The Taco Bell "Crunchwrap"

[Jason Perlow]

http://www.tacobell.com

Even though my personal experiences over the years with Taco Bell have not always been pleasant, There's something that I find extremely compelling about the "Crunchwrap" concept.

I really like the idea of taking a crunchy corn tostada, piling on ground beef and cheese, lettuce and tomato and sour cream, and then encasing the whole sucker in a soft flour tortilla so it looks like something that would be served on Star Trek, and then pan frying it.

Perhaps it could be done better with better ingredients, but I think I seriously want to try one of these.

[Jason Perlow]

Apparently, they "beta tested" the Crunchwrap in the Portland area in August of '04.

http://phroggy.com/articles/crunchwrap.html

[ingridsf]

Aren't we looking at a chimichanga variation? (not that I'm complaining)

[Keith Talent]

Sounds similar to the absolutely superb Taco Supreme, with an added frying step. Taco Supreme is a regular crisp taco shell with the regular fixings, encased in a soft tortilla shell which as adhered to the hard taco with miracle adhesive, refried beans.

[Jason Perlow]

It seems that Taco Bell is very much into the whole alternating textures of soft and crunchy type thing. I remember they also have/had a taco which used both crunchy corn tortilla as well as soft tortilla. This sort of is doing the same thing, but in a more convenient package.

EDIT: Crosspost with Keith.

[lesfen]

We're on our second go 'round with the Crunch Wrap Supreme here in Ohio. It's actually pretty damn good. It's just like eating a giant taco, with the awesome exception that you can eat it in your car and not worry about picking lettuce and cheese out of your car seat for a month.

It's not actually fried after it's wrapped... they put it in a grill/press thing for a few seconds to keep the tortilla in place.

[Genny]

And at 500+ calories with only 37% fat, what a bargain!

I saw this signage on my local Taco Bell and wondered...it does look good. I love how Taco Bell can reinvent the same 7 ingredients every 6 months into something new. Really: Beans/Beef/Lettuce&Tomato/ Cheese/ Corn shells/Flour tortillas/ Sauces...Inventive!

Has anyone else had these? Can we get a review?

[scordelia]

Ah, another variation from Taco Bell Labs. My husband swears that Taco Bell's test kitchen is just a pile of their usual ingredients and a group of guys coming up with infinite ways of recombining them.

Could one actually write an equation that would predict the number of possible dishes Taco Bell could serve with their existing ingredients?

[sapient]

I think it comes out to 362880 with the above mentioned ingredients. And then there's the chicken.

[NulloModo]

I thought the soft and hard-shelled taco was called the double-decker taco, but that could just be me.

Seems for this to be a chimichanga it would have to be deep fried... which would actually probably be really tasty, but it would get your fingers greasy, and I'm not sure taco-bell has deep fryers. Perhaps some ingenuitive eG member can buy one and give it a deep frying at home.

[Jason Perlow]

Has anyone else had these? Can we get a review?

I promise to do an exhaustive, in depth analysis of the Crunchwrap in the near future.

[Keith Talent]

I thought the soft and hard-shelled taco was called the double-decker taco,

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That might explain why I never get what I want on my incredibly infrequent Taco Bell visits.

[Toliver]

I thought the soft and hard-shelled taco was called the double-decker taco,

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That might explain why I never get what I want on my incredibly infrequent Taco Bell visits.

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The Taco Supreme is the same as the regular crisp taco except it has sour cream and diced tomatoes in it.

You can find all the menu items by clicking on "Nutrition Guide" on the Taco Bell web site.

Wish they'd bring back the Bell Beefer...

[Jason Perlow]

I actually wish they would make the Crunchwrap in a vegetarian (or a chicken) version, perhaps using refried black beans instead of the ground beef they use. I haven't been to Taco Bell in a LONG time -- like going on perhaps 10 years now, reverting to my bachelor existence. I distinctly recall Taco Bell's ground beef to be pretty icky, greasy and rather stomach problem inducing -- but their regular Seven Layer bean burrito (which I frequently used as an example to explain the OSI Internetworking Model in various computer books I contributed to) was a great late-night snack. Like all Taco Bell food, it is best consumed while under the influence of an intoxicating substance.

[zilla369]

I've been lusting after the crunchwrap ever since I saw the commercial for the first time last weekend.

I haven't been lusting after the "good to go" guy in the commercial, though.

[Genny]

I haven't seen a commercial!

Oh, Jason you poor deprived man. 10 years??? We have one across the street and it is my DH's favorite "I don't feel like going out and I'm feeling cheap" go-to spot. It was yesterday's lunch- I get the taco salad with extra meat and don't eat the shell.

[Bob Musa]

i just got a report on it from my lead programmer (you can always count on programmers for taco bell reviews). he says its basically a tostada you can eat in the car... without beans.

[lesfen]

I just saw a commercial for a spicy chicken version of the Crunchwrap. Mmmm.

My husband is out of town... my toddler is at her grandma's... the house is mine... I'm makin' a run for the border, baby.

[Grub]

-- but their regular Seven Layer bean burrito (which I frequently used as an example to explain the OSI Internetworking Model in various

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Never got up the nerve to do it, but I became obsessed with trying to steal a big promotional poster for this thing from a place near work when teaching a class... "No, the application layer goes on top of the guaccamole! You're thinking of the sour cream! Concentrate!!" I'm so glad there are other computer nerds out there who had the same thoughts. Methinks this is the closest I ever got to taking an interest in fast food.

[NulloModo]

Jason -

Taco Bell is incredibly accomodating when it comes down to subbing ingredients in things, and since they make everything to order anyway, it isn're really an unreasonable request.

Back when I worked at Circuit City a couple other associated and I would drive over to the mall food court for lunch breaks, and had this superstition that eating Taco Bell increased sales (not sure how that one started). Anyway, our 'sales power lunch' was usually a couple cheesy gordita crunches made with refried beans instead of beef. The beens pack a lot more flavor than their beef anyway.

[lesfen]

Jason -

Taco Bell is incredibly accomodating when it comes down to subbing ingredients in things, and since they make everything to order anyway, it isn're really an unreasonable request.

Back when I worked at Circuit City a couple other associated and I would drive over to the mall food court for lunch breaks, and had this superstition that eating Taco Bell increased sales (not sure how that one started).  Anyway, our 'sales power lunch' was usually a couple cheesy gordita crunches made with refried beans instead of beef.  The beens pack a lot more flavor than their beef anyway.

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Ooo... cheesy gordita crunch. When's that bad boy making a comeback?

[WHT]

Aren't we looking at a chimichanga variation?  (not that I'm complaining)

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I don’t think so since a Chimi is deep-fried.

[WHT]

I think it comes out to 362880 with the above mentioned ingredients. And then there's the chicken.

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Don't they also do some dished with steak? I have also seen rice used in some of there food. It might be interesting to run all the ligit combinations.

[WHT]

-- but their regular Seven Layer bean burrito (which I frequently used as an example to explain the OSI Internetworking Model in various

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Never got up the nerve to do it, but I became obsessed with trying to steal a big promotional poster for this thing from a place near work when teaching a class... "No, the application layer goes on top of the guaccamole! You're thinking of the sour cream! Concentrate!!" I'm so glad there are other computer nerds out there who had the same thoughts. Methinks this is the closest I ever got to taking an interest in fast food.

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The truth be told I have used fast food to describe technology to non-tech people. A lot of it does work incredibly well as people tend to relate to food easily. The one thing left out of this 7-layer description is the tortillas. How is that factored in?

[glossyp]

Sounds like perfect fodder for the cell phone food porn thread...we'll be watching for it!