Jack in the Box - Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches ($3.99) Rating: 5

Mark Lim - Burger technology has advanced leaps and bounds over the past couple months. Gone are the ways of the big greasy bacon packed behemoths of yesteryear. Mini is in.

Much like cellphones and trendy dogs, burgers have gotten smaller and smaller. The new mini on the market is the Jack in the Box Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich:

3 Pack of Mini-ness

I actually like the concept of the Mini Burger. They're small and neatly put together. It's easier to portion out if you want to save some for later and they're much cleaner to eat.

Sampling a baby burger

Jack's Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwiches aren't very good. The patty is just slightly larger than a dinosaur chicken nugget and tastes just as good as a microwaved one. If they had used quality meat from their chicken fingers it would have been a much better burger.

Acrobatic Mini Burgers

Another thing that disturbs me about the burger is the amount of Frank's Red Hot Sauce they put on them. I like hot sauce in small quantities but sometimes they drench the entire sandwich in it ruining the flavor.

Jack in the Box - Mini Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich

Taste ------------ (5) Too much sauce not enough chicken
Presentation -----(6) They look ok. Nothing to brag about
Price ------------- (6) $3.99? I can get 4 double cheese burgers for that
Quantity --------- (5) The key word here is "Mini"
Satisfaction ----- (4) Naw, not going to get this again

Eh, I expected way too much. I actually really liked their Mini Sirloin Burgers but their Mini Chickens are pretty gross. Steer clear, Cowboy.

Oh, I'll leave you with this video of me trying to fit them into my mouth:

Be Fat! Be Happy!

McDonalds - Angus Mushroom Burger ($5.00) Rating: 7

Mark Lim - Late January I banned all personal consumption of McDonalds after I was tricked into purchasing 2 Big Macs which I later "refunded" into a porcelain receptical.

It's been 5 months so last week I lifted the restriction and got myself a McDonalds 1/3 Pounder Angus Mushroom Burger. They're actually quite good.

Not a bad looking burger.

Looks like someone chewed it for me! Thanks!

Ugly but tastes fine.

McDonalds - Angus Mushroom Burger

Taste ------------ (7) The mushroomy taste came out just right
Presentation -----(6) Pretty with it's bread hat on but disgusting with it off
Price ------------- (5) $5 is a little expensive for this kind of burger
Quantity --------- (6) It hit the spot
Satisfaction ----- (7) Definitely much better than I thought it was going to be

Usually McDonalds burgers look like a bum used it as a pillow before being served but I was quite surprised because the Angus Mushroom Burger looked edible.. When I lifted the hood it did look pretty bad though but I've kind of learned to expect that from all fast food chains.

The taste was nice and clean. The McDonalds mushrooms had a better flavor than Carl's Portobello Burger which really blew me away. The cheese wasn't bad either and the burger patty wasn't greasy and disgusting. I would definitely get this burger again.

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Claim Jumpers - Frisco Burger ($10.00) Rating: 9

Mark Lim - Before my Frisco Burger came I polished off a Mozzarella Cheese Stick, a Southwest Eggroll, 6 Onion Rings, a Loaded Potato Skin, a Buffalo Wing, a Fried Zucchini, a half boat of Ranch Dressing, and some pieces of Artichoke. If I wasn't with family I would have been quite embarrassed.

This was a critical error because by the time my burger was ready I was already in a food coma.

The Monstrous Appetizer Combo

What made me realize that I actually really really liked Claim Jumper's Frisco Burger was that even after gorging myself on half of the monster appetizer plate I was still able to eat most of my meal.

The Frisco Burger might not be for everyone because it has a little sweet in it. My mother thought it was disgusting because it tasted like candy but I loved it.

The Frisco Burger consists of a wonderful Emmenthaler Swiss cheese on a burger patty cooked to your liking with lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes covered with 1000 Island dressing all wrapped up in a grilled parmesan sourdough. It was delicious even when my stomach was already about to explode.

Claim Jumpers - Frisco Burger

Taste ------------ (9) The flavors all worked together perfectly
Presentation -----(7) Not the prettiest but it sure was good
Price ------------- (7) $10 for a Burger and Fries ain't bad for a restaurant
Quantity --------- (8) Just about right. Couldn't really judge though
Satisfaction ----- (9) I definitely will be eating this again

Maybe it's because I'm just so used to eating $1 burgers from fast food joints that I forget that there are actually quality meals out there. It's good to treat yourself to something nice once in a while. I don't feel so... cheap.

Oh, I got up at 4:30am the next morning and polished off the rest of the Frisco Burger. I had dreams about it and I just had to finish it.

Be Fat! Be Happy!

El Pollo Loco - Chicken Sliders ($1.29) Rating: 5

Mark Lim - When KFC introduced Grilled Chicken to their menu it turned their war with El Pollo Loco into one giant soap opera. It was like KFC stealing El Pollo Loco's woman at the altar on horseback, giving her amnesia, and switching their babies at birth all at the same time.

El Pollo Loco has decided to fight back by copying KFC's "Snacker" sandwich and renaming it The Chicken Slider.

Both are pretty decent but I'd have to give the edge to the Snacker because KFC offers a larger sandwich, more flavors, and uses a better chicken chunk.

These El Pollo Loco Sliders are advertised at 99 cents but that's only for the Original Flavor. Spicy and BBQ are $1.29 which leaves me feeling cheated.

The chicken used in the Sliders are comparable with McDonald's frozen chicken but they're not too bad. I actually quite enjoyed the Original Flavor.

I have quite a large head so it's hard to judge how big these Sliders actually are.

Maybe it's me but fast food sandwiches covered in BBQ sauce are never good. The KFC BBQ Snacker and the El Pollo Loco BBQ Sliders are both pretty gross.

El Pollo Loco - Original Slider, BBQ Slider, Spicy Slider

Taste ------------ (5) Original was by far better than the other two
Presentation -----(5) Lots of mess for a little burger
Price ------------- (6) $0.99 - $1.29 isn't too bad
Quantity --------- (4) They're the size of half a tennis ball
Satisfaction ----- (5) I probably could eat about 5 before throwing up

These aren't my favorite and I believe the KFC Snacker to be the superior mini chicken burger but I probably would get them again if I wanted something small and cheap. What El Pollo Loco should have done was use their superior Flame Grilled Chicken and made that into a sandwich. That would have been a total change of pace and something wonderfully awesome.

Be Fat! Be Happy!