The Crane Pool Forum

I'm starting this thread after running into this article (lnked to below) and realizing that I haven't been to a McDonald's in more than a year -- probably a record for me.

All 15 McDonald’s Sandwiches, Ranked

Excerpt:

Every once in a while, there's a void in life that only a visit to the house of the golden arches can fix. Whether it was putting together a broke college meal, visiting the McDonald’s in Times Square just to eat a Stroopwafel McFlurry, or making a pitstop on a road trip, the chain has been a small source of comfort, joy, and fulfillment for me over the course of my life. And while I’ve basically hounded the entire menu throughout my 25 years, I’ve never done so in one sitting -- eating all 15 burgers and sandwiches -- to discover which one is the best. Until now.

https://edition.thrillist.com/s/mcdonal ... erm=slate1

My new fave is the quarter-pounder with cheese, upgraded in recent years. Used to be the Big Mac. I like the Egg McMuffin, too.

I get an Egg McMuffin and some hash browns for breakfast every once in a while. I can't remember the last time I've eaten any other McDonalds food. It may easily be twenty years or more.

Filet-o-Fish ranked #2? On what planet?

I'm actually very partial to their Breakfast burritos, which didn't even make this list.

Enjoyed the description of their bacon as 'salty meat shards'.

<retch>

Lefty Specialist wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:57 am I'm actually very partial to their Breakfast burritos, which didn't even make this list.

That's my go-to when (infrequently) eating there. Not too many carbs, so I don't feel guilty.
And I love their coffee (fodder for another thread ?) - light with two Splenda. Perfect.
Later

I haven't had breakfast items in about a decade, the last Egg McMuffin I had featured
over-cooked egg, rubbery Canadian bacon and un-melted cheese. I am a fan of the
Quarter Pounder with Cheese, I was unaware it's been upgraded. The last Big Mac I
had was about two months ago and it seemed overly bready so I'm done with them
for awhile.

McDonald’s used to be a place to go in a pinch but their meals are now tiny and overpriced

I've eaten McDonalds maybe a half-dozen times in the last 20 years and if there wasn't one in the OHare terminal that houses Laguardia-bound planes, only half that many.

i cannot remember the last time i ate something from mcd's that wasn't a shamrock shake, in the past decade or so. maybe one time in a pinch we hit it up. and the fries were nowhere near as good as i had remembered.

After my Sunday long run (10-11 miles most weekends) I treat myself to an egg & cheese english muffin from Dunkin Donuts, if the drive thru lines are not too long.

A few recent times when the lines were long I tried the Burger King and McDonalds equivalents (the BK one was a croissant) and was amazed at how much oilier and slimier they were compared to DD. And that was the first time I had been to either of those places in many years. it'll be many more, now, at this point.

Probably could count the stops on one hand over the last decade or more, and I don't think ever for breakfast items.

kcmets wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:19 am I am a fan of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, I was unaware it's been upgraded.

About two years ago, I had what was the best McDonald's quarter-pounder with cheese I ever had. It was so good (for a quarter-pounder with cheese -- I get the limits of fast-food) that I couldn't get it out of my head, and went back to McD's like a week later to see if that quarter-pounder wasn't a fluke or I wasn't imagining anything. It was just as good the second time. Shortly after that, I came across an article on the web about the QPwC upgrade. Better meat, and other stuff.



The inside story of how McDonald’s innovated the Quarter Pounder
In a change that has been as seismic for McDonald’s as the drive-through window in 1975, McDonald’s has reintroduced its signature burger with fresh—never frozen—beef. And that’s just the start.

Excerpt:

A cryptic missive went out last spring to all 3.6 million people who follow McDonald’s on Twitter. The tweet read, simply: “100% Fresh Beef + John Goodman = ASMR(ish)” and included a link to a video. In the split-screen clip, the Big Lebowski and Roseanne star stares into the camera and—somewhat unnervingly—whispers a carnal ode to the fast-food giant’s Quarter Pounder burger, accompanied by the sounds and visuals of an appetizing-looking patty sizzling on the grill. “Hey, you,” Goodman murmurs intently. “McDonald’s new fresh-beef Quarter Pounder is hotter and juicier. It’ll leave you speech-less. I can almost feel that juice sizzling. . . . Oh baby, the melted cheese is hugging every corner of that grilled patty. . . . That cheese is so hot, so melty.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/90205288/mc ... fresh-beef

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 7:24 pm

kcmets wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:19 am I am a fan of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, I was unaware it's been upgraded.

About two years ago, I had what was the best McDonald's quarter-pounder with cheese I ever had. It was so good (for a quarter-pounder with cheese -- I get the limits of fast-food) that I couldn't get it out of my head, and went back to McD's like a week later to see if that quarter-pounder wasn't a fluke or I wasn't imagining anything. It was just as good the second time. Shortly after that, I came across an article on the web about the QPwC upgrade. Better meat, and other stuff.



The inside story of how McDonald’s innovated the Quarter Pounder
In a change that has been as seismic for McDonald’s as the drive-through window in 1975, McDonald’s has reintroduced its signature burger with fresh—never frozen—beef. And that’s just the start.

Excerpt:

A cryptic missive went out last spring to all 3.6 million people who follow McDonald’s on Twitter. The tweet read, simply: “100% Fresh Beef + John Goodman = ASMR(ish)” and included a link to a video. In the split-screen clip, the Big Lebowski and Roseanne star stares into the camera and—somewhat unnervingly—whispers a carnal ode to the fast-food giant’s Quarter Pounder burger, accompanied by the sounds and visuals of an appetizing-looking patty sizzling on the grill. “Hey, you,” Goodman murmurs intently. “McDonald’s new fresh-beef Quarter Pounder is hotter and juicier. It’ll leave you speech-less. I can almost feel that juice sizzling. . . . Oh baby, the melted cheese is hugging every corner of that grilled patty. . . . That cheese is so hot, so melty.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/90205288/mc ... fresh-beef

And another review:

...the first thing I noticed, opening the cardboard box the Quarter Pounder now comes in, is how different it looks. The patties (I ordered a double, to see as much of this much-heralded meat as possible) were clearly fresh, irregularly edged, slightly smaller around, it seemed like, but also quite thick—everything about it looked, well, real. The old double approached substantial—this one was almost formidable. Biting in, the juices began to pour out; the meat was tender, it tasted fresh and delicious, with that classic whiff of black pepper McDonald's uses. To boot, there was a nice bit of char around the edges. Simply put, there was no disguising the fact that this meat is a fairly significant upgrade from McDonald's as usual.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it competes with any of the gourmet burger chains, further investigation would certainly be required, but let's just say, it competes rather effectively with the rest of McDonald's own classic burger offerings.


https://www.foodandwine.com/news/mcdona ... taste-test

Actually, now reading about the fresh-never-frozen thing I do recall the change.

I think it may even have been part of a previous McD's discussion here.

Fman99 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:59 pm After my Sunday long run (10-11 miles most weekends) I treat myself to an egg & cheese english muffin from Dunkin Donuts, if the drive thru lines are not too long.

A few recent times when the lines were long I tried the Burger King and McDonalds equivalents (the BK one was a croissant) and was amazed at how much oilier and slimier they were compared to DD. And that was the first time I had been to either of those places in many years. it'll be many more, now, at this point.

I never eat from Dunkin' Donuts anymore because I think of it a a Donut store (which I guess it is) and I stopped eating donuts, for the most part, many years ago. I might eat a donut now and then if they're being served but I certainly won't go out and buy a dozen. But after reading your post, maybe one day, I'll try DD's egg n' cheese muffin. There's a DD near me that I pass by at least once a week.

DD also has a breakfast wrap (egg, cheese and sausage - all bad for me) which I have when I need a breakfast out. I like it better than the McD's burrito. And it isn't so huge that I feel guilty afterwards.
Later

I sometimes get the sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich from Dunkin. The menu says it comes on a croissant, but I always ask for it on a bagel instead.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 2:00 pm

Fman99 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:59 pm After my Sunday long run (10-11 miles most weekends) I treat myself to an egg & cheese english muffin from Dunkin Donuts, if the drive thru lines are not too long.

A few recent times when the lines were long I tried the Burger King and McDonalds equivalents (the BK one was a croissant) and was amazed at how much oilier and slimier they were compared to DD. And that was the first time I had been to either of those places in many years. it'll be many more, now, at this point.

I never eat from Dunkin' Donuts anymore because I think of it a a Donut store (which I guess it is) and I stopped eating donuts, for the most part, many years ago. I might eat a donut now and then if they're being served but I certainly won't go out and buy a dozen. But after reading your post, maybe one day, I'll try DD's egg n' cheese muffin. There's a DD near me that I pass by at least once a week.

Our DD always has a line of cars. I don’t know if it’s for coffee or food.
One day on my way into town some woman in the car behind me rode my ass for the whole 7 miles and that’s where she was going

Actually they don’t look that bad but as we all know good in commercials never looks like it does in the restaurant

Also wanted to point out that when my son was little and went to bed early it meant that the next day he was sick...every single time.

Never had McDonald's Pizza. But here's a discontinued McD's product I loved:



George Costanza sighting:



And the Seinfeld McDLT inside-gag:

Never understood the novelty of having to put your own sandwich together.

McD's got a lot of flak about the wasteful styrofoam container it came in, which was one of the reasons it was discontinued.

batmagadanleadoff wrote: ↑Thu Dec 24, 2020 6:29 pm

This year director Kevin Smith has been doing pop-up IRL versions of Mooby’s restaurants. The faux McDonalds seen in several of his movies.

The one in Red Bank, NJ, his home area back in October (ish), took over a pizzeria. So I thought they missed an opportunity to take a jab at McPizza, and other hamburger fast food “outside the box” attempts at adding to the menu by selling slices of the actual pizzeria’s pies with a Mooby’s themed name.

Lefty Specialist wrote: ↑Fri Dec 25, 2020 7:30 am Never understood the novelty of having to put your own sandwich together.

McD's got a lot of flak about the wasteful styrofoam container it came in, which was one of the reasons it was discontinued.

I think the idea was that it kept your lettuce and tomato fresh to the point of eating, while allowing your sweaty-ass burger to remain sweaty-ass. "Keep the hot-side hot," etc.

I'll stipulate to the first couple of choices on that initial list-- Double Quarter Pounder with cheese (platonic ideal of McDonald-burger-gross-delicious) AND Fish Filet (the crisp of the breading and the soft flaky inside do nail that dynamic-contrast texture thing that foodies are always on about)-- although the Fish Filet is inconsistent as hell, I've found... and, honestly, they should put the Mac sauce on THIS one. I do think a well-made Sausage McMuffin with cheese-- with a maybe-perfectly-seasoned, sage-y sausage patty-- might be the best thing McDonald's does, though.

I had a good decade or so where I almost literally never entered a McDonald's. Ever since the YoungerPooper got old enough to whine, we've made it to Mickey's a handful of times; I've also made two or three drop-ins to the 24-hour joints for a late-night snack after dinner service at work. I enjoy it when I do, more or less. I also uniformly start to regret my choice, like, six bites in... and they always sit like leadshot in my gullet.

That pancake-bun breakfast sandwich-- McGriddle, I think?-- that's also pretty gross-delicious. They still do that?