Firecracker McCrispy at McDonald’s

Firecracker McCrispy at McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I wasn’t a particularly big fan of the regular McCrispy, which I thought was fine, but way too plain to be particularly worth thinking about.  But a spicy version?  Yeah, now you’re talking.

The McDonald’s website describes this as “a crispy chicken sandwich topped with a creamy sweet and spicy sauce and crispy jalapenos. Made with tender and juicy 100% Canadian-raised seasoned chicken and served on a soft potato bun.”

Firecracker McCrispy at McDonald's

You can get it with or without bacon; the signage outside of the store advertised the bacon version, so that’s what I got.

It’s pretty decent.  It’s a big upgrade over the standard McCrispy, that’s for sure.  The sweet and spicy sauce is, as advertised, very sweet and a little bit spicy.  It’s borderline too sweet, but with all the other stuff, it works.

Firecracker McCrispy at McDonald's

The crispy jalapenos add some extra crispiness and a tiny bit more heat, and the patty itself is what it is.  It’s fine.

The bacon is probably unnecessary, though.  Something a bit thicker likely would have enhanced things, but the bacon here was so thin that it kinda got lost among the other components of the sandwich.

Creamy Parmesan & Bacon Quarter Pounder at McDonald’s

Creamy Parmesan & Bacon Quarter Pounder at McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

Why aren’t these limited-time-only burgers at McDonald’s ever a Big Mac?  Why are they always Quarter Pounders?  A Big Mac with some kind of different sauce in it?  I’d try it!

Alas, here’s another Quarter Pounder, though I quite enjoyed this one, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

Creamy Parmesan & Bacon Quarter Pounder at McDonald's

The Creamy Parmesan & Bacon Quarter Pounder: “A quarter pound of 100% Canadian beef topped with a creamy parmesan and black pepper sauce, hickory-smoked bacon, crispy onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard and 2 slices of processed cheddar cheese served on a toasted sesame seed bun.”

I’ll admit that I got quite lucky with this one; a burger that’s hot, fresh, and well-assembled at a fast food joint is far from a sure thing, but that’s what I ended up with.  A burger at McDonald’s can be juicy, apparently!  Who knew?

Creamy Parmesan & Bacon Quarter Pounder at McDonald's

The main thing that makes this stand out is the creamy parmesan and black pepper sauce, which is actually pretty tasty.  It’s quite ranch-esque, but it does have a bit of a parmesan flavour (pepper, on the other hand, I didn’t particularly notice).  Put this on a Big Mac, please.

Otherwise, crispy onions and bacon are always welcome on a burger, and everything else is standard Quarter Pounder stuff.  It’s a solid fast food hamburger.

Creamy Avocado Ranch McWrap from McDonald’s

Creamy Avocado Ranch McWrap from McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I’m not really a fan of any of the McWraps, which are generally kind of dry and bland.  I think they’re McDonald’s half-hearted attempt to put something “healthy” on the menu, but you know what?  McDonald’s shouldn’t be healthy.  It should be junk.  It should clog your arteries and make you feel bad about yourself.  That’s its purpose.

Still, there is a new McWrap, so, sure, I’ll give it a shot.

Creamy Avocado Ranch McWrap from McDonald's

Here’s how McDonald’s describes the Creamy Avocado Ranch McWrap: “Made with 100% Canadian-raised seasoned chicken topped with creamy avocado ranch sauce, crispy jalapenos, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and cucumbers. All wrapped up in a soft white flour tortilla.”

Creamy Avocado Ranch McWrap from McDonald's

Like the rest of the McWraps, you can get it with either crispy or grilled chicken; I went crispy.  It’s fine.  It’s probably one of the better ones, because the avocado ranch sauce is zippy and tasty, and there’s quite a bit of it.  Would I have known the sauce had avocado in it if you hadn’t told me (and if it weren’t tinted green)?  Absolutely not.  It basically just tastes like a zestier ranch, but it’s solid for what it is.

Otherwise, the veggies are all fresh, the chicken is what it is, and the crispy jalapenos add some texture (but zero spice, sadly).  I’m not mad I ate it, even if it’s not really what I want from McDonald’s.

Sweet Chili Junior Chicken at McDonald’s

Sweet Chili Junior Chicken at McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

The Sweet Chili Junior Chicken is probably the least interesting of the three sandwiches on McDonald’s new Remix Menu, but I’ve tried the other two, so sure — why not?

Sweet Chili Junior Chicken at McDonald's

McDonald’s describes this thing by saying “your tastebuds will be singing a whole new tune with a remixed Sweet Chili Junior Chicken made with Canadian-raised crispy seasoned chicken, topped with crunchy shredded lettuce, tangy sweet chili sauce and mayo-style sauce, all on a toasty bun.”

Spoiler alert: this did not make my tastebuds sing.

Sweet Chili Junior Chicken at McDonald's

The problem is the sweet chili sauce.  I really wish it were more chili, less sweet.  It’s sweet. Like, dessert sweet.  A sauce that sweet basically works as a dip for McNuggets, because you can control how much (or how little) you get in each mouthful.  Here, where it’s just globbed into the sandwich, it’s too much.  It’s overpowering.

Unless you really love that sauce, there’s zero reason to get this over a standard Junior Chicken.

Chicken Cheeseburger at McDonald’s

Chicken Cheeseburger at McDonald's
Location
1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I recently wrote about the Surf ‘N Turf Burger, which features a double cheeseburger and a Filet-o-Fish patty crammed into one thing.  It’s part of McDonald’s new Remix Menu, which is all about cramming things together to see what happens.

Chicken Cheeseburger at McDonald's

The Chicken Cheeseburger is basically a Junior Chicken and a cheeseburger crammed together.  McDonald’s describes it as “a combo of two classics featuring a crispy chicken patty made with Canadian-raised seasoned chicken and a juicy 100% Canadian beef patty, all topped with a slice of melty processed cheddar cheese, a tangy pickle, onions, ketchup and mustard on a toasty bun.”

Chicken Cheeseburger at McDonald's

Like the Surf ‘N Turf Burger, it’s fine.  It’s more of a fun novelty than something you’d likely want to go back for, but it’s okay.

The combo of fish and beef in the Surf ‘N Turf Burger was vaguely off-putting, so I guess this one is a bit better in that there’s nothing befuddling about it.  The slight crispiness and peppery flavour of the chicken patty complements the cheeseburger reasonably well.  But the beef and the chicken both want to be the star  — they can’t decide who should be a supporting player, so the whole thing feels a bit neither here nor there.