GrubGrade

Subway’s latest $5.00 Footlong sub is the Low-Fat Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.  A 6″ will set you back 370 calories and 7 grams of fat.  Available until November 16.

Spice-A-Licious Buffalo Chicken.  Cool Light Ranch.  6 inches of Flavorocity. The new Low-Fat Buffalo Chicken is the ultimate in spice-a-licious-ness. Tender glazed buffalo chicken topped with our cool new light ranch. Served on freshly baked bread. It’s big on flavor, not on fat!

I guess I’m in a Sweet and Spicy kind of mood today to post my first impressions of the new SweetFire Chicken Breast from Panda Express followed by the Sweet & Spicy Chicken Habanero Oven Baked Sandwich from Domino’s.  As we reported last week, Domino’s has expanded it’s line of sandwiches with four new offerings.  I just got my grubby little hands on this Chicken Habanero sub yesterday and I’m here to report some quick thoughts.

The Sweet & Spicy Chicken Habanero goes a little something like this:

A SWEET & SPICY medley, made with all white meat chicken breast, pineapple, jalapenos, sweet mango habanero sauce, provolone & cheddar cheese. On artisan Italian bread & baked to a golden brown.

Ordering Domino’s online let’s you choose certain ingredients to be “light” or “extra”…and being the wimp that I am, I chose to go light on the habanero sauce and the jalapenos.  Going “light” didn’t help much as the sandwich was still pretty spicy for my tastes but definitely tolerable and actually pretty tasty. The artisan Italian bread is super crisp and toasty.  The chicken breast was plentiful and the pineapple provided the nice sweetness.  The provolone & cheddar cheeses did just enough to make their presence known and that was a big positive.  This sandwich was pretty oily/greasy from the bread alone so have some napkins handy.

At the current promo price of $4.99 the sandwich is so-so filling and a lot smaller than the commercial shows it to be.  I’d probably order it again if I was getting Domino’s but if the price goes up to $5.99 (which is very likely) I might have to pass.  A decent effort from Domino’s and a little more inspired than the other offerings currently available.

Everyone’s favorite shopping mall food court quick-serve Chinese food recently introduced a new item back on September 23rd.  SweetFire Chicken Breast boasts “crispy all-white meat chicken, fresh red bell peppers, diced onions and juicy pineapples, wok-tossed to perfection in our zesty sweet chili sauce.”

I’m a fan of Panda, especially the Orange Chicken.  The last new item that Panda Express came out with was the Beijing Beef and I’ve had some great batches and some not so great.  The hit-or-miss issues at Panda have trickled down to the brand new SweetFire Chicken…specifically in the heat department.  Everything was good except for the fact it was not spicy whatsoever.  The SweetFire Chicken is tasty enough for me to give it another shot (and likely another and another).  Spicy and sweet are two delicious traits when speaking of Americanized-Chinese grub.  Believe it or not I’ve found more heat in the Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef…two tasty items that lack the word “fire” in their names.  Marvo over at The Impulsive Buy reviewed the SweetFire Chicken last week and we both agree that it’s a worthy new dish.  I’m just hoping for some actual fire on my next visit.  Just not too much fire, I can’t take a lot of heat but a nice balance of spicy and sweet would make me a happy grubber.  Looking forward to a kicked-up “zesty sweet chili sauce” next time.

Two items from Panda Express that have more heat than my first experience with the new SweetFire Chicken.

Orange Chicken on the left, Beijing Beef on the right

Everyone seems to be taking shots at the McDonald’s Big Mac these days.  The Big Carl and The Big Hardee are currently on a campaign to upstage the McD’s classic burger.  Boasting more meat, less bread.  Jack in the Box is joining in on the fun by bringing back their Bonus Jack burger. Introduced in 1970 (2 years after the McDonald’s Big Mac), the Bonus Jack is basically the JITB version of a Big Mac.  Two regular beef patties, Jack’s Famous Secret sauce, shredded lettuce, American cheese and a pickle on a 3 piece bun.  The Bonus Jack is back for a limited time for $3.99 ($3.99 bundle includes a small drink and small fries).

In a country where giant portions of grub can be found at every corner, there are times when snacking on something smaller than your head feels like a welcomed change. Sometimes good things come in small packages.  There is no exception to that as Roy Rogers joins the “Slider” market with their New! Roast Beef Sliders.

It’s tough comparing these new sliders to the Original Roast Beef Sandwich (we did the review in May),  but let’s just say I was quite impressed with the new size.   (more…)

OK, I wish I could feed you all.  Had to randomly select 8 out of the 25 comments.  If you were selected, please email me your name and address (GrubGrade at Gmail dot com).  Thanks to everyone who has supported GrubGrade. Please leave us your thoughts in the comments section of our posts.  Lot’s of great discussions going on.  To those who weren’t selected, there will be more giveaways to come.  Stay tuned!

Congrats to the following…Enjoy the grub:

• Adam Bomb
• ChrisSh
• Daniel N
• Justin W
• Mimi
• Kendra
• Chris
• Michael

Sorry but I had to do it.  The losing streak is over.  Lions win, Lions Grub.

I have 8 Hardee’s 1/3lb Thickburgers to giveaway.  So are there any hungry GrubGrade readers out there?  Leave a comment and I’ll pick 8 random winners for free burgers.  Thanks to everyone for supporting us.  Enjoy!

New at Arby’s…$5.01 Combos.  5 grub combination choices for $5.01 each.  2 of the 5 choices have been around for years but there are 3 newcomers.  All 5 combos include curly fries and a small drink.

French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub: What’s the extra penny for?  One bite and you’ll know.  We start with a toasted ciabatta roll then pile on oven-roasted, freshly sliced beef and melted Swiss cheese.  Dip it in our generous portion of hot, savory au jus and you’re digging into one delicious deal.

Regular Roast Beef: What’s the extra penny for?  The unbeatable taste of an Arby’s original.  We start with a toasted sesame seed bun, then pile on our world famous, oven-roasted beef.  Complete the total Arby’s experience with our signature Arby’s Sauce or Horsey Sauce.

New! Roast Beef Patty Melt: What’s the extra penny for?  A new twist on an old standard.  Our patty melt is made with oven-roasted, freshly sliced beef, piled high on toasted sourdough bread.  Melted Swiss cheese and creamy Thousand Island dressing add a tantalizing finish to a great sandwich.

New! Roast Beef Gyro: What’s the extra penny for?  Better ingredients.  Our gyro features Arby’s beef – roasted to perfection and freshly sliced on a warm, soft flatbread, topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, red onions, and traditional gyro sauce.

New! Roast Chicken Ranch: What’s the extra penny for?  Flavor you just won’t get anywhere else.  This sandwich starts with 0ven-roasted, freshly sliced chicken, piled on toasted sourdough bread.  Then we top it with creamy Peppercorn Ranch sauce and fresh lettuce, tomato, and red onions.

The Double Cheeseburger from Burger King is getting a new price nationwide starting Monday, October 19th.  A quarter pound of beef for just $1.00.  Take that McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger!  Take that Wendy’s Double Stack!  Earlier this week we battled Burger King and McD’s to see who reigns supreme in the Double Cheeseburger Wars.  A little customization and a solid $1.00 price tag should help BK gain some points.  Although it remains to be seen how long the $1.00 price will actually last.  The regular price of the Double Cheeseburger, as of earlier this week at my local BK, was a staggering $3.19.