Thursday, July 17, 2008

REVIEW: Burger King Loaded Steakhouse Burger

As I mentioned yesterday, it was becoming harder and harder for me to resist the relentless advertising and on-line comments either extolling the virtues of or completely denigrating the Burger King Loaded Steakhouse Burger.

So, with lunch plans already in place for today and a full day of vacation prep tomorrow, yesterday seemed like the best time to tempt the fates and see if this burger was, in the words of one commenter obviously given to hyperbole, "the single-most disgusting piece of fast food I have ever ingested".

Apparently, Michael never had the misfortune of trying the McLean Deluxe or the McDonald's ill-advised "upscale" version of the Filet-O-Fish.

Weighing in at a decent 11.4 ounces, the Loaded Steakhouse Burger certainly packs some heft between its Kaieser-lite buns. But what do you expect when you top a burger with bacon, crunchy onion strips (not quite onion rings), and mashed potatoes.

Admittedly, the open-faced version of the sandwich shown above looks like a cross between surgery footage on TLC and something you'd have seen coming out of The Scarecrow's burlap sack mask in BATMAN BEGINS.

Forget the appearance, what's it taste like? My first bite netted me a mouthful of what tasted like mostly mashed potato chased by a shot glass full of A-1 Sauce. Unfortunately, what is usually the best part of any BK burger for me – the burger itself – is one of the weakest links in this monstrosity.

Instead of a juicy, flame-broiled patty the burger here is a dry, oversized and surprisingly thin burger with little or no taste. While I can't side with those who feel like the sandwich is gross or the worst thing they've ever eaten, it's in no way something that I'd ever go out of my way to have again.

Sadly, a C effort at best from the King's Kitchen.

9 comments:

Mike said...

Dan,

I like me a sandwich with gratuitous toppings (Rutgers University's Grease Trucks' Fat Sandwiches, Primanti Brothers, etc.), but this looks atrocious. Thanks for taking one for the team and trying it so we don't have to.

So, where should I send my donation to help pay for your bypass?

Mike
TVFF

Dan said...

LOL... as I've said I rarely eat fast food anymore so if being THG means taking one for the team every now and then, so be it.

I won't take your money but to quote Crash Davis, "when you speak of me, speak well."

yellojkt said...

I tried one of these out of morbid curiosity. I couldn't go the full monty and had them hold the onions.

Halfway through I kept telling myself "They really put mashed potatoes on a hamburger. Really."

Never again. And please don't tell my cardiologist.

Anonymous said...

At least you won't die wondering what one of those things tastes like, right?

Douglas A. Waltz said...

I don't like this one, but I do like the one with the onion thingies and lettuce tomato and mayo with A1 sauce. But let me tell you about the ultimate burger.
The other day my wife and I went to T.G.I. Fridays for something to eat. I had never been before. They have a burger with all the fixings, bacon, cheese and a slice of deep fried provolone! It's like a big, flat cheese stick. It was amazing!

Anonymous said...

Although you already took the bullet for us, I had to once again break my BK BoyKott to sample this thing for myself. When I first saw the posters go up in the windows, I couldn't believe it. The whole concept just sounded wrong. Those cooks in the BK test kitchen must be smoking some serious crippy to have come up with this fast food freakshow of a sandwich. Obviously, I found the thing inedible, but what bothered me most was their promoting it as a burger topped with a stuffed baked potato. Spreading a layer of instant mashed potatoes on top of cheese and bacon slices does not replicate the taste or texture of a hand-scooped, hand-mixed twice-baked tater. And I didn't detect any sour cream in the mix. Terrible. What this Abominable Burger of the Idahoans reminded me of most were the gross-out concoctions me and my friends used to come up with during grammar school lunchtime. Things like dipping pizza into chocolate milk, spreading mustard on an ice cream sandwich and, come to think of it, putting instant mashed potatoes on a hamburger! Too bad we eight-year-olds didn't know about copyright protection back then. Anyhow, back to the BK BK.

mrbshamrock said...

I tried it today, with the instant spuds...I even got it with extra A-1 steaksauce in hopes it would make it better (or something). This was sheer misery to eat....I shoulda spent my dough on the sauceless chicken wings at KFC instead :|

Anonymous said...

I had a regular Steakhouse today at BK and it was pretty good. I could actually taste the meat and I liked it. Then I got online and checked the fat and calorie content. Yikes! Luckily, it was the only thing I ate today and I'm still full, 8 hours later.

Dan said...

Anon... checking the fat/calorie content was your first mistake. I only check from a journalistic standpoint. I so rarely eat this stuff that I feel like I can indulge myself without the guilt that should come with clogging my arteries and taking two months off my life. Might as well take up smoking!

I've never had the non-Loaded Steakhouse burger but I'm a BK burger fan. Probably my fave fast food burger that's readily available here (no White Castles in the Balto region) but I recall the meat on the one I had was thin and dry. I finally got around to trying the Angry Whopper and was again disappointed in the overall execution but at its core was a tasty, meaty Whopper patty so I can't really complain.