GrubGrade

Our good friends at the blog Would I Buy it Again (a must read, by the way) recently asked “How do you take your oatmeal?” It’s a great question, but one which seems all too predictable for the multitude of ‘health’ bloggers out and about the interwebs today. And while I too am guilty of buying into the common standbys of apples and cinnamon and peaches and cream low fat milk, truth be told I like to try to be a little bolder in my oatmeal creations these days.  After all, what more is oatmeal than a grain, and what more is a grain than a vehicle of flavors both sweet and savory?

Case in point, one of my latest oatmeal creations: Dark Chocolate Oatmeal with Cinnamon, Bacon and Chili Powder.

Looks good, don’t it?  Not to pat myself on the back too much , but this homemade concoction was really quite good, although I did run into some problems that I hope to fix the next time I make it. (more…)

Einstein Brothers has been on a full court press as of late, introducing a host of new menu items and promotions. Not only has the popular fast casual chain launched a facebook page, but they’ve introduced a line of limited-time only ”Twisted” bagels and a Double Chocolate Chip bagel just in time for Valentines Day (read our review here). But by far and away their most seasonally appropriate item has got to be the brand spankin’ new Double Chocolate Chip Bagel Poppers:

A chocolate blast in every bite! Our latest bagel creation bursts with three kinds of chocolate for all kinds of fun!

Both Ryan and I have reviewed various flavors of the Bagel Poppers before, with my personal favorite being the fall-themed Pumpkin Cream Cheese Poppers (sadly, no longer offered.) For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the bite-sized treats, the best way to describe them are basically as bagel ‘holes’ covered in either a corn syrup-based glaze or cream cheese. (more…)

It’s February, which means love (and chocolate) are in the air.  What fast casual business venture isn’t apt to capitalize on the season of sweet treats? Einstein Bros. Bagels sure is, as the Colorado-based chain continues to roll out distinctly ’seasonal’ offerings for both their cafe and breakfast menus. Among the winter offerings? Double Chocolate Bagel Poppers, Twisted Bagels, and the new Double Chocolate Chip Bagel.

I loved EBB’s Pumpkin Bagel poppers with all the intensity of a fat kid contemplating on a Twinkie, but I’ve yet to try the Double Chocolate Poppers. While I’m not nearly the chocolate fiend as some in my family are, I recently did try their Double Chocolate Chip Bagel. It was a fairly adventurous choice considering my usual “go-to” are more on the savory side (Pumpernickel, Potato) but a free coupon — courtesy of the restaurant’s new and dare-I-say swanky Facebook page spurred me on.

If you liked their regular Chocolate Chip Bagel, the Double Chocolate Chip bagel should go down well. Otherwise, I can’t say it was very distinguishable for the company’s ‘regular’ product, except for what seemed to be a slightly musty and darkened color that may have hinted of cocoa. While the ingredients and nutrition of the bagel have not been disclosed, it’s more than likely that the only “double” chocolate part of this bagel is the addition of cocoa powder to the plain bagel base. Still, it’s an Einstein Bagel so you can’t go wrong (especially for 99 cents), although I would recommend a trip in the toaster (to melt the somewhat small and scattered chocolate chip pieces) and the application of your favorite sweet cream cheese (I like their pumpkin flavor) to boost the flavor.

Einstein Bros. Bagels’ Double Chocolate Chip Bagel is only being offered for a limited time, so get them for your sweetheart before the season is over!

There’s something new for breakfast over at Dunkin’.  Dunkin’ Donuts is introducing new Biscuit Sandwiches.  Including scrambled egg, savory sausage and cheese on their new flaky biscuit  (Note: Bacon or Ham also available).  Kind of strange that Dunkin’ now goes the super traditional route after the Waffle Breakfast Sandwich.  It seems like every restaurant that serves breakfast has some sort of biscuit sandwich.  The Sausage, Egg and Cheese on a Biscuit shown below will cost you 600 calories and 40 grams of fat. Anyone know the price?  I can’t seem to find it anywhere and the Dunkin people just told me prices vary.  No price range…thanks!

For those of us no where near a Carl’s Jr., we’ve been taunted this week by a delicious looking burger called The Big Carl.  This Big Mac rival boasts a bigger meal and smaller price.  Well what about those of us with only Hardee’s restaurants nearby?  Sadly, no Big Carl….No Big Hardee.  There is the Big Shef but it’s just not the same.  So what can we taunt the West-of Texas folk with?  How about an Oscar Mayer Fried Bologna Biscuit.  :(  Yeah…take that Carl’s Jr. people.  We’ve got a fried bologna breakfast sandwich.

Egg & cheese on top of a folded slice of fried Oscar Mayer Bologna, all on our Made from Scratch biscuit.

Nutrition Info:

Calories – 610

Fat – 43 grams

Saturated Fat – 13 grams

Cholesterol – 230 milligrams

Sodium – 1620 milligrams

Carbs – 36 grams

Sugars – 4 grams

Dietary Fiber – 0 grams

Protein – 17 grams

What has happened to the bacon at Burger King?  When I reviewed the Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch Sandwich, I complained of a lack of flavor from their bacon.  I hoped it was just a one time thing.  I really wanted to get that salty, bacon goodness when I purchased the Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper.  I walked away disappointed.  The bacon flavor was weak.  Very weak.

The Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper has been on the BK breakfast menu for over a year now.  It started out being advertised as a limited time offering, but it’s been enjoying a decent run on the menu boards.  It seems relatively simple to throw together and tortillas must be dirt cheap.  With the ongoing “Wraps” trend and consumers leaning a lot on value, it’s no surprise this breakfast wrap has stuck around.  The BK Wrapper features cheddar cheese, a cheese sauce, bacon, hash browns, and egg all inside a soft tortilla. If you couldn’t tell by the double dose description, cheese is the dominant flavor here.  The sauce is gooey and tastes great.  I really enjoyed the combination of the cheese sauce with the hash browns.  The egg is similar to the bacon in this specific case where I know it’s there, but I can only really taste it if I make a conscious effort to do so.  The hash browns and cheese flavor are definitely stronger than anything else and they have a way of making you forget that there is also egg and bacon in the mix.  When I compare the shell to the Wake-Up Wrap from Dunkin Donuts, I enjoy the tortilla from BK better.  It also could be that I prefer a softer shell over a toastier shell.

After having this breakfast wrap, I’m convinced that Burger King is using a different, weaker flavored bacon than what was used in the past. It just isn’t as strong as it used to be and as a result the sandwiches are losing points.  If the bacon flavor was stronger, this could be a great breakfast wrap.  I’d suggest purchasing the Ham Omelet Sandwich if you are looking for a slightly cheaper option that tastes a lot better than this disappointment.

• Pros - Nice cheese sauce.  Hash browns taste great with the cheese sauce.  I prefer this soft tortilla shell over Dunkin’s toasty Wake-Up Wrap tortilla.
• Cons – Where’s the bacon?  That’s really my only complaint, but it’s a biggie.

Taste:  5.00/10

Value:  8.50/10

Grubbing on the Go:  8.75/10

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GrubGrade:  5.75/10 (Mediocre)

(Overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price:  $1.39

BurgerKing.com

Nutrition Facts – Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper

Calories – 390

Total Fat – 24 grams

Saturated Fat – 8 grams

Trans Fat – 0.5 grams

Carbs – 29 grams

Cholesterol – 150 milligrams

Sodium – 1060 milligrams

Protein – 14 grams

I walked into my local Burger King one morning craving an Enormous Omelet Sandwich.  Next to the McGriddle at McDonald’s, it is my favorite fast food breakfast sandwich.  I should say that getting breakfast at a fast food joint is rare for me.  Probably happens once every few months.  So I was shocked to see my favorite sandwich was no longer on the menu.  I asked the cashier if they still carried it and she said no.  (I just called Burger King’s customer service and they did in fact discontinue the Enormous Omelet Sandwich.  The customer service representative told me it was not selling great in certain areas, and also threw in a comment about the economy.  There is a chance it may return she told me.)  I almost turned around and walked out the door.  Then I remembered the breakfast value menu and the Ham Omelet Sandwich.

Burger King describes the sandwich as:

“….a rousing combination of fluffy egg, ham, and honey butter sauce on a sesame seed bun.”

That shine is the honey butter sauce

In the BK description, they forgot to mention that there is also a piece of American cheese on the sandwich.  The Ham Omelet Sandwich is only one dollar, and it is worth every penny. There is a fairly decent amount of ham on the sandwich and goes well with the honey butter sauce.  The sauce flavor is a bit strong, but doesn’t overpower the sandwich.  The honey sauce is an interesting taste that I liked, and I think it helps the sandwich stand out from other ham breakfast sandwiches. You can notice the flavors of the cheese and egg, but these two ingredients play back up to the sweet honey sauce and ham.  The sesame seed bun is your standard BK bun, and I must admit I was surprised that it didn’t go too well with the rest of the ingredients.  Perhaps I was just vigorously looking for something to complain about with my meal.  The sesame seeds on the bun just stuck out as not really working when the honey sauce, ham, cheese, and egg obviously did.

Overall though, this sandwich is great.  For just a buck, you really can’t beat it. Having recently reviewed the Wake-Up Wrap from Dunkin Donuts, where that could have been cheaper, I found the Ham Omelet Sandwich to be a great value.  While some may say two of these would be too much, I’ll probably get two next time along with a soda or coffee.  Definitely worth trying, and I’d be curious to see what you think of the honey butter sauce (my wife disagreed with me.  She wasn’t a fan).

• Pros - Great value.  Decent amount of ham for the price.  Interesting, sweet honey butter sauce.
• Cons – Didn’t care for the sesame seeds with rest of the ingredients.

Taste:  9.00/10

Value:  10.00/10

Grubbing on the Go:   9.00/10

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GrubGrade:  9.00/10 (Exceptional)

(overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price: $1.00

BurgerKing.com

Nutrition Facts – Ham Omelet Sandwich from Burger King

Calories – 290

Total Fat - 12 grams

Carbs – 33 grams

Saturated Fat – 4.5 grams

Trans Fat – 0 grams

Cholesterol – 85 milligrams

Sodium – 870 milligrams

Protein – 13 grams

 

I can’t complain about my Oreo Donut not making the cut.  This winning donut looks pretty delicious.  Good way to promote coffee sales with the name choice too.

From QSR Mag:

 The grand prize winning doughnut for the “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” is “Toffee for Your Coffee,” a glazed, sour cream cake doughnut topped with chopped Heath Bar created by donut devotee Jeff Hager of Hoover, Alabama. Jeff wins $12,000 and his winning doughnut will be sold in Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the country beginning this fall.

Ryan’s prediction in the comments section of ‘Food News: Dunkin’ Donuts Wake Up Wraps’ proved correct.  These wraps are quite small.  I was close to asking the cashier if she was joking when she handed it to me, but then I remembered I only paid $1.29 (with bacon) for the thing.  My expectations weren’t too high, but I was still a bit excited because I’ve been searching for a new staple sandwich at Dunkin’ Donuts other than a sausage egg and cheese on a croissant.  I’m getting tired of it.  I need something else!

Let me say, I’m really glad I got the wrap at two locations.  The first time I bought the wrap, it looked good.  The second time (where these pictures are from)… not so much.  They tasted just as good, but they just didn’t look so visually appealing.  I think it boiled down to how they toasted the wraps.  The first location used this cover that looked like a blanket and they put it over the wrap.  They then placed it in the toaster.  The result was a nice light toasting.  The tortilla was still flexible, and had a light buttery flavor.  The second location… I noticed no blanket, and it appeared that the wrap became crispier and wasn’t so easy to control.  That buttery note was missing as well. 

Overall, the ingredients were what you would expect.  In the  egg and cheese wrap (99 cents), the most dominant flavor was the cheese.  There seemed to be more of it, and it was even more gooey which I like.  When I got it with bacon ($1.29), the cheese tended to loose it’s gooey-ness, and the bacon flavor takes over.  That’s not to say the bacon overpowered the other ingredients, it was just the most noticeable.  The egg was your standard egg from a Dunkin Donuts sandwich.  Nothing special.

The problem with the wrap is that it just isn’t filling.  When I made the first purchase, I only bought one.  After finishing it, my stomach needed more.  It’s really just a tease.  So on my second trip, I purchased two wraps and an iced coffee.  (By the way, for those of you who dislike that sugar at the bottom of your Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee, ask the cashier if they have ‘liquid sugar’.  Most locations that I have been to carry it.  You can now avoid sucking up grains of sugar!)  I think two wraps was a perfect breakfast.  I don’t want to over eat in the morning, so two of these wraps provided just enough.  I still walked away paying less than if I had purchased a sausage, egg, and cheese with an iced coffee.  However, I feel like the egg and cheese wrap could have cost less, and perhaps they could have charged 99 cents for the wrap with bacon.  I know, it’s not that much, but it’s still a difference!

Will this be my new staple breakfast sandwich?  Unfortunately, no.  The price was OK and the ingredients weren’t awful, but it just couldn’t beat my staple sandwich.  Perhaps their next item will be able to top the sausage sandwich.  I definitely suggest you try it at least once.  It won’t break your bank, so give it a try!   

• Pros – Cheap.  When wrap is toasted properly, gives a nice flavor.  Easy to eat on the go.
• Cons – When the wrap is not toasted properly, you’re getting tortilla crumbs everywhere.  Not filling. 

Taste:  8.00/10

Value:  8.25/10

Grubbing on the Go:  9.00/10

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GrubGrade:  7.25/10 (Decent)

(overall GrubGrade is not an average)

Price:  $0.99 for Egg/Cheese, $1.29 for Bacon/Egg/Cheese

DunkinDonuts.com

Nutrition Facts – Wake-Up Wrap (Bolded numbers represent the wrap with bacon)

Calories -  170/190

Calories from Fat – 90/100

Total Fat - 10g/12g

Saturated Fat – 4g/4.5g

Trans Fat - 0g/0g

Carbs - 14g/14gCholesterol – 105mg/110mg

Sodium - 450 mg/540 mg

Dietary Fiber – 1g/1g

Protein – 7g/9g

Score for Krispy Kreme.  No purchase necessary to get your free doughnut (not donut) for National Donut Day, Friday June 5th.  The Dunkin’ free deal is with a beverage purchase.  Dunkin’ Donuts has a lot of lovers of their coffee so I don’t see it being a big issue.