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: Cafe La Scala (aka The Italian Community Center)

My Italian class had planned a field trip to go see Le nozze di Figaro, or the Marriage of Figaro, an Italian opera which was written by, believe it or not, Mozart himself! I didn't know Mozart had written operas before this trip had been brought up. It's pretty impressive that the man can write a whole opera in a completely different language from his own. I can barely write a whole paragraph in a different language, you know?
Well, anyway, this field trip was optional, but all the Italian classes taught at my school were invited. Mama had offered to drive some kids over to the opera, which was in Milwaukee, and I was afraid we might get stuck with a bunch of students who were either painstakingly annoying and immature, or so unrelatable that the car ride would get extremely awkward. I was on pins and needles, really! But in the end, everybody in our car was an adult chaperone. And it turns out that, altogether, only 25 people had signed up to go in the first place. Even better was that the students were the more mature, more wittier kids at school. Va bene! Needless to say, the car ride went much better than expected. Adults can provide much greater conversations than I'd get out of most of the students at school. But am I sounding condescending? Well,  I'll just move right along then!

New Limited Edition Flavors from Edy's/Dreyer's!

Edy's (or Dreyer's, if you're from the west) is releasing three new limited edition flavors for the summer season. This terrific trio of flavors is German Chocolate Cake Spectacular, Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel, and the returning Take the Cake. It's weird- Was Edy's reading my mind these past couple months? I've been wishing they'd have German Chocolate and Salted Pretzel flavors forever! I'm especially excited to try those two out. The Take the Cake sounds good too, but it isn't as innovative as the others.
These limited editions flavors will be released as part of Edy's/Dreyer's Grand and also part of their Slow Churned lines, the latter being lower in fat and calories. The new Slow Churned flavors will only be 110-120 calories per 1/2 cup serving. Awesome!!! Their Grand counterparts will have higher stats, of course, but they'll probably taste a degree or more richer. Well, whether you're trying to eat light or not, I'm sure both versions will taste great.
Edy's/Dreyer's hasn't added these new limited edition flavors to their website yet, and I have yet to seem them in stores, but I'm sure they'll be coming in soon enough. I'm still seeing containers of Edy's/Dreyer's Caramel Coconut Cookie and Mint Cookie, whose seasons were supposed to end last month ago in April. So if you're still wanting to try these flavors, you better move fast, because I have a feeling that they won't be around for much longer. I bought one half gallon of Slow Churned Caramel Coconut Cookie, which is based off of the popular  Cookie's answer to the Big Mac Samoas/Caramel DeLites that Girl Scouts sell. It's really good, by the way! Tastes just like a Samoa.
I didn't ever try the Mint Cookie flavor, but I've never been a big fan of mint chocolate flavored foods, let alone Thin Mints, which the ice cream is based off of. I've heard its good, if you like that sort of taste. And isn't it funny that a serving of the ice cream has less calories than a serving of the cookies themselves? Hopefully, the new limited edition flavors can live up to the expectations of Edy's/Dreyer's Caramel Coconut Cookie and Mint Cookie. So, keep your eyes peeled for the latest limited edition flavors coming from Edy's/Dreyer's! I'm gonna pick up a container of German Chocolate Cake Spectacular as soon as humanly possible!

A Trip to the Kenosha HarborMarket

Today, Dad took my little brother and I downtown to stop at the Kenosha HarborMarket. We were only dropping by to pick up some farm-fresh eggs for the week, but I decided that the least I could do was take a few pictures to show you guys what the market has to offer!