Availability: Lenten season

Location: 3700 W. Touhy Ave., Skokie, IL 60076 (map); phone: (847) 673-1991

Rating: 3 out of 5 – acceptable

Wendy’s Premium Fish Fillet Sandwich: “Hand-cut fillets of North Pacific cod in a crisp Panko crumb breading, served with crisp lettuce and creamy tartar sauce on a warm bun….” If you’ve kept up with Wendy’s latest marketing blitz, you might have noticed a new ad line which states the following about itself: “It’s waaay better than fast food.” Whether Wendy’s qualifies as fast food or not (or is indeed better) is a point to consider, but the only question that concerns me here is whether I’d eat another one in the future. And the answer to that is a qualified yes.

There are lots of things to recommend the new fish sandwich from Wendy’s, even if it is available for just a limited time. First, it lives up to its “crisp” billing by actually being crispy, from the reliably fresh piece of lettuce (that juts out far from under the bun) to the panko-breaded fillet which gives a nice solid feel in the mouth. At first it was hard to tell what distinguished this fish from others, but as the impressions from Cougar Eats recount, the Japanese/Asian fried stylings do lend a slightly more upscale sensibility to the cod.

So if this premium sandwich does such a decent job of feeding me fish, why not rate it higher than a 3 (out of 5)? Well, it’s that “premium” part of the equation that extends further than just a demographic demarcation that prevents me from lavishing higher praise on it. It’s certainly edible enough for Easter, but the relative size of the fillet and the premium price for such a small sandwich (compared to the $2.99 price for McDonald’s equally edible Double Filet-O-Fish) left me wanting more for my money. As good as it could be, I hate feeling ripped off. At least I had a big dinner coming up when I finally managed to land one of these, but judging by the abrupt disappearance of any signage for the new sandwich within the location I visited, it seems that other customers aren’t gonna give it a chance now (especially given the price).

Commercial Judge has posted one of Wendy’s newest TV ads promoting the fish sandwich on YouTube, reminding potential customers: “…If you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it.” You can judge for yourself whether the real-life fish is big enough (and good enough) to warrant a purchase. A little relish never hurts, though.

Pepsi Stuff works by collecting codes from participating packages and then entering them through an Amazon.com user account on PepsiStuff.com. Currently on offer: DRM-free MP3 music downloads, Unbox TV downloads, CDs, DVDs, electronics, sweepstakes, and various Pepsi-branded apparel “and more.” The Flash-based site can still be a bit rough around the edges (as on the daily sweepstakes page occasionally in Firefox), but an incentives program for those who prefer Pepsi is a good counter to Coke’s rewards.

Promising rewards for casual drinkers might include the Amazon MP3s which only go for 5 Pepsi Points per download. This isn’t quite like acquiring music for a song, however, as certain Pepsi product values can seem relatively low, as seen here from the official rules:

Depending on local sales, the 6 pack of 24 oz. bottles might be the most economical way to pick up Pepsi Points (and MP3s, depending on your prize preference), as that equates to essentially a song per 6 pack. Now the 2 liter of Diet Pepsi MAX I tried out recently didn’t have a Pepsi Points code under the cap, so make sure you’re buying specially marked cartons to take advantage of this program.

Now that Pepsi’s put out its competing points and rewards shtick, here’s hoping that Coke responds aggressively with even better incentives to remain faithful to its products. Competition is good. Another reason to buy Wild Cherry Pepsi? Even better.