Review: Qdoba Breakfast Burrito

Spicy Mexican Chorizo Breakfast Burrito

In the battle of the fast casual Mexican burrito joints, I have always preferred Chipotle over Qdoba, but based on a recommendation from friends and a request from one of our readers, I decided to head to my local Qdoba for a breakfast burrito. 

What I Got:  13″ Spicy Mexican Chorizo Breakfast Burrito $5.99

There are many different options for the breakfast burrito at Qdoba including both size (10″ or 13″) or primary choice of meat (Chicken, Spicy Mexcian Chorizo or just plain eggs; I do seem to recall my local Qdoba offering steak as well, but it is not on the Qdoba website…maybe it’s just a local thing).  Since I feel that chorizo is one of the most underappreciated breakfast meats, that was the way that I decided to go.

Also on the burrito as it comes straight from the menu are seasoned new potatoes, scrambled eggs and your choice of 3-cheese queso or ranchero sauce.  I chose 3-cheese queso and also added some Pico de Gallo to my burrito as since I wanted a little of the salsa taste to go with my eggs.

Taste-wise, I was VERY impressed by this burrito.  The chorizo was spicy, the scrambled eggs were done well and the potatoes still had a little crispness to the despite the fact that they had obviously been in the warmer box on the burrito line for quite some time.  The 3-cheese queso actually had a little kick to it as well, so combined with the spicy chorizo, this one had a little kick to it to give me a nice wake-up in the morning.  Because I got the large size, I was quite full.  This is definitely something that’s going to fill you up as well.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes, I definitely would and I would recommend others to partake in it as well.  Like I said, I was always a little apprehensive about ever getting this thing despite the fact that I had heard several positive reviews.  But, those reviews were right on and this thing is awesome.  I’ll definitely be getting this on multiple occasions from now on.  My only complaint was that the chorizo was quite oily and was seeping out of the burrito onto my hands and arms.  I just wish Qdoba would do a better job of straining the oil out of the meat after they cook it and before they put it in the warmer box on the food preparation line.

Remember what I said about this being filling?  Well, I’d certainly hope it is filling because this thing clocks in at an astounding 970 calories with the way I had it prepared.  That’s certainly a big way to start off your day.

-IndianapolisEater

Review: Bojangle’s Cajun Fillet Biscuit

I was in Greenville, NC on biz and had the opportunity to grab breakfast without the client that I was traveling with.   When in south, I think chicken and biscuits for breakfast.  I had about 15 minutes to eat and I saw a Bojangles, so I decided to give it a try.

Started in 1977, Bojangles does the cajun chicken thing.  Think Popeyes. Normal fast food ordering system, a few combos, sides, etc.   Right at the counter, there was a tray that had tater rounds and some fruit sticky bun type items.  I was thinking that I was not sure how fresh the taters were.  Honestly, I don’t like to see my fast food before it hits my tray.

What I Got:  Cajun fillet biscuit combo.  About $4.00.

As far as taste, there were some cajun spices on the chicken breast, more than you would find at McDonald’s, however it didn’t have a lot of punch.  I found the chicken fillet to be a little salty as well.  My biggest complaint is that the fillet was really thin and dry.

The biscuit was pretty standard fast food.  Not even close to the king of morning fast food biscuits: Hardee’s.  Combine a dry biscuit with a dry fillet and the result was pretty dismal.

As you can see in the picture, you only get four tater rounds as a side.  There were very average and not even worth me talking about.

Would I Buy It Again:  No. Maybe I caught them at a bad time and one would only assume with this being regional fast food that they have a pretty solid following, but after this meal, I can’t imagine why.

Also, they had Christian music playing.  I just can’t listen to that at 6:00 am…actually ever.

-WIBIA

Review: Hardee’s Monster Biscuit

Hardee's Monster Biscuit

What I Got: Hardee’s Monster Biscuit $2.99

There are plenty of good breakfast sandwich options on the market but probably the mother of all choices is Hardee’s Monster Biscuit. Hardee’s makes their biscuits fresh everyday and you can taste the difference. This 710 calorie, 51 fat gram treat includes 2250mg of sodium that makes your morning coffee essential to wash this one down. Hardee’s loads two slices of American cheese, a folded egg, a single sausage patty, several slices of ham and bacon on to give you a little bit of everything.

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish all of the individual flavors when you mix so many ingredients together on a single item but this was not the case on the Monster Biscuit. The ham was not overpowered by the egg like on McDonald’s original Egg McMuffin. The only thing I would change about this sandwich to cut some calories and make it a bit neater to eat in the car would be to eliminate one of the two slices of cheese that made the whole sandwich want to fall apart.

Would I Buy It Again? Not usually, but if I have some calories to spare and want an occasional treat, I would not hesitate to pick this sandwich up. However, my favorite breakfast sandwich continues to be McDonald’s Sausage Egg McMuffin with egg which comes in at 450 calories and only 22 grams of fat or under half the fat of a Monster Biscuit.

-EatHSE

Review: Pancho’s Taqueria

Pancho’s Mexican Taqueria
9658 Allisonville Road
Fishers, Indiana
Website

It seems like we review a lot of taquerias around here and that’s with good reason: they are usually plentiful in Indianapolis and both WIBIA and I love Mexican food.  Pancho’s has a second location on the northeast side to go with their original location on the northwest side, so I decided to give it a shot.

Now, I don’t go to a lot of taquerias, so this one kind of surprised me.  When I walked in, it was clean and had a fútbol game showing on the plasma television at decibel levels that would have drowned out a jet engine.  Also, I was the only person in the place whose native language was English, so I felt that this boded well for my chances to get some quality food.  But, since I’m always hesitant at new restaurants to order anything out of the ordinary on my first visit, I went with the boring route…

What I Got:  Pancho’s Burrito (chicken); served with Mexican rice and refried beans $9.99

Pancho's Burrito

My first glance when I opened my package (they do have a very nice dining area, but I opted for carry-out) was that this burrito was huge and I knew there would be no way that I would go hungry.

The burrito was filled with grilled chicken and also sautéed green peppers, red peppers and onions.  Everything was fresh and cooked perfectly.  I’ll mention it again, but this thing was plentifully stuffed.  As for the taste, it was just as good as it looked.  It truly was one of the better burritos that I’ve had in a while.

As for the rice and beans, well they were pretty much average but I wasn’t expecting a whole lot out of those.  The burrito was the main attraction and it was exactly what I was looking for.

Would I Buy It Again? Yes and I’m anxious to go back and try some of the other items on the menu to see if the quality carries over there as well.

Also, FYI, they have a salsa bar in the restaurant with salsa/hot sauces varying from a very weak green sauce to several sauces that they label as X, XX, XXX hot.  I wasn’t feeling all that great that day, so I didn’t venture above single X (I had that and everything below), but I will say that all of them were quite tasty.  On my next visit, I’ll be giving the XX and XXX a shot.

-IndianapolisEater

Review: Red Robin Bleu Ribbon Burger

Reading the website, I was surprised to see that Red Robin started outside of the University of Washington in 1940. I would think that it is the brainchild of a self proclaimed corporate marketing genius that is trying to latch onto a gourmet burger craze. Btw, note it is their 69th anniversary.  Okay, I am immature.

What I Got:  Bleu Ribbon Burger $9.00
Burger, steak sauce, Bleu Cheese, Onion Straws, Lettuce, Tomato, Zesty Chipotle Mayo, Onion Bun.

Okay, so I love onion buns and burgers. I really like a true chipotle taste and I always have a puree of chipotles in Adobo sauce in my fridge, however…

I hated this burger! The Bleu Cheese should be Monterrey Jack. I think that this was added on to the menu to have a Bleu Cheese option. The bun tasted like a whole grain bun with little onion flecks inside of it. If I can’t pick off onions on the outside, it is garbage.

Condiments were fresh and it was a decent size, but there wasn’t a lot of quality going on here. I didn’t see advertisements talking about the quality of the beef either.

I ordered garlic parsley fries and it was served as regular fries. As you can see, they brought the wrong fries and there were only seven fries included. I know that it is all you can eat fries, but to start with seven is lame.

The garlic parsley fries were not all all that garlicky and riddle me this…where is the parsley?!?!? In fact, where is the garlic? I couldn’t find any minced pieces and I think that it was a chem lab garlic oil.

Would I Buy It Again? No. After tip and drink, I probably spent close to $15 for this and it was not good at all. Looking for an awesome burger?  Try Boogie Burger in Broad Ripple.  Looking for a quick burger?  Try Culvers, 96th St. Steakburgers or whatever else…

-WIBIA

Free!!!! – Hardee’s Portobello Mushroom Melt Thickburger

If you are one of the first 5 comments, e-mail me your address at wouldibuyitagain(-at-)yahoo.com and we will send you a coupon for a free Hardee’s Portobello Mushroom Melt!

Thanks Beth and thanks to Hardee’s for the hookup. (Holla if you hear me!)

Also, check out the commercial on Grub Grade

-wibia

Deal Decoder: Pasta Sizes

When did 16 oz. turn into 12 oz.?  I didn’t even notice, shame on you Creamette!  (a WIBIA Big Fat NO!!!!!!)

Barilla is still 16 oz.

Watch the sauce too, what is this 15 oz. non-sense?

Anyone who cuts portions on WIBIA is not a friend of mine!

Btw, if you are thinking fresh pasta and live in Indy, it doesn’t get much better than Nicole Taylor’s Pasta and Market. I had some tasty pics, but I can’t find them. Anyway, one of my favorites from the Carmel Farmer’s Market last summer.

-WIBIA

At Home: Skillet “Pizza”

 

Skillet "Pizza"

 

I try to do the majority of my eating by cooking meals at home, but my problem is that I end up eating the same things all the time because I never really venture out and try to come up with anything new.  So, when regular blog reader Show recently sent me the recipe for Skillet Pizza, I got interested because this recipe includes a lot of things that I usually have around the house and it wouldn’t require me to go to the store.  Plus, who doesn’t love pizza, especially with a neat twist to it?  It’s also very cheap, easy to make and will give you enough for a minimum of two to three servings, depending on how big of an eater that you are (Show says that he usually gets about six servings out of this; I got three).

Here’s the ingredients that I used with estimated prices of the items when you’d find them at the store (I buy all my stuff on sale, so the prices I listed would not be the regular price).  This recipe is very user friendly, so you can add or subtract any ingredients you want depending on what you like on your pizza:

• 1 lb. roll of hot sausage – $2
• 1 16 oz. package of elbow macaroni (you could use any pasta, I just had this on hand; this will be your “crust” of the pizza) – $1
• 2 cups shredded mozarella cheese – $2
• 4 oz. fresh mushrooms (I diced them) – $1.50
• 4 oz. sliced pepperoni (this is just a ballpark guess on the amount I used) – $1.25
• 2 cans (15 oz. each) of pizza sauce (I happened to have pizza sauce at home for once; I would ordinarily just use any random jar of marinara sauce) – $2
• Total Price of Ingredients:  $9.75 (remember, this can get you several servings so your unit price should be well below $4 per person)

Cooking steps (you can review a photo diary of these steps in my Picasa photo gallery)

1. Brown hot  sausage (you’ll need to break it up obviously) in skillet.
2. Add macaroni noodles to boiling water and cook.
3. When hot sausage is about 75% complete, drain the sausage grease, add in diced mushrooms, the pizza sauce and cover skillet.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about ten minutes.
4. When pasta is done (you’ll want to try to time it up so that the pasta is done about five minutes before the pizza mix), pull out of boiling water and drain.
5. After about ten minutes, remove lid from pizza mix and add pepperoni and top of mix.  Do not stir as you want this to be layered like a pizza.
6. After adding pepperoni, spread shredded mozarella cheese over the entire mix on the skillet, cover and remove from heat (the heat from inside the covered skillet should melt the cheese, but if you have issues like I did, you can take the lid off after a few minutes and throw it in the oven on the Broil setting and that will melt the cheese).
7. Once cheese is melted, you can season the “pizza” any way that you want.  I added in a little Italian seasoning and some garlic salt (this step is optional).
8. Cut into “slices” and serve on top of the macaroni noodles.

Like I said, this one is simple, cheap and reasonably quick.  I’ll definitely be making this one from time to time and I’ll also be playing with the ingredients.  Give it a shot if you are interested.

-IndianapolisEater

Happy Thanksgiving from WouldIBuyItAgain.com!

Since it is Thanksgiving and we here at WouldIBuyItAgain.com are spending the day with our families, we’ll be foregoing our usual review today.

In lieu of a review, here is an article that debunks five common Thanksgiving day myths (turkey makes you sleepy, etc.).  If you can find the time to push yourself away from the table, the turkey sandwich leftovers later in the day or are looking for something to do that doesn’t involve you actually eating, give it a read.  It’s simple and quick.

We’ll be back tomorrow with an At Home segment and then we’ll pick back up with more reviews next week.  Happy Thanksgiving!

-WouldIBuyItAgain.com Staff