Review: Burger King - Chicken Tenders

Burger King's version of the chicken nugget is called the Chicken Tender. I tried it recently off of Burger King's value menu at four pieces for $1. The tenders are breaded and lightly seasoned rather than battered like McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. While the chicken tender comes in a interesting crown shape, the meat itself is quite thin and, as a result, was dried out from the deep frying.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger

I tried Carl's Jr.'s Bacon Ranch Cheeseburger because it was 99 cents and a limited-time item. I have to say it was very blah. It features a charbroiled beef patty, two slices of bacon, a slice of swiss cheese, an onion ring, and ranch dressing. It was pretty bland.

Review: Green Burrito - Beef Taco

I was always curious about the Green Burrito growing up but I never actually tried it and then the local Green Burrito closed. It wasn't until recently that I finally tried it when I walked into a Carl's Jr... Apparently, CKE Restaurants, Inc., the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's , bought out the Green Burrito in 2001. Since then they have been co-branding them with Carl's Jr restaurants so that you can get American and Mexican Fast Food under the same roof much like Yum! Brands, Inc. does with Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut.

Review: Chipotle - Chicken Burrito

Since I posted yesterday about Chipotle's Free Boo-rito Halloween Promotion yesterday, I thought I'd review the fat foil-wrapped monster today. For roughly about $6 give or take, Chipotle has a rather simple menu where you can choose from an order of tacos (soft or hard), a burrito (regular or fajita style), a burrito bowl, or a salad. The only side is chips with the option of guacamole. Unlike Baja Fresh, chips are not complimentary with your order. They do offer margaritas and beer in additions to the regular soda fountain.

One of their selling points is that their meats are "naturally raised" meaning were humanely raised free of antibiotics and growth hormones and were fed a vegetarian diet.

The Chipotle regular burrito comes in a flour tortilla with cilantro-lime rice, pinto or vegetarian black beans, meat (braised carnitas, barbacoa, adobo grilled chicken or steak) or guacamole (the vegetarian option), salsa, cheese, or sour cream. Barbacoa is slow-cooked meat, in this case, it's beef braised until tender.

I chose to go with the grilled chicken with rice and black beans and roasted chili-corn salsa. Chipotle's roasted chili-corn salsa is super great! It has a nice blend the sour tartness normally associated with salsa with the sweetness of corn and medium heat from chopped chili.

I have to say Chipotle makes a good burrito. The chicken was well-marinated and wasn't dry. All the ingredients have their own distinct flavors and are well blended when wrapped so that each bite gives you a taste of those flavors. Burrito Wrapping is important! I hate when all the ingredients are separated in the burrito and you can't get a good bite.

One note of warning that I've noticed, Chipotle food isn't very hot temperature wise and ends up being just warm when you eat it.

News: Free Boo-ritos at Chipotle on Halloween

In celebration of Halloween, on Saturday, October 31, 2009, from 6pm to close, customers who visit a Chipotle dressed up as anything Chipotle-related (wrapped in foil, a burrito, taco, etc.) will get their choice of a free burrito, order of tacos, bowl, or salad (hence the Free Boo-rito).

Photos: Ramen Arrangement: Instant Ramen with Braised Pork

Ichiban Ramen Original Flavor with Braised Pork Belly, Bean Sprouts, and Green Onions... in a pot!
And again!
Shin Ramyun with Braised Pork Belly, Poached Egg, Bean Sprouts, Green Onions, and Carrots!

Homemade Recipe: Braised Pork Belly for Ramen

Just a simple braise for pork belly to serve with ramen (goes great with instant or otherwise). Feel free to experiment to taste but I used (roughly):

• 1 pound of pork belly
• 1 part soy sauce
• 1 part mirin
• 4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 1 sprig of green onion (chopped into inches)
• 2 inches of ginger (crushed)
• sesame oil

Trim the skin from the pork belly. Then brown the pork belly in a pan.

Mix the other ingredients in a bowl. Taste the mixture and adjust according to your tastes. (Next time, I would add more garlic and ginger and less soy sauce. It turned out a bit too salty, so keep in mind when you taste the mixture, that the it will reduce and the flavors will magnify as a result. I might also try some apple or pear juice next time.)

Put the pork belly in a pot and add the mixture. Add enough water (or you can add canned broth if you like) to surround the meat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer uncovered for about 3 hours till the meat is ready to fall apart. Add more water or broth as necessary to keep the pork belly surrounded but not covered. Slice however you like and serve.

If you want a more intense flavor, you can let the pork cool and store it in the fridge with the juices (after you strain it) overnight. This will allow you to skim the fat and let the pork absorb the juices. Freeze what you don't use and reheat to serve.

Review: KFC - Original Recipe Chicken Strips

Not too long ago, the Colonel (Sanders that is) replaced his Crispy Chicken Strips with the more seasoned Original Recipe Chicken Strips. The result? A blend of Original Recipe flavor with a more crispy batter than KFC's Original Recipe Chicken. The ones I got were juicy and chock full of Original Recipe flavor.

The downside is since it was chock full of Original Recipe flavor, it was no good for dipping. Dipping the Original Recipe Chicken Strips made them too salty. Since the regular Crispy Chicken Strips had more of a neutral flavor, it complemented the dipping sauces well. The Original Recipe Chicken Strips? Not so much.

They do however go great stuffed inside one of KFC's delectable biscuits. Mmmm... chicken in a biscuit...


KFC Store Locator

News: Free Small Breakfast and Coffee at IKEA - Sat., Oct. 10 to Mon., Oct. 12, 2009

IKEA is offering its customers who show up on Saturday, October 10th to Monday, October 12th, 2009, a free small breakfast (which includes scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon, and home fries and normally sells for 99 cents) and a free cup of coffee (also normally 99 cents).

The offer is limit one per customer and is not valid in IKEA Hicksville, IKEA Houston, and IKEA Direct. See IKEA store for details.

Review: Daphne's Greek Cafe - Gyro and French Fries

A Greek gyro, similar to the Turkish doner kebab, the Middle Eastern shawarma, and Mexican al pastor, is characterized by ground meat shaped into a chub, cooked vertically on a spit, and sliced thin for serving. Daphne's Greek Cafe makes a pretty good gyro. The meat is carved fresh off the spit to order and is wrapped with lettuce, diced red onions, sliced tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce (a yogurt sauce usually blended with cucumber and other stuff) in a soft, pillowy, warmed pita. I really enjoyed the warm pita and the veggies are pretty fresh.

The fries were decent, not memorable but okay.

Spotlight On: McDonald's Japan

With McDonald's considered by many, for better or worse, as the embodiment of the West, or rather more specifically, of American cultural imperialism abroad, it's worth taking a look at how the menu differs in other countries as McDonald's caters to its newer audiences. And so, I thought I'd taunt myself with pictures of limited-time, featured McDonald's food abroad (taken from their respective websites) that I'll probably never get a chance to try.

Review: Baja Fresh - Mexican Torta

Baja Fresh has their own version of a Mexican Torta (i.e. sandwich) with grilled seasoned chicken, leafy lettuce, tomatoes, and avocados on a telera roll.

I found it a bit lacking, while the roll had a good texture to it, the strips of chicken tended to shift around in the sandwich making it hard to get a good bite. Also without a sauce, cheese, or beans, which are also sometimes found in other tortas, the sandwich suffered in search of flavor although it's probably a little healthier for it.

Like most Baja Fresh Menu items, the Mexican Torta comes with chips but for the price (around 6 to 7 dollars) I wouldn't get it again.