CHILI CHEESE BURRITOS
As a small child, I loved Chili Cheese Burritos. They were my favorite. So much so it took me a longer time than I'd like to admit to even try a taco. It took chalupas, with their formerly wonderful bread, to break me out of my tube-shaped obsession. I guess I was too afraid of Taco Neck Syndrome.
How did Shaq avoid it and have such a healthy career?!
My father would tempt me with them, or reward me, or just be lazy when my mother was off doing patriotic somethingorothers so we'd go to Taco Bell and I'd get my love. They were my second favorite food, right below pizza on the charts.
CCBs were just sooooooooooo good! Warm, soft, cheesy, chili-y! They were a thing of legend for me. Wherever I went, if there was a Taco Bell, I knew what I was getting! I was set. Two of those and a large drink, and I was good to go. Losing weight, I would just get water. Gaining weight, I'd get four CCBs. It was glorious.
When I went to college I had my first huge culture shock at a Taco Bell (for the purposes of this editorial) ... the South Carolina ones didn't sell CCBs! It was unthinkable, but Chili-Cheese Burritos were seasonal, and at this point they had left the South Carolina market behind. Sure, I had found a love of Cheesy Gordita Crunches and still had a soft spot for the soft warm bread of Chalupas, but there was a hole inside my stomach. Shaped like a CCB. My parents helped by bringing a cooler filled with them whenever they visited, 6 or 8 or 10 CCBs, all hanging out in a cold cooler making the not-too-terribly-long drive up. But soon, my hometown's Taco Bell got remodeled ... and the CCBs were no more.
I don't know when my letter writing campaign I was always planning on starting but you know stuff happens get off my back ... ahem ... I don't know how it happened, but it did. CCBs are back. And they are just as good as I remember for the most part! Every restaurant is different, and going at different times leaves different levels of quality in the CCBs. But if you get them fresh, they are perfect. Perfect tubes of perfection, filled with cheesy-heaven. Get them. Around 11:30am is good, or if you can go late enough so they have to special make you some. A good way to make sure they are fresh is to change the order just slightly, like ask for extra spicy or add sour cream. Then you are guaranteed the greatest food Taco Bell ever made.
Grade: B++
MOUNTAIN DEW SANGRITA BLAST
As a soda drinker, I used to love Surge and Mountain Dew and all that stuff. But I've calmed it down, only going out of my way for two Dew flavors: Livewire, the orange flavor that has been discontinued for awhile I think, or at least I never see them anywhere any longer; and Baja Blast, exclusive to Taco Bell. Now there is a new flavor, Sangrita Blast. How does it stack up?
It is a black cherry flavor, and is incredibly, incredibly tart. Almost too tart for me. And almost too sweet. And almost too carbonated. In fact, I think it is actually all those things. I still like it quite a bit. Dark cherry sodas are great for the most part, especially non-cola flavored ones. But a pure dark cherry flavor, full of all that wonderful tart is finally here, and it is actually just too tart for me. And probably most others. I have a pretty strong stomach for crazy terrible foods, but it hit my tongue like a bag of tacs. Sharp, but still pleasant. But it is a sipping drink, not a drink for a gulping man. Or woman. I think it is worth a drink, and it could become your favorite. But I found all its qualities a little too strong for me, so it ends up just being a middle of the road soda, all things balanced out.
Grade: C
There we go. Food reviews. You like this? Think it is a waste of time? Want more? Less? Lemme know. I Have an Opinion is still evolving, and I love you readers' input.
I'd totally forgotten about taco neck! Also, I enjoyed this review. I feel like it gives room for more jokiness without taking away from the actual opinion shared. :)
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