McDonald's Fries and Gravy

McDonald's gravy is something I have slept on for many years (maybe even decades). I knew McDonald's in Canada had sold poutine for years, but I totally never thought of just getting gravy with my fries. I’m in Toronto and fries with gravy, aka fries and gravy is a staple in Toronto food. I can remember as far back as the late 80’s eating it at my local food joint. It was definitely around before the big poutine craze hit Canada in the mid 90’s. But anyways, this summer I was thinking about fries and gravy when I wondered if I could also get them at McDonald's (who has the best fries). So I went to my local  McDonald's and causally asked for some gravy and to my surprise they not only had it, but had been selling it for years.  The gravy cost $0.79, and it tastes really good.  Now that I’ve had McDonald's fries and gravy, I don’t think I can go back to just regular fries.

McDonald's: www.mcdonalds.ca

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_46TlsD_II

McDonald’s Happy Meal Minions

The Minions movie is finally here and to celebrate I want to be consumed with as much hype as possible.   Thankfully McDonalds is also celebrating the movie by releasing Minions themed Happy Meals.  I love McDonalds, so of course I had to get a Happy Meal.  They’re not only delicious and affordable, but also bring back great memories of when I was a kid (though my parents rarely used to buy them).

The box is beautifully designed with pictures of the minions on each side, making it a wonderfully keepsake.  The chicken nugget box, soft drink cup and yogurt are also decorated with minions.  Of course if you’re a collector, the best part of a Happy Meal is the toy, which McDonalds released with Minions figures.  While they aren’t poseable figures, they still are colourful enough to be nicely displayed.  McDonalds did an excellent job with this Happy Meal, and I'm sure they will provide many kids (of all ages) with wonderful memories.

Minions Movie:

http://www.minionsmovie.com/minions.html

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfzTZS1Ccwk

McDonald’s Poutine

For Christmas 2013, McDonald’s Canada brought back the McDonald’s poutine.  Can you imagine McDonald’s fries getting any tastier than they already are?  Well, McDonald’s brought them to another level by adding gravy and cheese curds to make them poutine.  Of course for me, gravy is not enough because I also like to add ketchup and make a real mess.  The poutine comes in a traditional brown paper box (wax on the inside).  Once you open the box, you will notice that the fries do tend to shrink, and the cheese doesn’t melt that much.  But that’s okay because the poutine tastes amazing, and adds another delicious option to the many varieties of poutine’s we have to choose from in Toronto.  Currently it cost $1.50 to make your fries poutine, and $3.99 by themselves.

McDonalds’s:

http://www.mcdonalds.ca

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwvjp3tFP1g

McDonald’s McLobster

For a limited time McDonalds in Toronto is offering the McLobster.  The sandwich features real pieces of lobster with mayo, green onion, celery, and shredded lettuce.  It’s served on a soft roll similar in taste to their hamburger buns.  It’s a pretty tasty treat that reminds me of a crab salad.  I like that McDonalds chose to make it this way instead of focusing on the lobster meat alone.    Lobster is delicious, but without any condiments it’s pretty dull.  The mayo, lemon and vegetables are what enhance the flavour of the lobster.

Although the McLobster is not new, this is the first time it’s been sold outside of the East coast.  The price for the sandwich alone is $6.79.  Although it is more expensive than other items on the menu, I think it’s still totally worth it because of how expensive lobster is.  I hope the McLobster sells well this year, so that we may see it again next summer as well.

McDonalds:

http://www.mcdonalds.ca

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SM-TKmkO18

McDonalds Strawberry Vanilla Muffin

This past weekend I went to go get my morning coffee from McDonalds and as always paired it up with a muffin.  However, this time they ran out of carrot muffins and so I had to choose another flavour.  I asked them what they had left, and they mentioned their new strawberry vanilla muffin.  I freaked out because I wasn’t aware of this new muffin, and so I picked that flavour.

On the outside the muffin has this brownish and pink colour that is very appealing to the eyes.  Then the smell is what got me, it reminded me of those Strawberry Shortcake dolls from the 80’s which I always wanted to chew on.  The taste is even better then what it looks like, it’s bursting with flavour and the muffin top is just as good as the bottom.  What I also like about this muffin is that the vanilla flavour isn’t as intense, and that the strawberries don’t make the muffin soggy.  This is a very nice muffin and I’m glad McDonald’s surprised me with this new menu item.

McDonalds:

www.mcdonalds.ca

Shamrock Shake

St. Patrick’s Day comes but once a year, and for a limited time McDonalds releases its Shamrock shake. I like to describe it as a Frankenstein mixture between vanilla shake, mint syrup, and deliciousness. Most people think it tastes nasty, but I friggin’ love this shake. I’m glad it’s back, and that I’m not sick (finally) so I am able to enjoy it. For those connoisseurs of mint I must also recommend you try the Mint Cookies and Cream Blizzard from Dairy Queen, it simply is delightful.

Shamrock Shake Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamrock_Shake

McDonald's Oreo Pie

McDonald’s latest gift to my bulging belly is their new Oreo Cookies N’ Cream Pie.  It was first introduced here in Canada on January 2012.  I actually held back a few weeks to get it because it didn’t interest me at all.  I just assumed it would be filled with the same sugary filling you get in the cookies, and that I assumed would taste nasty.  I finally caved in this week and bought 2 (2 for $1.39).  Unfortunately it doesn’t come in a special box like their other pies, instead you get a box from another pie.  A special edition box would have been cool, because the packaging alone (blue and white) would have made it distinctive.  As soon as I opened up the box and took the pie out I got excited.  The crust is more like a pie crust than a cookie, because it is soft and chewy.  It also kinda reminded me of a glazed chocolate donut.  I then had a bite, and man was it delicious.  The filling is more like marshmallow; thick, sweet, and oozing all over.  Lamentably it is only here for a limited time, so if you’re interested I highly recommend you go out and get two.

McDonald’s:

http://www.mcdonalds.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfJHYUDjb6w

Happy Meal

When I was growing up my parents never took us (kids) to McDonalds very often.  Fast food was simply a treat we enjoyed a few times a year.  Meanwhile, I remember other kids whose parents would take them multiple times a week.  Now that I’m older I am so thankful that they raised us (fed us) on home cooked meals.  I still stick to the same discipline I had as a child by eating fast food once in a while.  However the one item I had to have this week was a Happy Meal.  I hadn’t bought one in years, but remembered those years long ago when they would bring a smile to my face.  I think one of my first toy memories from a Happy Meal was a Fraggle Rock vegetable car toy.  One of the reasons I was motivated to buy a Happy Meal was because I noticed that McDonalds had brought back the Happy Meal box.  For the last few years they had been using plain paper bags that weren’t as special.  What makes the box so special is that it’s almost like a present that you know will have good food inside and include an awesome toy.  Regardless of age, a Happy Meal is bound to bring a smile to your face.

McDonald’s Happy Meal:

www.happymeal.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb4sTWCyTno

McMini

I’m on a mission that I thought of the other day; I want to try every new food item that McDonalds releases.  I came up with the idea when I was remembering how good McDonalds Pizza was back in the early 90’s.  As far as I know McDonalds Pizza was only released here in Canada, and it only lasted about a couple of months.  Needless to say it wasn’t very successful, but from what I can remember it tasted really good.  Other tasteful memories that I recall were the Arch Deluxe and the McRib.  So now that I have a blog I have decided to write an entry for all the new food creations that McDonalds releases.

It’s devoted to foods that will probably only be around for a short while before they’re gone for good.  Case in point, the S’mores pie; it was only around for the Vancouver Olympics before it went away so I never had a chance to try it.   With my new mission I hope to try all this food that McDonalds releases.  The first food item that I want to now review is the McMini.  It was first released on March 30th 2010 and sold for $1.99 Canadian.  It comes in a toasted white baguette with mayo, you can choose between grilled or crispy chicken, and you can also choose between a Spicy Thai or Pesto dressing.  I really enjoyed the texture of the baguette and the flavor of the sauces.  My only complaint about this sandwich was how small it was for the price I paid.  I would definitely recommend these McMini’s to anyone that wants to try a delicious chicken snack; but also warn them that it takes about 5 sandwiches to get full.

McDonald’s:

http://www.mcdonalds.com

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR_Y3wgaDZ4