Friday, June 26, 2009

EXCLUSIVE
REVIEWS OF
MUSHROOM & SWISS,
BACON & CHEESE
MCDONALD'S
ANGUS BURGERS

Another www.RobertDyer.net Exclusive!!

As you read here earlier this week, the McDonald's Angus Burger has arrived in Montgomery County.

Now that I have had a chance to try the other 2 Angus Burgers, here are my thoughts:

Having eaten one of each, so far I think the Mushroom & Swiss version is the best Angus Burger. The similarities of the Deluxe version to the existing Big & Tasty can make the Angus Burger seem more familiar. Like a more upscale Big & Tasty, so to speak.

The Mushroom & Swiss version seems like it was designed specifically for the Angus hamburger. It has only the burger, 2 slices of Swiss cheese, and plenty of mushrooms, along with a hint of a sauce for the mushrooms. Not only is this the best combination of the 3, but - for the reason mentioned at the start of this paragraph - it emphasizes the unique flavor of the 100% Angus beef burger.

You can more easily tell that this is a superior burger to the Big & Tasty. This one was also juicier than the Deluxe, but cooked all the way through.

The Bacon & Cheese could have been the return of the McJordan (anyone remember the Michael Jordan sandwich of the '90s?). All it would need is the McJordan barbeque sauce.

Instead, this has the Angus Burger, 2 bacon strips, ketchup (not Michael Jordan's BBQ sauce!!), mustard, and... wait a minute... the regular McDonald's pickle slices and onions. Instead of the more upscale pickles and onions I received on my Deluxe Angus Burger! Was this just a mistake, or is that what they meant to put on the Bacon & Cheese version? I won't know until I've ordered them all a few times. But it would seem a better branding strategy to use the same ingredients across the Angus Burger line. So I'm subtracting a star for the lack of premium ingredients on the Bacon & Cheese version.

Bacon strips were limp and tough to chew. It may be a personal preference, but I like my bacon crispy. The Angus Burger wasn't quite as juicy, but still more flavor than the Deluxe, and well done.

I can summarize by saying that if you want to get the best impression of the Angus Burger, order the Mushroom & Swiss first. I'm usually a Deluxe (mayonnaise, [real] onions, pickles) kind of guy, so I'm surprised that the Deluxe wasn't the best of the 3.

Final scores for this first round of testing:

Angus Burger Deluxe: ****
Angus Burger Mushroom & Swiss: *****
Angus Burger Bacon & Cheese: ***

I know my readers in Damascus are getting a bit impatient; so don't worry, I have a new Episode of Damascus on the Robert Dyer Channel for you this morning. And, as a bonus, a photo update on the Damascus High School FFA tomato plants I bought last month. So go to www.RobertDyer.net right now!

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