Of all the fast food burger joints, the one I like most is Wendy's. Not necessarily because their burgers are better than their competitors', mind you, but for a number of factors combined. Their value menu has an excellent array of choices when you want something cheap, including the winning combination of a real, honest-to-goodness baked potato and a cup of acceptable chili (whose real, honest-to-goodness-ness I choose not to dwell on). Slice open potato, pour on chili, enjoy. They have both batter-fried and roasted chicken sandwich options. Most importantly, I like their fries-- thicker than Mickey D's or Burger Kings, less crispy, but heartier and less salty.
Really, the only thing missing is dessert. I know lots of people who swoon over the Frosty, but chocolate dairy treats aren't my thing. I like dark chocolate, and any ice cream concoction will have more of a milk chocolate flavor. When it comes to shakes and the like, I'm a vanilla guy. Songs of praise for the Wendy's Frosty fall on deaf ears.
So last night I found myself at a Wendy's, and a decal on the menu caught my attention: "Chocolate or Vanilla". I did a double-take. The Frosty machine stared back at me from behind the counter as it always did. It looked no different. It still had only one spout-- a spout that heretofore always dispensed a chocolate dairy treat. "Excuse me," I asked the cashier, "do you guys have Vanilla Frosties now?" She confirmed that they did, and so I ordered my first 99 cent Frosty-- dispensed as if by magic from the formerly chocolate-spewing machine.
And you know what? Meh.
It was basically a cup of vanilla soft-serve. A perfectly fine soft-serve, but too firm to be sucked down with a straw. Certainly nothing to replace McDonald's old hot caramel sundae-- I used to ask my dad to stop at the golden arches just for that. With extra caramel on the bottom, please. Ooooooh, yeah. But this? Nothing to get excited about whatsoever.
Blizzard, your throne remains secure.
Posted by Peter at August 15, 2006 1:32 PM