
Shoulda gone with the Whopper Jr.
Rating: Half a Star out of Five