I don’t know who dreamed up the idea of putting fries inside of every fast food sandwich, wrap, crepe, and pupusa imaginable, but whoever that person is, rest assured, he or she is my hero.
Carrying on the proud tradition of L-T-Os like Taco Bell’s Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries Burrito is the latest and greatest potato-stuffed fast food roll-up from Checkers/Rally’s, the newfangled Fully Loaded Fries Bacon Steak Sub. As the name implies, the product consists of all the usual Philly cheesesteak ingredients — albeit, sans the onions and with some good old American cheese subbed in for the more traditional Swiss.
Also in the mix is a decent Montreal Au Jus mayonnaise (which I think we can all agree is way better than the kind they make in Quebec City), an ample amount of bacon and, of course, a sizable smattering of the fast food favorite’s beloved “Famous Seasoned Fries,” all wedged inside of a lightly microwaved — I mean, “toasted” — hoagie roll.
This is definitely a fast food novelty that proves the validity of the expression “big surprises come in small packages.” When I ordered my sub, I was kinda’ disappointed by how small the sandwich was. From end to end, the thing is barely six inches long, but I promise you, there is a LOT of meat, cheese, sauce, and French fry hanging out inside the roll.
By now, you really don’t need me to tell you how great Checkers/Rally’s fries are — even though they end up getting a tad soggy amidst all the other ingredients, they still taste fantastic here. And the steak strands, while perhaps a bit too stringy for some, are nonetheless chewy, juicy, and flavorful. To me, the bacon was good, but not great — I don’t know if that’s attributable to too much salt, but when all else fails, I’m always the first to blame sodium for everything.
I wasn’t too enamored by the American cheese, which was practically frapped with my order. And the Au Jus juice — while a welcome condiment in today’s Sriracha-this/Boom Boom Sauce-that fast food marketplace — didn’t strike me as anything truly noteworthy. This sub would have benefitted from having an entirely different sauce in the mix — a nice mesquite BBQ sauce or tangy honey mustard would’ve been my preferred accoutrements.
While it would’ve been nice to see the fast food chain make this sucker as ingredient heavy as its Philly Cheesesteak Sub forerunner, for just $4 and some change this isn’t a bad little pick-me-up at all. It’s fairly unique and quite filling, and best of all? You don’t even have to worry about finding a place to stow away your carton of fries — because they’re like, already in there, man.
Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Checkers
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories, 300 calories from fat, 34 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2 grams of fiber, 29 grams of protein, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1520 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar