ranch | Would I Buy It Again?

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I rarely order chicken fingers because I always think that they are something that kids or really bad dates eat. However, I got a sheet of Hardee’s coupons and noticed that they have Buffalo Chicken fingers featuring Frank’s Red Hot sauce. I am a big fan of Frank’s Red Hot sauce. I like a few dashes in my mac and cheese, eggs, you name it.

What I Ate: Hand Breaded Buffalo Chicken fingers; small combo was $5.60 ($3.99 with coupon)

Upon opening the box, they were not messing around with the sauce. The fingers were doused in it. On a “Grubbing on the Go” scale (via Grub Grade) I would give these a zero. They are actually served with a fork and knife. I really thought highly on the quality of the tender though as the meat looked exactly how it should and not very processed. As a comparison, the breading was thinner than the Prime Cut tender at Arby’s. However, the problem is that the sauce didn’t allow any crunch from the breading to carry through as the breading was soft. As a quick note, the tenders were served with standard ranch.

Would I Buy It Again? I would try them again, but they need to have crunchy breading for this to work. For a fast food chicken finger, I thought the quality was on point. If I was to get anything Buffalo from Hardee’s, I would probably go with a sandwich instead. I didn’t love them, but I also didn’t hate them. However, if I need a Frank’s Red Hot fix, this would work.

-wibia

5 COMMENTS

13 Apr 2012

Review: Hardee’s Buffalo Hand Breaded Chicken Strips

Author: WIBIA | Filed under: Food Reviews

Tags: buffalo, Chicken, Food, frank's red hot sauce, Hardee's, ranch, strips

Red Robin
13215 Harrell Parkway
Noblesville, IN 46060
http://www.redrobin.com/

Since I’ve decided to give my cholesterol medication the fight of its life, I have a “Red Royalty” card at Red Robin. Yes, I love burgers and if you’re going chain, I don’t think you can beat Red Robin. If I was listing my top 10 chain burgers, I think Red Robin would have at least three of them, if not five or more.

So when I got an email saying that Red Royalty members could currently order a burger that isn’t on the menu but will soon be available on a limited-time basis, I was sold. I was so pumped, you would’ve thought I was a White Sox fan and someone told me we were gonna jump the 80-year-old first-base coach.

What I Got: Big Melt Bacon Burger; $9.99.

This isn’t the first time Red Robin has run this out. The description I tracked down via an internet cache (seriously, I’m doing this detective work for free?) is as follows: loaded with applewood smoked bacon, melty cheddar and swiss cheese on top of sauteed mushrooms, onions and barbeque sauce. Served on a toasted onion bun with fresh lettuce and ranch dressing.

You can tell I’m an amateur because I just dove in right away. I didn’t inspect to see if all the ingredients were the same this time around, but I can tell you there are now fried onion strings on there. The cheese, meat and produce were as stated, and there was definitely some barbeque sauce, but not a lot. As for the ranch, I didn’t really get it. I should have at least looked, so I apologize for that (again, note the cholesterol issue and my affinity for burgers…I wasn’t patient). If they stuck with it this time around, it was so mild it was lost in the shuffle.

The reason I ran to Red Robin the day after I got the email is because everything listed is something I love on a burger. The only worry, albeit incredibly slight, was that there would be too much going it. That worry soaked away on my first bite, just as I let the medley soak over me.

Absolutely everything worked and there was just the right amount of cheese melted along with the BBQ sauce. There were a decent amount of onions and mushrooms under the cheese without it being too much. This was a home run.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes (an emphatic one). In fact, I’m already mapping out when I can do it again, probably within the next few days. It’s now one of my favorite chain burgers, and that’s saying something. It’s probably not for everyone, because that’s a lot of toppings — but if you like all that, this is an absolute can’t-miss.

-Show

5 COMMENTS

21 Feb 2012

Revisit: Red Robin Big Melt Bacon Burger

Author: Show | Filed under: Food Reviews

Tags: Bacon, barbecue, Burger, cheddar cheese, Food, mushrooms, onion straws, ranch, red robin, swiss cheese

Big Hoffa’s BBQ
800 E Main St
Westfield, IN 46074
http://www.bighoffas.com/

I love barbecue. As a red-blooded American, I have a special relationship with smoked meats. That being said, I’m shocked at how long it has taken me to get to Big Hoffa’s in Westfield. I live down the street from this little locally-owned gem, so I desperately wanted to like it.

What I Got: Half-rack of Baby Back Ribs ($9.49), Half Pound “Meat on a Plate” (Pulled Pork with Fries and Baked Beans) with two Garlic Butter Rolls ($7.39) and a Mexican Coke ($1.79).

First off, take a look at the picture. I was more than a little disappointed when I saw the ribs. The sauce (I chose spicy for all meats and found it to be better than the mild/sweet) appears to have been an afterthought on the ribs. I guess I expected total sauce coverage with a modicum of carmelization. Unfortunately, this presentation suggests that the ribs were held at temperature in a steam table after smoking, then sauced upon order. Further inspection revealed a sliver of hope. They were stupid tender. I poked it with my fork, tugged on a rib, and the bone came out clean. Even further inspection revealed perfect texture – held together but easily separated, not too fatty – and a smoke ring that make my eyes light up. These ribs were darn tasty and perfectly smoky.

The pulled pork, however, lacked smoke. It was tender, not greasy, and paired well with the sauce, but I could’ve stood to see a bit more of that smokiness I found in the ribs. The sides were delicious. The fries (obviously not homemade) reminded me of Rally’s battered and seasoned fries. Do yourself a favor and get a side of ranch for these babies – it is garlicky and made in-house. Everybody remembers a kid from elementary school that put ranch on everything, including pizza on Fridays… so just put on your sweatpants and join the ranks. There’s a reason they sell this crap by the pint even though they don’t offer a salad! The beans were pretty good, but I’m no expert. There was a little bit of pulled pork in there and they weren’t nearly as sweet as I make at home. The rolls were clearly store-bought, but the flourish of butter and garlic powder made them tasty and great for constructing mini pulled pork sandwiches. I was sharing this meal so I had to get creative.

Would I Buy it Again? More than likely, yes. The atmosphere was a lot of fun and I loved to see the whole family involved with the business. Our “server” was an adorable little guy with a wicked case of bedhead and every other employee was cheery and welcoming. Was it the absolute best barbecue I’ve ever consumed? No, probably not. Was it at least good enough that I feel confident recommending that you give it a shot? Yes, definitely.

-Indy Food Geek

4 COMMENTS

6 Dec 2011

Review: Big Hoffa’s BBQ

Author: Indy Food Geek | Filed under: Food Reviews, Location: Westfield, IN

Tags: baby back, baked beans, barbecue, big hoffa's, bread, Coke, Fries, pulled pork, ranch, Ribs, Westfield

Posts Tagged ‘ranch’

Review: Hardee’s Buffalo Hand Breaded Chicken Strips

Revisit: Red Robin Big Melt Bacon Burger

Review: Big Hoffa’s BBQ

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