Posted on 11/20/2008 5:10:10 PM PST by Coleus
Steak or salmon? Try Big Mac or Gordita. The high-end restaurant business is bracing itself for a slowdown as customers opt to save instead of spend.
Thats good news for fast-food chains like McDonalds. In October, sales at the Golden Arches jumped 8.2% globally, thanks in part to their budget-friendly dollar menu. But how far can your dollar go when it comes to taste?
We asked Zach Brooks, editor of SeriousEatsNewYork.com and founder of MidtownLunch.com, to taste-test the best deals at five fast-food chains with outlets throughout the five boroughs, and dish on his findings.
KFC
I love fried chicken. The food here seems the most like real food of any of the other places, but the meal deals are also the most expensive.
Best deal: KFC Strip Snacker, with honey barbecue, $1.99, 270 calories
The BBQ sauce is sugary sweet, but at least you feel like youre eating real chicken. It shouldnt be a surprise that the best fast-food chicken Ive tasted is at KFC, but I would stick with the fried stuff.
Zach's top pick: Toasted Wrap, $1.99, 340 calories
Comparing this to the BBQ Snackers or Taco Bell tacos, Id rather have the toasted wrap. Its well seasoned and crunchy, and I can taste the salt and pepper. I felt like they might even have wrapped it and grilled it fresh, even though thats a slight possibility.
Skip this: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, $5.69, 520 calories
Unlike the Caesar salad at McDonalds, you wont get Paul Newman-brand dressing here. The chicken chunks are decent, but its still not a real Caesar; its the same iceberg and processed cheese you find in other fast-food restaurants. You can get a better salad at any deli in the city.
The dollar menu wasnt available in the restaurant I tested, but here you get everything for one price, notes Zach of the fast-food megalith. In a deli, for the price of a $6.50 McDonalds meal, you wouldnt get the fries and the soda thrown in.
MCDONALD'S
Best deal: Honey Mustard Crispy Chicken Snack Wrap, $1.59, 330 calories
The crispy snack wrap is reassuringly crunchy, but its not as well-seasoned as the fried chicken at KFC. The tortilla is pretty much the same as a Taco Bell tortilla. The grilled chicken is better than the grilled chicken at Taco Bell or Subway, but the barbecue sauce was an overwhelming flavor, which is fine if you love barbecue sauce.
Zach's top pick: Southern Style Crispy Chicken Sandwich, $3.57, 550 calories
Introduced a few months ago, this looks a lot like a Chick-Fil-A sandwich. Its fried chicken with pickles and the roll is buttered. Its a good mix, and with the 99-cent sweet tea, its perfect.
Skip this: Angus, Mushroom and Swiss Third Pounder, $4.09, 720 to 860 calories Its salty and cheesy, but theres a little too much bread. The bread is a little more dense than the usual McDonalds buns.
NATHAN'S
Its not going to replace the need for Coney Island, but its the only chain here that serves cheese fries. If you like frozen fries covered in fake nacho cheese, theyre delicious, but if I had my choice, Id stick with the corn dog.
Best deal: Hot Dog, $2.59, 297 calories
The breads not that great, it tasted a little stale. But the hot dog is pretty good. They grill them, which always tastes better than boiling them. But the truth is, you can get one on any streetcorner for half the price.
Zach's top pick: Corn Dog, $1.89, 380 calories
This is definitely the reason to come to a Nathans. Its cheaper than the hot dog, it tastes better, and its not something you can get in many places these days. You cant fault anyone with putting a hot dog on a stick, dipping it in corn batter and deep-frying it.
Skip this: Kenny Rogers Crispy Chicken Tenders Sandwich, $4, 706 calories
Its fried chicken, but you can tell the difference between this and the better-seasoned fried chicken at KFC. They use a Thousand Island kind of Russian dressing here, so it tastes a little different, but I dont know why youd go to Nathans to get fried chicken.
TACO BELL
It doesnt hold a candle to real Mexican food, but the thing I like about Taco Bell is that their tortillas are good and they fresh-press their wraps. People think that things are less fattening than they really are because a calorie range is posted, instead of one value, but its almost impossible to order anything in the low end of the range once you start adding cheese and sauces.
Best deal: Crunchy Chicken Taco $1.49, 150-270 calories
The crispy taco shell is tasty, and the chicken tastes seasoned, plus Taco Bell is the only place you can get the sour cream and hot sauce.
Zach's top pick: Chicken Gordita Supreme, $3.51, 290-350 calories
Even if you dont like Taco Bell, the Chicken Gordita Supreme doesnt have any of the scary ground beef or refried beans that put a lot of people off. Nothing in here is fried. Theres nothing here thats offensive, its just chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream. If you look at the low-fat menu, it follows the same principle.
Skip this: Crunchy Ground Beef Taco, $1.49, 150-270 calories
Im not really a fan of the ground beef or the refried beans, its just really processed. You can tell that none of it was made fresh.
SUBWAY
If you want cheap and you want healthy, Subway is one of the best choices. The $5 foot-long is genius. Its probably the most food for the least amount of money, and the bread is better than any of the other fast-food chains, but the more you add to it, the more youre piling on the calories. Basically, the tastier it sounds, the more fattening its going to be.
Best deal: Toasted Grilled Chicken Foot-Long Sub on Honey Wheat Bread, $5, 620 calories
For people who think they like Subway and want to try a grilled-chicken sandwich, what we ate was terrible. It tastes and looks to me like fake reconstituted chicken. For a healthier choice, keep it simple with the roast beef or the turkey sliced deli meats.
Zach's top pick: Toasted Meatball Marinara Foot-Long Sub on Italian Bread, $5, 1,720 calories
Whats bad about bread with cheese and garlic on top? I like my bread soft, so this is good its definitely better than the Taco Bell bread. Youd expect to pay $6 or $7 for real meatballs made fresh on the premises, so its cheap, too.
Skip this: Philly Cheese Steak Foot-Long Sub, $7.86, 1,040 calories
The fat guy in me wants a Philly cheese steak sub, but it costs almost $8. Why would you get anything other than the $5 foot-long?
Nathan's Famous
I likes fried chicken but it don’t likes me.
The reviewer must not have actually tried the cruncht ground beef taco, becasue it doesn’t have refried beans on it. He obviously doesn’t eat beef in the first place, so how can he review fast food?
The best deal in fast food is the Burger King Whopper Jr. Sesame bun, mayo, and lettuce and tomato. Pickle, too. 99 cents in my town.
Best fast food restaurant, IMO, is Chipotle. Yum! If there wasn’t one near my house, I would move to where there was one. The one by where I live serves margaritas. Real margaritas, for 3.50 each. OMG! They are fantastic!
Jack in the Box is pretty good for variety. The chicken fajita pita is the bomb. Wendy’s is rather boring, but they have decent chili and actual baked potatoes. Still better than McDonalds, regardless of the price. I don’t know about Carl’s Jr./Hardees, I stopped eating there long ago because I hate their commercials. I’m still boycotting after 12 years.
Introduced a few months ago, this looks a lot like a Chick-Fil-A sandwich. Its fried chicken with pickles and the roll is buttered. Its a good mix, and with the 99-cent sweet tea, its perfect.
Mmmmmmm....
(FAST) Foodie Ping!!!!
Seems they’re on a roll tonight -— literally :)
I like Subway, but my favorite fast food lunch is Chic-Fil-A.
McDonald’s Southern Crispy Chicken sandwich and the similar one they now have at KFC are poor imitations of Chick-Fil-A.
Arby's Beef 'n' Cheddar
Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande
KFC Famous Bowl
The best deals are:
Double Cheeseburger (or hamburger) for one buck at McDonald’s. Also McDonald’s side salad for a buck is really good, with a great Creamy French dressing (Paul Newman’s) or Italian dressing, both are great. Don’t forget to ask for croutons! Also cheap and good are Burger King’s Whopper Jr. for one buck.
These are the real deal
Is that at Denny’s Beer Barrel in PA?
Upstate NY ping!
Hoffman’s also makes a white hot dog which is really good—especially when you get them at Heid’s in Liverpool, NY
Yes! How did you know??
Seriously, I have no idea.
I second that nomination of In-N-Out! I am in Georgia and my mouth is watering just reading your post! No one make fries like In-N-Out! I cannot wait to get home.
I’m celebrating’ cuz Obama in da white house.
Here's Kate taking care of business:
What’s ‘animal style’?
With cheese, carmelized onions, tomatoes, and special sauce.
I-N-O does not use frozen beef...and they do not use frozen french fries...but the freshly peeled Idaho kind that they cook fresh.
That’s the best description I can give...I hope you can get to do some first hand research.
Enjoy!
Five Guys hamburgers are too dry for me but the fries are really good.
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