FastFoodSnob.com

Price: $0.89

Availability: participating Bells

Location: 3511 W. Devon Ave., Chicago, IL 60659 (map); phone: (773) 588-9712

Rating: 3 out of 5 - acceptable

New menu items can obviously be hit-or-miss affairs, but Taco Bell’s additions have been surprisingly more pleasant than they seem to have any right to be. And while the Triple Layer Nachos didn’t stick to their Value Menu pricing as well as their Cheesy Double Beef sibling at my particular location (they’re listed at 79 cents online, though the web site does warn that prices and items may vary), the meatless combination of “nacho chips, covered in simmering red sauce, hearty beans and nacho cheese sauce” remained quite palatable — and under a dollar (even with tax).

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Price: $0.89

Availability: participating Bells

Location: 3511 W. Devon Ave., Chicago, IL 60659 (map); phone: (773) 588-9712

Rating: 3 out of 5 - acceptable

It’s interesting that when I finally got around to reviewing something from Taco Bell, there’s a new salmonella scare surrounding raw tomatoes that’s got chains around the country pulling fresh tomatoes off their menus. Taco Bell is, of course, not immune to the dangers of bad marketing (nor unfeeling as to its customers’ health), so it was fortuitous that I already wanted to check out a menu item that included no diced tomatoes whatsoever. (The additional Fire Sauce I sprinkled on later presumably uses fully cooked tomatoes in its formula.)

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I saw this info up on a local White Castle sign the other day and wondered whether it pertained to a national promotion or not. Lo and behold, it actually did. Here’s what’s written online:

“National Hamburger Month May 2008: Celebrate with 27¢ Hamburgers on Tuesday, May 27th ONLY from 2:00 pm - 3:27 pm. (At participating castles only. Limit 10. Cheese & Bacon extra. Dine-in and drive-thru only, no phone orders.)”

So I guess this isn’t just a Memorial Day promo come a day late — especially for those of us no longer off on a bank holiday in America. Hope you don’t mind your hamburgers in the midafternoon! Around 18 hours left tah go…

Price: $4.29

Availability: 11 A.M. - 5 P.M., Mon. - Sat.; call to be sure

Location: 1724 S. River Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60018 (map); phone: (847) 699-8590

Rating: 5 out of 5 - great

Status: independent

Judging by the regular restaurant hours listed above, you can see how this decidedly non-chain establishment doesn’t really cater to the dinner crowd. Reports seem to indicate lines out the door on Saturdays, so the 5-10 minutes I might wait on any given weekday to make an order might appear quite reasonable in comparison. If the time (and fuel spent) driving out to this northwest suburb from the city only makes a trip out to River Road that much more doubtful, take heart: the Char Cheddar Burger at Paradise Pup is destination dining for this Snob, and it’s well worth your money.

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Price: $0.73; paid - $0.69

Promotion: 69¢ cheeseburgers

Location: 5940 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago, IL 60660 (map); phone: (773) 271-9638

Rating: 5 out of 5 - great

Referenced repeatedly in the past, it’s high time we finally gave this baby a review. Obviously, I’m a big fan, as a visit to White Castle rarely passes without one of these sub-dollar sandwiches passing through my gullet. And what’s not to love about this perfect combination of meat, grilled onions, spongy soft buns, and jalapeno cheese? Contrary to the picture on the web site, the cheese we see here’s some variation on Swiss or provolone. Whatever it is, it plain works better than regular American, especially with the spicy burn at the back end (uh, of the throat) that makes it all worthwhile. This is the cheeseburger you should order when you’re at White Castle.

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