The Perfect Restaurant Food
Apr 01, 2013, Updated Dec 10, 2016
Over the years, I’ve been asked many times by my readers: What’s the best food option when dining out?
Well today, I’m pleased to report that I finally have a definitive answer for you.
Now, you know I am a fan of cooking from scratch, but I also recognize that we live in the real world – and even the most die-hard health-nuts of us need to eat out every so often. ย So I’ve been searching high and low for the answer to this question for many, many years. I’ve surveyed the entire retail food landscape. From school lunches to movie theaters to four-Michelin-star restaurants, I’ve seen – and eaten – it all.
And now, after all this work, I believe I’ve finally found the answer to this previously unanswerable question:ย
The Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supremeยฎ!
These savory, cross-branded, whole-grain tacos aren’t just ยกmuy delicioso!ย – they’re the tacos that nature would eat if nature ate tacos!
It’s rare to find such crunchy beauties that have just 200 calories and only 370 mg of sodium – and with just two grams of sugar! ย And with all the MSG in both the “shell” and the “beef,” there’s plenty of Umamiย to keep you satisfied for at least thirty or forty minutes until your next meal.
As any red-blooded American will tell you, more is always better – and these tacos certainly pack a lot into each delightfully crispy shell.ย Don’t believe me? Here’s theย impressively satisfying ingredient list in just the taco shell:
Ground Corn Treated With Lime, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Canola, Corn, and/or Soybean Oil), Water, And Less Than 2% Of The Following: Corn Flour, Maltodextrin, Salt, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Buttermilk, Romano Cheese (Part-Skim Cow’s Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Whey Protein Concentrate, Onion Powder, Corn Oil, Corn Flour, Disodium Phosphate, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Dextrose, Tomato Powder, Lactose, Spices, Artificial Color (FD&C Yellow No. 6, Caramel Color, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Red No. 40, Extractives Of Tumeric, Extractives of Annatto), Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Sugar, Garlic Powder, Nonfat Milk, Red and Green Bell Pepper Powder, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, TBHQ (Preservative).
And that’s just the shell!! ย Let’s add in the flavor-filled, seasoned beef:
Beef, Water, Seasoning [Cellulose, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Salt, Oats (Contains Wheat), Maltodextrin (Corn, Potato, Tapioca), Soy Lecithin, Tomato Powder, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Sea Salt, Yeast Extract (Contains Gluten), Spices, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Potassium Chloride, Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Trehalose, Modified Corn Starch, Inactivated Yeast, Lactic Acid, Torula Yeast, Natural Smoke Flavor], Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Less Than 2% Beef Broth, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Lactate.
Of course, no taco is complete without a creamy dollop of reduced-fat sour cream (don’t worry, they may have taken away the fat, but they gave us plenty of other stuff to make up for it!):
Milk, Cream, Modified Corn Starch, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrin, Gelatin, Modified Tapioca Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Guar Gum, Mono & Diglycerides, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Vitamin A.
Add it all up, and you’ve got more than 60 mouth-watering ingredients to enjoy! And all those ingredients can mean only one thing: These babies are so hard to digest and take so long for your system to process that there’s no spike in your blood sugar levels!ย So these tacos are a “supreme” choice for diabetics, too!
So go on, America! ย Enjoy your fourth meal and keep your blood-sugar under control. And then why not, have a fifth-meal, too. You deserve it.
—
…and one more thing: April Fools! ย I’m just kidding; these things aren’t even real food.
Andrew!!!!! LOL You totally had me going! “but they gave us plenty of other stuff to make up for it!” is what gave it away. Great laugh though! ๐
LOL! I’m fairly new to your site and was momentarily horrified ๐
Of course, it is late afternoon here, in the UK, so past the noon deadline for April Fool.
A good one that got a lot of us going!!
Whew! I was just about to remove you from my computer!! Haha. Very funny!!
HAAAAAAA!!!
Oh, my…nearly unsubscribed…glad I looked at the comment section…You got me good! Happy April Fool’s Day!
That was really funny!
I was so confused. You got me
That is the best laugh that I’ve had all day!!! Thank you!!!
The title drew me in, but I was thrown when I saw the taco as the best restaurant food. While I do love tacos, I think there is something better than tacos in a restaurant.
Who doesn’t love tacos!? ๐
But yes, these things are pretty ghastly…
Wait! Maybe you’re on to something. Why not develop a whole line of healthy foods to sell in what appears to be fast/snack food bags. Without anything on the bag to identify them as nutritious. Unmarketing them if you will…
Yes! There are actually some companies working on this – especially when it comes to snack foods. Baby carrots are probably the best example…
There are also some good restaurants emerging, like True Food Kitchen, Veggie Grill, and Lyfe Kitchen – so keep an eye on those!
You had me for a moment and I was very concerned. =D