Deal of the Day - 2 Chicken Burritos

My latest Deal of the Day review is a lucha libre battle royale between two 99 cent chicken burritos. In this twofer blogpost, Jose Ole Burrito Chicken Monterey goes mano-a-mano against a Del Sol Grilled Chicken Burrito.

Does a flamboyant green chile and cheese flavored Jose Ole Burrito Chicken Monterey body slam the more traditional rice and bean stuffed Del Sol Grilled Chicken Burrito? Which burrito will be unmasked as the loser in this Deal of the Day? And with a rating of 1 to 9, 9 being best, who will be declared the champ?

For the first round let me introduce the Jose Ole Burrito Chicken Monterey. It's the smaller of the two at just 5 ounces. However I will not deduct points, it's all about  flavor in this Mexican fast food smackdown. First off, after a 2 to 3 minute microwave, the burrito must be named for a hot cheesy filling of Monterey cheese and green chiles. You are immediately walloped with the savory combination. However, there is a weak smattering of rice mixed in the yummy sauce. 

The flour tortilla is fine, no points lost for the wrapping.

But the Achilles' heel is the white meat chicken. While there is actually plenty of poultry cubes, it's made from a processed loaf. For such a serious foul this chicken burrito gets an immediate 3 point deduction.

So while I like the chile and cheese sauce, Jose Ole Burrito Chicken Monterey throws in the towel because of the fake processed chicken pieces. On a Deal of the Day dining scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give the Jose Ole Burrito Chicken Monterey a 4 count.

Next up, please welcome to the wrestling ring a Del Sol Grilled Chicken Burrito. This is a stripped down burrito. No no fancy show off moves or glittery attire here, just beans, rice, and chicken.

At 7 ounces this fat burrito body slams you to the mat and keeps you in a headscissors armlock of Mexican traditional flavors. I like the use of whole pinto beans with refried beans. Usually Mexican frozen fare mushes pinto beans into a paste. And there is a good balance of rice to beans.

On the package cover, cheese and a "zesty green chile ranch sauce" is listed. The top billing status is deceiving though. As a tag team member, it enters the fight too late and only plays a minor role. The flour tortilla holds it's own, with no fancy moves.

 But the winning wrestler's hold is the use real white meat chicken! The pieces are small but moist and tasty.

Overall the Del Sol Grilled Chicken Burrito is a simple opponent, it's been knocked around and is a bit slow in the ring, but it delivers the knockout punch.

So on the Cheap$kate Chef's Deal of the Day dining scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I declare Del Sol's Grilled Chicken Burrito the champ, with a rating of 7!

Congratulations Del Sol Grilled Chicken Burrito, and wear your 99 Cent Chef Cheap$kate wrestling winners belt proudly.

Cheap$kate Dining Video - Wendy's 99c Cheeseburger

This is the first video in a new series I'm calling Cheap$kate Dining. (My video review is at the bottom of this blog post.) Being a chintzy bottom-feeder and living in Los Angeles, we have everything from mega-chain fast food joints hawking dollar Value Meals, to Salvadoran Pupuserias that sell stuffed tortillas, of meat, beans, or cheese, for 99 cents.

Locally, most food blogs and media writers review the latest groovy or high-end eateries -- that's not my beat. Hey, power to them. Number one, I can't afford them, also I'm not on the publicity gratis gravy train....yet.

But there are plenty of tasty and inexpensive places to chow down at, and I'm going to give you the lowdown. The setup is this: I rate an eatery on a scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best - anything above a 5 is worth a taste.

I'll be covering a bunch of places, including fast food Value Meal selections, or the best Al Pastor tacos in Los Angeles from the lauded Leo's Taco Truck. I'm including national fast food chains so all my out-of-town visitors can benefit (or be warned) of the best meal deals I think are out there.

When I'm working 10-hour days (and blogposting recipes, photos, and making videos) there's not a lot of time to prepare the most nutritious meals. (In a perfect world, fast food would be the last thing I would recommend, but some neighborhoods have very limited dining choices, and what they have can be too expensive for my blog.)

Since this is a new 99 Cent Chef series, I haven't set all the parameters yet. To start with, I'm tasting single items that cost around a dollar. And when I hit a fast food joint, I don't get the fries and sugary soft drink meal -- just a single deal. (While not the healthiest fare, at least it's a small serving, so I can keep my weight in check.)

So, between my tasty cheap recipes, food travelogues, comedic culinary hijinks, and photo food artistry, you can now add to the list, Cheap$kate Dining.

First up is Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger for 99 cents (plus tax). This hamburger chain began in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969 by Dave Thomas, and Wendy's is named after his fourth daughter, Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas. This is real Middle America fast food dining at its cheapest.

Cheeseburgers are a guilty pleasure, and Value Meal ones, while small, are sometimes quite tasty. And I would have to rank Wendy's 99-cent Jr. Cheeseburger, or Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe for $1.19, high on the list.

On the plus side, you can ask for all the fixings* on your burger, including lettuce, tomato, pickles, and red onion. I especially liked the ring of red onion. Additionally, they put only ketchup and mustard on the burger, so if you like mayo, then request it.

It's unusual to get such a cheap burger with all that, plus cheese. It's just plain American cheese, but I'm a patriot, so I salute them for it!

But something I'll never get used to is Wendy's square meat patty. It pokes out from the round buns -- so it seems like more meat for your money. As with most fast food burger chains, the cooked thin patty dries out sitting under those accursed heat lamps (or ovens). The meat patty is grilled on a flat-top range like McDonald's. So while the meat is good enough, it's not as fresh, cooked, and moist as your local Mom and Pop burger joint would do it.

So drum roll please...On The 99 Cent Chef's Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, I give Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger a 6.

I'll keep going there from time to time for a quick cheeseburger fix -- it's a pretty good chea$kate deal.

*Please note that the Wendy's I went to just opened, so they gave me lettuce and tomato without extra charge. They have a value Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe for $1.19 that includes those extra ingredients. So I unintentionally scammed them. A typical Jr. Cheeseburger comes topped with red onion, ketchup, mustard, and pickle. I would still rate a Jr. Cheeseburger a 6 and a Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe a 7.

 Wendy's 99-cent Jr. Cheeseburger - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 1 minute, 24 seconds.

99 thanks to Chad Reder for his camerawork.
To view or embed from YouTube, click here.