So there you are again, sprinting between meetings and suddenly your stomach reminds you that you haven't eaten since your so-called breakfast of coffee and a slice of leftover pepperoni pizza. Your blood sugar is bottoming out and the rumbling from your stomach is threatening to set off nearby car alarms. And then, lo and behold, you see them on the horizon: the golden arches. Just as he did when you were a youngster, Ronald McDonald, at least partially responsible for two generations of children being terrified of clowns, welcomes you with open arms and a simple, easy-to-memorize menu. Is there a kid alive born in the 1960s or '70s who doesn't know how what a Big Mac is made of? "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion on a sesame-seed bun." The Big Mac is arguably the biggest icon of the American fast-food landscape, with its only possible challenger being the Whopper from Burger King. Like them or not, it's almost a sure thing you've eaten at least a dozen of each in your lifetime. So what to order? Do you give in to the burger temptation or go with the seemingly healthier chicken offerings? Fries or a salad? If you go the healthier route, will you honestly be satisfied with your meal? For this menu comparison, we're not going to use the Big Mac, though. McDonald's, responding to the increasing maturation of the American palate, has diversified its menu to try and keep pace. The Big & Tasty is the new offering, basically the Quarter Pounder with fresh veggies and mayonnaise instead of mustard. Could the company that brought forth what's still one of the greatest drive-through burgers ever, the McDLT, hit a home run with a new "fresh topped" item? The burger gets paired with a medium order of McDonald's world-famous French fries. The Big & Tasty is matched up against the Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT, which is not the leanest option on the chicken menu but the one most likely to tempt hardcore burgerheads away for a little poultry experimentation. It gets paired with a side salad with ranch dressing, which isn't exactly eat-while-driving fare, but it is a far healthier option than fries. And now, the nutritional tale of the tape: Big & Tasty and regular fries: 890 calories, 47 grams fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 1,220 mg sodium, 86 grams carbs Premium Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT and side salad with ranch: 660 calories, 27 grams fat, 95 mg cholesterol, 2,050 mg sodium, 66 grams carbs Nutritionally, the first thing you'll notice is that the chicken meal, while lower in calories and carbs, has more cholesterol and a staggeringly high sodium count, actually 85 percent of your recommended daily sodium intake. Those numbers are slightly misleading, because the packet of dressing you're given with the side salad contains enough for at least three of the small bowls of greenery. But the chicken sandwich by itself still has 1,500 mg of sodium, more than the Big & Tasty with the famously salty fries. When it comes to flavor, the line is clear. The Big & Tasty is a really good burger by fast-food standards. The tomato was juicy, the lettuce nicely crisp and the onions added a welcome tang. The meat was the same thing you get on most McDonald's burgers. You can decide for yourself if that's a good thing. The cheese is the same substance it's been forever. The first American fast-food giant to top a burger with anything resembling honest-to-goodness sharp cheddar will find loyal fans by the millions. The Grilled Chicken Ranch BLT, on the other hand, shows just about everything that can be done wrong with a chicken sandwich. The bacon is the salty-but-flavorless precooked stuff used everywhere you see a neon sign these days, the ranch sauce is greasy, the chicken has an odd consistency that made it seem somewhat unnatural. The honey-wheat roll is a welcome surprise, it's just unfortunate it's asked to contain such a disappointing offering. The battle of the side items was more or less a draw. The secret to McDonald's fries is that they must be consumed quickly. Let them get anywhere close to room temperature and they turn into inedible potato shards. Unfortunately, the fries included in this order were already halfway to that graveyard temp. Halfway through the order, they became largely unpalatable. The side salad, while freshly made, was pretty unremarkable otherwise. According to the menu information, it contains a "spring mix," along with the usual iceberg and Romaine lettuce, but none was in evidence in this serving. Overall, even though it's higher in fat and calories, the Big & Tasty with fries is by far the more satisfying meal.
