Chick Fil-A - Chicken Sandwich and Waffle Fries

I haven't been here in awhile and had a coupon so bam.  Who did I eat with?  God? I don't know, the show I went to after this called the MAZE made me realize NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS.

My perception of Chick Fil-A's food is that it is goddamn good.  I love saying "goddamn" as an adverb in a review for a Christian owned company by the way, this is fast food reviews WITH AN EDGE GODDAMMIT HELL YEAH. 

I got an original chicken sandwich on wheat with provolone.  It was the first time I've had it w/ cheese, and it was just superfluous.  The flavor and juiciness of the chicken alone is top-notch, no place comes close.  If you saw my chicken strips mega review already, you'd know that chicken strips have a high taste rating.  Well, this chicken eclipses all others, and at the same time is slightly healthier.
The tinge of sweetness from the batter cannot be underestimated. 

Fat rating: 6.5/10

Salt rating: 6/10

Taste rating: 9/10

The waffle fries are also healthier than the competition, they're always fried in clean (filtered) peanut oil and less greasy than your average fry.  They're lightly salted and are great with ketchup/the sandwich.  Only problem with Chick Fil-A is I usually leave hungry, as it is less heavy than your average fast food. 

Fat rating: 5/10

Salt rating: 2.5/10 (6/10 w/ ketchup)

Taste rating: 5/10 (6.5/10 w/ ketchup)

Denny's - Blueberry Waffleini

This is 2011. We live in an innovative technological age of wonder
and WAFFLE SANDWICHES.

One or two weeks ago Denny's unveiled 4 "waffleini's" to their already morbidly obese nightmare of a menu. Bacon Jack (which looks horrible - pepperjack, cheese, bacon, and egg), a ham and cheese one (also nasty), a banana caramel one (nah), and a blueberry one (aww, yeah).  All included with syrup.  What. the hell.

I was skeptical of this thing, I thought it would be a messy abomination with napkins everywhere.  I am not really a sweets person (hence the taco blog) but this waffle; this waffle sandwich beckoned.  It contained whipped cream, a strawberry glaze, and blueberries inside of two lightly buttered/panini grilled waffles.  When I got it I was surprised at how contained everything was (aside from a little glaze spillage).  Eating the thing was not really a hassle, it was actually just as easy as eating a regular panini -  especially since I didn't get any syrup (it was already a diabetic's nightmare without it).   

Taste wise, it had a dominant sweet and savory-ness but also present was a light buttery flavor.  I will not get this often (it is more of a dessert than an entree), but for what it is (an absolute 100% gimmick), I'll take it.  You can't go wrong with berries, cream and waffles all in one bite. 

Fat rating: 4/10

Sugar rating: 8.5/10

Taste rating: 7/10

Alerto's - Rolled Tacos Plate

Hadn't had rolled tacos (taquitos) in awhile so I got them.  It's nearly the same food as what I got before but with guacamole instead of lettuce, and some rice. 

Yeah they were decent quanity wise, some places have garbage taquitos that are tiny.  These were similar to the ones I've gotten at El Loco (which I will review sometime). Dipping them in the beans and salsa was adequate.  One of the four had barely any meat in it but whatever.  I probably won't go here again unless I'm at the Anaheim Convention Center, which is unlikely.

Fat rating: 7/10

Salt rating: 7.5/10

Taste rating: 6.5/10

Alerto's - Shredded Beef Tostada

It's been a long day, school, then went to the NAMM Convention and met someone who is pretty cool.  On the long journey from the parking structure to the Anaheim Convention Center I saw a food court.  It had the classic variety - pizza, chinese food, mexican food, smoothies, burgers, and beer.  Some say variety is the spice of life, and I would tend to agree with that statement.  However, this is motherfucking Tacographics.  It is already pre-determined which place I would be reviewing on the way back.

The salsa bar had a bunch of spicy sauces (most out of frame) and two mild ones.  They both looked generic (top right, bottom left) by themselves so I mixed them together BECAUSE I'M JUST FULL OF IDEAS.

So, the food... while most have just a bottom shell, this tostada had a top one too (not pictured).  The bottom layer of beans and cheese was as standard as it gets, the shredded beef was tender and had a little spice.  Lettuce and a bit of white cheese rounded out the thing, also standard fare.  Overall, yes, I would qualify this as average mexican cuisine.  Adding my concocted salsa mix turned out to be a good addition by the way.  I used the extra tostada shell for dipping.  I might go back here on Saturday and try a taco or something.

Fat rating: 6/10

Salt rating: 7/10

Taste rating: 6/10

Del Taco - Value Bean and Cheese Burrito

Made a stop over at Del Taco a few days ago for some chicken soft tacos and got one of these to review.  The one thing I've never really liked about bean and cheese burritos is having them as the main part of the meal. When it comes to mexican food, you need a lot of textures.  Beans + tortilla is great with other ingredients but alone it is not enough.  Especially when you'd need to eat a shit-ton of both to be satisfied.

Tl;dr - this burrito thrives because it is more of a complement to a meal rather than the focus. 49 cents for a soft taco-sized burrito with just the right amount of beans (which kill taco bell's beans in terms of taste), a little cheese, and a green sauce (which I've found out is a lot better than red sauce). 

Fat rating: 3.5/10

Salt rating: 7/10

Taste rating: 6.5/10

Taco Bell, Crispy Potato Taco

Was craving a double decker so I went over to Taco Bell on the way home from internship.  I got one, but wanted something else that I couldn't get on campus...something...new... I looked at the value-menu and saw this.  Damn you, Taco Bell.  Just when I grow old of your food, you do this to me.  Fuck your shit. 

I asked the cashier if there was sauce on it and she was like "durrr urrr nope hurrr".  So I was like ok.  I go home and take a bite.  I taste the potato, lettuce, and cheese...but...I noticed there was some creaminess.  Sauce detected.  I HATE sauce in tacos (except fish).

Take another bite...  the textures together were great, akin to a fish taco but with potato instead of fish.  Seeing as how I don't give a flying SHIT about fish and fucking LOVE potatoes, this was an improvement.  The potatoes are like those breakfast type ones you can get at restaurants as a side, they have a tinge of pepper in them and overall are the most underrated form of potato.  Despite being cold, they were great and plentiful.

The sauce was pepperjack, which I'm glad was included.  It was not messy at all, and added both moisture and flavor to an otherwise dry taco.  For 89 cents, I'll be getting this a lot in the future; I think I have a new taco mistress at Taco Bell.

Fat rating: 5/10

Salt rating: 5.5/10

Taste rating: 8/10

Angelo's and Vinci's Ristorante - BBQ Chicken Pizza

Parents brought this home one night, wasn't expecting much because it didn't look salivating at all.  There appeared to be a nauseating amount of cheese (I'm all for cheese, but in moderation) and little sauce.  After popping a slice (and a half) in the toaster oven, however, it looked a lot better.

The taste of the 'zza was surprisingly delicious, the chicken appeared to be naturally grilled and had a slight bbq taste to it.  The sauce complemented it very well; it was a mix of sweet/salty with a hint of bold flavor.  I don't want to get accustomed to saying this, but it tastes like it looks.  Crust-wise, this was not too heavy or light, and blended with the the rest of the ingredients.  There was a little too much cheese, but overall a very tasty 'zza. 

Fat rating: 5/10

Salt rating: 8.5/10

Taste rating: 8/10

La Paloma - Carne Asada Taco Plate

I have been on a carne asada review spree lately, mostly due to the fact I've been on winter break and eating non-campus food.  This will probably be the last for awhile, as the closest thing to carne asada at school is Taco Bell......

Anyway, my parents treated me to another meal at a place I haven't been to in years.  It's about 20 minutes away in an area I've never driven to so I just rode in the back and listened to some tunes.

The place is old and kinda like, lacking in the lighting department.  Their menu is similar to Acapulco's, after ordering we got the chips and salsa.  Boring chips and the salsa was at least a medium on a hotness scale, meh.

As for the tacos, they were I guess on the average side as well.  There were a couple ultra fatty pieces and the steak itself had light marinade.  The corn tortillas were a little oily, which I could do with out.  The rice was actually pretty damn flavorful, just on the border of being too salty.  The tacos also came with generous portions of pico de gallo (a few green onions and peppers, but otherwise good), guacamole (reminded me of Taco Bell's, it was some artificial shit, not real avocado), and charro beans (pinto beans with onions, chiles, and bacon bits).

Faithful TACOGRAPHICS readers are aware of my hatred for onions, but chiles are also up there on my THINGS IN MY MEXICAN FOOD THAT CAN FOAD list. This review makes it sound like I had a bad experience, but overall it was still decent.  Adding the pico and guac (even though it was fake) to the shredded lettuce and cheese on the tacos made for some goodness.  Dipping the chips in the rice and beans also a nom combination.

Fat rating: 6/10

Salt rating: 7.5/10

Taste rating: 6.5/10

El Pollo Loco - Carne Asada Plate

Finally got around to trying this, the plate came with tortillas (I got corn), rice, beans (I got bbq black beans), lettuce, pico de gallo, and of course the STEAK.

The STEAK was void of grisel but was a tiny bit on the chewy side.  Definitely better than Baja Fresh's carne asada.  Overall, the flavor came from (I think) a citrus marinade and from being (I think) fire-grilled.

Speaking of grills, I've heard grilling takes off years of your life because you inhale carbon dioxide or something, kinda shitty.  I've also heard that the grill marks on food have a similar effect, they're not good for the body.  Don't know how valid these claims are, but meh.    BACK TO FOOD.

El Pollo Loco's rice is meh compared to competitiors, the bbq beans are a nice break from regular black beans, but as with the steak, seem to be a little on the salty side.  Lettuce was like Taco Bell's, iceberg and full of stems but tolerable, and the pico de gallo here is solid.

Fat rating: 5/10

Salt rating: 7.5/10

Taste rating: 7/10

Tacos Don Chente - Gordita

Yesterday I had gay-ass jury summons in Norwalk, which is easily out of my Designated Taco Zone (DTZ).  After getting out, I walked over to this taco place to try.  Even if it was the greatest mexican food ever I don't think I would be making any special trips.

The decor and glossy pictures of the food made it seem like an Americanized place, but the menu was in Spanish and I didn't undertstand the majority of it (had a bunch of terms I've never seen before.)  After scanning over the menu I decided on a carne asada gordita.

The salsa bar had an array of shit, I got the mild salsa (which was like Juan Pollo's but without carrots) and hot avocado sauce (which was like El Pollo Loco's).  

When I got my gordita I was a little surprised, I thought it would be in a taco shape but it was not.  It was carne asada with pico de gallo, lettuce, a dab of guac, and cojita cheese in between two fried double-thick corn tortillas, like a sandwich.

The shredded carne asada had a slight kick,  but I was disappointed with the pico de gallo.  It had peppers in it like Denny's pico, so there was a slight green pepper aftertaste at times.  The guacamole was not noticeable, and the cojita cheese was also...there.  As for the tortillas, they were really doughy/heavy.  The bottom one was greasy as fuck, but the top one wasn't which was puzzling.  If I have to go back to jury duty, I'll go back here, but get something else.

Fat rating: 6.5/10

Salt rating: 6.5/10

Taste rating: 5.5/10

 

Acapulco - Carne Asada Plate

Back to Acapulco, this time with better results.  Since my family used coupons I got the Carne Asada plate which was $17.  I can probably eat two days of food for that price but I didn't pay for it so NO CARE EVER. 

I was about to get fajitas but saw this at the last second.  It's rare that I order something as is (no substitutions).  It's the steak with a cheese enchilada, guacamole, and side of rice and beans.
The charbroiled carne asada was so damn good.  The amount of flavor was literally a joke.  I ate half of it and there was only a small piece of fat.  The cheese enchilada was pretty standard but it is a good pairing.  As with their chips and salsa, Acapulco's guacamole rules. This meal overall ruled and I still have half of it left. Too bad I got a pretty bad case of dry-mouth from how salty it was.  If you can notice the picture quality is a lot better because I borrowed my mom's camera since I left my phone at home.  9.1 mp instead of 1.3.  IT'S A SIGHT TO SEE.

Fat rating: 7/10

Salt rating: 10/10

Taste rating: 9.5/10

Taco Bell - Double Decker and Chicken Enchilada Burrito

I am fully aware that Taco Bell's food does not look appetizing at all.  My love affair with the food ended awhile ago.  One of my taco mistresses was the Double Decker, which I've mentioned before.  I finally went to a Taco Bell not on campus a few days ago after my internship.  I got the taco shielded by a flour tortilla and kept together with a bean adhesive.  It was devoured as usual, for some reason they never get old.  It has a plethora of tastes/textures in one bite: chewy, crunchy, smooth, crisp, salty, meaty. 

Fat rating: 5/10

Salt rating: 6/10

Taste rating: 7/10

The chicken enchilada burrito is something I remember really liking back a few years ago.  It's different but not really - a chicken grilled stuft burrito with red sauce instead of pico de gallo and sour cream instead of the jalapeño sauce.  Of course I got no sour cream, shit is nasty.  The burrito was very good.  The mild red sauce was light and gave a great flavor to the burrito.  It complemented the cheese and rice well.  Easily one of, if not the best Taco Bell gimmick.

Fat rating: 5/10

Salt rating: 8/10

Taste rating: 7/10