A spontaneous right turn Thursday landed me in the parking lot of Burger King on Poplar, so I walked in for a late lunch and ordered a Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. I lived to tell the tale.
Don't get me wrong. I'm no fast-food snob, and I have a life-long love affair with Egg McMuffins. But it's been hard to muster much enthusiasm for the barbecue rolled out last month at Burger King, which includes Whoppers and chicken sandwiches with Texas and Carolina BBQ sauces along with the Memphis addition.
So how did the Memphis BBQ sandwich taste? Not bad, considering my reaction when I peaked inside the “artisan-style” bun (actually quite good) and found the sliced onions floating in an off-white coleslaw mayo sauce. “Oh yuck,” I thought. Still, I shouldered on and was pleasantly surprised by my first bite. Then I ate the whole thing.
I also ordered a frozen strawberry lemonade, another addition to the summertime menu, but tossed it in the trash after a few sugary slurps.
Be forewarned, this pulled pork sandwich is no Corky's. The pork is a little dry, the barbecue sauce is way too sweet and the mayo sauce is, well, odd. But put it all together, and the sandwich is okay, especially when compared to the rest of the BK menu.
While waiting for my food, I was somewhat mesmerized by the photo montage projected next to the menu. BK's Bacon Sundae looked pretty good, topped with caramel, hot fudge and bacon crumbles. But I resisted the urge and was happy I did after looking up the summertime menu's calorie counts: 510 calories for the sundae and another 470 calories for the pulled pork sandwich. Total fat for the two items: 34 grams plus 90 grams of sugar.
