REVIEW: Qdoba Mexican Gumbo

I wanted to start off by saying that G&GG has surpassed my wildest expectations. We officially have 36 unique hits on the web site, far superior to my goal of 10. So for all of you that have made this possible, it is well appreciated.

I created this site for fun, I love gimmicks, goodies, food, and so do my friends. I like writing and I love to make people laugh. I just hope some of this is funny. Also, if you guys like what you see, let us know by leaving comments at the end of the posts. Alright, on to the review.

First and foremost, I wanted to thank G&GG Associates as well as Louisiana Style Cuisine Enthusiasts Jade and Emily for their discovery and subsequent help with this review.

In my eyes, Qdoba is a Mexican Subway. They make your food right in front of you, and its Mexican in nature. For as long as I can remember I went there for their Chicken Queso Burritos. This is basically a pouch of carbs and fats that will leave you full and stagnant for days. But recently, there i have been a witness to a minor uproar from Jade and Emily about Qdoba's Mexican Gumbo.

Gumbo, you say, what's that? Usually when I hear the word gumbo, I shudder. I don't actually know what it usually consists of or where it originates but it has always sounded like a con-fuddled mess to me. So I had some doubts when I heard them raving of its delights. But one day, I decided that it was time to take a step on the wild side and try something off the wall.





The funny thing about the Mexican Gumbo is that I had never even noticed it on the menu. I had either been too lazy to see it, or had just unconsciously written it off. Anyway, I've come to find that the Mexican Gumbo is what I call an inventory gouger. It is simply a whole mess of random ingredients, all of which Qdoba has plenty of (perhaps too much lying around in the back) thrown into a bowl. Here's the rundown, we have a bowl with rice, your choice of black or pinto beans, tortilla soup, tortilla strips, your choice of meat (or the no meat vegetarian style), salsa, sour cream, and cheese. Sounds like something the Wicked Witch of the Northwest would be toiling around in her cauldron eh? But anyway, I got all of the above, with black beans and chicken as my choices.



So when it comes down to it, the Mexican gumbo is kind of like a chunky soup. Its thick, its hearty, and it reminds me of something an NFL player's mother might serve. So I mixed it up a little, just so that the salsa and cheese could be submerged with the rest of the ingredients and then I took my first dramatic spoonful.



Lets just say, I was pleasantly surprised in an all new way. The conglomerate of flavors mixes to an astounding matter. I literally took another spoonful immediately to see whether or not I had just day dreamed the first bight. But no, it just got better. It gave me a warm confronting feeling, was spicy yet not too tangy, and gave me an overall sense of delight.


I have found that the best way to eat the gumbo is to accompany it with tortilla chips and use it as a pseudo dip. Never in the history of GG&G, have I gotten a standard menu item and have enjoyed it so much that I had to review it.



A few notes to relay: First off, your body does not come ready for Mexican Gumbo. The first time you eat this, it will go right through you. As Jade said, "The first time you eat it, you're stomach is like 'What the hell is this'. Your body has to build up a tolerance". The second time around though, you'll be good to go. And also, you should eat this stuff as quickly as possible, because it has a tendency to get cold relatively fast. It is best experienced piping hot, so eat up.

I have to give Qdoba's Mexican Gumbo a 4.5/5 (the highest rating so far), on the basis that it is here to stay, tastes amazing, and I was really caught off guard by it. I can't give it a five though because, like all foods, it is not perfect and does get cold quickly and digestibility can be called into question.

So go out and try yourself some Mexican Gumbo, I promise you that it will be a good decision.

Thanks again to Jade and Emily for making this review possible.

Mexican Gumbo: 4.5/5

Until the next sauce,

Andrew

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REVIEW: Wendy's Flavor Dipped Chicken Sandwiches

Back when Dave Thomas ruled over Wendy’s, the world seemed to make more sense. Well at least the fast food world that is. My childhood memories of Wendy’s were fond, for they had a salad bar, really tasty hamburgers, and the best thing of all a monthly promotional sandwich. There’s nothing that gets me into a restaurant quicker than a brand new item. I always want to try it, no matter what it is or how bad it looks. Wendy’s could have deep fried a sock, put it on a cardboard box, then drizzled it in antiseptic and put it in an uninspired commercial, and I still would have found myself eating it later that week.

But times have changed, and as the years have gone by, Dave Thomas has passed and so has his restaurants direction. Gone is the salad bar (and the most underrated breadstick this side of the Mason Dixon Line), gone is Big Bacon Classic (still available but not even mentioned on the menu), hello Frescata Sandwiches, hello Baconators, and say farewell to promotional sandwiches.

The promotional sandwich success story is that of the Spicy Chicken Sandwich. A one time promotional item that was so successful, small riots broke out at my local Wendy’s when it was taken away. (Not really, but my father got pretty upset though). Anyway, Wendy’s eventually not only brought back the sandwich, but they made it into a full time menu item. So you know that Wendy’s Headquarters paid close attention to their gimmick sandwiches.





This leads to the return of Wendy’s promotional sandwich; the Flavor-Dipped Chicken Sandwich. Available in Buffalo or BBQ, the sandwiches take Wendy’s original chicken breast fillet and dip them completely in the sauce. The Buffalo one adds in lettuce, tomato and what is advertised as a Blue Cheese sauce, while the BBQ throws in onions and pickles. The sandwiches are getting heavy ad time on TV and radio, including such claims as 360 degrees of flavor and taste explosions in every bite. All of these factors required a g&gg review.



So my colleague, Mike, and I went to the local Wendy’s and we each ordered a Flavor Dipped Combo, somewhat steeply priced at $5.99. We then went on and cut each sandwich in half so we could each experience what each flavor banger had to offer.



As you can see, the sandwiches are indeed saucy. This is definitely not one of those “eat in your car while driving through rush hour with your best white dress shirt on” sandwiches. Aside from that, the one thing that really seemed to be apparent was the girth of the chicken breasts. Most fast food places these days give you the proverbial prefab chicken breast that’s not quite flat but is no more than a b cup. The Flavor Dipped sandwiches have the look of a sandwich that could be dynamic and exciting with each order.




The Buffalo Sandwich truly is a great eat. This particular sandwich had been completely engulfed in sauce, and this buffalo sauce is just what the doctor prescribed. All too often eateries either throw out a buffalo sauce that’s been saturated in weak sauce or a sauce that’s just been harvested in the ravines of hell (yeah, Quizno’s I’m talking to you), but this sauce is just right. The lettuce in the sandwich looks like it should be wearing flood pants because it’s just a sog fest. This doesn’t really affect anything in the overall experience though. The tomato seemed to be cemented to the top bun by the secondary sauce. This sauce is quite mysterious though. While I am in fact color blind, it’s hard to not notice the tan tinge with dark spots topping the sandwich in the poster. But what I got appeared to be straight up chunky mayo. Was this a very vanilla bleu cheese? Was this a Wendy’s employee being lazy and not wanting to open up the special sauce? Whatever the case, this is what the professionals call weak dogg. Luckily the Flavor Dipped Buffalo sauce makes up for this miscue. Overall the sandwich gets a 4/5 in my eyes. This is a sandwich that you should go out and buy before it is too late. Wendy’s take on buffalo chicken is a must eat, despite the lackluster toppings.




On to the BBQ sandwich, with all of the ad posters displaying the Buffalo sandwich prominently up front, the BBQ may appear to be getting the 2nd billing. Don’t believe this because this sandwich brings the flavor train into the station as well. As noted before this breast was particularly large. I was kind of worried because the prices for these sandwiches are premium and I wanted to feel like I was getting my moneys worth. With this much chicken, it’s definitely a solid value. While not a large BBQ fan by trade, I have to admit that this a great sauce indeed. A tangy yet vibrant taste encased the whole chicken and the onions and pickles only went the extra mile to compliment this sauce. I believe that the BBQ was a lot less messy than the buffalo because you’re not dealing with the waterslide lettuce or extra sauce mayo. The BBQ gets a 4/5 from me as well. If you are a fan of BBQ chicken this is another must get for you.



Buffalo 4/5
BBQ 4/5


While there are no indications on whether or not Wendy’s will keep these sandwiches around, I do believe that everyone should go out and give one if not both of these a sampling. I do declare that it’ll be worth your while.

Coming up, I’ll be taking on my first classic review, McDonald’s Big Mac.

Until the next sauce,

Andrew

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REVIEW: Subway Chicken Pizziola

For a long time now, Subway has changed what some call the Fast-Food Industry. This new low fat, healthy movement just doesn't fit in with greasy burgers, bacon covered meat slabs, and double battered extra crispy chicken. But Subway is very successful at what they do, and they have done so with a combination of "I'm no longer fat" ads and finding new ways to put lunchmeat on bread. While Subway does offer a lot of low fat options, they have also recently taken on the college students interests in another way: lower prices. The $5 footlong and the accompanying ad campaign (with catchy song) has gone a long way in earning purchases from my pockets. On countless occasions, I've found myself wondering what's for lunch, and that simple $5 price tag latches on to me like a hobo on a ham sandwich.

So i found myself walking by the local sandwich artist factory and I was blown away by this poster:


Now if you are a huge fan of promotional sandwiches like I am, you will remember that this sandwich was out before a couple of years ago. I never got around to getting it then and I never thought I'd be able to confront this saucy meat specimen. Subway routinely has monthly specials, which pleases me greatly, and they are usually not healthy, but this one did fit into the $5 Footlong club. So of course I was in.



The Chicken Pizziola is quite a strange combination. With, two thirds pizza, one third grilled chicken, the average man's palate would not be able to assess the flavors before swallowing. The sandwich routinely combines italian bread, grilled chicken slabs, pepperoni, marinara sauce, and pepper jack cheese. To create an equal opportunity environment I did not alter any of the variables so that you readers could get a feel for how this sandwich was made to be.





Well there she blows. Its amazing how fast food never comes out the way the poster appears. All the elements of the advertised sandwich that lured me in were there, but for whatever reason it no longer looked all that good. But anyway, I stated mounging, and was relatively happy with my first round of chews. The meat was there, the sauce was there, and there was even some ooey gooey melted cheese. I was a happy man until, the dreaded fifth bite occurred.



Lets just say that I experienced what professionals in the business refer to as chewy chicken. That not too firm, ever too soft and mushy feeling that makes your stomach crumble. It appears as though, the toasting mechanism at subway has either lost some of its juice or it actually doesn't do anything at all (which I've always suspected). Anyway this mush factor dampened my experience to a considerable degree.

But because of the fact that all Subway chicken isn't chewy I'm gonna give you readers an arbitrary take. The sandwich is pretty alright. The combo of meat was surprisingly well done and the melty pepper jack was fairly legit. The marinara, however, was runny, bland and overall makeshift at best. I can understand that Subway does not specialize in marinara sauce, but their effort currently is subpar. And according to this mural in the restaurant:



This sauce is being made somewhere on a stovetop in the back. Well if you believe that, you'll be shocked to see the big plastic bag of sauce being carted in and then crowaved to add a final touch. But I have to say that Subway isn't using its comparative advantage here with this sandwich. Subway specializes in simplicity, we're talking breads and lunch meats. So to go out on a limb and try to create a chicken pizza sandwich, Subway just falls short.

So I'm gonna give the Chicken Pizziola a 2/5 stars. Not Subways best effort, but at least they're giving me something new each month.

2/5

Look back later this week for Wendy's Flavor Dipped Chicken Sandwiches review, where we ask the question: is 360 degrees of flavor a math problem or a satisfying flavor nugget.

Until the next sauce,

Andrew

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First Test Blog

With the exception of Taco Bell, no other fast food eatery relies so heavily on gimmicks, goodies, and other nonsensical items as Arby’s. Arby’s is a little different from most fast food joints because their staple item is a roast beef sandwich and not a burger. Supposedly sliced in the back on a Seinfeld quality Kramer slicer, the roast beef is extremely tasty and most likely extremely bad for you. But besides this, Arby’s has added on to their menu with countless wraps, chicken sandwiches, Market Fresh deli esque sandwiches, specialty sandwiches such as Reuben’s, toasted subs, and my personal favorites: taking normal food items and then frying them into triangles.

So it was only a matter of time before g and double g took a trip to the local Arby’s food stand and enjoyed a gimmick meal. On a side note, I originally wanted to review Arby’s Mac and Cheesers because they screamed for this site. Frying mac and cheese? Yeah, Arby’s has been there and done that. The product life cycle consisted of about a month though, and I was deeply saddened to hear that they were no longer available. I remember, a few weeks back (pre g&gg days) my colleague Mike and I ate these just to be able to say that we did. They were surprisingly good and quite possibly gave me some sort of brain damage. But I can’t review something that I don’t have photographic evidence of, it wouldn’t be fair to you readers. It’s hard to imagine a meeting in the Arby’s board room where real managers actually sat down, discussed and approved the creation of the Mac and Cheesers, but on to current products.




As you can see, Arby’s has a sufficiently large menu, containing a wide variety of products. It always seemed weird to me that you can get a deli sandwich in the same place where you can get the three products I purchased. But with a wide variety of products, the more people you will be able to attract. Speaking of which, Arby’s was packed. The local Arby’s is quite literally a dump, complete with a 70’s style décor, and a terrible design this place isn’t exactly craving customers, but for my visit the place was thriving. And I counted at least four remotely attractive females there too. When I think of the average female Arby’s customer the words snaggle tooth and Mitch come to mind, but its good to see that Arby’s can bring society together to clog our arteries as one.

So I bought three items, all of which I consider to be classic Arby’s gimmick food. First off, in an effort to compete with the dollar double cheeseburgers of the world, Arby’s had reduced the price of their Arby’s Melt by a staggering twenty cents.





Now for 99 cents, anyone can enjoy this simple sandwich for a limited time only. The sandwich consists of a bun, roast beef, and cheddar cheese sauce. One may ask, what the difference between this and the normal Beef and Cheddar is, and the answer is size.



The Arby’s Melt is quite puny in fact, coming with a smaller bun, smaller amount of roast beef, and a smaller amount of cheese sauce.I couldn’t even see the customary Arby’s overflowage of cheese when I first unwrapped this guy. The sandwich tasted good but because of its weak stature I have to give it a 2.5.

Next we have the Popcorn Chicken Shakers. What we have here is popcorn chicken, in a small tub with a closed Slurpee like dome on top.




The trick here is that you’re given a choice of either buffalo or barbeque sauce to dump on your chicken.




Then you close up your lid and shake.



This leaves you with saturated and saucy pop corn chicken bites.



Nothing like making the customers do some manual work before they get to eat. What an obvious gimmick. I felt kind of weird shaking my satchel of breaded chicken but it was all in good fun. These were actually quite good and the sauce was pretty tangy. Word on the street is that the barbeque is good as well, so I will give the Popcorn Chicken Shakers a 3.

Lastly we head over to the normal food fried triangle department. While mac and cheese is out, Arby’s has stuck with their Loaded Potato Bites with Bacon.



Let’s take what everyone loves about a loaded baked potato and fry it. We have potato morsels, cheese, sour cream and ranch sauce, and hunks of bacon (or so I thought). The sour cream and ranch sauce seems like a daring combination to me, but why not I guess.





These potato bites were another surprise hit. Everything hit on all cylinders except for the fact that there was no bacon present at all.



As you can clearly see there is no hint of red anywhere in there, despite the subtle bacon flavor. I’ll have to give the Loaded Potato Bites a 3.5/5 just because of the false bacon advertising scam.

So as the gimmick meal came to an end, I found myself quite satisfied. Three gimmick foods each with their own particular ploy: be it price, pre eating activity, or fried nature, all of these were tasty. So when you get the chance, head over to your local Arby’s and try a cluster bomb of food products from their vast menu, it won’t be too hard.


Arby's Melt: 2.5/5
Popcorn Chicken Shakers: 3/5
Loaded Potato Bites with Bacon: 3.5/5

Until the next sauce,

Andrew

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