Wendy’s is introducing a new line of burgers and sandwiches aimed at solidifying their lead over Burger King in the fast food race. They have a number of new regular hamburgers which have been pretty heavily marketed. They’ve also introduced a new chicken sandwich which has gone largely under the radar. The Spicy Guacamole Chicken Club is absent from Wendy’s website and doesn’t appear to be available nationwide yet. It was available at a Wendy’s I visited recently though, so I gave it a shot.
It’s so mysterious, I could only find a picture of a picture of it!
A club sandwich is generally a pretty safe way to go when planning a new chicken sandwich. Everyone knows what chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, cheese and mayo taste like, so any variations are still going to be in that ballpark. The Spicy Guacamole shakes up the formula a little bit, using Wendy’s spicy breaded chicken breast, pepperjack cheese and a chipotle mayo, and adding the titular guacamole. I’m not generally a fan of the spicy chicken breast, and while it works alright here, the numerous spicy elements become a bit overpowering when taken together. The solution for this should be the guacamole, but there’s not enough of it on the sandwich to balance everything quite right. I don’t know if mine was a specific problem or if they skimp in general, but make sure to order extra guacamole if possible.
The Spicy Guacamole Chicken Club runs for about $6.50 with a combo. It’s a decent price for a decent sandwich, but avoid it if you don’t like spicy things, and be sure to get as much guacamole as you can. In unrelated news, I found this really weird marketing website in the process of researching the sandwich, and I felt I should share it with you. I’m sorry.
Sandwiches in Review: Subway’s Smokehouse BBQ Chicken
April 25, 2012
Subway has increasingly taken the focus away from their Footlong of the Month offer by selecting subs which are either comparatively standard (this month’s Bacon, Egg and Cheese) or eye-openingly strange (last month’s Jalepeno Tuna Salad). At the same time, they’ve been pushing themed groups of subs for full price. This month’s theme is healthy chicken stuff. They’re promoting the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki (which is always a pretty good bet), and a new BBQ pulled-chicken sandwich.
All that lettuce, who needs it? No one, that's who.
The marketing on a BBQ chicken sandwich as a healthy option seems kind of off to me. I can appreciate that chicken as a meat is generally healthier than beef or pork, but to me, taking a BBQ pulled meat and loading it up with lettuce and other veggies is counter-intuitive. I feel like if you’re going to eat healthy, you’re not going to eat a BBQ sandwich. I’ve had this sub twice, and both times I’ve added onions and a couple of tomatoes, but that’s it. The BBQ chicken is decent. Chicken doesn’t separate quite as nicely as pork in a situation like this, but the meat still ended up with a nice flavor and consistency. I’ve tried it with Pepper Jack and Monterrey Cheddar cheeses, both of which work well, depending on the level of heat you’re looking for. I love onions with sweet or tangy flavors, although I could take or leave the tomatoes.
All in all, it’s a pretty good Subway sub. Nothing earthshaking, but worth trying if you like chicken and BBQ sauce (and if you don’t, sorry there’s not quite as much here for you on Sandwichtalk). The Smokehouse BBQ Chicken sub runs for about $4.50 for a 6-inch and closer to $7 for a footlong. Try it, but ditch the lettuce.
Sandwiches in the News: The Michigan Coney Dog Project
April 23, 2012
The newspaper I write for, The Kalamazoo Gazette, was part of an ongoing project last week by reporters throughout the state to find the best Coney dog in Michigan. As a sandwich aficionado, I’m all for this. A lot of people don’t realize that Coney Island hot dogs originated in Michigan, rather than New York. Throwing chili, onions and mustard on a hot dog is one of the best things you can do with it (in my humble but correct opinion), and there are places throughout the state which do a great job.
A Polish and Chicago dog from Dogs with Style. I've tried (and enjoyed) their Coney as well, I'll probably be posting a review soon.
The full archive is available here. I’ve also included a link to my thoughts on some of the non-Coney offerings at Dogs with Style, one of the Kalamazoo spots the team visited.
Sandwiches in Review: Panera Bread’s Cuban Chicken Panini
April 21, 2012
Panera Bread is not a restaurant I review frequently, and not without reason. While their sandwiches are generally delicious and their baked goods top-notch, Panera Bread usually skews a bit more expensive than I’d like, especially when eating at a chain restaurant. However, I’d like to branch out a little bit, so I decided to swing by Panera last week and see what’s new.
Full disclosure: I have no idea if the Cuban Chicken Panini is new or not. It just looked good.
Reviewing the Cuban Chicken Panini requires a little bit of background. A Cuban sandwich is a ham and cheese variant which includes sliced ham, pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. It’s sort of like a Reuben, in terms of flavors (the mustard and pickles give it a bite), but less kosher. It’s a great lunch choice, and I recommend ordering one if you’re at a restaurant which offers it.
Here, Panera has chosen to trade out the roasted pork for roasted chicken. It’s an interesting choice, and with the addition of chipotle mayo, it makes for a tasty sandwich. It’s a little bit different than a usual Cuban, but still close enough that the name makes sense, unlike some other sandwiches (looking at you, T.N.T Reuben). It’s about $8 for the sandwich and a drink, and well worth checking out, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the style.
Sandwiches in the News: Wendy’s tops Burger King
April 3, 2012
According to research firm Technomic, Wendy’s has dethroned Burger King as the world’s number two fast food chain. While Wendy’s narrowly edged out BK in terms of annual sales, both were still far behind McDonald’s, with an enormous $34.2 billion in sales.
There’s a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on, invoking everything from mascots to health food trends. Some of it’s on point, and some of it (in my opinion) is way off. To me, I think this is an indicator of Wendy’s hard work at managing their image as a higher quality, healthier alternative to McDonald’s. They’re not going after Burger King or anyone else specifically, they’re just presenting themselves as a niche market, a drive-thru burger place with leaf lettuce and fresh(er) tomatoes. McDonald’s is always going to be on top, because they’ve found the ideal point of convergence between price and quality, but Wendy’s can pick up the more discerning crowd, which lacks in volume but (hopefully) is loyal.
Winter is coming.
Remember, I’m not saying Wendy’s actually is a healthier, higher-quality alternative. I don’t have any nutritional values in front of me, but it feels like if you’re health-conscious, any place with a drive-thru probably isn’t the best bet. But through their advertising campaigns, Wendy’s has managed to project an air of quality, which seems to have caught on. People know they can go there and pick up a salad instead of a burger in they so choose. For their part, Burger King seems to be in a bit of a tailspin. They’ve been trying a couple of different brand concepts and menu items, but nothing so far seems to have caught on. They’ve relied on being a household name for too long, and now they’re going to have to work to stay in the game.
When you play a game of thrones, you win or you die.
The thing to keep in mind about this is that when chain restaurants compete, you win. Prices drop, and franchises begin offering more creative, bold options in an effort to redefine their brand. As long as Burger King puts in work and doesn’t thrash around, we should be in for some interesting sandwiches over the next year or so.
Sandwiches in Review: Subway’s Chicken Pizziola
March 27, 2012
Subway has been running a scheme this month. They’ve introduced their “Italian Collection,” a line of subs featuring combinations of pepperoni and marinara sauce. These subs are a bit more expensive, running in the $6-7 range for a footlong. To make them seem a bit more like a bargain, Subway has decided to nuke their footlong of the month deal by offering the truly inexplicable Jalapeno Tuna Salad sub, which I will not be trying. Well played, Subway, well played.
Pretty sure jalapenos and tuna salad is that thing that Meat Loaf wouldn't do for love.
The Chicken Pizziola includes chopped chicken breast, pepperoni, marinara sauce, and cheese. Mozzarella would’ve been great, but since my Subway doesn’t offer it I went with American. I also added banana peppers, which as I may have mentioned before can turn a good sub into a great one. Here, they just helped the sub go from mediocre to decent. I wanted this sandwich to be good. I love chicken, and I love pepperoni. But they didn’t come together in a way that tasted real at all. The sub was a little dry, which may have been my fault for not asking they include more marinara. I think this sub in theory could work well, but it’d require more of a vision behind the counter than Subway can provide (maybe Quiznos?).
The Chicken Pizziola runs for around $7. It’s not terrible, and if you really like chicken and pepperoni on a sub you could check it out, but the $5 meatball sub is a much better use of the marinara sauce. I can’t speak for the rest of the Collection, but it seems to me like a great Italian sub was there on the menu all along.
Sandwiches in Review: Arby’s Super Reuben
March 26, 2012
This year, Arby’s introduced a Reuben as a seasonal tie-in to St. Patrick’s Day. You know, because it has corned beef on it. Here’s the problem: the Reuben is a traditionally Jewish sandwich, not an Irish one. It’s a common delicatessen offering, but there isn’t really anything Irish about it. But hey, A for effort, at least.
I pity the fool who doesn't add turkey to his Reuben!!
The thing that makes this Reuben “super” is the addition of turkey. I don’t think it helped or hurt very much one way or another, and I’m sure you get pretty much the same effect with their regular Reuben. The Super Reuben was pretty good, as fast food Reubens go. The corned beef was surprisingly thick cut, and the sauerkraut was of a higher quality than I’d expect from a chain restaurant. Make no mistake, it’s still not on the level of most Coney Islands or delis, but if you need a quick Reuben fix, this is a pretty good option.
The Super Reuben runs for around $6-7 in a combo, which is a little pricey. However, I believe the normal Reuben goes for about a dollar less, and is pretty much the same, unless you’re a die-hard turkey fan. It’s worth checking out, if you’re in the mood.
Sandwiches in Review: Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos
March 20, 2012
In the tradition of the KFC Double Down and other infamous meals, Taco Bell has released the Doritos Locos Tacos, a taco supreme wrapped in a Doritos Nacho Cheesier corn chip shell. Weird naming issues aside (“tacos” is used a the singular form here?), it’s an interesting concept, and the combination of two heavyweight junk foods has promise, at least from a novelty standpoint. But does it deliver?
TACO TOWN!!
Barely. Really, the problem with this thing is that it’s not over the top enough. The taco supreme base is standard ground beef with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and cheese. There’s nothing there that’s super interesting. The shell is alright, but the Nacho flavoring isn’t strong enough to make it worthwhile. The combination of Doritos and sour cream is a start, but there needs to be another sauce or something. Again, it’s not so much that it’s bad, it’s just not very different from a normal hard-shelled ground beef taco.
The Doritos Locos Tacos is about $2 and can be bought as part of a $5 box meal. It’s worth checking out once if you’re curious, and more times if your happen to really like taco supremes. Outside of the novelty though, there’s not much to recommend for this one, so don’t feel bad if you miss it. I do hope they go back to the drawing board on this one, I’d like to try a more innovative take on it.
Sandwiches in Review: The Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGriddles
March 15, 2012
A couple of years ago, I had a pancake-wrapped sausage and it blew my mind. Although I had spent years dipping sausages into maple syrup, it never occurred to me how wonderful this combination could be. On the advice of a couple of friends, I decided to try the McGriddles, a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich with a pancake-like bun. However, I was blinded by my love for bacon, and essentially forgot why I had come. While the Bacon, Egg and Cheese McGriddles isn’t bad or anything, I thought it was high time I reviewed the McGriddles the way God intended it.
And let me tell you, the Sausage, Egg and Cheese is fantastic. Although the concept of combining sausage and a sweet bun may sound strange, the combination of salty and sweet is one of my favorite flavors, and I wish more sandwiches would go out on a limb like this. The eggs add some body, and the inclusion of cheese, while subtle (it is McDonald’s American cheese, after all), rounds out the meal. My only complaint is that the ingredients taste a little bit too industrial. I know this is an odd complaint to levy on the world’s biggest fast food producer, but part of it is that I’m not quite used to fast food eggs yet.
Still, it’s a delicious, quick, and cheap breakfast option, especially for those of you like me, who have been somewhat underwhelmed by the average biscuit or bagel breakfast sandwiches. A combo runs for around $4, and the fact that it’s a sandwich means that unlike most pancake, egg and sausage breakfasts, you can eat it in your car on the way to work. Win-win!!
One of my most viewed posts on Sandwichtalk is my review of the Subway Seafood Sensation. This is due in no small part to the back and forth in the comments on whether or not their seafood salad contains real crab. (Pro Tip: if you have a shellfish allergy, you probably should check with the staff of the restaurant before trying anything which could potentially contain shellfish.) So when I heard that competitor (and better, in my opinion) Quiznos was offering a seafood salad, I had to give it a try. And make no mistake: this blend most certainly contains lobster.
"Dr. Jones. Again we see there is nothing you can possess which I cannot take away. "
The Lobster & Seafood Salad Sub is pretty simple. As a default, it comes with the seafood blend and lettuce. The presence of lobster in the salad does give it a nice authenticity and texture, but the finer shredding of the meat means you get a little bit less for your money than at Subway. The sub seemed to be missing something, so halfway through I added Quiznos’ horseradish sauce. It was exactly what the sub needed, I’d highly recommend you do the same.
The regular Lobster & Seafood Salad Sub retails for a bit more than $5, so it’s a little hard to justify over Subway. However, if you’re in the mood for genuine lobster salad and don’t mind paying for it, this is the sub for you.
