Thursday, November 5, 2015

Qdoba Knockout Tacos! WHICH OF THE SIX WILL WIN IN THIS TACO THROWDOWN?!

 We recently got a couple of emails from readers wanting us to review the new Knockout Tacos from Qdoba. So with our endless list of high up contacts in the world of food, we managed to get directly in touch with them and asked if they might have some more information they could send along about the Knockout Tacos. A couple days later I get the best package that we've ever gotten from a company in the mail. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS FILLED WITH INSANE STUFF!


Not only did I get my very own taco stand, a Knockout Taco spinner, a hammer, and a rubber chicken, but also? TEQUILA.  Can't go wrong there. There's one other awesome item that came in this box, but I'll save it for the end of the review. Keep your eyes peeled. 

But now it's time to put on my referee shirt once again, to call the six way match between these competitors. Get ready, ladies and gents, FOR THE Qdoba KNOCKOUT TACOS Battle Royal! 


Rolled up to my local Qdoba a little bit after they opened, flashed my Fatguyfoodblog credentials so they knew I meant business, and ordered all six Knockout Tacos, a side of chips and queso and a fountain beverage so I can wash it all down. Being the referee for this intense a match up is tough work, you gotta stay hydrated...


After dunking a few chips into the cheesy goodness of the queso, it was time to spin the damn wheel! 




MAD RANCHER IT IS! 

THE MAD RANCHER!

The Mad Rancher is grilled chicken, bacon, guacamole, picante ranch, lettuce, pico de gallo, and cotija cheese.  But...as you can see, it just looks like a pile of lettuce. Automatically, no matter how good this one is, I'm taking points away. Because no taco, sandwich, burger, or even salad needs this much lettuce. It's out of control. The flavor wasn't bad, once I took an hour and a half to dig the lettuce off. The chicken had a great flavor and the picante ranch and pico together made for a nice tangy taste. I'm not sure I even tasted one piece of bacon on here so it might as well not even be listed. Not bad, but the chances of the Mad Rancher winning this bout are kinda slim...

THE TRIPLE THREAT!
Up next is the The Triple Threat! This taco has grilled steak, bacon, 3-cheese queso, fajita veggies, pico de gallo, and cotija cheese. This one was a fun medley of flavors. The steak is okay, but the main thing that pops out is the fajita veggies. This one was pretty much dominated by the flavor of the peppers and onions. I think the queso is a neat addition that leaves a nice creamy cheese aftertaste too. Triple Threat beats out the Mad Rancher with ease! One quick side note, cotija cheese? Never had it before this week. Qdoba LOVES this stuff. You can tell because it's on nearly every one of these. It's kind of an intense flavor too that when you taste it alone, you think it might be too much. But it ends up taking a back seat to the other taco flavors, luckily. Let's move on!

THE GLADIATOR!
The Gladiator! By name alone this one should be the winner. On the Gladiator you get grilled steak, bacon, pico de gallo, lettuce, Caesar dressing, cilantro and cotija cheese. The Gladiator definitely delivered in the bacon department, unlike the Mad Rancher. This one had a very unique flavor from the rest. The Caesar dressing stood out big time and took center stage. It was almost like a steak and bacon Caesar wrap. Can't go wrong with that at all. The Gladiator did a great job of entertaining my taste buds and is a definite contender to win this slobberknocker.


Next contender to step into the ring? THE DRUNKEN YARDBIRD!

The DRUNKEN YARDBIRD!
The Drunken Yardbird is tequila lime chicken, guacamole, salsa verde, cilantro, minced onion and cotija cheese. This one had a very tangy flavor throughout. I think it was a combination of the flavoring from the chicken and the salsa verde together. It was heavy on the cilantro too, but overall decent. The guac really shined through on this one too, and for guac fans, just so you know, theirs is not a chunky guac,(which I usually prefer) but it was still great. But does the Drunken Yardbird have what it takes to beat five other taco competitors? Doubtful.

THE TWO-TIMER!
Suddenly the lights go down. Heavy entrance music begins and through the curtain comes the Two-Timer! He slaps the awaiting hands of fans on the way to the ring and poses on the top of the turnbuckle. The Two Timer is pulled pork, salsa roja, shredded cheese, lettuce, and pico de gallo in a crispy taco with cotija cheese...wrapped in a flour tortilla spread with 3-cheese Queso. Let me tell you this. The Two Timer entering into this match was kind of like that time Stone Cold Steve Austin handed out stunners to an entire ring full of wrestlers at once...



BY GOD IT'S THE TWO TIMER! 


The Two-Timer does not mess around. It's clearly playing off an old Taco Bell creation but who cares because this one is made with premium ingredients and tastes incredible. The pulled pork is so tender it will bring a tear to your eye. It bursts with flavor. And then the two hit combo of the crispy and flour shells being held together with cheese queso? Forget it. Here's your true Knockout Taco right here. The Two-Timer is a clear contender and very possibly the winner...but let's not count out the final contestant here...

THE BOHEMIAN VEGGIE!
The Bohemian Veggie! This one has shredded cheese, black beans, corn salsa, guacamole, salsa verde, minced onions, cilantro and cotija cheese.  It's basically all the stuff that isn't meat from the other knockout tacos tossed into one. It tastes very fresh because of the fresh veggies and salsa, but it's also like biting into a water balloon. There's so much liquid from the veggies and all the different salsas that it tries it's best to explode all over you the second you try to eat it. Eating this was like taking a bite of a really good taco and then realizing that you didn't get any of the main part of it, so you peek back inside to see where you went wrong. Good flavor, and if you're a vegetarian and enjoy plentiful black beans, you just might like this.

COULD THIS POSSIBLY BE OUR WINNER?


HAHAHAH. You think Fatguyfoodblog is going to crown a veggie taco the winner? NOT WHILE I AM CALLING THIS MATCH! The Bohemian Veggie gets disqualified for being too damn wimpy.  There's a clear winner here and it's the Two-Timer. He single handily took out five other taco competitors with ease and pinned them all, 1-2-3.  I proudly declare the Two-Timer the winner of the Qdoba Knockout Tacos Battle Royal!



For more info on this promotion or other great food items from Qdoba, check out their website: https://www.qdoba.com/


Thanks for reading folks. If you need me, I'll be practicing my hurricanranas and moonsaults in my back yard. Hoping to debut in Chaotic Wrestling this summer.

As always, if you have something you think we should check out, drop us a line! If you just think we rock and want to tell us, we'd love to hear it! If you're a company and you'd like to send us some stuff to sample, hit us up! We can be reached in many ways. HERE THEY ARE:
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Review by Rich

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