Over the years there’s been quite a few strange rumors and scary stories regarding the roast beef served at Arby’s. The most common of these tall-tales would have us believe the meat is not “real”. Some have said it’s made from a mixture of powder and beef drippings (fat or grease), others claim it arrives in the form of a gelatinous blob, and transformed into a solid substance by heating, or using chemicals and additives. All of these are false. It’s not imitation meat. It’s very real. Enough of the silliness.

That being said, I suppose one could argue the quality of the beef is not the highest, but we’re talking about mass produced fast food here, not a plate of prime rib at a fancy restaurant. You’ve got to keep things in perspective, and this is perfectly good, tender and tasty roast beef. It won’t impress those with an appetite for the finer things in life, but it will definitely satisfy fast food eaters looking for a quick fix.

If you haven’t eaten at Arby’s before, or it’s been a while, this is a good time to pay them a visit because the Beef ‘n Cheddar sandwiches are on sale, 2 for $4.

No regular burger bun here, instead it’s a toasted onion roll that’s fairly big and thick. It’s firm and maintains it’s shape while being eaten, unlike some lighter breads that collapse and flatten once you grab them and take a bite. The flavor of toasted onion pieces on the top is a very nice compliment to the beef and cheese, but it’s not strong enough that people who dislike onions will be bothered by it.

The roast beef is sliced very thin, and it’s tender enough to almost melt in your mouth. It has a good flavor, is lightly seasoned with a bit of salt and cooked in what Arby’s calls a self-basting solution that keeps the meat juicy and moist. Large pieces of beef are roasted on-site for 3 hours before cooling and heading to the slicer. Topping the beef is a thick cheddar cheese sauce. I’m not a fan of most ‘liquid’ cheese, but this is quite tasty, and has never played tricks on my stomach like so many others.

Finally, the bottom of the onion roll is coated with Arby’s red sauce. The ingredients list actually calls it “Red Ranch Dressing” however it doesn’t contain any mayonnaise, buttermilk or sour cream, so don’t let the name fool you. I’m not a fan of mayo, and you would never catch me eating this if it actually resembled ranch dressing in any way. The sauce is made from tomato paste with spices including paprika, onion and garlic. It’s mild but still has a little kick to it. Arby’s says it’s “zesty”. Sounds right to me.

The Beef ‘n Cheddar sandwich from Arby’s is a winner, mixing the classic flavors of roasted beef and cheddar cheese, with a light spicy undertone, packed inside a nice tasty roll. I’ve been eating these since I was a kid, and except for the occasional store who’s quality and preparation was below average, they’ve not disappointed me.

Price: 2 for $4 / Website: Arbys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A-

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Nutrition Facts - Arby’s Beef ‘n Cheddar Sandwich.

Calories - 445
Calories from Fat - 185
Total Fat - 20 grams
Carbs - 44 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 1.5 grams
Cholesterol - 51 milligrams
Sodium - 1275 milligrams
Protein - 22 grams

“Hold the Mayo” - or in this case - “Hold the Chipotle-Flavored Mayo.”

That’s the most important piece of advice I could give about purchasing this sandwich from Schlotzsky’s Deli. After having it both ways, I can tell you the dry path is the happy path. Unless of course you’re a fan of funky flavored mayonnaise, in which case you can leave it on. However, since you won’t be needing all that roast beef due to the creepy orange sauce drowning out it’s flavor, perhaps I can take some off your hands.

But first, let’s start with the great bun. Schlotzsky’s bakes the sourdough bread fresh in store, every day. This freshness is evident the moment you smell, see or touch it. This is the type bread you could eat plain, on it’s own. I would love to have a batch of these rolls at home to build my own custom sandwich creations. Granted, I like sourdough bread to begin with, so those who aren’t fans probably won’t be nearly as excited.

Stacked inside the tasty, chewy roll are generous layers of Angus Roast Beef. The meat is lean, shaved thin and so tender it almost melts in your mouth. There is a nice smokey flavor, and the smell will hit you before the taste, as soon as you remove the paper deli wrap. The aroma of freshly baked sourdough and smokey roast beef might seem surreal if you’re only accustomed to burgers and nuggets. This is still a ‘chain’ restaurant and mass meal production, make no mistake about it, but the quality and freshness of ingredients comes closer to a hometown deli than average fast food.

I was happy to get some charred blackened crusty edges from the giant roasted slab my slices had come from. It was a pleasant, edgy reminder this is real beef, and not some meat-product or loaf. On top of the thick stack of beef are several thin strips of bacon. Despite tasting good, they have never been ‘crispy’ as advertised. I have eaten the sandwich 4 times in total, at 3 different locations, so I’m not sure what’s going on. Heat and moisture of the warm beef, bun and cheese will soften bacon, but that hasn’t prevented many other types of sandwiches and burgers from maintaining some crispness. The bacon on this sandwich is rather limp and soggy, but it’s not enough to hurt the overall experience too much. Still, crispy bacon would be much better.

Chunks and crumbled bits of smoked cheddar cheese melting above-and-below the meat assure that no bite escapes without it’s fair share. The cheese was natural and had an excellent flavor. After so many weak ‘blends’ and shredded cheese-products lately, it’s worth the extra cost for something better. Good beef - good cheese.

Finally, the chipotle-flavored mayonnaise. Ech! Awful. It ruins the sandwich. I have no idea why somebody would take all the wonderful, natural flavors of fresh sourdough, roast beef, smokey cheddar, and then assault them with goops of flavored sauce. It’s a standard ingredient on the sandwich, and they put it on both sides of the bun, so you must request they “hold” it. Now you understand why the review started that way.

The Bacon Beefy Smokecheesy from Schlotzsky’s is very good, but comes with a few caveats. Avoid the orange mayo. The bacon is disappointing. And $6 is a bit pricey. But you get what you pay for — A large sandwich, with large portions of good quality ingredients. In a world where much of the fast-food we consume is over-processed and confusing, grabbing a simple sandwich with big hunks of meat and cheese helps to make sense of it all. A few issues keep this one from reaching ‘awesome’ status.

Price: $5.79 / Website: Schlotzskys.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

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Nutrition Facts - Schlotzsky’s Deli, Bacon Beefy Smokecheesy Sandwich.

The company has not published the nutritional information for this product. This sandwich is from a line they call “featured” and “limited time”. Fast Food Critic makes a point to post the nutrition facts with every food review, and will update this once Schlotzsky’s Deli releases that information.

Does a pizza priced cheap as dirt — taste like dirt? Today I discovered the answer.

I’m talking about Domino’s highly publicized 444 promotion. That’s 3 pizzas for $4 each, a total of $12. The pizzas are 10-inch one-topping pies. I ordered a variety, one with Pepperoni, one with Grilled Chicken and one Beef. Nothing else added, no extras. Just the basic advertised deal of $12. I used Domino’s website and ordered online.

My order arrived at my doorstep 24 minutes after being placed at their website. That’s impressive for my part of town. The entire online component of their service is solid and well developed. The pizzas arrived hot, fresh, and on-time. I invited a friend over to eat dinner, and share in the bounty of cheap food that Domino’s had prepared.

Opening the boxes, I was greeted by three small but attractive pizzas. I expected stripped-down naked looking pies, but they had some decent sized meat toppings. They looked to have a fair amount of cheese, but there was more crust than anything.

First I tried a slice of the Pepperoni. It seemed to have the most toppings of all. Whether that’s by design, or just the luck of the draw today, I don’t know. The meat was flavorful with a fair amount of pepperoni punch, and some were cooked so the edges were slightly crisp. The cheese was OK, but it didn’t have much flavor. I also realized there was less than I first thought. It was thicker towards the center of the pie, but much thinner towards the outer portions. The same can be said for the sauce, which is reduced dramatically as you move out from the middle. And since these are small pies, you get small slices — 2 or 3 good bites, and you’re left with the outer crust.

I can see where a few corners have been cut to make this deal so affordable, but it hasn’t diminished my overall satisfaction with the frugal purchase. The sacrifices are only with the size of the pie itself, and amount of toppings, not the quality.

The Beef and Chicken pies were pretty good, but had less flavor. That’s probably because the pepperoni has more flavor to begin with, and also out-numbered the other two toppings. There were some nice little chunks of the grilled chicken, and I was pleased to find they had the taste and texture of real diced meat from solid pieces, instead of mashed up parts. The quality of the toppings appears to be the same as their regular pizzas — you just get less of them. That makes sense.

The crust was tasty and remained chewy and soft, even on the very edges where it got slightly burnt. It was a solid foundation, especially considering the price. The tomato sauce was the weakest part of the experience for me. It was thin and it didn’t have much kick or flavor. It wasn’t bad sauce, it was just bland.

The $4 Pizza and Domino’s 444 Deal is a good overall value. The pies are small, and the toppings are light, but there’s still plenty of pizza eating enjoyment to be found. Instead of trying to compare these to a more expensive full-size pie, just think of them as large fancy bread-sticks with pizza toppings. It’s a lot of food, and not a lot of money. Hot, freshly baked, decent tasting little pizzas delivered to your front door for $4 each. Looking at the grand scheme of things, that’s got to be considered a winner.

Price: $12 for 3 Pizzas ($4 each) / Website: Dominos.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

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This product is new, Domino’s has not published nutrition information yet, but I contacted them and got facts for the 10-inch $4 Pepperoni. Thanks Stacey!

Nutrition Facts - Domino’s 10″ Pepperoni, Per-Serving (Slice)

Calories - 210
Calories from Fat - 80
Total Fat - 8 grams
Carbs - 25 grams
Saturated Fat - 3.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 15 milligrams
Sodium - 480 milligrams