Tag: Jack in the Box

Purchased Price: 2 for $4.00*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 4 out of 10 (Bacon, Egg & Cheese)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Sausage, Egg & Cheese)
Pros: Reasonably priced at 2 for $3 (or $4, if you live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean). The biscuits are tasty and have a nice, mild buttermilk flavor. It’s available all day. The Sausage, Egg & Cheese is better than the Bacon, Egg & Cheese because the sausage does a better job of trying to get its flavor past the biscuit. Biscuit doesn’t have a lot of trans fat like a particular fast food chain’s does.
Cons: I understand the biscuit is the highlight, but it shouldn’t overwhelm the other ingredients, especially the sausage and bacon. Jack in the Box bacon is subpar and wasn’t spread evenly on my sandwich. Egg flavor and it’s butteriness isn’t there thanks to the biscuit. Biscuit falls apart a bit too easily.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Nutrition Facts: Bacon, Egg & Cheese – 410 calories, 227 calories from fat, 25 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 242 milligrams of cholesterol, 1176 milligrams of sodium, 188 milligrams of potassium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein. Sausage, Egg & Cheese – 534 calories, 340 calories from fat, 38 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 264 milligrams of cholesterol, 1240 milligrams of sodium, 228 milligrams of potassium, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, 18 grams of protein.)

CHRISTMAS CHICKEN SANDWICH!!!

That’s what I would like to call Jack in the Box’s Fajita Ranch Melt.

If you look at the sandwich’s promotional photo, it screams, “CHRISTMAS!” It has red and green bell peppers, white ranch sauce, red taco sauce, white pepper jack cheese, white onions, and seasoned chicken in between a toasted sourdough bun. Seeing those colors together makes me want to sing 80s Christmas songs.

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away.
This year
To save me from tears
I’ll give it to someone special.

However, in real life, the Fajita Ranch Melt doesn’t look as festive. If Jack in the Box didn’t already have a sandwich called the Hot Mess, I would’ve called this new one a hot mess. Instead, I’m going to have to say it’s messy.

It’s messy mostly because of the sourdough bun, which barely stayed intact as my mouth made its way through the sandwich. Wait. Did I say, “sourdough bun”? I meant to say, “ranch and taco sauce sponge.” Too bad the bun wasn’t also a bell pepper and onion sponge because that would’ve prevented the veggies from falling out.

For those of you familiar with Jack in the Box, you may know they offer a Chicken Fajita Pita, which is one of their “Healthy Dining Choices.” The Fajita Ranch Melt is what I wish the Chicken Fajita Pita would taste like and is nowhere close to being a “Healthy Dining Choice,” which is obvious since it has buttered buns and a creamy ranch sauce.

Speaking of the ranch sauce, it was hard for my taste buds to notice it because they were distracted by the slightly spicy taco sauce, which I didn’t mind. Surprisingly, the sauces were light enough that I could taste the ever-falling, slightly crunchy bell peppers and onions that I had to regularly stuff back into the sandwich. The easy-to-chew seasoned chicken was more like salty chicken, but the veggies, taco sauce, and melted pepper jack cheese did a great job of masking the chicken’s saltiness.

But was the Jack in the Box Fajita Ranch Melt “Clucking Delicious”?

Yes, it clucking was. It made my taste buds happy. But it would’ve been clucking better if it was called the Jack in the Box Christmas Chicken Sandwich.

(Nutrition Facts – 579 calories, 288 calories from fat, 32 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 88 milligrams of cholesterol, 1658 milligrams of sodium, 357 milligrams of potassium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 32 grams of protein.)

Item: Jack in the Box Fajita Ranch Melt
Purchased Price: $4.99*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Great flavor. Taco sauce was a tasty addition. Promotional picture looks like Christmas in a bun. Bell peppers and onions surprisingly provided flavor and texture. 80s Christmas songs.
Cons: Ranch sauce wasn’t noticeable. Salty chicken. Messy sandwich. Only available in California, Idaho, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Not as heart healthy as Jack’s Chicken Fajita Pita. It’s not called the Christmas Chicken Sandwich.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay $3.99.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: 16 oz.
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Pleasing pumpkin spice flavor, but not as good as Jack’s Pumpkin Pie Shake, which this shake replaced. Creamy. Comes with whipped topping and a cherry. Made with ice cream. Being able to tie a cherry stem into a knot in your mouth with your tongue.
Cons: Not as sweet and flavor doesn’t pop as much as Jack in the Box’s Pumpkin Pie Shake. Whipped topping slightly dulls the pumpkin spice flavor (but you can get it without the whipped topping and cherry). Drinking one is almost like eating a burger, nutrition-wise. ANOTHER pumpkin spice product.

Nutrition Facts: 788 calories, 359 calories from fat, 40 grams of fat, 29 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 84 milligrams of cholesterol, 255 milligrams of sodium, 602 milligrams of potassium, 100 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 82 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of protein.

Like eating turkey on Thanksgiving, dressing up as Special Agent Cho from the CBS show The Mentalist on Halloween, and avoiding all shopping malls in December, consuming a Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte is a holiday tradition for me.

And when I say “a Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte,” I mean just one venti-sized drink every PSL season. If I allowed myself more than one, it would end up being an unhealthy, expensive addiction until they’re no longer available at Starbucks for the year. Then, after my last delicious sip, there would be weeks of withdrawals and then possible purchases of pricey, expired PSL syrup from a shady, but cute Starbucks barista named Savannah, who never calls me by my name and instead refers to me as, “her bitch” and makes me write it on the side of Starbucks cups to make sure I never forget it.

Unfortunately for me, two fast food burger chains I regularly frequent are now offering pumpkin spice coffee beverages. Recently, McDonald’s came out with their own pumpkin spice latte and now Jack in the Box offers a pumpkin spice-flavored coffee drink the same way I like my hockey — on ice and surrounded by a clear plastic barrier so I can admire it. So there’s a very good chance I could get addicted to other sweet, milky pumpkin spice coffee beverages.

However, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is much more customizable than Jack’s pumpkin spice iced coffee. While you can order a Starbucks PSL with your choice of milks and toppings, here’s all you get with Jack’s PSIC (please start calling them that): premium roast coffee, sweetened cream, and a few pumps from a large pumpkin spice syrup container.

But is that enough to be as good as what Starbucks offers?

Short answer? No.

Long answer? Noooo.

But I expected that. After all, Starbucks is known for coffee and Jack in the Box is known for its entertaining commercials, 24-hour drive-thru, all-day breakfast, greasy tacos, and a whole bunch of other things that are ahead of coffee. While Starbucks’ PSL has a noticeable coffee flavor, Jack’s PSIC tastes like it’s 98 percent cream and pumpkin spice syrup. It’s a sweet and creamy concoction that will satisfy most people who are indifferent about coffee and if you’ve had anything pumpkin spice flavored within the past few years and someone blindfolds you before handing this beverage to you, this coffee’s flavor will be instantly familiar.

Overall, I enjoyed Jack in the Box’s Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee, but it’s not as yummy as Starbucks’ famous holiday drink. Also, it has yet to give me an energy boost like Starbucks’ PSL does. I’ve had three of them over the past week and I haven’t felt a thing.

Wait. Three in the last week? I think I’ve started an unhealthy, expensive addiction. Although not as expensive as a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte addiction.

(Nutrition Facts – 16 oz. – 194 calories, 52 calories from fat, 6 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 63 grams of carbohydrates, 205 milligrams of potassium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.)

Item: Jack in the Box Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee
Purchased Price: $2.29
Size: Regular/16 oz.
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Decent sweet and creamy concoction. Cheaper than Starbucks’ PSL. Looking like actor Tim Kang.
Cons: It will definitely not satisfy coffee snobs. Coffee mostly masked by cream and pumpkin spice syrup. Didn’t give me an energy boost. A Starbucks PSL addiction. Shopping malls in December. Having to buy expired PSL syrup from shady Starbucks baristas.

Purchased Price: $1.69
Size: 12 oz.
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: A decent, inexpensive cup of mildly flavored coffee. Nice jolt of caffeine. Smooth coffee flavor. Turns orangy when milk is added. Makes a nice hand warmer. Iced coffee version is much better. Jack in the Box offering flavored hot coffee.
Cons: It’s a regular pumpkin spice coffee and not a pumpkin spice latte, so if you’re expecting this to taste somewhat like a Starbucks PSL, you will be disappointed. Well, you can add your own milk and turn it into a latte. Pumpkin spice flavor too mild for my liking; could’ve used a few more pumps of pumpkin spice syrup. My inability to capture the orange hue with a camera when this coffee is dairy-fied.

Nutrition Facts: 84 calories, 1 calorie from fat, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 153 milligrams of potassium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.