Burger King: Sleeping Giant (Plus Gingerbread Oreos)

Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper Sandwich

There has been a burger renaissance over the last few years, at least in the northeast. Shake Shack, Schnipper's Quality Kitchen, Five Napkin Burger, and others have returned attention to the simple pleasures of a really good burger as an accessible and quick meal. The imprimatur of Danny Meyer has also rehabbed the image of the burger, making it seem like a protein-rich, healthy-ish choice. But these new wave sort-of-fast-food joints with their sleek retro-hip environments may have a sleeping giant of a competitor: Burger King.

Before I continue, a full-disclosure moment: Burger King franchisees in the tri-state area have philanthropy built into their culture. At least four times a year, they do some kind of fundraising campaign in their stores. I happen to run Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund, which is one of the charities they support. However, nothing I'm saying here is driven by any other motive than to report on a recent limited edition food experience.

OK, back to the sleeping giant theory. While I don't frequent fast food or chain restaurants all that often, because of my work with Burger King franchisees I usually end up visiting a few of their restaurants each year. I have often thought that their burgers were quite good and a real cut above McDonald's. This is especially true of their limited edition premium items, like the Steakhouse Burger they had a few years ago. As I recall, they charged $7.95 for it, which is real money in a fast food context - but then, it was a real burger. Made with flavorful Black Angus beef and fully featured with crispy onions and a dollop of A1 sauce, among other toppings, it was a delicious and satisfying treat.

Anyone who reads the business section knows that Burger King Corporation has had its struggles in the last decade. Heavy competetive pressure from the McDonald's behemoth (over 12,800 restaurants in the U.S. vs. about 7,250 Burger Kings) has certainly been a factor, as has some less than successful products and ad campaigns. Earlier this year, as I was eating in a BK, it suddenly occurred to me, what if they went head to head with Shake Shake and the like, instead of trying to invade the margins of McDonald's global dominance? Do people who eat at Schnipper's et al know that extremely tasty burgers are available at their local Burger King? Or has fast food been so demonized by the likes of Michael Pollan, Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation, that any place with bright colors and toys for kids is just out of the question for the thoughtful diner?

All these thoughts went through my head yet again when I stopped on the road and tried Burger King's new Wisconsin White Cheddar Whopper Sandwich, one of three variations on the classic they're putting out to celebrate its 50th anniversary. After I unwrapped it, I was immediately impressed by the bright colors and fresh appearance of the lettuce, tomato and red onion. I suppose the burger patty is the same as the average whopper, which means it has that flame-broiled flavor. It's also not too thick, giving a nice balance to the flavors and textures of the vegetables, pickles, bacon, and cheese as you bite through. We'll have to take it on faith that the cheddar really is from Wisconsin, however it was thickly sliced and had the taste of real cheddar, which is good enough for me. The bun was substantial and well-toasted and held up throughout the meal, not dissolving into nothingness by the time the burger was half eaten.

My first impression did not diminish: this is a good burger, especially due to the crunchy freshness of the lettuce and onion, and far better than many might expect. Without doing a side by side comparison I can't be totally sure, but I think it would stack up well against Shake Shack's offerings, even besting them, albeit with higher caloric cost (although the Whopper Jr. Is quite comparable). Schnipper's handily beats out Danny Meyer's chain and would likely win out over this one as well. It may not be as heavenly as that Steakhouse burger, but if you're in the mood for a hamburger and the line at your local new wave spot is long, find the nearest BK and grab one of these before they're gone. A bite or two and you'll forget the cartoon colors and toys. Don't forget to order some of those recently reformulated fries as well - they are truly fabulous.

Gingerbread Flavor Creme Oreos

After the debacle of the Candy Corn Oreos, which were reviled by most everyone who bothered to track them down at Target, Nabisco has rebounded with a winner. While these are not in any way revelatory, it's a simple, well-executed idea that flows from their other products. Essentially, they took their standard white Oreo cookie and filled it with a new creme that has a warm and homey flavor. I've really been enjoying them with only one minor complaint: the texture of the thick filling is such that the cookies don't really stick to it. This just means you have to be careful to grab a whole cookie sandwich from the package - so much for mindless snacking!

Availability: Both products should be around through the end of the year.

Posted with Blogsy

DQ Oreos, I-Scream Pop Tarts and Bonus Items

Summer seems to bring on a bumper crop of limited edition treats so let's get right to it. 

Oreo DQ Blizzard
After the overwhelming success of the 100th Birthday cookies, the combination of Oreo with the words "limited edition" elicits a positively Pavlovian response in this consumer. These are supposed to hearken to the Blizzards sold at Dairy Queen, which are basically soft ice cream with a topping (or toppings) stirred in using a clever machine that turns a plastic spoon into a mixing blade. Blizzards (or McDonald's McFlurries or Friendly's Friend-Zies) can be a lot of fun but unfortunately, this is really just a double stuff Oreo with some black flecks in the creme filling. The flecks are pulverized Oreo wafers and are meant to evoke "cookies'n'creme" but they have a negligible - and negative - effect on the flavor. No need to run to the grocer and hoard these, but if you know anyone sitting on a stash of Birthday Cake Oreos send them my way. 

Let's talk nutrition. The serving size of regular Oreos is three cookies while for the DQ Oreos it's two cookies. For easy side-to-side comparison, I looked at six of each. Six standard-issue Oreos gives you 320 calories, 120 calories from fat, 240 mgs of sodium and 28 grams of sugar. In the other corner, six DQ Oreos provides you with a hefty 420 calories, 180 calories from fat, 300 mgs of sodium and 39 grams of sugar. This explains why they fudged the serving size - and why you might want to avoid eating six of any type of Oreo.


Availability: Released each year in the spring; sold until they run out.

Pop-Tarts Festival Fun Frosted Vanilla I-Scream Cone
Perhaps if they had spent as much time on the actual product as they did on the prolix name, Kellogg's might have had a better result with these. The illustration on the box informs us that this is yet another simulacra, created to imitate vanilla ice cream in a chocolate-dipped and sprinkle-coated cone. That's a lot of culinary weight to heap on these slight things. The expectations were further heightened by the Pop-Tart pictured on the box, which is wearing a lavish coat of chocolate frosting, each sprinkle placed just so, and what looks like a quarter inch of vanilla filling. The actual item is much thinner, with an indifferent swatch of icing and sprinkles that look like they were rejected as irregular by the manufacturer. Crack one open and you'll find a layer of filling better measured in microns than fractions of an inch. "Try'em Frozen" the box suggests so I did. Bad idea, I soon discovered. The cold kills any flavor that the filling might have so the sensation is not unlike eating a soft graham cracker with a little chocolate flavor on the finish. Letting them warm up a bit was an improvement as the filling proved to have a clean vanilla flavor that was not unrelated to ice cream. Since these are classified as "Toaster Pastries" a final taste was in order. Toasting improved the texture immensely but obviously removed any reference to that ice cream cone. Unless Pop-Tarts play a big role in your diet, or that of someone you love, there's nothing to get excited over here. 


Availability: About six months, starting in February.

Bonus Section: Discontinued/Sale Items
Here's a smattering of the many items being sold for 33% off at a Stop & Shop I recently visited in Massachusetts.


Coconut M&M'S For a minute, it looked like the green M&M with the hibiscus in her, er, hair was out of a job. However, I confirmed with M&M/Mars that these aren't going anywhere. Stop & Shop probably just wanted to move a few bags, and in my case it worked. Although I am a huge M&M's devotee, it took the threat of their demise for me to try these. While I generally like coconut, the lack of anything with that name in the ingredients was a turn off. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised. The coconut flavor may be artificial but it is not overdone and tastes like the real thing, with no chemical aftertaste. Also, no coconut means no coconut oil, so the nutritional profile is similar to plain M&M's. If you go for coconut and are looking to add a little variety to your trail mix, give these a shot.


Availability: Pretty much everywhere.


Martinelli's Sparkling Mango LemonadeTheir apple juice, both sparkling and still, is a classic (and classy) product that seems to have never changed and I don't recall seeing too much in the way of new products from this August company. The ingredients are all natural so there was no reason to think this wouldn't be delicious and it hit that mark easily. Tart and sweet with a fresh mango flavor and the familiar fine bubbles, this is an ideal quencher. And with a little rum and a squirt of fresh lime? Even better. While it's solidly in production, it's not the easiest thing to find so I'd keep an eye out for this and its prickly pear flavored companion. 


Availability: Specialty stores, such as Whole Foods. And, occasionally, the Stop & Shop.


Wonka Exceptionals Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate BarThis is from a line of Nestlé products inspired by the Roald Dahl book and subsequent movie adaptations. Promising "truly amazing chocolate made with natural ingredients," one has to wonder why Nestlé is giving old Willy the axe. While there are a few varieties, this one boasts "milk chocolate with scrumptious toffee, crispy cookie & crunchy peanuts" and I usually go for packed candy bars so I decided to taste it. Good stuff! The chocolate is very creamy and the thin bar is densely packed with lots of toothsome bits of a variety of textures and flavors, exactly as advertised. It's failure on the market may be due to the fact that it's actually TOO high quality to exist in the sometimes cheap arena of movie tie-in snacks. While I don't eat a ton of candy bars, this is a fun one and it's too bad it won't be around for much longer. I can also imagine it would be fantastic chopped and added to blondie batter. I might just track down a few bars for just that purpose!


Availability: The entire Exceptionals line of chocolate bars is out of production. Buy'em if you see 'em. The folks at Nestle assured me that more Wonka treats are on the way.


Next time: The elusive Blackberry Crumble Haagen Dazs has been obtained.