Place: Burger King
Item: Fire-Grilled Chicken Baguette, Savory Mustard & Santa Fe varieties
Price: $2.89
In 20 years, little Lunch Guy Jr. might teleport into his local Burger King and ask the server droid, “What's a burger?” Right now is a real turning point for the menu, reflecting the change in America's lunch tastes as the fatty ground-beef staples of the 20 th century make way for the lean chicken craze of today.
The latest entries are Burger King's new Savory Mustard and Santa Fe Fire-Grilled Chicken Baguettes, marketed as flavorful, low-fat options. Will they lead us out of a junk food era? More important, should you have one for lunch?
Tom: If this sandwich doesn't attract the non-burger crowd to Burger King, then nothing will. I thought the Mustard one was unbeatable in taste. The salsa on the Santa Fe version seemed a bit off, but the onions and peppers were a succulent twist. I was particularly impressed with the baguette. Slightly crunchy with a hint of French tug and chew to it, this is bread someone actually baked. It makes the normal hamburger bun seem like it was stamped out by the machine that makes foam peanuts.
outside with a squishy lightness inside. The only downside was that there wasn't enough. The sandwiches are just 5 inches long, and I had at least a 7-inch appetite. That keeps it at only 350 calories and 5 grams of fat, but I wasn't quite ready to downshift from super-size mode.
Tom: Yeah, I was surprised, but I thought it was filling enough for lunch. Unfortunately, I fear this sandwich won't get the props it deserves. BK could sell couscous on multigrain pita with a super-size shot of wheat grass and no Birkenstock wearer would come within 100 yards. Too bad, because this is as good as a good-for-you sandwich gets.
Chris: Definitely. I still can't help getting a Coke with the baguette rather than the “combo lite” option of bottled water and side salad, but I can't wait to have both of these sandwiches again.
Rating: 5 sporks (out of 5)
Food facts for Mustard (Santa Fe is similar): 350 calories (14 percent from fat), 5g fat, 1g saturated fat, 47g carbohydrates, 28g protein, Fat: 5g, 1,110mg sodium
E-mail The Lunch Guys:
tomandchris@thelunchguys.com
The chicken was a solid, single, marinated breast filet. When I looked for the secret ingredient, I found a lot of partially hydrogenated this and disodium that in the nutritional info. Still, it's a great non-fattening sandwich I can eat one-handed.
Chris: For a healthy fast food lunch, these chicken baguettes are perfection. I don't know what BK is putting in the chicken either, but the result is a tender filet that replicates farm freshness. I'm a big fan of both the Mustard and Santa Fe baguettes; how can I choose between a muted, tangy mustard glaze and a mild, earthy salsa? The mustard version's lettuce and tomato are simple accompaniments to let the chicken shine through, while the Santa Fe's chunky onions and green peppers must have come from a garden by the drive-through lane.
The bread I could have eaten on its own -- a flaky crustiness on the
Chicken baguette reigns as healthful king
