Coralville Courier

By Mike Thayer

Cheese on cheese flavor

Taking a page out of the Wendy's playbook by incorporating cheese into the bread, Taco Bell has introduced a "Grilled Cheese" Burrito.

Wendy's kicked things up a notch in August and took a step ahead of the competition by introducing their Cheddar Bun, featured in a Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger.  You can check out that review here.  The toasted cheese on the bun has been so popular, Wendy's now features the bun in select chicken sandwiches in addition to the burger option.

It looks like an ordinary burrito on the underside, but see those hints of cheesy deliciousness?

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, so Taco Bell has flattered Wendy's by imitating that toasted cheese concept and applying it to a tortilla with their Grilled Cheese Burrito.

Here's the description from restaurant's website:  Seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, seasoned rice, red strips, creamy chipotle sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, and three-cheese blend wrapped inside a warm flour tortilla, with even more three-cheese blend grilled on the top. 

I liked the flavor the toasted cheese did for the Wendy's Bun, it wasn't picture perfect, but it was good.  Will Taco Bell's imitation also be good?

The answer is yes.

This thing is stuffed with cheesy goodness

The Grilled Cheese Burrito is cheese flavor on top of cheese flavor.  The burrito is thick, stuffed full of tasty ingredients, not skimpy on portion at all.  Every flavor in this thing combines into a wonderful bite, the cheeses, the seasoned rice, the sour cream, the red strips which despite all that cheese and warmth going on, still had some texture and crunch to them but I suspect they wouldn't have, had I had a longer drive home.  The only knock I've got on the burrito is that the seasoned beef got a bit lost in all that cheese.  I should have ordered extra.  I could say the beef to burrito ratio was a bit unbalanced, but then again, there's no such thing as too much cheese.

Costing me about $3, the Taco Bell Grilled Cheese Burrito is cheesy good, quite satisfying and very wallet friendly.  Enjoying the burrito for lunch, it will carry me to dinner.  I'm giving it 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars and it's definitely worthy of a repeat buy!  Cheese grilled into a tortilla is a very good thing.  Ordering options are available, such as steak, chicken and black bean.  I look forward to trying them all.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

Today's weather forecast and a four day outlook.  Check this page for the latest weather reports in the corridor area.  Up-to-date weather conditions for the Iowa City area are observed at the Iowa City, Iowa City Municipal Airport, IA.  For weather conditions specific to other cities outside the corridor area, just type in your zip code below.

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By Mike Thayer

Marketing Image

I saw the Applebee's commercial for the Cheetos Boneless Wings and said to myself, "Self, I have to try those!"   What's not to like?  Fried chicken and Cheetos in the breading?  It sounds like another dose of YUM!

Here's the marketing write-up on the Applebee's website: The Ultimate Collision of Flavor.  SAUCY BONELESS WINGS. CHEESY CHEETOS® GOODNESS.  Taking our Boneless Wings to the next level!  Introducing Cheetos® Boneless Wings, only at Applebee's! A tasty combination of our famous Boneless Wings and cheesy Cheetos®, they're available in both Cheetos® Original and Flamin' Hot®. Get ten saucy wings for only $9.99, and don't forget to try the Cheetos® Cheese Bites — they're available now for a limited time only.

I ordered the regular Cheetos Boneless Wings, I like heat, but opted for the regular version for this review.  My thought is, if I don't like the regular Cheetos Boneless Wings, then I most likely really wouldn't like the Flamin' Hot version.

Does NOT look like the marketing pic!

My plate was delivered within about 10 minutes, fast, fresh and hot!  But in looking at the plate and remembering the visual from the commercial on TV, I was more than a bit disappointed in the presentation.  This wasn't chicken completely covered in a generous dusting of Cheetos like in the marketing images, this was some rather roughly crushed up Cheetos randomly mixed in the regular Applebee's breading, almost like an afterthought...  as in...

Cook:  "Oh Shit, I almost forgot to toss in some Cheetos!"

The real product does NOT resemble the marketing picture....  It's not even close.  That's not a dusting of Cheetos blended in with and complimenting the Applebee's breading, that's a corn in your stool presentation.  I don't think the folks at Cheetos, or the upper management at Applebee's are going to be pleased with this pic.

So now that you have a corn in your stool visual in your head, "How does it taste?" you ask?...

Yes, in the name of food science, I proceeded to taste.

Occasional chunks of Cheetos, rather than a blended breading

Served with some Ranch dressing to dip in, these are good, but not great.  The chicken nuggets - let's be honest, that's really what they are - the chicken was juicy and tender, the breading itself was seasoned well, had an overall decent crunch and I got the Cheetos flavor in the nuggets where the Cheetos CHUNKS obviously stand out, but make no mistake, this is not at all the kind of bite the marketing hype lures in you in for.  What Applebee's served me amounts to some decent chicken nuggets with some occasional cheesy Cheetos flavor, but it comes up well short in delivering Cheetos flavor in every bite.  Another downer, look at the grease with the presentation, note the color.  That's Cheetos chunks yellow, the chunks - rather than an even breaded coating like in the marketing pic - absorbed the oil which made the Cheetos a bit heavy and soggy, rather then adding crispness to the chicken.

'Cheetos Grease' making the Cheetos soggy

Costing me $10 for 10 'wings', er NUGGETS, I'm giving Applebee's Original Cheetos Boneless Wings just 2 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  What I was served does NOT live up to the marketing hype and for $10 I expected to be wowed a bit with what is supposed to be an elevated dish.  This is NOT a repeat buy.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

By Mike Thayer

Burger King bringing back a classic in fighting the Chicken Sandwich War

When reviewing Burger King's New Ch'King Sandwich the other day - you can read that review here - I saw that Burger King has also brought back a classic from yesteryear, The Italian Original Chicken Sandwich.  Seeing it on the drive through menu, I knew I was going to make a return trip in the name of 'food nostalgia.'

The Italian Original Chicken Sandwich first appeared on the BK menu way back in 1979.  The sandwich consists of an elongated, breaded white meat chicken patty, dressed with marinara sauce, topped with melted mozzarella cheese and served on sesame seed bun.   Burger King has rolled out this sandwich in addition to introducing their new Ch'King Sandwich in fighting the Chicken Sandwich War.

Chicken Parmesan in a sandwich

I had a few Italian Chicken Sandwiches back in the day, it was a classic favorite from the pre-chicken-sandwich-war period, but Burger King took it off the menu in 2014.

I liked the sandwich back in the day and I still like it today.  Despite being a processed chicken patty, it is white meat, it was fried to perfection and the light breading provided a nice crunch in each bite before hitting the tender, juicy, chicken.  The marinara sauce is a good one and the mozzarella was melted nicely.  Topped with that sesame seed bun, this is Chicken Parmesan in sandwich form.

The under the lid look

Part of BK's "2 for $6" lineup, which also includes the Whopper, Chicken Fries, and the Big Fish sandwich, I'm giving Burger King's Italian Original Chicken Sandwich 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  It is a chicken sandwich original, it's got the Chicken Parmesan flavor working, it very reasonably priced in the 2 for $6 deal and it's a repeat buy.  It's available now nationwide but only for a limited time.  It was fun to take a trip down Chicken Sandwich Nostalgia Lane, this sandwich is still a good bite!

$pend Wisely My Friends...

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Family activities and the Greene Square tree lighting will take place at Greene Square on Saturday, December 4. A family craft activity will be held indoors at the Cedar Rapids Public Library from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Outdoor family activities including a scavenger hunt, "Reindeer Games," and stories near the tree, will take place at Greene Square between 4:00-5:15 p.m. The Sherry Mylhousen family, of Cedar Rapids, will assist with lighting the 35-foot Colorado blue spruce that they donated at 5:30 p.m.

The Parks and Recreation Department is accepting donations of new hats, gloves, and mittens during the event. They will be distributed to children at the Northwest Recreation Center beginning December 7, until supplies are gone.

By Mike Thayer

Back in June, I wrote about the Chicken Sandwich War going on in fast food and who makes the best chicken sandwich.

That sandwich war is still happening and Burger King has re-grouped on the battlefront with a new weapon.

Introducing the Burger King Ch'King

Burger King kicks things up a notch with a bigger chicken breast filet, better breading, bread and butter pickles, a nice mayo - a blend of mayo and honey mustard - and all served up on a potato bun.    

I reviewed what Burger King was serving up at the time back in June as part of the Chicken Sandwich War Challenge and I was NOT impressed.  The Burger King chicken sandwich was the second worst sandwich sampled.  But this sandwich?  MUCH IMPROVED!

Thank you for stepping up your game Burger King! 

The chicken was fried to perfection, it was crispy, tender, juicy and the meat to bun ratio was SO MUCH BETTER than what BK used to serve up.  It still wasn't chicken extending beyond the borders of the bun like Popeye's, but still, MUCH improved over what BK has served in the past. All the flavors on this sandwich were on point, with the breading delivering a nice crunch, the pickles providing some twang, the mayo has been elevated as well and bringing it all together is that potato bun, light and fluffy with a complimentary chew.  The only real knock I have on this sandwich was that it was a bit under seasoned.  Overall, a pleasantly robust chicken sandwich.

Costing me $5, I'm giving the Burger King Ch'King Sandwich 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  BK has 'upped' their game in this chicken sandwich war.  Their sandwich isn't as good as Popeye's, but it's a very respectable plan B and worthy of a repeat buy.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

By Mike Thayer

A handy item to have around during the holidays

In another effort to get away from eating too many chip snacks, I recently picked up a 34 ounce (that's 2 pounds, 2 ounces for those of you who live in Haysville) canister of mixed nuts while shopping at Sam's Club.  Nuts are a nice alternative to chips because not only do they deliver some nice texture and a bit of crunch, they provide some protein and don't have near the volume of carbs that chips do.

The Member's Mark (Sam's Club brand) Deluxe Mixed Nuts with Sea Salt consists of cashews, almonds, pecans, pistachios and hazelnuts.  That's a nice blend and they're lightly salted with sea salt.  Some mixes available out there can go a bit overboard with the salt, not so with these, they're pleasantly salted, allowing the flavors of the nuts to shine.  This is a great snack, all the nuts are fresh and overall the mix is balanced with exception to the pistachios.  You get plenty of cashews, almonds, pecans and hazelnuts, but not so much on the pistachios.  I'll take that though, another downside to other brands of mixed nuts is they use peanuts as a 'filler' if you will, they go heavy on the peanuts and go light on the other varieties in their 'blend'. 

5 grams of protein and just 7 carbs per serving

Handy to have around during the holidays, I paid $11.98 for that jug of nuts, which is under 36 cents per serving!  I'm giving Member's Mark Deluxe Mixed Nuts with Sea Salt 4 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  They're tasty, wallet friendly with the only knock on the mix being a little light on the pistachios, but they're a repeat buy nonetheless!

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Twin Pines Golf Course and Mini Pines Miniature Golf Course will close for the season at the end of play Sunday, November 21. The Twin Pines Pro Shop will remain open through December 23 for holiday shopping. Holiday hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. It will be closed November 25 and 26 for Thanksgiving.  Call 319-286-5583 or go to www.PlayCedarRapidsGolf.com for more information.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Cedar Rapids Police Department’s K9 Mac will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.  K9 Mac’s vest is sponsored by The Human Society of the United States and will be embroidered with the sentiment “Honoring those who served and sacrificed.”  Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., established in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. This potentially lifesaving body armor for four-legged K9 officers is U.S. made, custom fitted, and NIJ certified.  Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided over 4,450 vests to K9s in all 50 states at a value of $6.9 million, made possible by both private and corporate donations. 

The program is open to U.S. dogs that are at least 20 months old and actively employed and certified with law enforcement or related agencies.  K9s with expired vests are also eligible to participate.  There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. accepts tax-deductible contributions in any amount, while a single donation of $960 will sponsor one vest.  Each vest has a value of $1,744-$2,283, weighs an average of 4-5 lb., and comes with a five-year warranty.  For more information, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978.  Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts donations at www.vik9s.org, or you may mail your contribution to P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.