REVIEW: Jack in the Box Grilled Chicken Sandwich (2022)

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Jack in the Box Grilled Chicken Sandwich 2022 Whole

What is it?

Jack in the Box’s app says, “We took a good sandwich and made it juicier, tastier, and better than ever. Er, well, made it ‘Good Good.’ The classic, grilled 100% all white meat chicken fillet, lettuce, and tomatoes get so much better with Good Good Sauce all on top of Jack’s famous sourdough.”

This new Grilled Chicken Sandwich is a bit more basic regarding toppings and naming than Jack’s previous non-fried chicken sandwich offering — the Sourdough Grilled Chicken Club. It had lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheese, and mayo on sourdough.

How is it?

Sometimes my willpower to resist the worst items on a fast food menu is strong, and I decide to pick something sensible, like grilled chicken sandwiches, so I have nothing against them. But I can’t say I’ve ever had a GREAT fast food grilled chicken sandwich, and that’s still the case after eating this.

Jack in the Box Grilled Chicken Sandwich 2022 Top

As a fan of Jack’s Good Good Sauce, I thought adding the sweet, tangy, and peppery condiment might elevate this, and it does a little. Actually, “elevate” might not be the best word to describe what the sauce does. It saves the sandwich by helping hide the chicken’s main flaw: it has very little flavor. While it’s bland, the poultry piece is surprisingly easy to bite and chew. As for the lettuce and tomato, they do a great job at being the obligatory ingredients in a grilled chicken sandwich.

Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s better tasting than Jack’s previous grilled chicken sandwich. It’s just different.

Jack in the Box Grilled Chicken Sandwich 2022 Split

Anything else you need to know?

It’s been a minute since I’ve had a grilled chicken sandwich from Jack in the Box because I’ve been enjoying its Cluck Sandwich these past few years, but if my memory serves me right, I think the past grilled chicken was noticeably thicker.

Conclusion:

This updated Jack in the Box Grilled Chicken Sandwich is a perfectly edible sandwich. It will not blow away minds, and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick it up again if I want to eat something sensible from Jack in the Box’s menu.

Purchased Price: $7.49*
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 500 calories (full nutritional information not available).

*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.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Strawberry Frosty

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Wendy s Strawberry Frosty Top

It’s the most anticipated new Wendy’s menu item since breakfast was unveiled! That’s right, folks. Wendy’s has a Strawberry Frosty.

Yup, it took over fifty years for the chain to add a Strawberry “shake” to its menu. Let that sink in.

Like breakfast, Wendy’s has always been pretty late to the desert game. Sure, the Chocolate Frosty has been a fast food staple for decades, but it didn’t even add Vanilla to the menu until 2006. Now, sixteen years later, Vanilla is getting the temporary boot during the big Strawberry rollout.

So, is it worth all the buzz?

I’d say, yeah… tentatively.

Actually, I’m not entirely sure.

I love a good Chocolate Frosty. I’ve always categorized it as its own entity – not quite a milkshake, but also not quite ice cream. It kinda exists between the two, and it has a texture all its own. The Strawberry Frosty I had just reminded me of a decent strawberry shake.

At no other time would I be disappointed slamming a “decent strawberry shake,” but I guess I expected a little more here. In what might seem like a huge nitpick, I actually think it was too creamy. Also, you’ll rarely hear me say this about anything like this, but I wish it was sweeter.

Wendy s Strawberry Frosty Spoon

The Frosty tasted like Strawberry Nesquik, a childhood favorite, but it was as if they released something called “Strawberry Nesquik Lite.” Say you were mixing it yourself and only used 75% of the suggested amount of syrup. That’s where I landed on the flavor. That might be right up your alley, but I was mildly bored.

To be fair, Wendy’s is pushing the idea that it has the flavor profile of “freshly picked strawberries,” so it’s probably not supposed to be the super artificial sugar bomb I was anticipating.

Don’t get me wrong that would be just fine overall, but I also noted a very faint medicinal aftertaste. Did you ever have chewy Tums or Rolaids antacids that look like candy? I swear I tasted a similar faux fruit taste and the accompanying chalkiness, and that was all I could think with every spoonful.

It sounds like I’m ripping on it, but it wasn’t that bad. I think most people are gonna like it more than I did. If I had to rank it against the other Frosty flavors, it’d be third. If I had to rank it against (my vague memory of) fast food strawberry milkshakes, it would probably be last.

I loved the color. I loved the aroma. I semi-enjoyed the taste.

I didn’t get fries to dip, but it did a great job neutralizing the heat of my Spicy Nuggets, so I certainly wasn’t upset about my meal.

Wendy s Strawberry Frosty Cup

Overall, Wendy’s Strawberry Frosty is not a hit, but it’s also not a dud. It’s a “decent strawberry shake.” There’s a place on the menu for a decent strawberry shake. In fact, I think Wendy’s should bring Vanilla back so people can order a Neapolitan-style mix. I also think it should add toppings and try to make a McFlurry rival called… ready for this obvious gem? Wendy’s Blendies. Let’s chat, Wendy’s R&D.

Purchased Price: $1.89
Size: Small
Purchased at: Wendy’s
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 350 calories, 8 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 40 mg of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 61 grams of total carbohydrates, 52 grams of sugars, 0 grams of fiber, 8 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Girl Scout Adventurefuls Caramel Brownie Shake

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Jack in the Box Girl Scout Adventurefuls Caramel Brownie Shake Cup

What is it?

I’ll let what I copy and pasted from Jack in the Box’s app explain it:

The name says it all: it’s gonna be delicious, and it’s only gonna be around for a limited time. That’s right, our latest craveable shake is inspired by the newest Girl Scout Cookie – Adventurefuls. This is our classic vanilla shake with brownie pieces and caramel syrup, topped off in the best way: with a Girl Scout Adventurefuls Cookie. Hurry in, the adventure won’t last forever.

The adventure also includes excavating a mountain of whipped topping.

How is it?

Full disclosure: I found the actual Adventurefuls cookie to be underwhelming. It’s good, but the brownie-flavored part should’ve been chewy instead of crunchy, like a real brownie, and I wish the caramel part wasn’t a disc of caramel-flavored creme candy.

But I’m happy to report that this delicious shake makes up for a shortcoming of the actual cookie. However, it has a few shortcomings of its own.

Jack in the Box Girl Scout Adventurefuls Caramel Brownie Shake Brownies

The brownie pieces’ sizes vary from specks to straw-clogging. While the larger ones are chewy and have a rich fudge taste, the flavor of the tinier pieces isn’t noticeable in the caramel-flavored ice cream. Also, I’m not sure I’d say the shake is full of brownies, or brownieful, if you will. The caramel syrup is thoroughly mixed throughout the base, and its flavor complements the fudginess of the larger brownie pieces. But because it’s a flavored syrup and not actual caramel, there aren’t any gooey swirls.

Jack in the Box Girl Scout Adventurefuls Caramel Brownie Shake Specks

Jack in the Box Girl Scout Adventurefuls Caramel Brownie Shake Cookie

In the promo photos, the cookie is placed along the cup’s rim, like it’s lounging in a hot tub. But in my shake, it was placed face down, like it drowned in a hot tub. I know Girl Scout cookies are expensive, but I wish there were also Adventurefuls chunks mixed into the shake, like, um, body sweat in a hot tub.

It didn’t dawn on me until after the fact, but I should’ve crumbled the cookie and mixed it myself instead of doing the uncreative action of taking a couple of bites and then letting the rest sink to the bottom of the shake. But those bites helped me realize that the shake’s flavor is better than the cookie’s.

Anything else you need to know?

If you’re in the drive-thru or eating at the restaurant, ask for a spoon because there’s a good chance your straw will get clogged. Also, thank goodness there isn’t a cherry on top of this shake.

Conclusion:

Jack in the Box’s Girl Scout Adventurefuls Caramel Brownie Shake is more satisfying than the cookie.

Purchased Price: $5.50
Size: Regular
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 800 calories (other nutritional info not available on Jack in the Box website.).

REVIEW: Sonic Sour Patch Kids Slush Float

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Sonic Sour Patch Kids Slush Float Whole

I had already slurped half of my Sonic Sour Patch Kids Slush Float through a straw before I started to wonder if I should be using a spoon instead, and that feeling of confusion perfectly sums up my experience with this new offering from Sonic. It can essentially be broken into three parts — the Sour Patch Kids, the slush, and the float — and they never quite work together.

The majority of this hard-to-describe dessert consists of the slush, which is watermelon-flavored and so sour that I’m glad that this isn’t a video review because the pucker it put on my face was not pretty! I was impressed with how smoothly it went down, though, appealingly liquid-y with gritty ice bits intermingled well enough to give it texture while avoiding the classic Slurpee problem of sucking out all the flavor syrup right away and then getting stranded with a plain cup of ice.

Sonic Sour Patch Kids Slush Float Spoon

The “float” part comes from the iceberg of vanilla soft serve that sits atop the slush, but I found the name a little misleading. One of the greatest pleasures of a traditional ice cream float is the way the scoops of hard ice cream melt to combine with the soda into a new substance, milky yet flavorful and somehow more than the sum of its parts. That’s what I hoped for here, but it just didn’t happen. The rich soft serve was so intimidatingly thick that not a drop could be sucked through the straw, and even as I lingered over the treat, it showed no signs of melting into something more mixable. With the unyielding ice cream trapping the slush below, I had to do some serious digging to capture both components in the same spoonful, and when I did, there was no harmonious mingling of flavors, just a cold, shockingly tart lump.

Sonic Sour Patch Kids Slush Float Lid

Of course, to complement the sourness of the slush, there are the Sour Patch Kids candy pieces themselves, but you’d be forgiven for missing them. Their signature “weird little gremlin-person” shape has been traded out for a form that looks more like Fruity Pebbles and doesn’t amount to much more than a colorful garnish. These flakes pretty much all either sat on top of the ice cream or sunk to the bottom of the slush, so they were mostly only present in my first and last sips/bites. But, to give credit where credit’s due, whenever I did encounter them, they were pleasantly chewy, never frozen stiff like I’d feared.

Sonic Sour Patch Kids Slush Float Sign

Though it had its tasty moments, my biggest problem with the Sour Patch Kids Slush Float is that it didn’t capture the versatile flavor profile so perfectly summed up by the Sour Patch Kids slogan, “First they’re sour. Then they’re sweet”. That rapid transition from intensity to relief works brilliantly in a candy where the sour coating can be sucked off to reveal the sweetness underneath, but the slush and the ice cream here never blended well enough to pull off such a trick. I kept wishing I was separately munching Sour Patch Kids candy, slurping a slushie, or licking vanilla ice cream because, like the naughty children in the Sour Patch Kids commercials, these ingredients just did not play well together.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: Medium
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 520 calories, 11 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 200 milligrams of sodium, 106 grams of carbohydrates, 92 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Arby’s Wagyu Steakhouse Burger

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Arby s Wagyu Steakhouse Burger Whole

It’s no secret people have strong opinions about Arby’s. You’re probably a fervent supporter or you wouldn’t touch (or eat) their roast beef sandwich with a ten-foot pole. I fall in the former camp. The chain proudly announces “We Have the Meats,” but never before in 58 years has that included a hamburger. I’ve always taken a strange pride in this absence (because in my mind, I operate a profitable Arby’s franchise, and yes, we still serve potato cakes). I’m pleased by the fact that Arby’s succeeds by doing something different and doesn’t feel the need to sling an average burger. So while Arby’s doesn’t NEED to offer a burger, what happens when it wants to? Perhaps it realized it had already served most legal meat products and decided it was time to beat all the other joints at their own game – ground beef.

The Deluxe Wagyu Steakhouse Burger offers up a 6.4-ounce patty that’s a blend of 52% American Wagyu and 48% ground beef. It’s topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, and burger sauce on a toasted brioche bun. Since Arby’s restaurants don’t have grills, they’ve decided the best cooking route is sous vide, claiming this results in a medium-well burger, something you rarely see in fast food.

Arby s Wagyu Steakhouse Burger Patty

This looks like a classic burger with just a handful of ingredients done right. At first glance, it didn’t appear that hefty, but upon closer examination and consumption, it’s a weighty patty. Many times in the world of fast food, I don’t want this much ground beef. I avoid items like the Quarter Pounder or anything double beef at Taco Bell because it’s more mediocre meat than I want to eat. I didn’t feel this way about the Arby’s burger at all. It tastes meaty in a good way, and the interior of the patty matches the advertised pictures: pinkish, juicy, and not the gray throughout that I’ve come to expect from most hamburgers that are handed to me within three minutes of my ordering.

Arby s Wagyu Steakhouse Burger Half

The cheese was perfectly melted, and the vegetables were fresh and actually contributed something to the eating experience. The pickles are thicker cut and tasty, and the red onion is crunchy with a not-too aggressive bite. The sauce is your standard mixture of condiments. I enjoyed it, maybe more than Big Mac sauce, but there’s too much. It’s applied to both the top and bottom bun and should be contained to just one. I liked its thinner consistency and it had a good flavor balance, the only issue being the ratio of sauce to every other part of the burger is off. It makes for a sloppy situation and because the meat here genuinely does seem to be of a better quality, they could have showcased the wagyu more by saucing less.

Arby s Wagyu Steakhouse Burger Split

Since it lacks a grilled element, you won’t be getting any char on the patty’s exterior, but the texture and quality of the meat and toppings exceed the expectations I have for burgers of this size in a drive-thru setting. If hamburgers are part of your fast food repertoire I’d encourage you to grab this one while you have the chance. It’s available through July 31st, and after that, Arby’s will hang up its ten-gallon hat from the burger game, and both fans and (fake) franchise owners like me will rest assured that they don’t have to serve burgers, but if they want to, damn it, they can.

Purchased Price: $6.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 715 calories, 43 grams of fat, 17 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 97 milligrams of cholesterol, 1567 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of total carbohydrates, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 14 grams of sugars, and 39 grams of protein.

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