No. 334

Burger King rolls out new bacon sundae

Today marks the nationwide roll-out of Burger King's summer menu, complete with a Bacon Sundae that has been the source of much nervous tittering, liberal hand-wringing, and cool dismissiveness these past few days. I'm pretty sure I heard Michelle Obama say this would be as good a breakfast as any, so I stopped by my local BK this morning to check it out.

First, the basics: The sundae sells for $2.49 and up, and contains 510 calories. It consists of vanilla soft-serve ice cream, chocolate sauce, and caramel sauce, with crumbled bits of bacon on top and "a thick-cut, hardwood-smoked bacon garnish."

Next, let's examine the aesthetics. Without a doubt, the sundae's most salient visual feature is its swine garnish, which protrudes from the dish of soft-serve in a manner recalling the Iwo Jima Memorial, the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap, or something else equally proud and American (surely this, and its very debut on Flag Day, were fully intentional). Without the bacon twist, it would be easy for the casual observer to dismiss the dish as nothing more than your standard meat-free dessert sundae. But I can assure you that, should you be carrying this sundae down Sixth Avenue in Manhattan at 9:30 on a Thursday morning, that tall bacon flag will really turn heads.

But how does it taste? My overwhelming reaction was disappointment. Friends, I'm sorry to report that the Bacon Sundae is basically just your standard Burger King sundae with a little bacon on top. If you've ever eaten a bacon cheeseburger alongside a milkshake, you've got the basic flavor profile down. Press reports referring to the Bacon Sundae as a "monstrosity" and "an abomination against man" were overly generous. An abomination against man? Please. This is the United States, home to the Doritos Locos Taco and the Double Down.

Read more |  Esquire, 15.06.12

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