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).

Traditionally, whenever I order a plate o’ nachos from a border Bell, I get bored about halfway through when I run out of cheese and start to wonder how the tortilla chips would taste with some slices of jalapeno. In this case, I didn’t even miss the usual ground beef as there seemed to be enough beans and nacho cheese for at least two-thirds of the contents in the container. Mysterious red sauce strikes again, but makes little impact (on taste or perceived spiciness), leaving me to rip open the necessary Fire Sauce packets for any meaningful kick. Still, for a Taco Bell dish without meat, I’m shocked again by how my relatively decent experience is only enhanced by the budget price point. If only all meatless dishes could be as gooey and filling — without making me yearn for beef.

Promotion: coupon for a free Frutista with any purchase

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

Rating: 4 out of 5 – good

It can sometimes be hard to find a good (frozen, virgin) strawberry daiquiri at higher-end sit-down restaurants, and that certainly is the case at fast-food places, too. What I would settle for, however, is a reasonably priced fruity slush — which might be considered as less thick, but more easily drinkable than a smoothie. Taco Bell seems to have answered my prayers with the Frutista Freeze, a permanent addition to its lineup, now available in Strawberry and Mango Strawberry. Both versions are topped with real strawberries (which I suppose makes up for the fact that there’s “natural fruit flavors,” but no actual “fruit juice,” inside).

Nevertheless, these 16-oz. cups are mostly sweetened with “natural” sucrose rather than high-fructose corn syrup (see the May 15th official press release here), and the Freeze tastes great and goes down real easy with your standard-sized burrito. Not only was it simpler to slurp up through a straw than a milk shake, but there was virtually no flavorless ice left at the bottom when I’d sucked that frozen drink almost dry (unlike a number of airier Slurpees I’ve known). It’s just the drink for a hot day, and it doesn’t necessarily need another non-dessert complement to help wash down the food, either — a big score for value.

McDonald’s might be moving in the specialty coffee direction for its chain-wide new-beverage initiative, but I’d take strawberries on a sucrose slushee anyday. Frozen fruitiness for the win.

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.)

Taco Bell has been making some additions to its Value Menu lately, and the most recently advertised Cheesy Double Beef Burrito seemed appetizing enough to try. Considering its simple composition (”A fresh tortilla filled with double the seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, seasoned rice and red sauce”), I wasn’t really expecting to be blown away — and just to get that out of the way, I wasn’t. But it’s not a bad deal if you don’t mind ground beef (which I find tasty in burritos and tacos from the Bell and elsewhere) or the slightly liquid-y nacho cheese sauce. The seasonings for the beef and rice were terrific as far as Taco Bell is concerned, as I remember the beef tasting (and looking) worse 10 years ago.

I don’t know what’s included in the “red sauce” that rounds out the list of ingredients in this new burrito bad boy, but along with the nacho cheese, this combination of flavors actually didn’t have me pulling for the hot sauce until I was well over halfway through. A trip to Taco Bell generally means multiple packets of Fire Sauce per order for me, so that could be considered somewhat of an accomplishment. (The Fire Sauce packets are the red ones with bits of veggies and spices thrown in, as opposed to the mostly liquid Mild and Hot Sauces.) By the end of my tortilla, however, I grew somewhat weary of the easy chewing and simplicity of contents. I began thinking about how the cheesy softness reminded me of mac & cheese and began coveting the challenge of harder meats like the pricier steak and chicken. For now this would have to do, but it’s not that bad when it’s just under a buck.