REVIEW: McDonald's Southwest Premium McWrap (Grilled)

Just when I think I've done it and tried em' all, McDonald's goes and releases a new McWrap! So looks like I've got another review to write, eh? This Southwest McWrap is only available a limited-time too, so when we took the rare trip to MickeyD's for dinner, I keow this is what I had to order before I reviewed any of their other new products- like the Buffalo Ranch McChicken, which sounded awfully good. But I think THAT product is on the menu to stay, so it can wait. Most McDonald's offer this McWrap for $3.99.

REVIEW: Subway's Flatbread

Today, I had originally planned to write a review for Subway's Egg White, Ham, and Cheese sandwich, but I figured, "Eh, I order that ALL THE TIME. I would obviously say it's good, and it's not really a "new" or "hot" item, so what's the point?" It'd be a useless post, unless there are a FEW choice people out there who reeeeally wanna know how one of Subway's select breakfast sandwiches tastes, sans the yolk. But I'll save that post for it on another day. For now, all you need to know is that I will be reviewing the specific BREAD I ordered my sandwich on- Subway's Flatbread. This bread offers no up-charge to your sub.

REVIEW: Subway's New Garlic Bread

Subway's released a new type of bread for a limited time only: Garlic Bread (not to be confused with their Roasted Garlic Bread, which is on their website although I've certainly never seen it in stores). Anyway, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GARLIC ("Oh ho, remind me never to kiss YOU!") Yes, despite it's bad rep for smelly breath, I enjoy putting fresh garlic in and on anything: pizzas, spaghetti sauce... Well, those are pretty much the only two opportunities where I CAN use fresh garlic. But I put garlic powder on pretty much anything. Pork, steak, bread, spinach, okra, hot dogs, soup... Heck! I'll put garlic powder on the aforementioned pizza, which has fresh garlic on it already. That's just how I am.

So if you can't tell, I was honestly very excited to hear about Subway's new Garlic Bread, which is essentially  their Italian Bread with dehydrated garlic and various other spices put on top.So last time I went to Subway, I ordered an Egg White, Black Forest Ham, & Cheese Sandwich (my usual) with this new bread. Subway's Garlic Bread doesn't add any up-charge to your sandwich.

So if this bread is freshly baked, does that mean the others aren't???

REVIEW: McDonald's Premium McWrap Chicken & Bacon (Grilled)

Rounding out the trio of my McWrap reviews is McDonald's Premium Grilled Chicken & Bacon McWrap. This wrap features grilled chicken, thick cut Applewood smoked bacon, two half slices of tomato, spring greens, shredded lettuce, cheddar jack cheese, and creamy garlic sauce. All of this is served in a soft, warm tortilla. One McWrap, with fries and a Diet Coke, costs $5.99.

REVIEW: McDonald's Premium McWrap Chicken & Ranch (Grilled)

It was another McDonald's day today, and I felt like going for another one of their new McWraps. The first one I reviewed was the Grilled Sweet Chili Chicken, which I admired for its tangy sauce and all-around good flavor. I felt like trying out McDonald's Grilled Chicken & Ranch McWrap this time. The Grilled Chicken & Ranch contains more calories than the Sweet Chili Chicken, but less than the Chicken & Bacon, which I guess would make it the middle child of the McWrap family. All McWraps cost $3.99 over in my part of town. I also decided to try McDonald's Side Salad (What? They actually have those?). Since it's on the Dollar Menu I thought, whyyyyy not!

REVIEW: McDonald's Egg White Delight McMuffin

So... for one of my morning classes during school (I will not name which one), my teacher has been out for a few days now, and we've had the same substitute the whole time. This substitute is craaaazy cool, and although I won't name any names, he/she is one of the subs I can actually tolerate. Some subs are so blah, so boring; Some have no clue how to handle the class; Some subs are mean, some are old, some try to be funny (when they're NOT), and some subs... Some subs give you four pages of homework and say it'll be due the next day. Can you imagine how irritating it is to do all that work, to only have your real teacher come in the next day and say, "I never told the sub to assign you that." It's frustrating! I've learned that if homework assignments from subs are ridiculously long, you should just skip them altogether, because your teacher won't even ASK for them when they come back. Every time. I swear it!
But anyway, this certain sub for this certain class doesn't do any of that. Like I said, he/she's a coooool sub. One of the coolest I've ever had, anyway. So, a couple days into his/her substitution, two of my classmates asked if they could drive over to McDonald's to pick up some food and then come back. And can you believe it??? The sub actually let them go! I mean, wow! How coooooool is that?! If it's hard for you to understand, think of it is this way- We're not even allowed to leave school unless we have a release. And if we don't, someone has better lost an arm or barfing up a lung; Otherwise, good luck ducking out of class! I honestly couldn't believe my eyes when the two kids from my class came in with paper bags bearing the famous McDonald's logo.
"You guys went to McDonald's?" I said.
"Yeah." they replied.
"...Were you here when class first started?"
"(chuckles) Yeah."
"And you didn't get caught?"
"Yeah, it's pretty easy. Just don't go out by the gym doors."
"Oh." (looks at sub). "He/She actually let you go?"
"Yeah."

Did I mention our sub is totally cool?! Anyway, my friend and I were pretty jealous. But we were inspired by our classmate's creativity and cleverness, and decided that the very next day, we would go out and do the exact same thing.
So we did!
We got our sub's permission, then walked out the front doors of our school like we knew what we were doing, and nobody asked us any questions. My friend, who is a junior, said it was the first time she had ever left school during class. It was mine too... But I'm just a timid, lowly freshmen!
My friend and I took her car over to McDonald's, and we decided to order inside, as she apparently has never really driven into a drive-thru before. Even though I had already had breakfast, I found this to be the perfect opportunity to try McDonald's New Egg White Delight McMuffin, before it's not so "new" anymore. I ordered one of those for $2.69, along with a medium coffee for $1.00.

REVIEW: Taco Bell's Gordita Supreme with Steak

Taco Bell's pair of Gorditas are two of their lesser-known menu items, as far as I see it. Even I was only vaguely aware of their existence, only slightly recalling reading that the Supreme Gorditas were a healthier pick at the Bell in a dieting book. What then, are Gorditas exactly? Well, a Gordita has all of the toppings of a taco, but instead of putting these toppings into a traditional tortilla shell like you're used to, they're placed inside a (get this!) wam, fluffy, pillowy flatbread. Oh, Gordita! Where have you been all my life?!

I ordered a Steak Gordita Supreme, which Taco Bell describes on their mobile menu as, "warm pillowy flatbread filled with grilled, marinated steak, reduced-fat sour cream, crisp shredded lettuce, a three cheese blend and diced ripe tomatoes." I modified mine to be prepared Fresco style, which gets rid of the cheese and sour cream, but also cuts out some of the calories and fat. Fresco style also adds fresh pico di gallo on top. Altogether, my Gordita costed around $3.09. I think the high price tag is mostly due in part to the marinated steak, which is an whole 60 cents more. Better be good steak, for the price I'm paying! (Well technically, I'm not paying- Mama is. But I still feel bad for making her spend that much on some fancy-sounding taco.)

Alright, so I think my main focus here should be on the flatbread, which seems to be the Gordita's defining feature. The flatbread was chewy and fluffy, and soft like a pillow! It had a slight plushy puffiness when I pinched it in between my fingers. The flatbread had a slight stretch, but at the same time was delicate and somewhat unfirm, which made it a bit hard to hold. It was also colder than I would've thought it'd be, so I warmed it up in the microwave halfway through eating. I think heating up the flatbread on a grill or something would fix these problems- The heat from the grill would make the Gordita hotter, and would also crisp it up, making it more stable and firm.

The steak was very juicy and was drenched in a dark sauce/marinade that tasted great after coming out hot from the nuker. The steak was chewy and yummy, and all the strips were decently sized. I liked it better than Taco Bell's other meats- even their chicken! I don't know if the steak was totally worth its high price tag, but I definitely wouldn't mind ordering it on a Taco Bell item every now and again.

Overall, I enjoyed my Gordita Supreme very much. It's a great alternative to your usual Taco Bell tacos, if you like flatbread. And I love flatbread, so this product was very cool. It's almost like it was made for me. I mean, this wasn't a mind-blowing product, but it's something I can look at and say, "Well, that sure looks unique! I should certainly try it!"

Taco Bell's Gorditas are also bigger than their Crunchy or Soft Tacos, and the flatbread is more dense than both kinds of tortillas. Two Gordita Supremes with either chicken or steak and ordered Fresco style would make for a filling, tasty dinner for under 500 calories. Just don't make the mistake of ordering the Cheesy Gordita Crunch- that one is nearly 500 calories by itself.

So, I can see myself ordering Taco Bell's Gordita Supreme again. In fact, it mostly like will be a stand-by of mine for quite some time whenever I'm there. Other than burritos and tacos, Taco Bell doesn't offer a whole bunch of options on their Fresco Menu (which promotes items at are 350 calories or less), and these Gorditas are a great way to eat healthily without sacrificing the ability to order something unique. I mean, it's a flatbread taco! You don't see that very often. A menu item such as this needs a little more recognition from the general public.

7.5/10 from me!

Taco Bell's Steak Gordita Supreme

• Pros: Flatbread is chewy, fluffy, pillow-soft, and tasty. Marinated steak is juicy, chewy, yummy, and comes in decent-sized strips. Bigger than a regular taco, more filling. A relatively healthy option. Pico di gallo is also refreshing.
• Cons: Flatbread is delicate and unfirm. Cold. Might be better if toasted or grilled first. Steak is expensive.

That's all folks! What did you think? Have you even heard of a Gordita before? Does it sound like something you'd want to order? Tell me what you think down below in the comments section! I'd love to know what you feel.

Till' next time, this has been RiRi Ri-porting!

REVIEW: Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos: Cool Ranch vs. Nacho Cheese!

Taco Bell has released two different tacos in its new Doritos-flavored tortilla shell line so far- Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch- the latter being the more recent of the two. I decided to get one of each for dinner tonight to do a little compare and contrast; see which one has the higher ground in overall deliciousness. I ordered mine Fresco style (which replaces the cheese with pico di gallo and lowers the calorie count) and with chicken instead of ground beef (also lowers the calorie amount.) Boy, did that confuse the drive-thru operator! I can't quite remember what the price tag was on each taco, but I believe they're around $1.39 a pop in my area. My tacos were bumped up to $1.69 for the chicken substitution. This is significantly higher when compared to Taco Bell's regular Crunchy Beef Taco, which is only around 99 cents.

REVIEW: McDonald's Premium McWrap Sweet Chili Chicken (Grilled)

Hey everybody! Today, I'm treating you guys! For the first time EVER on Sweet and SavoRi, I'll be reviewing a fast-food product. Yay!!! Sure, I've done an official review of one supermarket product since the start of this blog, and have given my casual opinions on plenty of others, but I still have yet to express my thoughts for the latest on-the-go options.

I was starting to think the day would never come when I got the chance to review a fast-food product. I mean, this blog has been up for a little over a week already! Come on, people! But thankfully, today we had to grab something quick for dinner, and Mama asked me what I wanted to do. I knew what I wanted right from the start.