Fast Food Review: A1 Steakhouse XT Burger at Burger King

As a young teen, I found there were always two kinds of culinary folks: those who preferred McDonalds to Burger King, and pussies. The fact that there was a hepatitis outbreak at my high school due to a local Burger King’s tomatoes seemed only to prove my point. Chicken tenders are no McNuggets, and the less said about “Chicken Fries,” the better, although I am impressed with the indentation in the top of the package that secures your sauce sachet.

I liked Burger King’s Italian Chicken sandwich at one point, but kinda soured on that after a near-death experience in college that left me realizing it does indeed taste the same coming back up as going down.

And yet, I’m thinking now that this was all pointless prejudice in my part. As I grow into my thirties, I realize that McDonald’s really ain’t all that (introduce a McNachos, though, and I could be brought back into the fold). And as I grew into this week realizing I didn’t have a new fast food review, I saw an ad for Burger King and its “XT” burgers. The Fast Food Godz (to bastardize a concept pioneered by Jeffrey Wells) were speaking to me, and telling me to get my burger’s worth.

I’m impressed at the BK balls to call these burgers XT, for “xtra-thick” burgers. Thickburgers, for all those on the west coast who don’t know, are what Southerners call the Carl’s Jr. Six Dollar Burgers, as served at Hardee’s chains since Carl’s bought ‘em up. So calling your stuff “Xtra-Thick Burgers” is a ballsy skirting of copyright. And a bold claim, when I’m not sure the burger is actually bigger than the Hardee’s number.

But you know what? Six Dollar/Thickburgers are too much for any reasonable human to eat. So I will not complain that BK’s may indeed be less, as they are entirely fulfilling. And you can get onion rings instead of fries...Carl’s/Hardee’s does this too, but Mickey D don’t.

Burger King, however, does have the weird penchant shared with Wendy’s for putting mayo on burgers, which I don’t get, especially if the ENTIRE DRAWING POINT of the burger is the A1 sauce. (“But LYT!” you readers cry, “you like the Jack in the Box Ultimate Cheeseburger, and that has mayo!” True, but it’s ONION mayo. Massive difference in final product.)

The A1 Steakhouse XT Burger is described as “An extra-thick flame-broiled 7 oz.* beef patty topped with mayo, crispy onions, A.1.® Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce, plus American cheese, lettuce and red-ripe tomatoes.”

Based on my eating experience, I call foul on one point. The burger did not have tomatoes. It had tomato, singular, as in one slice. See that picture above, showing more than one slice, and crispy onions all around? Not quite. One tomato slice, and the onions huddling in a group, hiding beneath it. The effect is interesting – as you bite in, it’s like a normal burger, then get to the center and you have a burst of tangy flavor all of a sudden. Variety, spice of life, etc...but I really did want more crispy onions and tomatoes.

The meat patty itself is slightly bigger in radius than the lower bun, which is pretty sweet; also, said bun is thin but stretchy and durable, able to hold up to the beating of the toppings, but not overly thick and spongy like Wendy’s. The patty does feel more pre-shaped than I’d like, which is to say the edges are perfectly straight and perpendicular, making it feel like the meat was put into a mould. This shouldn’t make much difference, but there is some; purely psychological. It tastes fine, with that extra grill-flavoring BK is known for.

The stupid mayo could stand to disappear. It detracts, and adds nothing. Yeah, Burger King boasts about “having it your way,” as if no other fast food chain out there would ever lower itself to hold the pickles, so I know I could say “no mayo.” But should I have to? Or should BK have run this thing through the flavor lab just one more time?

 

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