Pair of Angus Snack Wraps
Foiled Again
Angus Snack Wraps were quietly added to the menu at the McDonald’s near my house. I needed some quick drive-thru sustenance and decided to take the plunge. I tried a pair of Angus Snack Wraps, the Bacon and Cheese and the Mushroom and Swiss. Frustratingly, McDonald’s does not offer meal deals with their Snack Wraps, so at $1.99 each along with fries and a drink, this meal is more expensive than getting the Angus burger meal.
Mushroom and Swiss Angus Snack Wrap Detail
In general, it seems as though the angus burger patty half that was in the Snack Wrap was quite a bit drier than the ones I’ve had in burger form. I don’t know exactly why this is, but both snack wraps had somewhat dry burgers.
The Mushroom and Swiss wrap was the better of the two. This one come with a small slice of Swiss cheese, mushrooms in a gravy sauce, and mayonnaise. The gravy is somewhat salty and brings out the umami flavor in the burger. This being a wrap, the last few bites end up being left over gravy and mayo and that works well.
Bacon and Cheese Wrap
The Bacon and Cheese Snack Wrap was a bit disappointing. This is an angus patty half with cheese, a slice of bacon, red onion, and ketchup. For some reason, there was an over abundance of ketchup in this wrap, leaving the last few bites as tortilla and ketchup which really is not a pleasant experience. In general, I would say that the Bacon and Cheese Angus burger is my favorite of the three, but this Snack Wrap just wasn’t as good.
I do like the Snack Wrap idea, but the chicken Snack Wraps are much better than these Angus Snack Wraps. In fact, I think I liked the Mac Snack Wrap even better. I think that has to do with the use of Big Mac special sauce. The Snack Wrap really does become a lot more about the sauce and less about the quality of the meat delivering the sauce.
I still don’t understand the Snack Wrap philosophy on the McDonald’s menu. With sandwiches, the goal is to get you to buy the meal deal, spend a little extra to get fries and a drink. But, there just isn’t anything available for Snack Wraps. I’ve even tried to see if there was a secret menu option to make two Snack Wraps a meal combo, but the cashier looked at my like I was insane. It would be nice to have a chicken Snack Wrap and a burger Snack Wrap, someone just needs to make it happen in a meal combo.
The Second Dimension
One Integral. It’s okay for fast food, but there are several better things on the menu than these, especially at the $2 price point.
Tags: hamburgers, mcdonald's, snack wrap
A Single "Mealie"
I’ve been thinking that I’ve been doing a disservice to Charlie’s Pool Room. Normally, I will continue to post reviews of a spot if the menu is changing or there are new things to try. The thing is, Charlie’s is perfectly consistent. The menu doesn’t change. So, I’ve been several times without really giving the proper perspective.
Prophetic Storefront Window
I took my dad for a visit last summer. I suspected that he would like it, but wasn’t quite sure. He and I went up to visit Brit and Van, stopped off for a first round of hot dogs at the very excellent Potts’ Doggie Shop, and headed on over to Charlie’s. Fast forward about a year and I took both my mom and dad, along with Jessica, Brit, and Van for another visit. And, just a week and a half ago, we took our friend Joe from Chicago up to experience the Charlie’s Pool Room magic.
A "Mealie" Triple Play/Babe Ruth
Host Joe Fencz always seems to remember his previous customers. He knows Brit, Van, and I by name and remembered my dad’s name and the fact that he came from a faraway state.
Our group placed an order which totaled 6 dogs. Joe shouted to his brother John in the kitchen to make a “Musial.” One of us quickly adjusted the order to bring the total to 7 and Joe upgraded us to a “Mantle.” I was confused at first, but my dad knew right away: 6 is Stan Musial’s uniform number, 7 is Mickey Mantle’s uniform number. The Fencz brothers take their baseball seriously (incidentally, both were in attendance when Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run in May 1967). If there was only Wi-Fi, we might consider having our fantasy baseball draft there next year. I’m sure my dad would come out for that extravaganza. But, the fact that there isn’t Wi-Fi is all the more reason to go to Charlie’s. It’s the same as it ever was: the pan fried hot dog, sweet secret sauce, hot peppers, and raw onions all inside a perfectly steamed bun.
The New Record
There is a new record for the most dogs with sauce eaten. Mark “Mongo” Ankudovich set the new record on 30 January 2010 by eating 20 hot dogs in 1 hour and 27 minutes. Is that a Frank Robinson or a Lou Brock? It’s a lot of hot dogs, for sure.
Charlie’s Pool Room continues on with hot dog excellence. There is a uniqueness well beyond the great tasting Mealie. Everything from the location to the storefront to Joe and John Fencz to the room itself. It’s perfect just the way it is. These brothers love their hot dogs and would really like it if you stopped by to rest a little and try a few. You won’t be disappointed. Holly says “Those in the know order Mealies.” I say that true hot dog lovers need to get at least a Mealie triple play. If you’re by yourself, I’m pretty sure that’s a Babe Ruth.
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame. Charlie’s Pool Room maintains its greatness through consistency. My favorite hot dog destination for the food and experience, bar none.
Tags: hall of fame, hot dogs, new jersey
Bacon Club Chalupa
This month’s special Taco Bell offering is a Bacon Club Chalupa. One of the ways to purchase is in the “Big Box” form. The Bacon Club Chalupa comes with a beef taco, bean burrito, Cinnamon Crispas, and a drink. I’m convinced they’re reducing the overall cost of the combination so you take some of those Cinnamon Crispas off their hands. I can’t imagine anyone having a craving for these things. I’ve purchased a couple of these in the last few weeks, but haven’t taken the time to tell the world. Until now.
Big Box Contents, Do You Want My Crispas?
I also think these boxes are a way to convince people to eat their hard taco shells. I am not very fond of them, especially when there are also soft tacos on the menu. I substituted each time I’ve ordered, sometimes the switch is free, sometimes they charge me a dime. I was going to contact The Consumerist in outrage, but it’s just a dime and got me a delicious soft taco shell.
Chalupa Dissection
I am a big fan of the regular Bean Burrito, especially when the refried beans are a good creamy consistency. Not all Taco Bell’s are equal, but the one nearby normally does a great job with the refried beans. It rounds out the box nicely.
The star of the combo is the Bacon Club Chalupa. The Chalupa shell is slightly deep-fried flatbread, the fried version of Taco Bell’s Gordita. I would probably prefer the non-fried version if I had a choice. But I don’t here. This thing is filled with cubes of that Taco Bell chicken along with a tangy ranch dressing and lots of bacon bits, real bacon bits. It’s a classic flavor and works great here. This really should be a regular menu item, Taco Bell needs to embrace the bacon.
The Third Dimension
Two Integrals. Taco Bell excellence, but let’s not get too carried away with ourselves…The bacon is a great addition, for sure.