Tag: Burger King

What is the Burger King Spicy Chicken Caesar Sandwich?

With 2019 effectively serving as the Summer of Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches, did anybody expect Burger King to remain content sitting on the sidelines?

Indeed, BK has recently launched not one BUT THREE new Caesar Chicken Sandwiches, including both a grilled and crispy permutation. Today’s review, however, will focus explicitly on the spicy chicken variation, which comes with all of the usual fix-ins — lettuce, tomato slices, and bacon — with a couple of peelings of parmesan cheese and a proprietary Caesar sauce squeezed underneath the oily topmost potato bun. And oh yeah, I almost forgot — the crispy chicken filet is all breaded and battered with tongue-tingling spices. You know, with it being marketed as spicy and whatnot.

How is it?

At first glance, I was kinda’ taken aback by how small the sandwich appeared. And while the burger may be slightly more condensed than your regular Big King and Whopper offering, rest assured there is a LOT of content underneath this thing’s super greasy buns.

The chicken filet tastes slightly different from the chain’s other “spicy” patties, although I’m not quite sure what the new or tweaked spice itself may be (call it a shot in the dark, but maybe more paprika?). But it definitely gels very well with the rest of the ingredients. The bacon is super crispy, and the lettuce and tomato taste noticeably “fresher” than what you normally get out of a fast food hamburger.

But the two things that give this sandwich a unique identity are the slices of shaved parmesan cheese (which isn’t melted onto the chicken, thankfully) and the in-house Caesar sauce, which has a mild Creole seasoning flair to it. All in all, it doesn’t really taste like something you’d expect to find at Burger King — which, depending on your perspective, can either be a really good thing or a really bad thing.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Be forewarned; this is a very messy sandwich. Even small nibbles will produce quite a bit of Caesar sauce spatter, and the normal Burger King caveats concerning saltiness once again apply here. It packs a walloping 2,050 milligrams of sodium, so you’ll DEFINITELY need a beverage nearby to put this sucker down. Furthermore, at about $6 in the metro-Atlanta area, it’s far from a “cheap” on-the-go eat, especially considering the relatively small portion size.

Conclusion:

Well, the Spicy Chicken Caesar Sandwich certainly isn’t going to give the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich a run for its money, but that’s not really meant to be taken as a slight.

Overall, I’d consider this pseudo-premium offering from Burger King to be well above-average, and without question one of the more unique limited time only items to come out of the chain in quite some time.

The price point is problematic, but you could do much, much worse with deluxe edition fast food poultry burgers. Consider this a very good — although far from legitimately great — contribution from BK as the ongoing Chicken Sandwich Wars doth continue.

Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 830 calories, 50 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 2,050 milligrams of sodium, 59 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 37 grams of protein.

What is the Burger King Maple Waffle Sandwich?

Burger King’s latest answer to the McGriddle – a breakfast sandwich with maple laced waffle cakes as buns.

How is it?

It’s almost there. I wanted this to be great, but it’s ultimately just good. Good is good, though, right? Good.

Here’s the thing about fast food breakfast – the bread element is the most crucial part. I’m sure you’re familiar with BK’s eggs and meat. I’ve always liked BK’s fluffy folded egg, and its sausage patties are fine if not indistinguishable from anyone else’s. They do their part.

The waffles are the big-ticket item here, but I think that might turn some people off of this sandwich.

I liked them, but they’re not without its flaws.

The waffles were a little too fried for my tastes, giving them an almost “funnel cakey” texture. I love that, but not sure I want it on a breakfast sandwich.

There are little maple spots speckled on the waffles, but they weren’t sweet enough. Again, it was alllllmost there. Getting subtle hints of sweetness was nice, but I was hoping for more.

Is there anything else you need to know?

I got the savory sausage because it’s the best option. Let’s be real. The thing is, Burger King probably should’ve gone with a maple sausage patty. This could have benefitted from more maple, and that would’ve been a good place to inject it.

Oh, and skip the cheese. It could just be me, but these savory/sweet breakfast sandwiches absolutely do not need a slice of cheese. In fact, I’d argue it knocks the sandwich down a peg as a whole.

Conclusion:

It ain’t great for ya, but you probably won’t be mad you ate this. It’s about 75% as good as a McGriddle. With a little tinkering, it could be a real star in the fast food breakfast world.

Purchased Price: $3.69
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Sausage) 680 calories, 45 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 205 milligrams of cholesterol, 1140 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 23 grams of protein.

I was a vegetarian in college.

I didn’t have any moral reasons for it, I just figured it was an easier way to lose weight and keep my vitals on the up and up. Plus, there was a vegetarian in my psychology class I was smitten with, and I reckoned that had to score me a couple of extra points.

Well, as was my torrid collegiate romance with Becky Schopenhauer, my dietary dalliance with vegetarianism was short-lived. One of the things people don’t tell you about going full veggie is just how expensive it is, and when a four-pack of MorningStar Farms veggie patties costs twice as much as two eight packs of Earl Campbell Hot Link sausages — and you’re a broke communications major — the economics become pretty obvious.

Yet all these years later, every now and then I still get a hankering for a good black bean burger. And while a lot of the more upscale burger joints have their own default veggie alternatives, finding soy patties at the larger fast food chains — your McDonald’s, your Wendy’s, your Steak n’ Shakes, etc. — is usually a lost cause.

Sure, a few chains have experimented with meatless options a la Beyond Meat, but nothing on the scale of Burger King with its newfangled Impossible Whopper, which, as the name suggests, is the fast food leviathan’s signature item, albeit with the all-beef patty eschewed for an Impossible Foods-branded faux burger.

Without getting too scientific here, the secret ingredient in the Impossible Whopper patty is this stuff called leghemoglobin, which is a genetically-modified soy derivative that supposedly provides consumers the most meat-like meatless taste on the market.

Sure, sure, all of this pre-publicity puffery is fine and dandy, but I’m here to give it to you straight. So, is the Burger King Impossible Whopper truly the revolutionary product it claims to be?

Well, not really, but that’s not to say it isn’t a decent fast food burger.

First things first, the patty itself is just too small. It’s maybe half the girth of the standard Whopper patty, and instead of being plump and juicy, this newfangled Impossible Whopper tastes more charred and salty. The patty itself, though, does have a pretty solid smoky flavor to it, and the mouthfeel of the product isn’t as chewy as you may expect. It doesn’t quite capture the “real” beef Whopper taste, but it gets closer to it than you’d think.

And that’s thanks, in no small part, to the rest of the sandwich. It’s pretty amazing how all of the accoutrements — the lettuce, mayonnaise, and tomatoes — gel together to provide an idiosyncratic Whopper taste, despite the lack of a “true” Whopper patty whatsoever. You might have some reservations about the Impossible Whopper, but holistically, it tastes remarkably like its object of emulation.

Despite all of the hoopla over this meatless menu item, it seems a little odd to me that so few have noted that, for years, Burger King has already been serving what is effectively a “veggie Whopper.”

The weird thing is, the overall product reminds me of Burger King’s previous meatless burger, which utilized a MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie patty. Whatever gustatory quirks may be there, it appears are sizzled out in BK’s grilling process — so ultimately, you wind up with an Impossible patty that tastes just a tad too crispy, and a little too generic, for its own good.

Still, it’s an altogether pleasing product that ought to make vegetarians on the prowl for something a tad more filling than a garden salad pretty happy, although I just can’t see it turning long-time, omnivorous Whopper-fanatics into staunch vegans anytime soon.

Regardless, I’m pulling for the Impossible Whopper to be successful, if only to inspire competing burger chains to try their hands at the pseudo-burger fad. I mean, let’s face it — who doesn’t want to live in a world where Arby’s releases its own vegan-friendly Meat Mountain Sandwich a couple of years down the road?

Purchased Price: $5.29
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories; 34 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,080 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar and 25 grams of protein.

After trying its hand at seemingly every possible variation of the King burger imaginable, the suits at Burger King finally decided to get rid of the flame-broiled patty altogether and try something radically different with the fast food flagship.

Enter the Pulled Pork King, which as the name suggests, is a Sloppy Joe-like sandwich consisting of BBQ-sauce-slathered shredded pork, crispy onions, and a handful of pickles…all underneath a toasted sesame seed bun, as apparently required under a decree of the Burger King himself. (An aside, but does the titular Burger King even have a first or last name?)

I went into this with pretty low expectations, but I have to say I was very surprised by its overall quality. The shredded pork was flavorful and unexpectedly smoky, giving it an authentic taste and texture you wouldn’t expect to come out of a fast food kitchen.

Likewise, the BBQ sauce itself was very good, packing enough vinegary tart and sugary sweetness to placate seemingly all of your tastebud’s domains — although I’m disappointed to report that said sauce was nowhere near as “hot and spicy” as advertised. But the crispy onion and pickles certainly did their part, bringing enough mouthfeel and flavor diversity to the product without taking away from the marquee pork taste.

At $5.79, the Pulled Pork King is a hefty investment for a BK offering, so your mileage may vary on whether or not the L-T-O is worth that kind of moolah. That said, the sandwich itself is fairly large and filling, so if volume is a priority, you probably won’t be disappointed by this one unless you have the stomach of a competitive eater or something.

Of course, this being a King burger relative, the usual caveats about salt and squishiness do apply: with more than 1,000 milligrams of sodium, this thing will starch your throat fast, and heaven help you if you drop this thing on your lap — good luck EVER getting the BBQ sauce stains off your Dockers there, buddy.

Burger King’s Pulled Pork King checks off just about all the boxes you would want a summertime, L-T-O sandwich to check off. It’s unique and ephemeral, and smacks of instant nostalgia, but at the same time, it’s also a stunningly flavorful item that tastes way better than you’d expect it to be. Never in a million years would I have thought Burger King of all restaurants would’ve figured out the secret sauce to crafting a great, on-the-go pulled pork sandwich, but here we are.

Long story short, if you’re a fan of BBQ or plain adventurous when it comes to fast food, you would be wise to give the Pulled Pork King a try. Heck, it’s so good, it kinda’ makes me wonder how BK would fare at an L-T-O brisket-burger next.

Purchased Price: $5.79
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 690 calories, 25 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,190 milligrams of sodium, 82 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 34 grams of sugar, and 35 grams of protein.

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As a longtime Latino — 40 years and counting — for so long I have dreamed of an edible epoch in this nation’s history when there would be some form of taco available on every street corner, from every fast food chain, and on every dollar menu. Now, thanks to Burger King, this simple dream is now one step closer to fruition.

Besides the usual taco chains around town like Taco Bell or Del Taco, if I’m under oath, I’d have to admit that I supremely love Jack in the Box’s taco deal, consisting of two greasy corn shells filled with meat and cheese, both for a little over a dollar; it’s a good taste at a great price, especially when their ain’t a convenient taqueria in sight.

That being said, I do believe that Jack has finally met his snack match in Burger King’s tremendo Crunchy Tacos; with each equally greasy corn shell – that’s from the deep-frying, ya’ll – dripping with puro faux-Mexican flavor, the additives of a small dash of lettuce and a sprinkle of cheese, as well as a nicely proportioned glob of seasoned beef that, remarkably, doesn’t taste like ground up leftover hamburger filling, makes for a moderately spicy treat at a mostly fulfilling price.

As I sat there in the lonely Burger King, munching on the crunchy taco with affordable ease, I immediately noticed how it’s not at all rubbery, the way Jack’s tacos can often quickly get, especially fresh out the deep-fryer. Instead, the King’s maintains a stolid bite-path that never gets in the way of the beautifully greasy taste, which is far better than it sounds. These are very much like the tacos that one friend’s mom would make when you spent the night as a kid -— contrived as Hell, but delicious as Heaven.

Now if I had one complaint, it would be for the absolute lack of both taco sauce and taco salsa — the taco sauce that was supposed to come with the taco and a couple of packets of taco salsa to be included with my order. That’s like fries with no ketchup, if you ask me. So I guess if you happen to pick a pair — or even more, natch — of these tacos up, ask for extra sauce or, as I’m gonna start doing, just bring your own. I recommend San Luis; it’s in a white bottle that looks like bathroom cleaner.

Otherwise, McDonald’s, it’s your deep-fried taco move now. Cómpralo ya!

Purchased Price: $1.00
Size: N/A
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 360 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

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