Taco Bell 2014 -

[kayb]

I'm with TftC on the crunchy tacos, eaten immediately, with a packet of mild sauce. About three at a time, about every six months.

 

[heidih]

Born and raised in Southern California and we sure as heck never referred to TacoBell as Tex Mex. It started, as what at the time, was standard at local taco places (like this standard http://titostacos.com/  ) and over time has embraced soft tacos and other items including the crazy stuff.  Kind of like what are referred to as American Chinese standards - Americanized renditions, often of Cantonese roots. I haven't eaten there is maybe 25 years, but I do see the ads.

Edited November 6, 2017 by heidih (log)

[lindag]

In Portland (OR) we had a chain of Mexican restaurants called Baja Fresh.  Love, love, loved it.

There were about four or five of them scattered around the city.  My favorite lunch place...they had fabulous burritos.  And, every one of their places was clean as a whistle, they had personnel  constantly cleaning.

All the staff was Latino.

[ChocoMom]

My youngest kid (12) has gone on this Taco Bell kick for an after school snack, before she goes to work.  (She cleans horse stables.)    It all started with those Mountain Dew Freezy things this summer.  My kids all have issues with dairy, so instead of going to Dairy Queen- right next to the Taco Bell, I hit the Drive thru at TB  thinking I could get a Dew for them.  Then I saw the freeze, and the ad for $1 Freeze during happy hour which is 2-5pm- which seemed like a perfectly reasonable cold treat.   (should be happy HOURS).   Anyway, the kid saw it, started drooling over the chicken Quesadilla pic, so I gave in to her incessant whining, and got her one.  Now, on her once-a-week Friday drive-thru, she goes for the Quesadilla Box, which has the Chicken and Cheese Q, a soft chicken taco and a Dorito shell crunchy taco. Plus a freeze.  Then she goes to work.  

 

Im not crazy about the place like the kids are, but they do have a couple good salad choices, which are okay for a quick fix.   I never get sauces there, either.   I guess all late night trips to Taco Bell in college, sitting there with friends, cleaning pennies in the hot sauce - made me wary of the contents.    

[Toliver]

The early Taco Bells never had dine-in space. You would go up to the window and place your order and when you received it, they had cement benches (with mosaic tiles in them) and tables to sit at and eat. They also usually had an open fire pit (with fire) out front. In-house dining (and drive-thru's) came much later. I drive past an old Taco Bell location every day on my way to work that is now a dentist's office. It messes with my head sometimes when I see it.  

And I still miss the Bell Beefers...their taco meat on a hamburger bun, sort of like a Sloppy Joe.

 

Regarding Baja Fresh, there's one just down the street from me. The food I've had there was good but I never go there during regular daytime hours anymore. It's in a horribly designed shopping center/strip mall and the parking situation is atrocious so "no thank you". 

 

[Toliver]

"Taco Bell to roll out $1 nacho fries"

Quote

Starting on January 25, Taco Bell will begin selling $1 nacho fries in a limited release.

The fries will feature "bold Mexican seasoning" and include a side of nacho cheese dipping sauce, according to the company.

In test markets the fries were a success. Now it's been added company-wide.

It will be interesting to see how other fast food companies react to this "value" item being launched at Taco Bell.

[Toliver]

The Taco Bell fries are here, with a good review:

"Taco Bell is taking aim at McDonald's with $1 fries — and they're like nothing else in fast food"

Quote

On Thursday, the fast-food chain added $1 nacho fries to the menu. Instead of taking the classic fast-food route, Taco Bell tops its fries with a spicy seasoning and serves them with a side of nacho cheese.

Customers can also order "supreme" fries for $2.49 or the larger serving of "Bell Grande" fries for $3.49, served with even more toppings: beef, pico de gallo, nacho cheese, sour cream, and other add-ons like guacamole, bacon, and jalapeno peppers.

More 3 A.M. grub!  

Has anyone taken one for the team yet and tried them?

 

[gfweb]

Re calling Taco Belch  (credit John Updike for that one) being Tex mex....I bet its called Tex mex to distinguish it from real Mexican. Perhaps Southwestern would be a better descriptor. 

[munchymom]

I tried them. I went at 11:30 am so they needed to make them fresh. On their own, they were not bad as fast food fries go. A little thicker than McDonalds. The "nacho spice" they were sprinkled with tasted salty and sweet but not really spicy. Sort of like Lawry's Seasoned Salt. The "cheez" dipping sauce is precisely the sauce that goes on their nachos. I also tried a tray of the "supreme" fries, covered with cheez, taco meat, sour cream and tomatoes. The fries are less robust than a tortilla chip when it comes to supporting all that stuff - I was able to pick one or two off the top, but the whole thing subsided fairly quickly into an undifferentiated goo that needed to be eaten with a spork. For my preference, the best was the plain fries dipped in Fire sauce.

[Toliver]

@munchymom Thanks for taking one for the team!  

[suzilightning]

I just tried them as well.  Also hit them up at about 11:30 am and they were fresh out of the fryer, hot and crunchy.  I agree with @munchymom salty and sweet but not really spicy.   Finished all but two of them before they cooled enough for me not to find them enjoyable.  I really like that they are a reasonable sized serving for a buck.

[Toliver]

I saw a brief news item (too brief to bother to link to it) this morning that said Taco bell will be selling tortilla chips in the grocery stores. The chip flavors will be based upon the three different kinds of taco sauce you can get at Taco Bell: Mild, Hot, and Fire.

If anyone sees them in a grocery store, please post a pic and/or take one for the team and buy them for a taste test.

[rotuts]

@Toliver

 

no TB near me

 

how hot is there ' fire ' ?

[Toliver]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Toliver

 

no TB near me

 

how hot is there ' fire ' ?

No running for the border, eh? (old sales slogan of theirs)

I found a lengthier article about the chips here:

"We Tried Taco Bell's Hot Sauce-Flavored Tortilla Chips"

According to this article, the Fire sauce-flavored chips have a little bit of a kick to them, but nothing scary-hot:

Quote

The Fire flavor is a heavily seasoned red chip. It definitely has more of a kick than the other two, but shouldn’t scare off people who aren’t used to eating spicy foods. The level of spice is less potent than regular Tabasco sauce, and reminded me of Doritos' new Blaze chips.

 

[kayb]

I am mortally irritated at Taco Bell. I got my every-six-months urge for crunchy tacos yesterday. Grabbed my bag at the drive-up, got home, and dammit, they had left the lettuce off the tacos. And I had no lettuce at the house, as wasn't getting back out.

[Toliver]

WTF, Dude!

You introduce Taco Bell french fries back in January and now yo're taking them off the menu? That ain't right...

"Taco Bell Is Taking Nacho Fries off the Menu (But They'll Be Back)"

Quote

The Mexican fast food giant has announced that Nacho Fries, Taco Bell’s highly-anticipated French fries (served with a side of gooey cheese sauce) which debuted on January 25, will only be available for about a week longer...
"...we already have a return slated for this summer,” a press release reportedly stated.

According to the article, the fries were an even bigger success than the Doritos Loco Tacos. And that's saying something...

Anyone want to take an educated or non-educated guess as to why they're removing such a successful item off their menu?

[Tri2Cook]

I'm not offering any excuses or disclaimers, on the occasions I found myself eating at Taco Bell ("found" instead of "find" because there is no Taco Bell anywhere near where I live now), I ate the place down happily. I don't go to Taco Bell with expectations of quality Mexican cuisine any more than I'd go to a White Castle expecting the Holy Grail of burgers... but there's a place in my gut for both. Of course, that place tended to be most vocal in the late night hours after an evening at a bar/club which is something I haven't done in a very long time. But I'm pretty sure if a Taco Bell opened locally, it would get some of my money from time to time.  The "hot" taco sauce they had in the early 80's was my favorite sauce. They still had a red "hot" sauce the last time I was in one but it wasn't the same sauce from my youth. Seemed like they attempted to fancy it up a bit, I guess I like my Taco Bell sauce a little on the trashy side.

[Tri2Cook]

59 minutes ago, Toliver said:

WTF, Dude!

You introduce Taco Bell french fries back in January and now yo're taking them off the menu? That ain't right...

"Taco Bell Is Taking Nacho Fries off the Menu (But They'll Be Back)"

According to the article, the fries were an even bigger success than the Doritos Loco Tacos. And that's saying something...

Anyone want to take an educated or non-educated guess as to why they're removing such a successful item off their menu?

Because MF french fries should never have been on a Taco Bell menu to begin with! 

[Toliver]

The fries surprised me since they were much better tasting than I expected. The seasonings did make a difference.

I can say, IMHO, that they are much better french fries than any french fry I've ever received from Burger King, who should be ashamed to call those tasteless, dry sticks they sell to their customers "french fries". 

[suzilightning]

nacho fries are back in a 5.00 box with two tacos.....

gonna check it out this week

[Kim Shook]

We are so screwed.  They are opening a Taco Bell just around the corner from us - right in front of the grocery store that we usually use.  

[suzilightning]

10 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

We are so screwed.  They are opening a Taco Bell just around the corner from us - right in front of the grocery store that we usually use.  

No, sweetie......you aren't.

I have a McDonald's and Wendy's within 2 miles and never eat there since it's so near to home I know I can make better food so close

 

 

 

[Kim Shook]

2 minutes ago, suzilightning said:

No, sweetie......you aren't.

I have a McDonald's and Wendy's within 2 miles and never eat there since it's so near to home I know I can make better food so close

 

 

 

But we LOVE Taco Bell.

[suzilightning]

4 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

But we LOVE Taco Bell.

Be STRONG.....I'm sure we can find a 12 step program for you an the hubs....

[Tri2Cook]

1 hour ago, suzilightning said:

I have a McDonald's and Wendy's within 2 miles and never eat there since it's so near to home I know I can make better food so close

Every restaurant that exists in the tiny town I live in is within 2 miles of home, almost all of them are within a few blocks, and I always know I can make better food at home... but somebody else can make the food and clean up the mess at the restaurants. So sometimes better food doesn't win.