Fast Food Review: Wendy's Asiago Ranch Chicken Club

I usually enjoy Wendy's promotions. They're never anything too ambitious - just the addition of bacon or some kind of new sauce to whatever items they already serve - but I've always been a fan of their chicken sandwiches and nuggets.

So when I heard Wendy's was making a chicken sandwich with Asiago cheese, I wanted to try it immediately. Asiago has long been one of my favorite cheeses, a sweet, slightly nutty, smoother version of Parmesan. There is no cheese I more enjoy eating with red wine. Other than Kraft Easy Cheese, obviously.

I headed down to the Wendy's closest to me. That's always an adventure. 19 times out of 20 I won't go through any drive-through, but I always do at this Wendy's (every time I've gone inside, the same crazy old lady has been there and she creeps me out). It took about five minutes for the car ahead of me to order; he had to repeat his order several times. It took slightly less time for me, but I had to repeat the order even more than he did. The woman on the loudspeaker was not being coherent; at one point I believe she asked me if I wanted to go fishing with her. But I could be wrong about that.

I received my sandwich and pulled over in the parking lot to eat it. The sandwich looked very good when I unwrapped it. But it looked better than it tasted - it was very dry. It wasn't bad, the bacon was crispy and high quality, and the chicken was as hot as any fast food sandwich I have ever had. But the flavor of the Asiago was nonexistent in each bite. I even tore off a small piece of the cheese and ate it by itself, trying to detect any of the traditional tastes of Asiago. I could not.

There was a ranch sauce on the sandwich that added nothing. I don't know why Wendy's decided to go with this condiment: they added a fancy cheese (well, supposedly they did; this could have been American cheese for all I could tell) and quality bacon... couldn't they have come up with a better sauce than ranch?

And one other thing to note - you can order the sandwich grilled, homestyle or spicy. I requested it spicy. I'm pretty sure they gave me homestyle. It's not that big of a deal - at this particular Wendy's, I don't believe they have ever once gotten an order correct the first time; I'm just glad there wasn't a razor blade in the sandwich or anything like that- but I think the spicier version would definitely be superior. Hopefully it would add a layer of flavor to the sandwich that this one lacked.

So, will I ever get it again? No. I would rather just buy some nice Asiago at the store and get a 99 cent chicken sandwich to throw it on. (This sandwich was almost five bucks, which seems way too high.) But, I will say this: if there is a Wendy's near you that you trust, that you know will get your order correct and possibly use a higher quality cheese than this, then you could do a lot worse than this sandwich.

Quadrupel Brasserie (For Lunch)

My friend Carla and I were trying to come up with a lunch plan. I suggested dim sum but she wasn't in the mood for any Asian food. I suggested my other favorite, barbecue and we were debating which 'cue joint to visit when we just decided to go to lunch in Old Town and walk around for a while. It was the middle of January and an 80 degree day; we figured we'd be idiots not to take advantage of the weather.

I'd been to Quadrupel Brasserie twice - with a group of friends on the second evening they were open, when most of the dishes were good but a couple needed work, and on my birthday last summer, when the food was good but I'd had quite a few beers and probably would have enjoyed Burger King that evening. On both occasions Carla had been with me, and not long ago she informed me that she wanted to return to Quadrupel. I told her something that she did not know: the brasserie is now serving lunch Tuesday-Friday. We decided that would be our destination.

There were several tables occupied when we entered (they all finished before us and I snapped that second picture after they'd left, which is why it looks deserted) and we took a table against the wall. I was given a lunch menu; Carla was given a dinner menu. She expressed surprise when I told her that I was deciding between the burger and the pulled pork sandwich, as neither item was on her menu. I made my decision and gave her my menu. But first things first:

I started with a Saison Dupont. Overall I'm not a big fan of Belgian beers. I know they are regarded by many as the best in the world but the vast majority I have tried are far too sweet for me. (My friend calls them "Princess Beers," a somewhat harsh description but one that makes me laugh.) The notable exceptions are the Christmas ales, many of which I enjoy... but not on a hot January afternoon.

When Quadrupel first put up a website prior to opening, they had several American beers listed, some that I like very much. However that idea was done away with and all they offer now are Belgian beers. But between Scotch and nothing, I'll take Scotch. Saison Dupont is perhaps the most famous of the Belgian "farmhouse" ales, made to refresh farm workers during the harvest season. As such it is a refreshing, peppery, citrus-flavored ale. (But still very sweet.) I nursed this one beer throughout the whole meal.

Carla had the Kasteel Triple, an 11% abv pale ale that is the exact kind of sweet stuff that I usually avoid drinking. But she enjoyed it.

I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. I had heard that Quadrupel's burger is good and when we walked in I saw a guy had one in front of him and it looked really good. But places with good burgers are numerous in this town, so I decided to take a chance on the pulled pork sandwich. Which was a mistake. The pork was not pulled, it was a few slices of pork thrown haphazardly into a roll.

And there wasn't very much of it. It was certainly tasty, no doubt, but I was still disappointed, and not just because I was misled about the pork being pulled. My plate was $16 - twelve bucks for the sandwich plus a four dollar surcharge for substituting fries for salad - and I was done with the sandwich in just a few bites. I should have ordered the burger. Or, what Carla had:

The lobster club sandwich. This was much more attractive than my sandwich, and Carla was nice enough to give me a bite. It was delicious. The bread was slightly grilled, the lobster was wonderful, and the bacon was perfectly crispy. There was a sauce on it that I could not quite place (looking at the menu I see it is advertised as a sundried tomato aioli, although that surprises me) but we both loved it.

The fries at Quadrupel are very good, and we both got them to accompany our sandwiches. We received two dipping sauces: chive mayonnaise and cumin ketchup. They were both delicious. We finished the small containers and requested more. We were brought containers almost twice the size.

"Maybe if we finish these and ask for more, the next round will be brought out in pint glasses," I suggested.

But we could not finish the second round of sauces.

Carla decided she wanted to order dessert and asked if I would have any. I said no. I almost never eat desert with dinner - if I'm still hungry at the end of a meal I want more real food, not dessert - and I don't believe I have ever ordered dessert with lunch. But I said I did not mind one bit if she ordered one.

She selected the pecan bread pudding, which took about twenty minutes to arrive. It smelled very good but I did not take a bite, despite the fact there was plenty of it. Carla took quite a bit home with her.

I would not be opposed to returning to Quadrupel for lunch. I was not a big fan of my pork sandwich, but then again I ordered something called a pulled pork sandwich in a Belgian cafe; I should have known that wasn't going to be the best option. The lobster club was delicious and I really would like to try that burger.

Triple Fast Food Mash-Up

Del Taco chicken soft taco with Taco Lita hot sauce.

McDonald's McDouble with Zankou garlic sauce, pickled turnips, hot peppers and dill pickles.

Arby's Jr. Roast Beef with pepperonicini and horseradish sauce.

Dumpling Station

I am not one of the people in love with the concept of food trucks. I certainly do not hate them and if there were a food truck on every corner it would not bother me one bit. But the idea of waiting in long lines for food that more often than not is merely average (I have yet to have a meal from a food truck that I could not replicate at home) does not appeal to me. I was at an event at the Arboretum once where people were waiting in two hour lines for food. From a truck. Seriously?

A friend once raved to me about eating Kogi and questioned why I hadn't tried it. I asked how long it took him and was not surprised when he said "about an hour to order and another half-hour to get the food." When I explained to him that I could drive to H Mart, buy the ingredients and make my own Korean BBQ at home in less time than that, he offered me a challenge. I won.

But, as I wrote, I do not hate food trucks, and there are still a few out there that I would like to try. One that I have had my eye on for a while is Dumpling Station. The other windy day, driving down Mission in South Pasadena, I spotted the truck. There were only a couple people milling about and I was in the mood for a snack, so I parked my car and got out.

There were two people in line ahead of me. And it still took me more than ten minutes to place my order. I shudder to think what the wait time is when there is a long line. I ordered four "kimchi pork" dumplings, pan-fried (you have the option of pan-fried, steamed, or deep-fried) and garlic wasabi fries.

I stood on the street for about 15 minutes waiting for my food. There was a wall nearby and I thought about sitting there to eat, but the wind was blowing hard so I took it to my car.

The kimchi pork flavor was very good, with the perfect amount of spice. I'm not sure I could make this at home without lots of experimentation and a couple of recipe guidelines. I would love this in an egg roll. I wish the dumplings had been fried at a higher temperature; the side that was in the oil was barely browned, resulting in a gummy texture and bland flavor. (If I'd know the dumplings would be this flabby, I would have just ordered them steamed.) But the interior flavor was so good that I still really enjoyed these.

The crinkle cut fries were perfectly cooked and the wasabi sauce was delicious, but I did not care for the garlic and spices on the fries. They were extremely salty. I shook off what I could and tried to eat around the seasoning, but this proved very difficult. I probably finished less than one-third of the order. Yet another example of my opinion that it's more frustrating to receive a dish that could be great but is suffering from some major flaw than a dish that merely sucks. ("For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been.'")

Dumpling Station is usually in South Pasadena a couple times per week, and if I am with someone who wants to try it I would be glad to go back. Often the truck is parked by South Pas High School, which strikes me as a wonderful idea; when I was in high school I'm sure I would have been blown away by this food.

But I wasn't on this occasion and I doubt I will ever return by myself. The dumplings were good but not great, the fries were a disappointment, and the 25 minute wait - when there were only two customers ahead of me - was just too long. Despite that, I honestly do hope they succeed. They were very friendly and I appreciate them bringing unique flavors to South Pasadena, which is not exactly a bastion of ethnic cuisines. (Unless you count Panda Express and Baja Fresh. Which I don't.) But I just did not find anything special enough about the food to return.

Random 3-Day Weekend Eats

On Friday night, Elizabeth brought me home half a lobster-and-crab-cake sandwich and some sweet potato fries. Because she's awesome. And so was this sandwich. It was from Larchmont Bungalow in Los Angeles. Normally when I hear something like "lobster and crab cake" I immediately picture a fried lump of indeterminate puree. But this tasted like both lobster and crab, with a chipotle aioli and tropical salsa. I get more and more provincial as I get older and I rarely enjoy going west of downtown (to be honest, I rarely enjoy going west of Fair Oaks Ave in Pasadena) but I would gladly venture to Larchmont Village for a fresh version of this sandwich.

For years I have seen the containers of pulled pork at Whole Foods but never had any desire to try it. It sounded good the other night, though, so I got a small container. At home I spread the pork on two sliders buns and topped it with corn & arugula salad - something I have been eating for years at Whole Foods. The pork was very good but the sauce was not; each bite seemed to vary between either being too sweet or too salty. I have no idea how this is possible, but that's what happened. I am willing to try the pork again, but I'm not holding out much hope that it will be better.

We ran out for lunch on Saturday but we had to be quick - Elizabeth couldn't be away from the computer for very long for something she was working on most of the weekend. We went to La Estrella. I had a fish taco and an al pastor taco; Elizabeth had two carnitas tacos. Everything was great and the four tacos and two sodas filled us up and cost just over nine bucks. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have no idea why I haven't been eating at La Estrella for years. (Other than that I'm a moron most of the time.)

I realized when we received the food that I had left my camera in the car, but I've taken enough pictures of La Estrella in the last couple months, so I figured my cell phone camera would suffice. 

Saturday afternoon, when Elizabeth was finally done working, we went out for a few drinks at NeoMeze to celebrate. Our friend Carla met up with us and she ordered a tandoori chicken pizza (only $5 during happy hour.) The three of us snacked on it. I had not brought my camera with me (intentionally this time, unlike lunch) so I used my phone camera. It's not a great picture but oh well. 

When I tried Church's boneless wings last summer, just after they'd started their campaign with the different sauces, I ate a cilantro-lime flavor that I thought was great. The guy working behind the counter confessed to me that it was their least popular flavor by a considerable margin. So I was not surprised a couple months ago when that flavor disappeared and was replaced by a "teriyaki" variety.

What did surprise me was that the teriyaki flavor only seemed to last a couple weeks before it was replaced by a "jalapeno-lime." This did not bother me; of the several flavors of Church's boneless wings that I have tried, the teriyaki was my least favorite. Obviously, I had to try the new jalapeno-lime wings. And they were very good. Not as good as the cilantro-lime had been, and certainly not as good as the sweet & spicy, which is my favorite. But still very good.

A bottle of Foxen Pinot Noir and a slice of homemade pizza with fresh mozzarella and jalapeno Cheetos. Is there a story there? Indeed there is.

I apologize to my friends and readers back East or in places where the weather sucks right now... but it was 85 degrees and bright blue skies in Pasadena yesterday. We had walked around Old Town for more than an hour, doing a little shopping and enjoying the weather, and Elizabeth announced she wanted a gelato. Her command is my wish, so we stopped for some. She had white chocolate and loved it.

For the hot day, I donned a shirt I had never worn before - a guayabera my brother bought me in Cuba a couple years back. After shopping and eating gelato, we stopped to meet a few friends for a drink. In the spirit of trying new things, I ordered something I never have before: a Mai Tai. It was fine. But it only confirmed that I'm a beer and wine guy.