Toasted Cheddar Chalupa
Taco Bell (2019)
This was pretty good, but like most Taco Bell food, I don't expect it to stick around for long.
While I enjoy Taco Bell, I don't go there too often and I think I've figured out why. They don't have an identity with their menu. Here's what I mean: when I think of McDonalds, I think of the Big Mac, the Quarter Pounder and McNuggets. When I think of Burger King, I think of the Whopper. When I think of Taco Bell, I can't really think of any specific menu items. Everything they have tastes pretty good, but it sounds a bit generic. I'll bet if you asked ten people in a Taco Bell parking lot to tell you the difference between a Chalupa and a Gordita, they wouldn't have a clue. Hell, I'll bet you that most of the staff really couldn't explain it.
It's not that the food is bad. In fact, everything on their menu is quite good, but nothing stands out as being especially memorable. Sometimes, I'll get a craving for a Whopper and so I'll go to Burger King, but when I'm in the mood for a taco or a burrito, I would be just as happy to go to Sheetz as I would Taco Bell because their food doesn't have an identity. Pretty much any place that sells a taco or a burrito is going to make something that tastes like Taco Bell.
Finally, on the rare occasion that they do create something memorable, like the Meximelt or the Santa Fe Steak Gordita, it gets lost in a sea of similar sounding foods on the menu, and is eventually discontinued. I enjoyed this Toasted Cheddar Chalupa, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit if it was off the menu the next time I went in. Burger King and McDonalds come out with new stuff all the time, but I know I can always get my Big Mac, McNuggets and Whopper. With Taco Bell, I know I'll get beef, chicken, steak or pork with some random veggies in some sort of shell. Tasty, but poorly marketed, so I've forgotten what I've eaten before I even stuff the extra sauce packets in the refrigerator.
Alright, that's enough of my silly rant. Try the Toasted Cheddar Chalupa, if they still have it and you can remember what it's called by the time you get there.
