McDonald's Does BACON in a Big Way - A Review

Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese,
pickles, onions – on a sesame seed bun and now with BACON!

I  don't have  anything good or bad to say about McDonald's as a general rule. It does seem that they try to get away with as little quality and innovation as the market will bear. That said, today's fast food market in the U.S. is driven by McDonald's! They could use this power for good, and now they have! They are offering BACON on several dishes including their flagship BIG MAC®. They also have a Quarter Pounder® with Bacon and Cheesy Bacon fries.

As anyone who knows me can attest, I like bacon. I have tried bacon gum, bacon toothpicks, bacon toothpast, bacon floss...I have a bacon necktie and a shirt with a bacon slogan on it. I have tried it on many dishes but until now, never on a Big Mac®. It was lunchtime and I was passing a local McDonald's so I thought it was a great way to buy and try their newest offering. Pictured at right is a comparison with mine on the left side and theirs, (as pictured on their website), on the right. I don't think any restaurant can claim their food tastes as good as they MAKE it look, so I am always willing to TASTE it and decide. I may be at a bit of a disadvantage since the Big Mac® has never been my favorite burger at McDonald's, but when I worked at Wal-Mart, you could smell the bacon cooking as it wafted through the vents.
Let's begin:

The Big Mac® Bacon: This was a good burger! The bacon made it better and I don't have anything bad to say. They actually put a fair amount of bacon on each burger and though I would like more, that's my problem. I would recommend they make this a permanent menu item!

The Cheesy Bacon Fries: Normally, I like fries at McDonald's. These were NOT good! The bacon was okay, but the cheese was HORRIBLE! It was worse than any canned cheese I have ever tasted. Next time I might say "Cheesy Bacon Fries please...hold the cheese!" No. I will never order these again.

As always, McDonald's knows how to cross promote. Left is a clip of the bag my food came in. I have yet to try the Quarter Pounder® with Bacon, but I am sure it will be good too. Funny thing, the Quarter Pounder is Daughter #1's favorite, but she doesn't much care for bacon (we're still awaiting the DNA test because she might not be related😊)

Try the Big Mac® Bacon! DO NOT TRY THE CHEESY BACON FRIES!!!

Earl Eats Wendy's Giant Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger Meal - A Review

It seems to me that when I see an ad for a new food product, I take it as a challenge! I don't know why but I want to compare and contrast whatever they are offering with their prior offers or similar offerings from their competition. This post is no different. Wendy's advertised a limited time offering of a GIANT Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, I had to give it a go. The pictures on the left show mine on the top with a side view. And below the picture Wendy's has. I am no food stylist, but you can see the difference. This combo is only $5 and includes 4 chicken nuggets, a small fry, the Giant Jr. and a drink. My break down is $1 for the fries, $1 for 4 nuggets $1 for a small drink, making the Giant Jr. $2.

Results & Conclusions:
First let me say that I will buy this again if the limited time isn't too limited. Next let me tell you that the Wendy's original JBC has always been one of my favorite bargain burgers because, well, BACON! And while this did not look like the advertised burger, it was good and relatively tasty!. You can get bigger drinks at other fast food places and you can get 10 nuggets for a buck at Burger King, though Wendy's are the second best (the best being Chick-Fil-A), and fries are, well fries.

When compared to the other $5 combos out there, this is at the top of the pile and blows away Taco Bell's $5 offerings. If you like Wendy's burgers, you should try this.

One of the things I like about this burger is that it has leaf lettuce and a nice slice of tomato. Their meat is never frozen and I think that shows, mostly in the texture. They say it is twice the beef and twice the bacon, and it tastes like it!!

Earl Eats at 3 Polish Dog Places - Reviews and a Comparison

We love hot dogs at our house. In fact my wife and I used to have a standing date at Sonic when they had their hot dogs on sale. We still eat there on occasion, because they have great hot dogs, though not like we once did. Today, I am reviewing not hot dogs but Polish Dogs, because I like the little bit of kick the seasoned meat adds. My wife (a.k.a. "Turkey") not so much, but that's okay because she actually thinks it's okay to put KETCHUP on a hot dog, well, they say there's no accounting for taste! I will start the reviews with my first Polish dog experience -  Wienerschnitzel.

Theirs is not just a Polish Dog, but a Polish sandwich. As a teenager we would go downtown to the only Wienerschnizel in the STATE to buy their mustard dogs, back then using Oscar Meyer hot dogs, for just a quarter. My friends and I would get a dollar's worth and be in heaven! But times change. Now there are more Wienerschnizels, but not near me. I was driving by one and thought it would be a great idea. And while the food was what I expected, the service was absolutely HORRIBLE. I went to the drive-up, so expectations were low to begin with, but this may have been the most rude fast food order taker EVER! The picture above (top right) is their website photo, below that is the sandwich I got and right the polish dog on a slice of Swiss cheese and a nice dill pickle. There is mustard too, but you can't see it here. The rye bread is mild, but the whole sandwich is just what I wanted, without the bad attitude from the man who took my order and my money.

Next, a surprise! Sam's Club sells a Nathan's Polish Dog for only 99￠cents! Add a giant drink for another 60 cents and you have a real deal! We like the prepackaged kraut, (though not the best) and the chopped onion is okay. These are not glowing endorsements of the product, but the quality of the Nathan's dog is as high as there is. As an aside here, Costco offers a similar deal but use their store brand hot dogs. Sam's has taken it up a notch. It is a great way to NOT shop hungry too!

This may not be the best eating experience you will ever have, but it may be the best bargain in all of Sam's club.

The last stop on this "Polish-palooza" is also my first visit to this place. I have heard good things about their food and have waited far too long to eat here. They do just one thing - DAWGS! Polish or all beef. They are grilled and have a great char. They are cross hatched, as their logo shows, and they are quite proud of their "Special Sauce". It is about the consistency of a vinaigrette and very sweet. I ordered mine with the sauce and little else to try it for the first time. While the sauce was tasty, I don't think it added to the almost perfectly cooked "dawg" and buns milled locally and made fresh daily. They have just 2 offerings, and chips and drinks. The price is not cheap, but it is worth it. In fact, it is the most pricey of the 3 offerings, but every bite was was nice.

In Conclusion:
The best Polish Dog was from J.Dawg. Best Quality, Best Cooked, Best Service.
The best deal is Sam's. High quality meat and a variety of condiments.
Sadly, in last place was the first place I ever had a Polish dog...Wienerschnitzel. I love the rye but wish I enjoyed the experience more.

1st⭐⭐⭐⭐ J. Dawg - for the food
2nd⭐⭐ Sam's Club - for the deal
3rd⭐⭐ Wienerschnitzel - because of the bread, in spite of the service

Earl Cooks Horseradish Cheddar Mashed Potatoes & Microwave Pot Roast - A Review

Recently, while shopping at Walmart, I came across two items that I hoped would be tasty building blocks for a quick weeknight meal (1  a "chef inspired" beef pot roast and (2 Horseradish Cheddar Mashed Potatoes. I was only partly right, and partly very wrong!

It is tough to ruin beef pot roast, but Walmart's own Great Value frozen beef pot roast is horrible! I should have read the label closer...why?

1. It only had microwave instructions. I don't like proteins that are microwaved. They never taste right and the consistency is often ruined. I thought there would be alternate instructions, but there were none.
2. The meat had been injected with a 20% solution of I-don't-know-what but that means it is really 20% less meat and therefore 20% more expensive. That means that roast beef that is $5/lb is really $6/lb! And this solution is probably something to tenderize (bad omen) and flavor (again, bad). Even a lesser cut of beef is good when properly seasoned and cooked.

 Now for the potatoes. They were okay. Anyone who has read my blog know that I think packaged potaoes are fine...usually. Idahoan are consistently the best, so I normally stick with theirs, but the attraction of cheddar AND horseradish made me buy Walmart's premium store brand Sam's Choice™. These I might even buy again, but not soon. I think I could add my own horseradish and cheddar and get a better result. I ended up adding a nice sharp cheddar to the little cheddar they had.

The photo above shows the roast beef on the plate. I used a bit of my own horseradish sauce, which wasn't enough to make the beef good. My wife (a.k.a. "Turkey") couldn't even finish hers. The leftovers of the beef went straight into the trash. A rare thing for me to do. I almost never throw food away, but I couldn't see another answer.

Result & Conclusions
DON'T BUY THE ROAST BEEF! I wish I could find the chef who inspired this. They need to have their chef's hat and coat removed! The potatoes are okay, but I would try a better brand and add my other ingredients to them.

Birthday Breakfast With Daughter #1 at Penny Ann's Cafe - A Review & Celebration!

You may have noticed by now that I like breakfast. I am not a breakfast snob, it need not be omelettes at a nearby resort, It can be something as simple as a Sausage McMuffin. I credit my mom for my love of breakfast. We always had something good and homemade to start our days off right. I think because of that I have always liked making breakfast for my family. But until recently, I didn't make it for myself very often. My gandboys LOVE dippin' eggs and once told me I should open a restaurant that served only breakfast. I never tire of fixing breakfast for them and the never seem to tire of eating it. They will both request it when they come over and I happily oblige.

But this post is not about me or my grandboys, rather it is about the birthday of our first born, Daughter #1. Somewhere it became a birthday tradition to celebrate family birthdays at places featuring breakfasts. This year I decided to take my Daughter #1 somewhere she had never been Penny Ann's Cafe. A side note here - Daughter #1's middle name is Ann as is the middle name of my #2 sister and my grandmother. Penny is also the name of by youngest sister who lived less than a month. So Penny Ann has a familiar ring to our family.

This nice little restaurant is tucked away in a shopping center and isn't really visible from the street, so you have to know where you are heading to get there. No big, bright signs or marquee. I will say that my first experience at this place was several years ago after hearing rave reviews. I took grandboy #1 and we were unimpressed, so I have not returned. But I mentioned it to my daughter and she seemed game so we headed there.

Penny Ann's is famous for what they call "heavenly" hot cakes. My daughter also ordered their scone and boy was it a giant. I went bor their "big breakfast" and my daughter dis an ala carte thing. We were othe amazed and delighted. I tried my pancakes with both maple syrup and boysenberry syrup (they charge extra for real Vermont Maple Syrup), and they were both just right for their hot cakes.

Daughter #1 Ordered a Sausage patty that was almost as big as her pancakes. My big breakfast included two eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, potatoes and, of course, their heavenly hot cakes.

Because it was her birthday, (which I made sure to mention), they offered my daughter a free slice of their freshly made pie. I don't normally have dessert for breakfast, but I had signed up on their website and and in return they gave me a slice too!

My daughter had the chocolate mouse flavor and I had a childhood favorite, coconut cream. We were too full to eat it there but is was very tasty later that day.

I went in only having tried Penny Ann's once, and not enjoying it, but today they totally won us over. Everything was tasty, the portions were more than ample and the service was excellent all around. My only regret is not having been back sooner, something I will rectify soon!

By the Numbers:
Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price 💲💲 (not cheap but well worth it and you get what you pay for)

Conclusion
This is a great place for for a lovely breakfast. If you go, sign up online and get a free slice of pie, but even if you don't get one free, the pie and everything we had was well worth it.

Earl Eats Denny's Biscuits & Gravy - Lunching with Len & KC - A Review

I have always thought of Denny's as a breakfast destination and since breakfast is not only an important way to start your day, it turns out to be a good way to lunch at mid-day!

After working to feed others all morning, batteries needed recharging. Burger King was mentioned but both Capt. Len and I were looking for something besides fast/drive-up food. Denny's was the choice.

I have eaten breakfast at Denny's hundreds of times, but never remember having their biscuits and gravy! I don't know why but when Len ordered it, it sounded good to me too!

My Daughter #1 has always loved Biscuits and Gravy, and if I say so myself, I make a very good gravy with lots of sausage, but I usually leave the biscuits to someone named Pillsbury. 

Denny's Biscuits & Gravy is as good as any I have eaten (with less sausage than my own) and I highly recommend it. For under $5, I ate well and had 2 eggs, a pile of hash-browns and biscuits smothered in creamy sausage gravy. 

Another meal with workmates, that was relaxing and filling—a great way to spend some time.

By the numbers:
Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Service  ⭐⭐⭐ 
Price 💲💲 (better than reasonable—it is a great value)

Earl Eats Pork Belly Tacos at Taqueria27 - A Review & Update

Very recently I had the opportunity of joining Capt. Len (of BBQ fame), at a place totally different from the food truck scene, for some Mexican fare. On my first visit here, I tried their Duck Confit Tacos. This time I was looking for something a bit different from my first review/experience at Taqueria27. They offer classic Mexican dishes along with some re-imagined street food in what they call a "casual yet upscale environment". It was exactly as advertised! Everyone on the staff was polite, engaging and SMILING...even though we were in a bit of a hurry, and we let them know it. When I got the menu, I was drawn to a taco I had never heard of, designated simply by the alphabetic abbreviation "P.B.L.T.A." This reminded me of what my wife (a.k.a. "Turkey") refer to as "BLAT", or a B.L.T. with Avocado added, so I read on. 

What their taco offered was different. Rather than bacon, it was made of PORK BELLY. For the un-initiated, pork belly is a "boneless cut of fatty meat from the belly of a pig, considered a delicacy in many parts of the world", and it is a darling of the foodies and food-TV. It comes from the uncured, un-smoked and un-sliced belly of the pig, and is a bit fattier than bacon. To this they added lettuce, tomato and one of my favorites, avocado. In essence, this was our "BLAT" substituting a tortilla for bread and the father of bacon (pork belly) for bacon.

This was my best tasting experience yet. Everything was flavorful and seasoned just right. Two tacos were served with the order, and the only thing I would change is I wanted more, even though these were stuffed full of goodness. If you live in the Salt Lake Valley, go to this place! Taqueria27 is locally owned by a husband and wife team. They now have 5 locations in the greater Salt Lake City area. I recommend you try them. There are so many good choices, both classic and more modern, and I doubt you will go away hungry OR disappointed.

By the numbers:
Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Food ⭐⭐⭐
Price 💲💲
As you can see, the service and food are high and the price is low. A good value! Thanks again Capt. Len!

Earl Eats Popeye's $5 Boneless Wing Bash - A Review

There are no Popeye's near us, so this was more of an impromptu decision while shopping in a store near this one. I will start off by saying neither my wife (a.k.a. "Turkey") nor I have liked our previous visits. Why then did I decide to eat there? Beside being hungry, I saw the word WINGS. I like wings better than any other chicken piece. Then I saw that it was a $5 BASH and I felt I needed wings...WAIT! What's that small print? BONELESS? I don't know if you know this, but WINGS HAVE BONES! PERIOD! Restaurants who try to sell you these are not delicately removing the delicious meat from the bone for your enjoyment, they are selling some other part of the chicken and renaming it. It is false adverting. If I gave you thighs and called them breasts you would SCREAM! So this is me screaming. Meanwhile, I was now HANGRY and decided to carry on.

This is what I mean. Let's analyze their ad. 

• First: It wasn't $5! Including tax, it was almost $7, and no, I didn't supersize anything.
• Second: IT WASN'T WINGS! Boneless or otherwise. It wasn't even wing-like. THESE ARE NUGGETS, pure and simple. Pictured here they look big. They aren't.
• Lastly: How can it be a BASH when it costs more and isn't what is advertised?

 My photo on the left shows exactly what my to-go looked like as I opened it in my car. I substituted mashed potatoes for fries and they were about what KFC offers these days. The biscuit was quite flat, like it hadn't risen enough. The one nice surprise was their honey mustard dipping sauce which was unlike any I had tried, but hey, this should be about the chicken, right? The chicken was okay, but no better than Wendy's or McDonald's. So this $3 or  $4 dollar meal cost me $7! If you want wings go to Wingers or Buffalo Wild Wings or your favorite wing place. If you want value, this is not the place either. I am still looking for the reasons people go here at all!

By The Numbers
Food ⭐ (nothing special and the ad misrepresented the product)
Price 💲💲💲 (not as advertised and pricey for what you get)
Service ⭐⭐ (it was drive-up...but it was lunch hour and I got my food rather quickly)
Value 👎👎

Earl Eats Two Fast Food Bacon Burgers - A Review

It may seem unfair to compare a premium burger from McDonald's to a Junior offering from Burger King. But on this day, that's what I set-out to do...The Flame Grilled Bacon King Jr. from Burger King vs. the Bacon Smokehouse Burger from McDonald's. Both are similar in their descriptions but very different in their price points. How do they stack up, and which one is the Best Burger Bargain.

Let's start at Burger King: they describe their BACON KING™ Jr. as a "smaller package, same BIG taste. Two flame–grilled 100% beef patties topped with thick-cut smoked bacon, melted American cheese, ketchup and creamy mayonnaise on a toasted sesame seed bun." 

McDonald's describes their Bacon Smokehouse Burger as "A burger made with unexpected flavor combinations, including crispy Applewood smoked bacon, smoky bacon-onion sauce, real white cheddar(sharp), mild sweet mustard sauce and in-house fried onion strings. With a 100% fresh beef 1/4 lb. patty that’s hotter, juicier and cooked when you order. Served on an artisan roll." 

I liked both of these burgers very much. The BACON KING™ Jr. from Burger King had 2 patties while the Bacon Smokehouse had just the one, but it is a quarter pound patty. I have always liked the flavor of Burger Kings Flame Grilled patties, although a good friend of mine is just the opposite. The bacon was good on both too. The sharp white cheddar on the McDonald's offering was a pleasant addition but 2 slices of American from BK was good too. McDonald's "artisan bun" was nice and soft but the BACON KING™ Jr.'s bun was nicely toasted with the traditional sesame seeds.

I do like the addition of fried onion rings on the McDonald's burger as well as their bacon-onion sauce. I also like the creamy mayonnaise BK ads to theirs. I don't think the ketchup added to the  Burger King sandwich was necessary since it tends to cover up the flavor of the beef, but the mustard sauce on the McDonald's burger added a light tang without covering the beef flavor.

Results & Conclusions

As mentioned earlier, I liked both of these burgers. It seems like McDonald's is really trying to improve their fare. The Burger King sandwich is not really anything new, but is re-imagined and slightly downsized. If I were judging on simply which is best, McDonald's Bacon Smokehouse Burger wins. The fried onion rings,  sharp, white cheese and condiments won the day. However...

Burger King's is the best VALUE, by far! The McDonald's was nearly $6 for the sandwich alone. Burger King's price was around $3. Is it as good? NO! Is it good? YES!

Earl Cooks Grilled Ham & Cheese nn a "George Foreman"

The ads called it the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine. Daughter #1 simply called it the George Foreman. It ended up as mine!

This model is one that really is only good for a single sandwich, or a piece of boneless chicken or a burger. In addition, it is VERY difficult to clean, with no removable parts for washing. It is all by hand with no ability to immerse it in water, and by the time it reached me there was no grease drip tray. But I had never owned one and I wanted to see how well it would work.

A grilled cheese seemed like the best way to test it, but only after I cleaned it. That took awhile...then awhile longer...then awhile longer still!


Finally, I decided on my sandwich. It would be a grilled ham and Swiss.

• I started with 2 slices of "Turkey's" (a.k.a. my wife's) homemade bread.
• Next comes baby Swiss. The cheese must be all around the ham. I use black forest deli sliced ham—3 or 4 slices. So the order is, bread, cheese, ham, cheese, and bread again.
• Now I apply butter to the OUTSIDE of the sandwich. This makes the sandwich crispy and TASTY! It will also help release the sandwich from George. If you are using a grill or frying pan it will help there too.
• After grilling a few minutes, rotate to make it pretty. I had to add weight to press the sandwich enough for me.
• It was delicious and just what I wanted. It worked much like a panini press, but I had to do the pressing.

Result & Conclusions:
I am certain that subsequent models improved a bunch. The George Foreman Grills are made by a company called Salton. My biggest complaints are the poor design for cleaning and the inability to apply pressure to whatever is cooked.

I am glad I didn't buy it and don't want to clean it much, but for a quick burger or grilled sandwich, it is nice to have around.

Earl Reviews Carl's Jr. - Taking My Mouth To Memphis...MAYBE - A Review

Carl's Jr.™ has a storied past in our neck of the woods. A few years ago, Carl's Jr., a west coast success story, effected a purchase/merger of the bigger east coast chain by the name of Hardee's®. How does that have anything to do with my area, one might ask? Well, a few years earlier, Hardee's took over an institution here in Utah, Dee's Hamburgers, famous for CHEAP burgers and lots of locations...oh and their animated clowns on their sign. So Dee's became Hardee's and then Hardee's became Carl's Jr. here.

There are still remnants of Dee's in the form of their Denny's style family dining restaurants around the valley. The bright clown is gone, as are the nickle burgers. But the story doesn't end there. My beloved aunt was outraged when Carl's Jr. began to advertise their Six Dollar Burger. She exclaimed that she would NEVER pay for a Six Dollar Burger at a fast food place through a drive through. What she didn't know was that the Six Dollar burger was actually a six dollar value, for under four dollars at the time. Enough of the storied past, now for the review.

My errands today took me near a Carl's Jr. and my eyes went to their ThickBurger® menu offerings, particularly the Memphis Barbecue. I ordered the single patty version. My photo to the left shows their ad inviting us to take our mouths to Memphis, and as you can see, I did! Mine didn't quite look like their ad. As I unwrapped mine, for some reason the bun had a cut in it. Very shallow and very strange. As I removed the top bun you could see the components: A ground beef patty, American cheese slice, fried onion slices and BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce was just right, but I don't know why this is a Memphis BBQ ThickBurger® . It was definitely a burger, but it was not thick, and didn't have any discernible BBQ except for the little bit of sauce, which was good, but not what I felt was advertised. Let me show you in the next photo

Their Ad (Top) As Delivered (Bottom)

While it tasted fine, it was not what one would expect based on the photos and description. It was supposed to include pulled pork and if there was any it was so small it couldn't be seen or tasted. The price was about $5 bucks, which would have been a great price if it looked like the ad, but it looks more like a McDouble, only it's not double. I hope it was just the location I visited. I will have to try another and see what I get.

By The Numbers:
Service: ⭐(Drive Up Was Quite Slow)
Food:   ⭐ (Tasty but disappointing)
Price: 💲💲💲💲 (Expensive for what I got)

Birthday Boy's Birthday Super Slam is a Home Run - A Review

My Granboys and I have a long standing relationship with Denny's. It started when my daughter (#1) would take the day off for her son's birthday. For years we would go to breakfast for grandboy #1's birthday, and for many years Denny's was our go to. Then 2 things happened. The first was the opening of of "The Original Pancake House" nearby, the second was the closing of the Denny's nearby. My grandboys and I have eaten in many Denny's in Utah, Idaho & Nevada. Their prices are good and our favorite meal, breakfast, always hit the spot. So it has been quite awhile since we ate at a Denny's for a birthday breakfast, but this year they are offering their Super Slam Breakfast for just 6 bucks! I stole their site ad just to show you how good it looks and we loved it.

2 Eggs, 2 sausage links, 2 slices of bacon, 2 pancakes and hash browns! It was as good as good as it sounds.

Daughter #1 went a bit lighter with the Value Slam. A good value, if you don't want as much  food as we MEN wanted! She also scrambled her eggs but we got ours runny, as eggs should be cooked and eaten, but she likes to use them to absorb ketchup.

Our server was excellent. She was friendly and funny. The only thing was she couldn't find a Chewbacca cup. They were sold out.

We arrived hungry and left full and fulfilled. Happy Birthday to My Grandboy #1

Earl Reviews KFC Pot Pie $5 Fill-Up

Were you aware that the first Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant was not in Kentucky? It was near my home in Salt Lake City. It is one of my first memories of chain restaurants. My picture here represents my memories of the place, with Colonel Sanders' picture on every bucket, bag & box...the REAL Colonel. Well today after running several long errands, I felt a bit peckish, and was near home, but not wanting to prepare lunch. I decide it would be a great time to review what is now only known as KFC and their $5 fill-ups. Recently my wife and I have totally stopped eating at KFC, because it just hasn't been as good. We used to eat there quite regularly, but that stopped when their food & service stopped being good!

But since their $5 fill-ups are all over the TV, I thought this would be a good time to see what it was all about. 

As I pulled up to the drive-up menu and looked at the $5 offerings, only one seemed appealing...one of our old favorites, the Chicken Pot Pie! We used to get these whenever they were on special for four bucks, add to that a drink (med.) and a chocolate chip cookie and it would be a good deal...if the pie was as good as it was in the past...AND IT WAS!

The minute your fork pierces the crust, you know it is good. The crust is crunchy and you would eat it by itself. The thing that makes the pie's taste is the sauce. It is the perfect consistency and clings to the chicken and the veggies (carrots, peas & potatoes), and gives a chicken-y taste to each bite. What you are left with is a pie tin you feel like licking clean.

In addition, their cookie is LOADED with chocolate chips. The drink is, well, a drink.

I have tried several of the $5 meals that seem to be the craze right now and this is the best BY FAR!

Another benefit of this meal is that these are baked in a HOT oven. If you live within 20 minutes of the KFC, you will still get home with hot food. If you don't wait your tongue will let you know and you may not taste anything for awhile.

By the Numbers:
Service ⭐⭐⭐ (it was drive up, what can I say)
Price 💲💲 (A very good product a a good price)
Taste ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (much better than the price would suggest)

Earl Eats Taco Bell Triple Melt - A Review

Before living in Mexico in the mid 70s, the only Mexican restaurant I had eaten at was fast food style...Taco Bell and Taco Time. I didn't much like Mexican Fast Food, although Taco Time was far better than Taco Bell. I used to like Taco Bell's 7 layer burrito, but the food from Taco Bell near us became almost inedible. I had not been in several years, except for one attempt to try their $5 box deal, which was a waste of my money six months ago when I tried it.

Taco Bell has been constantly advertising their Dollar Cravings offerings, so I thought I should try some. I don't know if they will be a value or a waste of money, but I am willing to check it out. They offer a Triple Melt Burrito & Triple Melt Nachos. I ordered both.

The nachos were the best of the two but there wasn't enough cheese, though what was there was good and well worth a buck.

The burrito was filled with mostly rice. I like rice, but not in my Mexican food. The burrito was fine except for that, but a crispy bean burrito at Taco Time would be my preference. Either one is worth the dollar you spend, but there is nothing filling or satisfying about them.

Conclusion:
They are worth the dollar spent, but not more. The flavor is tame unless you use one of their hot sauces.

By the numbers:
Taste ⭐ (not the best)
Price 💲 (Not the best dollar menu item)
Service ⭐(quite slow)

Earl Eats Sweet Pork Burrito with Daughter #1 at Cafe Rio - A Review

I must be living right! My oldest daughter asked me out of the blue, to go have lunch and SHE WANTED TO PAY! She loves the salads at Cafe Rio ...without lettuce. I love burritos, their specialty.

Their sweet pork is my favorite. I order mine with with double beans (pinto) rather than beans & rice. 

There are a couple of things I like about Cafe Rio. 
1) All of their food is prepared fresh, including their handmade tortillas which are cooked on a traditional smooth, flat griddle called a COMAL, typically used in Mexico. 
2) They are a company that started in a small Southern Utah town, that has grown to over 100 restaurants, so even though they are big, they are local too!
3) Their food is very good! It is the kind that when you want it, there really isn't any substitute.

Cafe Rio's portions are very large and a single burrito will feed two, but we wanted separate things so we ate well! One thing - we were there at lunch hour and it took a long time to get our food, but that just tells me not to go during lunch!!

By the numbers:
Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price: 💲💲💲💲(on the pricey side $20 for 2)
Service: ⭐⭐(just because it was slow)
If you have never eaten at Cafe Rio, you should. If you don't have one nearby, you probably will soon...they are expanding fast!

Earl Eats at ✪ SPECIAL COURSES with Grandboy #2 - A Review

I guess I should complain more. Just when I started posting about not getting to spend enough time with my grandboys then BAM! Three times in two weeks we get to share a meal! Once with #1, once with both, and today, out of the blue, a call to eat from #2! I didn't know if I would be very hungry, since I had just finished breakfast, but I am not going to pass-up time with my grandboys. He said he was thinking a burger, and that he had eaten a good burger at the mall food court! Well, so far I am questioning how good it could possibly be. When I worked at Wal-Mart, one of the places in this same food court bought their burgers from us. They bought the cheapest frozen patties we sold. This shows how times change. I no longer work at Wal-Mart and the mall has been totally revitalized & remodeled. Change is good!

TOP: Mine as delivered
Bottom: As advertised.
I think mine was better than their photo. That NEVER happens!

The new discovery by my grandboy is called Special Courses. It advertises itself as a Veteran Owned business, which I am happy to see. I guess they started with a food truck and have branched out. Their menu features dishes titled in a clever way to reflect their military foundation. It seems the star here is their fries, which are hand cut and topped with every topping you might think of and some you probably haven't! I mentioned that I might not be hungry but looking at their menu made me salivate! I had a very hard time making up my mind. I trusted my grandboy that their food was good, but he hadn't tried everything. I decided to try the one I could compare to other local burger places. It was on the menu board, but I didn't find it on their website menu. It's called the "Berserker", a cheeseburger topped with pastrami and slaw, on a toasted bun and it was a lot of food. I ordered the "Ranger" fries, hand cut potatoes topped with bacon and cheddar. They were a meal in themselves. My grandboy went for their chicken sandwich and fries with Parmesan. He finished first, and I had enough fries to share.
The menu is extensive, but one thing worth noting is their "Brinner" section (Breakfast for Dinner). You can get eggs on fries or burgers and all I have to say is "Merica!" and thanks #2. It was great!

By the Numbers:
Food  ✪✪✪✪½  (Excellent)
Service  ✪✪✪  (Good)
Price 💲💲💲💲½ (a bit pricey, it was $15 for my 2 items, a bit less for grandboy #2)

If I were to change anything, I would post the prices more prominently, but the food is worth it. 

This is a great place for two to split a meal, and it would be a deal!

Earl Eats Panda Express With The Grandboys - A Review

I love spending time with my 2 grandboys, and today we got to eat and go to a movie!

We ended up at Panda Express®, located in a shopping complex called "The Gateway" in downtown Salt Lake City. They have always liked Panda's fare, so it seemed like a fine choice.

Of course your selections are  placed into a Styrofoam container and the person helping us seemed generous in filling the compartments. We had Chow Mein, Orange Chicken, Honey-Walnut Shrimp and Fried Rice. We spent between $8 and $9 for what they call a "plate", which is two entrees and a filler. We had both chow mein and fried rice. 

Let me say that my wife and I had not eaten at a Panda Express for quite some time. We felt the quality had deteriorated. Such was not the case at this location. We made the mistake of going in around noon and the line was long, but they were efficient and courteous. These are the flavors I had come to expect, and they delivered. My grandboys ate it up too, and we then took in a movie (Ready Player One). 

Results & Conclusions
Panda Express totally delivered a nice meal. We ate our fill and it made me sleepy during the boring parts of the movie, which was totally aimed at boys my grandsons age.
Service ⭐⭐⭐
Food  ⭐⭐⭐
Price 💲💲💲½
Movie 👍👍 

Earl Eats at El Jaripeo with Grandboy #1 - A Review

I don't get to spend as much time with my Grandboys as I would like. We used to eat many more meals together both at home and on the road. We have even taken road trips to simply eat various foods at various places. But they have grown into adults and have jobs and lives that conflict with one another and theirs with mine. It is a fact of life, but not one I have to like.

But today, I get to help my eldest grandboy get started moving into a new place and out of his mother's abode. He is moving quite a distance...not too far from his work, and not far from where my wife and I moved to 42 years ago as newlyweds.

After unloading all of the things from our cars into his new place, I offer to take him to a nearby restaurant and buy him lunch. I wanted to go somewhere that wasn't a chain. In a new neighborhood it seems like a good idea to become familiar with surrounding businesses. The one that caught my eye said it was a Mexican Grill. That suits me fine, having lived in central Mexico for 2 years in the mid-seventies.

Even though I lived in Mexico, I was unfamiliar with the term "El Jaripeo". It turns out that It was all about bull riding...but not like our rodeos, they rode the bull until it stopped bucking!

The interior was very pleasing and we were helped right away. The menu was familiar, with many favorites we have come to know as "Mexican" food.(Click here for full menu for El Jaripeo Mexican Grill) It was well after lunch hour and very few customers so we felt like we got plenty of attention.They brought us chips & salsa right after we were seated, which was nice. The salsa was tasty (if a bit mild), and the chips seemed fresh. My favorite chips are those found at Chili's, because of their lightness and crispiness. These were not very thin, but were tasty.

We were there for lunch so didn't want anything too elaborate. My grandboy has been learning to love Mexican cuisine because of a food truck near his workplace. We were both rather hungry, and everything looked good to me. He settled quickly on the breakfast burrito, and that sounded good to me too. He went for one with carne asada, and I gravitated to the the chorizo. A should mention here that there are MANY restaurants serving ginormous breakfast burritos. This did not disappoint. The chorizo was cooked perfectly, without being over cooked, and this one seemed EXTRA LONG and FAT. It was almost longer than the oval plate it was served on. An aside here: While living in Mexico, I never once ate chips or a burrito! In central Mexico, in the mid-seventies, this was not part of their cuisine. Tortillas were soft and fresh, and made from corn, not wheat flour.
...Okay, back to the review. These burritos were massive in two ways 1) SIZE and 2) FLAVOR. They had everything one would expect in a breakfast rolled into a nicely toasted flour tortilla. It included healthy servings of: POTATOES, EGG, CHEESE, AND YOUR CHOICE OF BACON, HAM, CARNE ASADA OR CHORIZO.

Needless to say, we were both happy with our food and hungry enough to eat every drop. I will be going back, hopefully to try some of the more authentic fare. But I may have to sneak back just for the Breakfast Burrito!

By the numbers:
    Price: 💲 (inexpensive)
    Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ of 5 (excellent)
Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 (very good)
   Value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ of 5 (the best)

Earl & "Turkey" & Applebee's Anniversary Eats

Some time ago the restaurant chain that served our favorite burger, Applebee's, started closing restaurants near us. For a time, it was our favorite date night destination. Then,  as often happens, the nearest wasn't near at all. We tried several other places, to no avail. None could do it for us. Some did it for me, but none for both of us. We particularly liked an appetizer offering, but that left their menu before they started closing their doors. I think that was the key. Not just a good burger, but a good meal. They also had a hand cut potato chip that was great, which they also dropped.

Traditionally we eat out for our anniversary, so this year I was determined to make the drive and get us the meal we remembered. Three Applebee's in our vicinity had closed, including the original Utah location. But I found one that was not too far, and planned our anniversary dinner for there. I know this does not seem like a fancy anniversary dinner place, but we were both excited to reacquaint ourselves with the experiences we enjoyed so much.


We felt at ease when we walked in, and even better when we got down to the menu. The appetizer we liked was still not there, but my wife landed on one that sounded real good, their Grilled Chicken Wonton Tacos. We split this because it comes with four small tacos. This is DELICIOUS! It has a Thai-inspired slaw with crispy wonton wrappers and grilled chicken. This is our new favorite.

My wife had the Hand-Battered Fish & Chips which must have been good because she took the leftovers to have for lunch at work, but I didn't get to taste it. It comes with what they call their "signature" coleslaw and their fries, plus an ample supply of fresh lemon wedges. My wife let me know that everything, including most of the fries, reheated well for her lunch. Me? I try to never reheat fried foods. I'm glad she enjoyed it twice. It is a bit on the pricey side but well worth it, according to her.

And now for the reason I wanted to go back...my favorite burger. They call it their Triple Bacon Burger but that doesn't do it justice. It is a beef patty that they sear bacon into as it cooks, top with cheddar cheese (not American), then top that with a BBQ Bacon Ranch dressing and top that with two more slices of perfectly crisp bacon and the whole thing is between a toasted Brioche Bun. It is served with their classic fries. Maybe absence made my taste buds grow fonder, but I have missed this bite. As luck would have it, on Sunday and Monday burgers are  $4 dollars less than Tuesday through Saturday, I think to entice the football crowd, but football season is well over, but I didn't mention that in (case they didn'y know)!

To top the night off we each had their Hot Fudge Dessert Shooter, with me having Hot fudge, and "Turkey" having a mix of Hot Fudge and Hot Caramel. It is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. It was the perfect size to complete the meal. Since we had mentioned it was our anniversary (hint: always mention if it is a special occasion when you eat out), we got our dessert FREE !

Overall
We have missed this place and they did not disappoint. Our server was young and maybe new, but very courteous and helpful. When my wife asked for some lemon for her water, she brought out a ramekin filled with freshly cut lemon slices. Although it was a bit of a drive, I think we will be going back often. It seems we have renewed an old acquaintance!

By The Numbers
Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Service ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price:
—Burger💲💲
—Fish & Chips 💲💲💲

Earl Cooks TJ's Seafood Paella

Even with 64+ years under my belt, there are still some famous dishes I have yet to try. The reasons vary, but I am trying to remedy that. Tonight will be a step in that direction. I will admit here that I am cheating a bit. Neither my wife nor I have had paella, and I saw some in the frozen food section at Trader Joe's and thought we should give it a try. If you have never been to Trader Joe's, I think you are in for a treat. They offer dishes you would normally not find in the frozen food section, and most of them are quire reasonable. This paella has ingredients my wife has never tried like mussels and squid. I have not had mussels but have tried fried calamari, so that counts, right? Now, for bit of a cephalopod detour, when I was quite young, and shopping with my mom at the store we frequented often, I was in for a big surprise...shock really.

This was around the same time Disney re-released 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. Anyway, I walked around the aisle I had walked around many times before and there in all it's glory was a GIANT OCTOPUS, tentacles spread across a 4 foot section of the meat case on top of crushed ice! I was in total shock! I must have been about 8 or so and had never seen a real sea monster, especially in the grocery store. I think my mom knew it was there and wanted to shock me. She did! Okay, back to the paella.

The instructions were simple and it cooks in less than 10 minutes. Just preheat a non-stick skillet on HIGH. When it is fully heated, cut the package open and dump it into the hot skillet and cover. The rice, seasonings, and seafood (shrimp, squid rings, and mussels) are in the bag. The slowest to cook is the shrimp. After 3 or 4 minutes remove the cover, spread everything around and allow to cook just 2 minutes more.

As you can see it has a vibrant color which, in most paella, is from saffron, but my guess is that this is mostly from turmeric. Both are named ingredients on the package.

Results & Conclusions

I liked it, but the degree of HEAT was unexpected, and probably too much for my wife. It said it was 2 servings, but not big servings. They say it is ⅓ seafood, which seems about right. While this was everything it was advertised to be, we won't be buying it again. If I go down the paella trail again, it will be homemade...or at a restaurant, if I can find one that serves it!