Episode 25:  Burrito, But Better.

Taco Bell Beefy Nacho Burrito:  A combination of beef, nacho cheese sauce, sour cream and queso strips please the palette.  It’s a well rounded beef item from Taco Bell, but only the queso strips are new.  If you take out two of the five layers of the five layer burrito, tossed in a few Fritos, this is what you would get.  Still, it is a tasty treat, and cost-effective at $0.99.  Rating:  4 out of 5 Cheeses.

Chili Cheese Burrito:  A spicy guy.  Cheese and chili in burrito.  Simple, effective, a little small.  Why I don’t order it more often, I do not know, but when I do, it tastes great.  Add fire sauce and bring the heat.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Cheeses.

Chicken Burrito:  Why didn’t I just get three of these?  The chicken is perfectly cooked and seasoned.  The rice is right on.  The sauce is tangy and appetizing.  Add some salsa verde and forget all of your troubles, because, brother, you are on your way to happy town.  I don’t know why it is, but it is the best thing you can put in your mouth.  Yep.  Rating:  5 out of 5 Cheeses.

Episode 24:  Eat a Pita

Sami’s Pita House’s Tommie Special:  Option of ham or turkey, Chicago cheese, zataar.  I opted for the turkey, added onions, lettuce, tomato, pickled parsnips and black olives.  The veggies are crisp, fresh and flavorful.  The turkey and cheese are a subtle bed for the flavors to build on and adding garlic sauce gives this pita a nice kick in the taste buds.  This pita is a winner, and compared to the other wraps I’ve had there, my favorite is the one I had last, they’re all great.  Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Falafels.

Episode 23: Enchanted Enchilada.

Adobe Chicken Soft Taco:  Well seasoned chicken under a layer of lettuce, diced tomatoes and shredded cheese.  Sounds delicious, right?  You are right.  Add some Adobe hot sauce and you’ll take this one up a notch.  The only problem is that without the sauce, the chicken can be a little dry, so add the sauce.  Rating:  4 out of 5 Containers of Hot Sauce.

Deluxe Enchilada:  Beef and beans blended with cheese and wrapped in a flour tortilla.  Soak this in a coney-like enchilada sauce and you’ve got a party in your mouth.  Invite a mini-bag of Adobe’s chips and this thing will last all night long.  The sauce has a nice peppery flavor, with the beef and cheese adding flavor elements to the sauce, not overwhelming it.  I think I found a new Adobe fave.  Rating:  5 out of 5 Containers of Hot Sauce.

Congratulations Jon Timm of Nashville, TN (via Traverse City, MI) for winning the art contest.

***New Contest***

Submit your own video post (links to tumblrs are totally acceptable if that’s easiest for you) and written review during the month of May to the R U Gonna Finish That facebook page, and you could be featured on the blog.  Keep the video short (under 5 minutes) and the written review exciting.  You have until May 31st to finish that.  Good Luck

Episode 22:  The Legal Joint

Menna’s CT Dub:  The Chicken tender sandwich wrap is a great idea.  The lettuce here is crisp and flavorful, and the tomato is fresh.  The cheese adds a nice texture, and I am a big fan of Honey Mustard, so that option was taken without hesitation.  The problem here was that today’s tenders were a little dry.  But the tender-yet-flaky shell was good, and the overall appeal was still there.  I’ve had better from Menna’s before, but this was still a good idea.  Rating:  3 out of 5 Hippies.

Loaded Fries:  American fries with the benefit of cheese and bacon.  Need I say more?  Rating: 5 out of 5 Hippies.

Episode 21:  MI, That’s A Good Dog

Papa’s Dogs and More Pretzel Bun:  Topped with Yellow Mustard, Onions and Coney Sauce.  The dense pretzel bun is great, and the dog is a high quality dog that pairs well with the bun.  As a Detroit Fanatic, I love a good coney, and this dog is a great alternative to the traditional coney.  The only thing about this dog is that the bun is a little on the salty side.  The bun has a great pretzel flavor that does not otherwise compromise the flavor of the dog.  Add coney sauce, onions and mustard you got yourself a great find.  Rating:  4 out of 5 Dads.

PD&M Honey Wheat Bun:  Topped with Onions, Yellow Mustard, Coney Sauce, Cheese, Pickle Shreddies.  A departure, condiment wise, from a true coney, but with the sweetness of the honey wheat bun, I think it was a good call.  The bun here is a little on the heavy side, not as dense, but more pound-cake-like.  The sweeter bun and dog combo still works, and is quite appealing.  The extra chewing is weird at first, but in order to support the dog as they cook, I can see why they use a denser, heavier bun.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Dads.

Snicker Doodle Cookie:  A delicate shell surrounding an almost creamy cookie.  This is a great cookie, and a nice desert after some great dogs.  The cinnamon is perfect to transition from savory to sweet.  It is a crisp on the edges, and chewy in the middle, the prefect kind of cookie.  Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Dads.

Orange Creamcicle Cookie:  Get it.  White chocolate chunks in an orange zest-infused sugar cookie.  Orange cream is so good.  Yeah, go get one, now.  Rating:  5 out of 5 Dads.

Faygo and Better Made Chips are always a 5 out of 5 in my book, especially when the Detroit Tigers win a day game against a potential ALCS contender.  Happy Baseball Season, and if you’re at the park this summer, are you gonna finish that?

Episode 20:  Ahoy, Me Tummy

Long John Silver’s Butterfly Shrimp:  It has a nice beer-batter that is flavorful, and the shrimp is not over cooked at all.  The flavor of the shrimp comes through and is not all batter, which is very important for a fish restaurant.  I’d consider trying it again.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Doubloons.

LJS Popcorn Shrimp:  Again, the batter is good, this time more of a traditional batter, but it tastes the same as the butterfly shrimp.  The shrimp is not overcooked, and still comes through, but other than texture in the batter and of the cut of the shrimp, it is very similar.  Rating:  3 out of 5 Doubloons.

LJS Whitefish Plank: Whitefish is a nice departure from all of the cod out there, and the flavor comes through the batter here, but, again, the batter tastes the same.  It’s more of a tempura style, but not a different flavor.  The fish was flaky and moist, and left a good overall impression.  Rating:  3 out of 5 Doubloons.

LJS Chicken Plank:  By now, that batter is starting to get boring.  But, the chicken was tender, juicy, tasty.  It’s too bad the batter let this one down, because it would probably get a higher rating if it was first on the list.  The chicken is good, and I think it is well worth another try, but man, that batter is leaving me flat.  Rating:  3 out of 5 Doubloons.

LJS Hushpuppies: Hushpuppies aren’t impressive anyway, but when made well, they can be a nice side.  These are a nice side.  The cornmeal inside works well and has enough flavor to make it enjoyable.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Doubloons.

LJS Fries:  Fries are hard to botch.  These have a nice fluffy inside, and a golden outside.  They taste a bit like the fish/shrimp/chicken batter, but they were all in the same oil.  Rating: 3 out of 5 Doubloons.

LJS Crabcake:  It’s the one fried item with a distinct flavor, and it is not a good one.  It is over seasoned, but the flavor is still monotonous.  The cake is tender, and the mouth feel is appropriate, but the flavor is dropping the ball, big time.  Rating:  1.5 out of 5 Doubloons.

LJS Coleslaw:  After all that fried food, I could some greens, and Long John Silver provided.  The coleslaw is classic creamy-style slaw, very traditionally done.  On the plus side, it isn’t diced veg, it is shreds of cabbage and carrots.  I could actually have some more.  Not because it is outstanding, but because it isn’t fried. Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Doubloons.

And so goes my first visit to Long John Silver.  Thanks for sharing it with me, and be sure to check out the Facebook page.

Episode 19: No Whales Were Injured During The Filming of This Episode

BK Big Fish:  At first it was a plain-Jane fish sandwich, not remarkable in today’s fish sandwich market.  But then the pickle started to come through, as well as a light lemon note and all bets were off.  This sandwich is a winner among fish sandwiches.  I love the others, but the BK Big Fish just grows on you.  Plus it has a brioche bun.  I know I called it fancy, but hey, who doesn’t like to be wined and dined every once in a while?  That being said, the BK Big Fish will probably be a rarity for me, but only because I don’t want to spoil myself.  Reflecting on the recent fish sandwich episodes, I have to say that I am most likely to return to the Fillet-o-Fish, only because it has a nostalgia for me, and pairs well with Orange Hi-C.  Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Whales.

Chicken Strips:  Solid Chicken Strips are always welcome on my plate.  The all-white-meat is flavorful, while breading has a nice, light, peppery taste.  Plain, they’re good enough, but add some Buffalo sauce, and, pow, these things have my mouth watering.  I think that sauce would be good on the onion rings, too.  It’s got some kick, but the flavor of this buffalo sauce is good.  I would maybe add some more Frank’s, but I’m a heat freak.  Rating:  4.5 out of 5 Whales.

Onion Rings:  They’re rings.  They taste like onion.  But do they have any onion?  I know onion rings are hard to get right, and when they’re done right, they are the only choice for a side.  But, hey, dip these onion rings in the Buffalo Sauce.  Wow, that’s good.  Rating:  2 out of 5 Whales (without Sauce)/3.5 out of 5 Whales (with sauce).

Hershey’s Sundae Pie:  Chocolate cookie, chocolate mousse, whipper cream and cookie cream filling with a chocolate drizzle topping.  Yeah, it’s over the top, but it tastes good.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Whales.

Episode 18:  Gone Fishin’

Butterfly Shrimp Tackle Box:  Before you head out on the boat, grab a Tackle Box.  The shrimp is tender, the breading well-seasoned and your taste buds happy in this little box.  It’s great to have shrimp that isn’t over cooked and rubbery and to have some kick in there with the spices is a plus.  And you get a biscuit and can opt for the combo with a side and drink.  Rating:  4 out of 5 Shrimp Boats.

Coleslaw:  Creamy and cool it was a good choice for the tackle box.  It was a little on the sweet side, and pretty average for coleslaw.  It has it’s place with spicy foods, but on it’s own is pretty much only getting an ‘okay’ out of me.  Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Shrimp Boats.

Cajun Fries:  Fries are hard to do wrong.  These were seasoned well, and weren’t too greasy, but still pretty middle-of-the-road.  Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Shrimp Boats.

Episode 17: Is It “Crazy Doritos Tacos” or “Doritos Crazy Tacos?”

Taco Bells Doritos Locos Taco Regular:  A regular Taco Bell taco with a Doritos after taste.  If you recall the Taco Tuesday episode (#1), you’ll know I like Taco Bell tacos just fine.  And the DLT is like that, but has a Doritos finish that is pretty good.  I like both items on their own, so eating them together seems like a good idea.  And it is, it just isn’t “Wow.”  The sleeve seems to get in the way, but I have a feeling that it is more for presentation and keeping the wrapper and taco separate than for keeping your fingers powder-free.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Locos.

TB DLT Supreme:  The Taco Bell taco supreme is like the regular, only add tomato and sour cream.  The tastes are very similar, with the supreme being creamier and having bland chunks of tomato on them.  Really, it’s like having a cheese burger and a cheese burger deluxe, just add some toppings and call it a day.  I do like that sour cream, and the tomatoes don’t get in the way, but is it really worth an extra 40 cents?  Maybe.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Locos.

TB Chalupa Supreme:  A fried Gordita shell with taco supreme filling.  Wow, did I just review variations on the same thing?  Oh, yeah, I went to Taco Bell, of course I did.  Luckily, they are ingredients that I like.  What makes the Chalupa special is the shell.  Frying a thick flour tortilla is one of the tastiest ideas Taco Bell had.  The crispy, yet doughy shell is a winner in my book and well worth $2.20.  Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Locos.