Onion Rings from a Chicken place? Yep, and they’re great!

You knew I wasn’t going to stop with those awesome Cajun Fries, and it just so happens Popeye’s also serves terrific onion rings. They’re not a regular menu item, and not all stores have them. Count your blessings if your local restaurant is one that does. I prefer these crunchy rings of onions to those at Whataburger, and their every bit as good as the Sonic versions I’m very fond of. They are coated with a thick batter which flakes away and crumbles with each bite. It’s a tasty mixture, plus it has a little something extra — a trace of the mild cajun spices from their other foods.

The onions are cut thin to medium-thick, perfect in my opinion for sweet flavor without being overpowering. They’re firm and juicy inside, not slimy. Despite being frozen, I’d swear they taste as fresh and flavorful as Sonic’s made from scratch rings.

Sizes generally range from large to extra large. Popeye’s even numbers the rings in each order, 6-piece or 10-piece. I’m not accustomed to seeing onion rings counted and labeled in such a way, like chicken pieces, but that’s not a problem. These are clearly a high quality product, and cost more to produce than some other options available. Each circle of crunchy, sweet, spicy onion goodness has value and worth in this system. You have to respect that. They’re proud of their rings.

The Onion Rings from Popeye’s are fantastic. I’m happily surprised. A chicken place is not where I typically expect to find onion rings, much less such delicious ones. It’s rare to see a chain who does both Fries and Rings so well. Good work Popeye’s.

Price: $1.99 (6-piece) / Website: Popeyes.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Popeye’s Onion Rings.

The company has not published nutrition information for this item. Fast Food Critic makes a point to supply the nutrition facts with with each review, and will update this once the info is available.

Popeye’s is often overshadowed by fast food chicken giant KFC. With 11,000+ stores compared to only 1,800 for Popeye’s, it’s no wonder. But while they finish a distant second in the numbers game, their neck and neck on quality. The menus and flavors are distinctively different, but the smaller chain based in New Orleans can hold it’s own against the Colonel, and in some cases win. One example is fries.

KFC has potato wedges which are decent enough, but they are too thick and soft to be eaten like regular fries. Popeye’s wins this category hands down, but not just because their fries are more typical in size and shape. They win because their Cajun Battered variety of the classic potato side order is delicious and awesomely satisfying.

Perhaps the most flavorful non-curly fries on the fast food market. The potatoes are cut medium-thin, and the skins are left on. The batter is put on thick, and loaded with mild spices. A freshly cooked order has the perfect balance of crispy tasty coating outside with tender warm potato inside. They definitely come closer to french fry nirvana than anything I expected from a chicken place. Indeed — damn good fries!

Seasoned fries don’t always work too well with ketchup or sauces, but these do. The flavor is terrific on it’s own, and it doesn’t need anything else, but it’s not so strong that it prevents other flavors from joining in the fun. It’s spicy, but mild and subtle.

I attempted to find out what exact seasoning is used, but they won’t tell me. I’m sure there’s garlic, pepper and paprika, but that’s where my search hit the magic ingredient simply known as “spices”. They aren’t about to give away the secret recipe, and of course that’s to be expected. I must remind myself of the line which exists between good journalism and being a nosy pain in the rear. I’m just here to review food.

The Cajun Battered Fries from Popeye’s are excellent. They’re delicious alone, and they also get along nicely with ketchup and BBQ sauce. But once you eat the first one, it’s rare the others last long enough to worry about choosing a dipping partner.

Price: $1.69 / Website: Popeyes.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Popeye’s Cajun Battered Fries.

Calories - 310
Calories from Fat - N/A
Total Fat - 17 grams
Carbs - 35 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 1.0 grams
Cholesterol - 7 milligrams
Sodium - 660 milligrams
Protein - 4 grams

When you offer something called “Toaster Sandwiches” using extra thick sliced bread (aka: Texas Toast) it’s important you get the toasted part down. Otherwise you end up with big thick soggy bread, and it’s a turn-off. Over a period of 2 weeks, I’ve tried these breakfast sandwiches at four different Sonic locations, and all but one had the same disappointing result. Look folks, it’s not that good a sandwich to begin with, so when you can’t even toast the bread properly, it makes a big negative impact.

Anyway… moving on. The sausage patties are OK, about on average with many of the fast food breakfast competition. The egg is good, but it’s not asking much to get a decent egg for breakfast. Then again, I thought the same thing about toast. The slice of American cheese sits between the egg and sausage, melting between them and creating a nice cheesy flavor with each bite. It also bonds them together.

The inside of this sandwich would greatly benefit from a properly toasted outside. As it stands, the bread is too soft, and feels like something that I just took out of a plastic supermarket package. Of course I would never use such thick bread in the first place unless it was toasted, and I really don’t think Sonic intends to either. It seems that some employees are just not paying attention, or they don’t know any better.

Imagine biting into a crisp, golden brown toasty bread. Perhaps like this picture of the sandwiches on Sonic’s website. That would be great. That’s how it should be.

After all, this is not a case of exaggerated food photography where the burgers look bigger, vegetables look fresher, and so on. It’s just toast. Come on!

Apparently, they do place the bread over (or thru) some type of heat before serving, so technically speaking it’s toasted, but I would like to refer Sonic and their employees to this page at Wikipedia which explains what toast is, and includes pictures of un-toasted VS toasted bread. Hopefully between that page, and the picture on Sonic’s own website, they can figure it out. Big, thick, plain un-toasted white bread is NOT very appetizing, and it overwhelms the flavors of the other ingredients. My “toast” would have been better with a Bic lighter held underneath it for a few seconds.

The Breakfast Toaster Sandwich from Sonic is not bad, however it suffers from the bread issue, and it’s overall taste is nothing above average. Most fast food places have a version of sausage, egg and cheese. Some use biscuits. Some use buns. Others wrap it up in a tortilla. I was excited about a Texas Toast version, and felt it had a chance to stand out. Unfortunately there was only 1 sandwich delivered to me with the bread toasted beyond the slightest little bit. As expected, it was better that way, and I’m sure it’s the way Sonic intends for the sandwich to be served. I think somebody at corporate needs to create a “Toast 101″ class and get it started ASAP.

Price: $2.19 / Website: SonicDriveIn.com

Fast Food Critic Score: C-

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Nutrition Facts - Sonic Breakfast Toaster, Sausage, Egg and Cheese.

Calories - 630
Calories from Fat - 350
Total Fat - 39 grams
Carbs - 46 grams
Saturated Fat - 13 grams
Trans Fat - 1.5 grams
Cholesterol - 340 milligrams
Sodium - 1380 milligrams
Protein - 23 grams

A couple weeks ago I reviewed the limited time Southwest version of Wendy’s Chicken Caesar Salad, and it was excellent. That item is gone from the regular menu now, but hopefully will return again soon. I will keep you posted. Meanwhile, Wendy’s has made a change to their entire salad line, and I’m happy to report it’s a good one.

What’s new? The chicken. Imagine my delight as I witnessed a Wendy’s employee grab a whole grilled filet and then slice it right on the spot, and place it on the bed of lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. There is no more pre-cubed pieces of meat added ahead of time, resulting in cold chicken. Now it’s warm and freshly sliced.

They place the filet on top with the slices grouped together still forming the shape of the solid hunk they once were. There’s something about this presentation method that really appeals to me. I can see exactly how much chicken I’m getting, and can choose to mix it up, or leave it on the side. Plus, when you’re a burger and taco guy eating a salad, it makes you feel better to have that big pile of meat sitting there.

Warm versus Cold. The cold chicken from previous salads was not a problem. It was tasty and refreshing. I wouldn’t necessarily call the warm chicken better, just different. The salad takes on a new character when the temperatures combine. In a way similar to eating a hamburger or chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, the contrast of warm meat and cold crisp veggies is a treat for the senses.

The regular menu Chicken Caesar continues the satisfying experience started by the Southwest version. The romaine lettuce is crisp and fresh. The tomatoes are plump and ripe, and the shredded Parmesan cheese is delicious. The warm chicken is moist and juicy, lightly seasoned with a mild natural flavor. It’s not as fancy as it’s limited time cousin, and lacks the spicy kick, but it’s still a mighty good salad.

As always, the dressing and croutons are served on the side, in individual packets. This keeps them fresh, and allows you to control the amount and manner in which they are distributed. The “Supreme Caesar” salad dressing comes from Marzetti. It’s natural and contains no preservatives. It’s good dressing, though not anything special. The croutons also come from the same company, and are quite tasty. I could eat the crunchy little garlic bread pieces as a stand-alone snack. Sometimes I do.

The Chicken Caesar Salad from Wendy’s is very good. The new serving and delivery method of the chicken is a nice change. I still prefer the bolder flavors and spicy kick of the Southwest version, but this is a solid alternative and worthy of my $5.

Price: $4.99 / Website: Wendys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B+

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Nutrition Facts - Wendy’s Chicken Caesar Salad.

Calories - 490
Calories from Fat - 300
Total Fat - 33 grams
Carbs - 20 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 0.5 grams
Cholesterol - 110 milligrams
Sodium - 1200 milligrams
Protein - 31 grams

I like Arby’s but I’m not a fan of this particular side item. These deep fried triangles of potato look tasty enough at first glance, but it turns out they are very bland and unsatisfying. They taste like baked potato topping, without the potato. That doesn’t make sense, but that’s the problem. The potato filling lacks flavor, and the cheese and bacon that are supposed to compliment it aren’t able to fulfill their end of the bargain. Even the breading was a let down, failing to live up to it’s attractive outward appearance. The bacon pieces are OK when you get one. The cheese is not very tasty or cheesy, and it seems the amount of each ingredient is just enough to ensure that nothing stands out and everything blends together to create — bland mashed potatoes stuffed inside a pretty shell. I was ready to love these, but I am completely underwhelmed and unimpressed. I can’t see myself ordering them again, or having the desire to eat more. That’s the bottom line.

The Loaded Potato Bites from Arby’s are too bland for my taste. After eating them on multiple occasions, that impression has not changed. When eating at Arby’s I will be sticking to their awesome seasoned curly fries as my potato side order of choice.

Price: $2.59 / Website: Arbys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: D

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Nutrition Facts - Arby’s Loaded Potato Bites, 5 piece.

Calories - 353
Calories from Fat - 199
Total Fat - 22 grams
Carbs - 27 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 0.5 grams
Cholesterol - 13 milligrams
Sodium - 800 milligrams
Protein - 11 grams

McDonald’s USA has launched a national casting call inviting all consumers to submit a video or audio remix of the popular Big Mac chant. The winning remix will be featured in a new McDonald’s Big Mac commercial that will air at the end of July. Semi-finalists will be selected by a panel of judges and the winner will be chosen through an online voting system July 22. The only requirement is that you use the famous phrase “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” They have even prepared an audio kit with beats, loops and sounds you can download and use.

Visit MySpace.com/BigMacChant to learn more and get started.

I’ve been eating fried okra since I was a young kid. Growing up in the south, it was a regular side dish. My grandmother made it often. Her mother made it too. My Mom didn’t make it, but went ate plenty together when we dined out. I probably would have never touched the stuff had it not been deep fried with tasty breading. The only green things I would eat as a kid were beans or peas. I’m sure glad they got me to try it, because I loved it, and it remains one of my favorite vegetables today.

The biggest problem with fried okra — locating some. It’s rare in the fast food world. At the time of this writing, Church’s is the only chain I recall that currently offers it besides Grandy’s. If anybody reading this is aware of others, please let me know.

The fact of the matter, lots of people don’t even know what okra is. And all these years later I won’t come near it myself unless it’s breaded and fried. A few quick facts: Okra is a flowering plant that comes from the same family as cotton and cocoa, and produces a green edible fruit. When this fruit is still young, it’s harvested and eaten as a vegetable, boiled, steamed, pickled and fried. It’s also chopped for soups, rice, seasoning, and the leaves get used in salads.

All this from a plant my brother calls “Alien” and most of my friends wouldn’t eat unless they were starving. The weird appearance bothers people. It’s covered with hairy strands on the outside, and the inside is an odd pentagon shape with seeds that look like tiny white balls. Finding a solution for this strange look was easy in the South. Cover it with breading, and deep fry it. That’s what we do with everything.

What does it taste like? That’s a tough question. This is the first time I’ve had trouble thinking of a description for food. I called my friends that also enjoy fried okra and asked them to describe the taste. They also drew a blank. The only things that came from the conversations were “fried asparagus” or “fried green beans” but we agreed that neither was accurate. Okra is a real challenge to explain.

It’s not a strong flavor. It’s light and mellow. It tastes veggie-like and you know you’re eating something green, but it’s hard to pinpoint. Not quite asparagus, zucchini, or green beans, but not completely different. Perhaps a combination of the three.

The texture of the okra is soft and tender inside. Being deep fried keeps the center from becoming slimy, a problem that boiled and pickled okra can often suffer. In the case of Grandy’s, the outside is covered with a medium thick breading. Each piece is evenly coated, golden brown and only a small peek of green showing thru occasional cracks in the tasty shell. It’s not crunchy, but it’s crisp and chewy.

The Fried Okra from Grandy’s is very good. It has the right balance of crisp breading and soft tender veggie center. It’s not as good as my Grandmother used to make, but it’s satisfying and enjoyable. Fans of fried okra will definitely be happy.

Price: $1.39 side, or plated meal option / Website: Grandys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Grandy’s Fried Okra.

Calories - 235
Calories from Fat - 90
Total Fat - 10 grams
Carbs - 32 grams
Saturated Fat - N/A
Trans Fat - N/A
Cholesterol - 0 milligrams
Sodium - 582 milligrams
Protein - 5 grams

This will be my shortest review yet. There’s just not much to say about Grandy’s corn. It’s OK, about like any quality frozen or canned variety. There’s nothing special about it, and no particular flavor or seasoning that sets it apart, though it does have a slightly sweet taste. It’s corn. It’s hard to mess up corn. At the same time, it’s difficult to stand out from the crowd. Still, it’s a wholesome, healthier pick than french fries.

Grandy’s Corn won’t excite anybody, but it tastes fine. It’s a worthy side dish for their big and tasty chicken fried chicken. They tend to drain the corn fairly well before dishing it up, so there’s not much liquid. You get lots of kernels without any extra corny soup. Depending on your preference, that may or may not be a good thing.

Price: $1.39 side, or plated meal option / Website: Grandys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: C+

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Nutrition Facts - Grandy’s Corn.

Calories - 91
Calories from Fat - 9
Total Fat - 1 grams
Carbs - 17 grams
Saturated Fat - N/A
Trans Fat - N/A
Cholesterol - 0 milligrams
Sodium - 133 milligrams
Protein - 3 grams

Grandy’s chicken-fried-chicken is BIG. Definitely one of the largest single pieces of chicken you can find at a fast food chain. The appropriately named “Texas Size” piece of meat is a butterfly cut whole chicken breast. What does that mean? Instead of cutting the breast in half (like most filets you find on sandwiches), or into strips or nuggets, they slice the whole breast partially thru and unfold the meat to create a single large butterfly shape. A whole chicken breast is very thick, and this process helps meat to cook evenly. And by keeping things in tact, you get one big hunk.

The coating is not crunchy, it’s soft and bread-like, with only the outer edges getting slightly chewy. It’s dotted with large specks of black pepper. The chicken inside is moist, plump and juicy, with all the flavor and character I would expect from fresh natural chicken, even though they’re cut and frozen at a central location, then shipped to each store. Every piece is a different shape and slightly different size. A reminder you are eating something prepared by human hands, not formed by a machine.

They are topped with Grandy’s white cream gravy. It’s the same gravy used on their mashed potatoes and regular chicken-fried-steaks. Thick and creamy, with more black pepper and a trace of beef flavor. Delicious, albeit starchy.

Grandy’s does not publish nutrition information, but the official size of this piece of chicken is said to be 10 ounces. I can tell you first hand, many are bigger. I’ve had some where it’s difficult to keep the lid of the container shut because it’s bulging out both sides. I could slice it in half, and make two full sized chicken sandwiches.

Imagine your favorite chicken filet. Double it’s size, then bread it, deep fry, cover with gravy and treat it like a chicken-fried-steak. Except it’s chicken. Got it? Then get it.

Grandy’s Texas Size Chicken Fried Chicken is wonderful. It’s a taste and flavor that’s different than your typical fast food. It comes served as a dinner plate, with your choice of two vegetables and a fresh baked roll. In today’s case it was Fried Okra (very good) and Corn (average). I also plan to review those, and the other choices separately, including Green Beans, Corn, Fried Okra, Seasoned Rice, Mashed Potatoes, and Baked Beans. I’ve already reviewed the rolls. They’re great. At a cost of $7.29 this is expensive by fast food standards, but keep in mind it’s a complete meal.

Price: $7.29 — Website: Grandys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Grandy’s Texas Size Chicken Fried Chicken.

The company has not published nutrition information for this item. Fast Food Critic makes a point to supply the nutrition facts with with each review, and will update this once the info is available.

You have to wait until next week to pick up your free tacos at Jack In The Box, but you can visit the Fast Food Maven today, and hear an exclusive interview with the man himself, Mr. Jack Box. That’s right, the Maven recently had a live phone conversation with the legendary fast food icon, and we’re all invited to listen in. Check it out.

This just in from the Jack In The Box Newsroom — SAN DIEGO. If filling up your fuel tank is draining your wallet, Jack in the Box is here to help ease your gas-pump pain. On Thursday, June 26, Jack in the Box restaurants will give two free (yes, free!) regular tacos to any guest who presents a gas receipt. “The rising price of fuel is really putting the pinch on consumers” said Terri Graham, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Jack in the Box Inc. “Giving away free tacos is our way of letting guests know that Jack’s got their back in these tough economic times.”

What: Jack in the Box restaurants will give away two free tacos to guests who present a valid gas receipt. Limit of one order of tacos per guest. No purchase necessary. Duplicates or copies will not be accepted.

When: Thursday, June 26, from midnight to 11:59 p.m.

Where: All participating Jack in the Box restaurants.

Editor’s Note — There’s no catch. Just show up with an original receipt from a recent gasoline purchase (any gas station) and get 2 Free Tacos. Simple as that.