Rallys Eat-It-All #14: Chili Cheese Dog, Deep Sea Double, Big Chicken Deluxe

It's a triple play!

First up is the Chili Cheese Dog. Yes, it was as messy as it looks. They offered me a fork but I declined, fool that I am. It was good but oddly it was kind of bland. TONS of red onions, as with the Chili Dog. I tasted them for hours and this meal definitely gave me heartburn.

A day or two later I was back to pick up two 2 For $5 items. First up is the Big Chicken Deluxe. This differs from the Big Chicken in that they add a single slice of American cheese. It's a decent chicken sandwhich but it'll never come close to Chick-Fill-A. And the cheese didn't really add anything to the party.

Last is the excellent Deep Sea Double. Just the name is worth it! Now I like deep fried fish but I was a bit wary of the (once again) single slice of American cheese. But the breading and the flavor of the fish are so mild (unlike the overpowering chicken breading) that the cheese added a really nice, creamy touch! Plus the fish was nice and flakey. I will most certainly get this one again.

Note also the coupon book. I couldn't resist and ponied up a buck. It has a couple of good coupons in it, specifically the, er... well, I can't seem to find it right now. I hope I didn't lose it because I remember two Rallyburger combo coupons for $1.99.

Speaking of remembering, I am salivating at the remembrance of an NEW item I saw on the dirve-through sign... The Fry Lovers Baconator! It's five bucks but definitely something that will one day be in my belly.

2017 Reading Roundup Review

It's time for the annual (really?) Reading Roundup Review!

This year I read 33 (ILLUMINATI!!!) books, which is about average lately. Fifteen were non-fiction, but six of these were from the tween "Who Is" series, which are read in about 20-30 minutes so I guess they don't really count. It's like the Wikipedia of biographies. But, ya know, the big non-fiction number makes me look smart. The rest were mostly biographies of musicians or comedians.

That said, the best non-fiction book I read on 2017 was not a biography. Supernatural by Michael Heiser will give you a different, expanded view of the unseen spiritual realm at work around us. Trippy stuff, man.

Of the fiction read I supposed that I Am Legend by Richard Matheson was the best, although it did tend to drag on at times. I also stumbled upon a new (for me) author while browsing through the stacks at the library... Clifford D. Simak. I've only read one book so far (it was about realtor aliens who often look like bowling balls) but I seriously think I've found a brother from another mother. Too bad he's dead.

Five of the eighteen fiction book were re-reads, including Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy that I first read in the late 80s and laughed so hard I got asthma. And I haven't read it since for fear that it wouldn't be as funny. And it wasn't but it was still good. Also read where Adventures of Huck Finn and three Westlake novels, which are fresh even on a second trip.

Rallys Eat-It-All #13 - Bacon Roadhouse

This here burger was pretty good but not as good as the Baconzilla. Or maybe my judgement was affected because I ate it outside in 35 degree weather. It was tasty, mind you, but the bacon was partly in pieces instead of the strips that are on the Baconzilla. Not the itty bitty pieces of ye olde Bacon Cheddar Burger (R.I.P.) but quarter sized or larger. The BBQ sauce was a nice touch as were the fried onion bits, though there weren't very many of these. I might try this one again next summer and see if it delights my tastebuds more.

Rallys-Eat-It-All #12 : Baconzilla

I've been waiting to get one of Rally's premier sandwiches and I was not disappointed. Yes, it was a Baconzilla day for this lad. Two generous patties with goop (mayo?), lots of cheese and scads of thick bacon. This is the real stuff, not the wimpy stuff places put on value menu burgers. It tasted great, too, but at five bucks it was perilously close to the cost of a Five Guys and a Five Guys this is not. But it's within walking distance of work.

So will a cheapskate like me get this one again? Very likely, especially if I have a $2 off combo coupon again. It's on par with the Fry Burger and the, HEY, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BACON CHEDDAR CRISP?!?!?! It doesn't appear to be on the menu which makes me one sad puppy.

But back to the Baconzilla. It is one big sandwich. However like most fast food it doesn't stick around for long because I didn't feel stuffed and was hungry just a couple of hours later.

Rallys Eat-It-All #11: Spicy Chicken and Swirl Cone

Me no big fan of spicy but this chicken sandwich was pretty bland. It had, for me, a moderate amount of heat, as in a 4 out of 10 on the scale of what I would eat. For instance, I would never eat a habanero so that's way off the scale, as in half infinity. So this one gave my mouth a moderate tingle. Otherwise there wasn't much. I added ketchup and some fries and it still was just "meh."

The cone, however, was a nice treat for just one buck. Even average ice cream is good ice cream.

Rallys-Eat-It-All #10: Cheese Champ and Monsterella Stix

Today's meal was compliments of a coupon for free Monsterella (mozerella) stix with sammich purchase. I'm not 100% positive it's spelled "stix" instead of "sticks" or even "styx" but it's edgier that way so I'm leaving it. I've been wanting an excuse to get a Cheese Champ 'cause I like the name and so made my move.

I kind of expected more than one slice of cheese. Otherwise it had one average patty with pickles, lettuce shreds, tomato, red onion, ketchup, mustard and mayo. I could have added bacon but I wasn't feeling rich. I chomped the champ and it tasted good but nothing extraordinary. I mean, it's a basic cheeseburger loaded with all the fixins.

The Cheese Champ did seem to have a little fancier bun, as seen in this picture next the cheese sticks. The Monsterella Styx serving size seemed small but after gnoshing my way through four of them I was pretty cheesed out. Good, stringy cheese but the cup -o- sauce was pretty bland.

That's it for this week. The coupon is for loaded fries, which I've already had, so next week I might give my digestive system a breather.

Rallys Eat-It-All #9 - Hot Dog and All American Cheese Burger

Today's post is brought to you by the word "ADEQUATE."

I needed just a bit more food to round out the leftovers I had brought in from lunch so I bought the two cheapest items that still remained on my list. Exhibit #1 : The Grilled Hot Dog. Witness the ample amount of ketchup and mustard (which makes some hot dog purists shudder). They asked if I wanted relish, I did, and so gave me two packets of green glowing glop. All together this is a perfectly acceptable hot dog with the meat being a much better quality that is served by school corporations.

Exhibit #2 is the All American Cheeseburger. Previously I'd eaten the bacon version of this puppy and this is the same, just less bacony. Again, it was just okay although the burger was waaaay off center on the bun, almost as if the sandwich maker had disdain for wasting his craft on such a measly morsel. I think some day I will pit this against the one dollar cheeseburgers from McD, Burger King and Wendys. Oh, it will be a most exciting day indeed!