Taco Bell

Here's a strange start to a review: I made my peace with Taco Bell. I never much liked the fare, usually leaving it until it's one of the last desperate choices when the hour gets super late and the hunger super strong. My "beef" centered from the rather pastey goop they use as the meat filling.

After a good layoff, I noticed this particular franchise has a better tasting ground beef concoction. Since this could change batch to batch at the mercy of the attendant on duty, I can only say that I'm partially back, and its the Fresco" menu that lured me. The big thing about this is the tomato and onion salsa topping that replaces the much softer tomato lettuce and onion of the many other items. Many supermarkets have a similar salsa that comes in a container you can only use before expiration if you are having a party. It carries a nice crunch and a flavor rush that sets it apart. This might not be available everywhere yet. My wife went back and forth at the Fort Lee Taco Bell/KFC branch trying to explain to the Einstein at the counter that when she is asking for "Fresco", she is not questioning the freshness of the items in general, she knows ALL the items are made fresh - but still she came away with what she later discovered was a standard Taco Supreme. But that was Fort Lee. This is River Street, Hackensack.

The Taco Supremes are still the backbone of the franchise. This particular River Street franchise location underwent renovation a year or so ago. It also shares a parking lot with it's sister corporate partner, KFC, so if you want to zig-zag through drive thrus, you can maximize your variety for that evening's takeout.

Still overall, there is nothing particularly filling that won't mean an intake of frighteningly high amounts of fat and salt. The cheesey goop and the bean and rice mixtures reek of salt. But then, this is fast food. I'm marking this review satisfactory only because we all know what we are getting when we pull up to the franchises like these.

Posted 07/18/09 | Report Abuse

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