Burger King New Menu Review and BK® Crown Card Giveaway

As a member of MyBlogSpark, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Burger King New Menu Spark.  Burger King has recently added several new menu items including made-to-order Garden Fresh Salads, Snack Wraps, Real Fruit Smoothies, Frappés and Crispy Chicken Strips, and MyBlogSpark sent me a $20 BK^® Crown Card to try out the new items.  Plus they want to reward one of my readers with a $20 BK^® Crown Card too!

Chicken, Apple and Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad

I don’t generally eat a ton of fast food.  It’s especially hard to find something that I want/can eat on the menus now that I know I’m gluten-free.  This definitely put a limit on what I was able to try from the new menu, but I was excited about trying the Chicken, Apple and Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad and the Mocha Frappé.  Salads are usually a fairly safe option at fast food places since croutons usually come in separate bags, but I do have to watch out for the dressings.  Burger King has a pretty decent allergy/nutrition chart, so I knew my choices would be safe.  The other reason I hesitate on ordering salads at fast food places is that the lettuce is often iceberg, which is pretty worthless taste-wise and nutritionally, or it just doesn’t seem very fresh. 

We went to Burger King for dinner the week after we closed on our house and were very busy getting everything ready to move in the following weekend, so we go it to go and took it to the apartment to eat.  Lo ordered the Crispy Chicken Strips with honey mustard and sweet and sour sauce, and I got the Apple and Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad and the Mocha Frappé.  

I sipped on the mocha on the way home.  It was pretty good, though VERY sweet.   And while I love whipped cream, I hate how it comes standard on mochas and milkshakes everywhere these days – it’s good, but fairly unnecessary and unhealthy…but I still ate it.  It had a good mocha flavor – I’m just used to drinking black coffee, so the sweetness was a bit much for me.    

Chicken, Apple and Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad

I ate the salad when we got home and it was delicious.  And huge!  There were two TENDERGRILL^® chicken pieces sliced on top (TENDERCRISP^®  is an option too).  It was SO filling.  I actually couldn’t eat all of it – which is shocking because I can finish almost any salad except one from Chipotle.  I was very impressed with the lettuce – it was very green and crisp.  The tartness of the apples and cranberries paired perfectly with the saltiness of the bleu cheese.  Instead of the Apple Cider Vinaigrette, I chose the Ken's® Lite Honey Balsamic for the dressing because I wanted a lighter option. 

Lo enjoyed his Crispy Chicken Strips, though it’s not something he’d normally order.  He said that it was the perfect portion of breading to chicken and the chicken was moist, but the breading wasn’t soggy, which is surprising considering he didn’t eat them until we got home.  I thought they have a pretty impressive selection of sauces for the strips and made fun of him for initially choosing honey mustard, which is one of the more boring/standard sauces.  I thought the Kung Pau and BBQ Roasted Jalepeno Dipping sauces sounded better. I meant to take a picture of his, but I forgot!

I probably hadn’t eaten at Burger King for well over a year.  I used to love the breakfast, but now that I’m gluten-free, everything is pretty much off limits for breakfast.  I still love their iced tea the best (I think it tastes like roses, which doesn’t make sense OR sound good, but I love it), and I’m happy to know that they have great salads now. 

MyBlogSpark is offering one of my readers a $20 gift card pack to try out the new Burger King Menu.

To enter:

Leave a comment telling me what you’d order from the menu, or what you’ve already tried.

Additional optional entries: you MUST leave me a comment for EACH extra entry that you complete.

• Sign up for RSS feed or email updates and leave me a comment letting me know
• Follow me on Pinterest and leave me a comment to let me know
• Follow me on Twitter and leave me a comment to let me know
• Follow BURGER KING^® on Facebook and leave me a comment to let me know

Contest ends June 17, 2012 and the winner will be selected by random.org and notified by email.  Good luck!

*MyBlogSpark provided me the a $20 BK^® Crown Card to try the new menu items, but I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, or any review at all.  If I wasn’t happy with the new menu, I wouldn’t have posted anything.  While I don’t think fast food should be a regular part of anyone’s diet, I feel like there is a time and a place for it, and I’m happy to have a new option when we are eating on the go. 

Columbus Food League Bike Tour

 We are majorly in love with 5 restaurants around downtown that are part of a “family” of restaurants called the Columbus Food League.  Last fall we talked about how we needed to do a bike crawl to that group of restaurants on afternoon, at which we’d get a drink and something to eat.  We never got around to it, so we wanted to make sure we were able to get it done as soon as possible. 

The last few years we’ve stayed home for Easter – meaning we didn’t drive 1.15 hours to visit Lo’s family or 3 hours to visit mine.  Traffic is always so sucky on Sunday coming back to Columbus, and it was just nice to have a holiday for which we didn’t have plans.  The first year we went to Betty’s Fine Food and Spirits to eat – because they posted a pic of a martini with a marshmallow Peep floating in it.  The next year we went to Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace, because we’d been wanting to try their brunch and it seemed like a perfect day that probably wouldn’t be as busy as normal. 

This year, my mother-in-law’s birthday happened to fall on Easter, so we decided that we needed to break our tradition and visit his family on Easter.  BUT since Saturday was going to be so beautiful, we decided to do our Columbus Food League Bike Tour that day.

We had brunch at our friends’ house and came home a couple of hours later in need of a short nap before we embarked on our journey.  I woke up, and after a quick scan of Facebook, realized that it was Gallery Hop day.  Our intent was to start our tour at the further point from our place and work our way back – but that was going to put us in the Short North right around the time that Gallery Hop would really be hopping, which could make getting a seat at Betty’s and Surly Girl difficult.  We decided to change our order to Surly Girl, Betty’s, Jury Room, Dirty Franks, and finally Tip Top. 

I got dressed while Lo started to fill up the bike tires.  That was a problem because one of his tires was completely flat AND the pump was suddenly broken (it worked fine last year).  After a quick online search, he found that a lot of people had the same problem with this pump and there was no fixing it.  That was annoying.  Off to Target we had to go to get a pump and a tube (in case it was bad too).  He got everything fixed and off we went.

We got to Surly Girl Saloon around 5 and grabbed a spot at the bar – right before a group traveling on the Cycle Tavern got there.  They were D-Runk.  I had a Surly Temple (Red Pop and Vodka) and we ordered Frito Pie with the veggie chili (because it was GF). 

Our second stop was Betty’s Fine Food and Spirits.  It was clear at this point that Gallery Hop was really picking up.  We got a table, but within minutes, there were people waiting.  I had a Berry Betty, which was Blueberry-Strawberry Infused Finlandia Vodka & Pink Lemonade.  I didn’t realized that the berries had actually been soaking in the vodka until I started eating them and realized how boozy they were. So I ate all of them.  We didn’t get any food this time since we just had Frito Pie at Surly Girl.  We had some good people watching from our window table including a guy wearing a leopard print fur shrug with a very casual outfit (he ended up coming inside briefly, so I snapped a pick), and a guy wearing an American Flag tracksuit (old school with the tightly cuffed elastic bottoms) and a tshirt with an American flag and 3 wolves.  Luckily his tracksuit jacket was tied around his waist so I could see his fantastic shirt (I have no idea what American flags and wolves have in common).  Sorry, no pic – I was too slow.  Traffic was packed through the Short North, but we just rode in the lane beside the parked cars and it was fine.

We went to Jury Room next because we wanted to go to the furthest one left in this direction and then work our way back.  Jury Room is awesome because it’s a little out of the way, so it’s never too busy.  Plus they mark their gluten-free items on the menu, so I know what I order is safe.  We just got the Truffle Fries and I had an Executioner, which is XRated Liqueur, Citrus Vodka, and 7up – though I had him sub club soda for the 7up so it wouldn’t be so sweet.  Very good substitution.  

On to Dirty Frank’s Hot Dog Palace for our 4th stop.  We weren’t surprised to see a line outside, as it’s a tiny place and we were getting there around prime dining time.  We put our names in and stood inside so we’d know if anyone got up from the bar (it’s first come, first serve to sit at the bar).  Within 10 minutes, we had a seat at the bar and I was enjoying a Vodka and ½ red pop ½ club soda.  I ordered a Whoa Nellie in a GF wrap (beef dog topped with pulled pork and BBQ sauce), while Lo had a Doginator (bacon-wrapped dog –seriously- topped with beef brisket, bbq sauce, cheddar, and onion rings.

Our final stop of the Columbus Food League Bike Tour was Tip Top.  It wasn’t crowded at all and they were playing obscure-ish hip-hop, which was pretty great.  I had a “Commit to be Lit” for my final drink (Orange, vanilla and raspberry vodkas mixed with cranberry juice and a splash of 7up, served tall).  We were still hungry since we’d just been snacking all day, so we ordered Ohio Nachos and the Salmon Dinner to split. 












That was a tour!  The ride home was a little chilly, but it was a great evening!  We hung out at each place for awhile, so we were gone for 5+ hours.  I’m already looking forward to having our friends join us for this tour next time! 

Skillet, Rustic.Urban.Food

Last Saturday we went to breakfast with two good friends and I wanted to make sure I mentioned it before this weekend because it was SO good.  We went to Skillet, Rustic.Urban.Food on Whittier in German Village.  I'd read reviews about how small the place is, and how there is often a long wait, so we decided to get there around 10 a.m.  I figured that we'd miss the early-riser diners, but get there before the late-sleeper/brunch crew.  Also, it was the earliest that I would commit to waking up.  Our timing was pretty good - there was only one table on the list in front of us, and several groups of people got there immediately after we signed in.  We did have to wait for about 25 minutes because we had four in our group and there are fewer 4 top tables.  


It was totally worth the wait.  The place IS small and we were a little tight at the booth, but it was fine.  The coffee is from Cafe Brioso downtown and was amazing.  The food is fresh, seasonal, and "farm to fork".  

I'll get on to the food.  Lo ordered Short Ribs and Grits.  I didn't take a picture and the menu isn't available online, but it was basically short ribs and grits in a gravy made with stout and porter.  He said it was amazing, I really wanted to try it but couldn't because of the beer. The other three of us all got the corned beef hash.  I'd never had corned beef hash before, but for some reason it sounded really good (maybe because it's nearing St. Patrick's Day?).  I really, really liked it.  I was craving something salty and it was perfect.  While breakfast is easy enough to order on a gluten-free diet, it can get a little boring to always have just eggs or omelets.  So this was a perfect combination of eggs, meat, and potatoes.  The corned beef has was served with a biscuit which apparently were amazing, but since I couldn't have it, Lo got mine.  His didn't come with a biscuit, which was surprising because it was perfect for sopping up the extra gravy.  He actually ordered another biscuit later because he wanted to eat ALL of the gravy.  I got a side of apple wood smoked bacon (or something like that) and it was probably the best bacon I've ever had.  One of our friends ordered one of the famous cinnamon rolls, which looked and tasted amazing (according to everyone who tried it). 


Skillet is a little expensive for breakfast, but that's because you're getting such high quality and fresh food.  I think our choices were each around $12 and the coffees and sides were reasonable (about $3).  There was plenty of food, and again, the quality was outstanding.  We definitely plan to go back again sometime.  

Check out their Facebook page.  Sometimes they stop taking new customers because the wait list exceeds the closing time, so I definitely recommend going earlier. 

Have you ever been to Skillet?  What did you think?

Studio 35 is AWESOME! So is Mazah.

Over the weekend, we had plans with friends to go to dinner and the movies.  We'd never been to Studio 35, but knew they had a great beer selection (not that I could have it) and in general, we much prefer theaters with bars to those without.  First we went to dinner at Mazah in Grandview, which is a Mediterranean restaurant with a ton of gluten-free options clearly marked on the menu.  I started with the Mujadara, which is lentils, rice, caramelized onions, and spices over fresh greens.  It was super tasty.  Lo had a cup of lentil soup, which was hot as molten lava and more of a bowl than a cup (he liked it).  We split the Large Sampler, which came with hummus, fava bean dip, baba ghanoush, 3 Bean Salad, cabbage salad, Med. Potato Salad, 2 pieces of falafel, rice, and one entrée (meat/veggie) and pita bread.  We got Beef Shawarma for our entree part of the sampler and a side of veggies as dippers for me.  Everything was REALLY good and really reasonably priced.  I would absolutely go back.  I'd recommend making reservations, especially on the weekend, because we had to wait for awhile.

After dinner we headed to Studio 35 to see "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".  I'd read the books, so I was really excited to see the movie.  You can't order tickets in advance through Studio 35, but you can order them through MovieTickets.com, in case you think it's going to be a popular movie.  We did, but it wasn't necessary, because it wasn't nearly as busy as we expected - plus the place is pretty big.  We stopped at the bar on the way in and everyone got delicious beers (they have HOPSLAM) except me (vodka+soda).  When Lo went for the second round during the movie, he also got me a small popcorn with a scoop of M&M's.  Seriously.  I never really get movie popcorn, but I was super excited to get some after I read that you can get a scoop of M&M's added to your popcorn for 50 cents (the popcorn was only $3 itself).  It is really an amazing combination.  They put the scoop of candy on top, but as you're eating it, some of them work their way towards the bottom, so you have candy the whole way through.  So good.

The movie was incredibly good, as expected.  The sound wasn't so great in the theater, and the characters had Swedish accents, so it was a little hard to understand at times. Apparently they sometimes show double features, so for $7.50 you get to see 2 movies.  They also serve pizzas, salads, and subs.  The theater itself is basically the theater version of a dive bar - it's absolutely not fancy in anyway, has a weird old building smell (you get used to it), and like I said, the sound wasn't perfect, but it was a really cool place.  We will absolutely go back, especially after we move further away from Arena Grand, which is usually our go-to theater.    

Tip for Busser?

Last night we walked to BBR for dinner and a couple of drinks because we had a Faveroo to use and they have pretty good food for a bar.  It was only about 20 degrees, but it's less than a mile away, so it seems stupid to drive and pay to park - especially since our time walking places is limited.  Once we move to the suburbs, it's over.  We watched San Fran beat the Saints in a great ending (would have rather the Saints won, but oh well) and watched the first quarter or so of Pats versus God Tebow Broncos.  We decided to head to R Bar before the Jackets game was over (before it got crazy there).  When we got our bill at BBR, there was a line for server tip and then another line for busser tip!  Seriously? We've never seen such a thing before!  We certainly didn't leave a tip on that line for the guy who walked our food 3 feet to the bar and then removed the plates and walked them 3 feet back to the kitchen.  I used to be a server - if you HAD bussers, you tipped them out at the end of the night!  Pretty sure they are probably making more than servers wage and aren't dependent on the tips.  Plus, that place has a million servers/bartenders standing around, so there is no reason they can't handle the bussing duties themselves.  Servers get tips because they make a shit salary, have to deal with customers, and are often crazy-busy.  The bussers didn't even speak to us except to say something when he brought our food out - we both swear he said "Columbus Crew?" when he walked up behind us with our food, which makes no sense since we ordered grilled honey chipotle wings and a Caribbean burger.  BBR is already more expensive for drinks than other places in the area, so the bill is higher - which means the tip is higher....do they really need to try to squeak another couple of bucks from their customers?  Have you ever seen such a thing?

Our walk home through Goodale Park

We got to R Bar just in time to still get a seat at the bar before the game let out, had a couple of drinks there, and then decided to stop at Char Bar on the way home for one more.  And there we realized that we've aged out of Char Bar.  It wasn't like that when we were there last year sometime, but the only people older than us was a server/bartender who has worked there forever and the owner who is possibly 200 years old!  There are so few places in that area where we can go after 11 pm without hating everyone around us and I guess now there is one less....