Thursday, October 27, 2011

New to Us

Place: Burger King
Lunch: BK Chef's Choice Burger, BK Mushroom Swiss Topper, BK Deluxe Cheeseburger Topper, Dr Pepper

Elderly Counter Guy (who is, by far, the most professional looking person I've ever seen manning the counter at any area BK) takes my order.  "I assume this is to go?" he asks.

"No, here," I reply.

He replies with a look of bemusement.

I'm not really going to eat three burgers, especially when one of them has a 5.5 ounce patty.  I'm just going to sample them.  They're new, I don't come here much, and I'm in the mood for veriety.  Stop looking at me like that, elderly counter guy.

The BK Toppers have 3.2 ounce beef patties and are available in Mushroom & Swiss, Western BBQ, and Deluxe Cheeseburger varieties.  The Western BBQ is basically the old Rodeo Cheeseburger with a thicker patty.  The Mushroom & Swiss is just what you're thinking.  The Deluxe Cheeseburger is topped the same way the Big King was (BK's Big Mac ripoff).

Or, at least, it's supposed to be topped that way.

Mine didn't have the thousand island dressing.  It had mayo.  And you know what?  It totally worked that way.

So thanks for screwing that up for me, BK.  You may have unintentionally made a better sandwich.

The Mushroom & Swiss was just dreadful.  BK's new energy efficient charbroilers have a side effect of making their burgers taste TOO charbroiled, and the burger toppings here only emphasised that.  It also gave me the impression that BK is actually seasoning their patties with a whole lot of sodium.  Maybe the new charbroiling takes AWAY flavor and they're compensating?

The BK Chef's Choice is a 5.5 ounce thick patty they claim is "made with USDA certified ground chuck seasoned with salt and pepper" (other burgers just say "seasoned beef") and topped with "a thick slice of American cheese, naturally-smoked thick cut bacon, Fresh cut romaine lettuce, red onions and ripe tomatoes, (and) our original grill sauce on an artisan bun."

Jeepers.

I'll give BK credit, it actually comes off as a premium burger and it's pretty good.  And that slice of cheese IS thicker.  But for $4.99, couldn't you have used a nice thick slice of cheddar?

We're finally getting a Whole Foods Market in town.  It's a small one going into part of an old Best Buy space.  Best Buy built a new smaller store in the other part of their existing space and some neighboring empty space.  The Whole Foods construction is an extreme makeover...they gutted the remaining space and demolished the front and side walls.  The new side wall framing is up and things appear to be progressing nicely.

We are also finally getting a Noodles & Company.  We must be the last area on the planet to get them.

Five Guys, who have also built every Midwestern community around us in recent years (even ones half the size), was supposedly coming too, but the "coming soon" information on their website store locator has been removed, and the address they previously had listed is otherwise occupied with a tenant who doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

I'm not really a Five Guys fan anyway.

But I would love a Which Wich.