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Like the late James Dean, I'm a "rebel without a cause," and I take pride in offending certain groups, that I have little, or any use for... including Greenpeace, P.E.T.A., vegans, Sierra Club, A.A.R.P., doctors, nurses along with the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. I've come up with a little project that should arouse the ire of the aforementioned groups, and make me the object of ridicule of all nutritionists. What project could wreck so much havoc and shatter the status quo? Eating ALL of Jack In The Box's late night "Munchie Meals..."
Photo: It's 3 O’clock in the morning on Tuesday, March 04, 2014, and the Roseville location of Jack in the Box is open for business, and very alive and well. Note: Updates on Jack's new "Munchie Meal" offerings are posted later in this article. We'll keep this post updated as new menu offerings appear.
Photo: Our local Jack's is open 24/7, so placing my order of two "Munchie Meals" at 0300 wasn't a problem. On this Tuesday morning, I ordered two out of the four "Munchie Meals," and my order came to $12.90, as displayed on the board. Two down, and two more meals to go... Lately, Jack has been advertising late night, "Munchie Meals", available during the late night and early morning hours, that cater to, as Jack puts it, "The other Nine-to-Fivers." Many web sites have been claiming that these meals openly cater to stoners and drunks, and accuse Jack of all sorts of heinous crimes, including torpedoing nutrition and encouraging drunk driving. In response to all of this hype, Jack has this to say, "Jack in the Box has always been a leader at late night, but we really wanted to up the ante and give our late night guests something special. Whether you're studying late, or heading home after a night on the town, our new Jack's Munchie Meals are the perfect cure for your late night cravings." From "hate" I read about the "Munchie Meals," they appear to be a nutritionist's nightmare, which makes them attractive to me, as I am a non-conformist, and I don't have to answer to anybody except for my wife.
Photo: Jack's late-night "Munchie Meals" come in an attractive box, and each meal includes a medium drink. At $6.00, plus $.45 CA state sales tax, you can't beat the price, as there is a lot of food in an attractive package. If you require a holder for your beverages, just ask for a "cup holder," or, in my case, my friendly window gal prompted me for one. Not shown is a bag of napkins, ketchup packs, and plastic eating utensils provided by the friendly "Jack" staff. My only regret is that Jack's dining room isn't open at this crazy hour of the morning, so I had to truck my meal home to enjoy, and take photos. OK, please forgive me, as I spread out my review of Jack's "Munchie Meals" over a two day period, with a day to recover, in between.
Photo: You open the box... Ah, it smells GOOD!!! Your "main course" is wrapped, along with your two tacos, and your "halfsies" of regular fries and curly fries are waiting in the box for you to enjoy.
Photo: Every "Munchie Meal" contains two tacos, and an order of "halfsies," which is a half order of regular fries and a half order of curly fries, and a medium drink, which isn't shown in this photo. Photo shows the tacos unwrapped, and ready to eat. The tacos are Jack's typical tacos, which contain a piece of "mystery" meat of undetermined origin, a slab of processed cheese, lettuce, tomato, taco sauce of an unknown origin, and are wrapped in a fried, greasy, limp corn tortilla. My description of Jack's tacos doesn't sound appetising, but I love them, and despite the unknown origin of the meat, and all the bad hype, they're actually delicious, and I crave them, and keep coming back for more. Update: New versions of "main event" have been added and deleted, and the evolution continues, as Jack expands and contracts his menu. Like life, Jack is dynamic and ever-changing. I love it!
Photo: Here's the "Stacked Grilled Cheeseburger" meal, complete with two tacos, and the "Halfsie" order of regular and curly fries. Despite the not-so-pretty appearance in the photo, the tacos are delicious, and I love Jack's fries! Jack used to salt his fries to death, but lately, he seems to have backed off on excessive salt, and now I consider Jack's fries some of the best fries in the fast food business.
Photo: Jack's "Stacked Grilled Cheeseburger," all by it's lonesome. Actually, this is a great burger, as it has three layers of toasted sourdough bread, with a perfectly grilled piece of hamburger, along with tomato and pickle slices. Lots of melted cheese, and a big ol' slab of cheese is placed on top of the burger, along with an extra piece of sourdough bread. This is a great burger!
Photo: The "Exploding Cheesy Chicken" meal, unwrapped, and ready to enjoy.
Photo: Up close and personal, my "Exploding Cheesy Chicken" burger. You get a fried chicken patty, three sticks of deep-fried mozzarella cheese, lettuce, and lots of sauce, or is it gooey white cheese? I really don't know, and I really don't care, as this is a GREAT sandwich! Jack's late-night "Munchie Meals" are definitely worth staying up for, or in my case, getting up early to enjoy. So Tuesday, March 04, 2014, I ate BOTH the "Stacked Grilled Cheeseburger" meal, and the "Exploding Cheesy Chicken" meal... I took in something like 3,000 calories, which truly would be a nutritionist's nightmare? On my part, there are no worries, as I simply walked it off. Now, onward to "Part Two," where I will review the "Loaded Nuggets" and the "Brunch Burger."
Photo: Jack's tacos are seriously underrated, and panned by most of the food critics. Yes, they contain "mystery meat," of an unknown origin, a slice of processed cheese, lettuce for filler, "sort of" spicy sauce of a yet-to-be-determined origin, all packed on a deep-fried, corn tortilla, and cooked to a pulp. OK, the description sounds gross, but the "package" is delicious, and, priced at two for 99 cents, and included in the "Munchie Meals," you can't beat Jack's tacos. Actually, I love 'em!
Photo: Two days later at 0400, Thursday morning, March 06, 2014, I decided to eat the two remaining "Munchie Meals," the "Brunch Burger," and the "Loaded Nuggets." My friendly Jack-server, Nichole, is rushing to prepare my order, on this early Thursday morning.
Photo: Jack's "Brunch Burger" is served, in his box, complete with it's accessories. Yes, I removed the paper wrappers from the taco and the burger, in order to take the photo. However, despite what the critics have written, Jack's "Brunch Burger" is one DELICIOUS burger! Oh yeah!
Photo: Many revivers have panned Jack's "Brunch Burger," which seems to be the flagship of the "Munchie Meal." Alright... allow me to give you my take on the burger. In a word... DELICIOUS! Yes, it's truly good, as it's moist, flavorful, smoky, tangy, and just a tad on the "cheesy" side, which is a good thing. I tasted everything, including the bacon, the hash brown potato patty, the egg, which was fried, "over hard," which equals AWESOME! to the mayonnaise... It equals up to "What better things to do at 4 O’clock en the morning? ... Duh! OK, I lead weird hours, but since I am independently wealthy, I can do what ever I want to do, and keep whatever hours I choose. So, if you're an insomniac, a drunk, stoner, a person who keeps night hours, or maybe someone who wakes up in the middle of the night and says, "I'm hungry..." go for Jack's "Brunch Burger." Despite all of the bad press, I think this is one of the best burgers that I've eaten in a long time, and despite the fact that you're a stoner, a drunk or a prostitute, if you're hungry at the wee hours, this burger is a GO! For sure!!!
Photo: Jack's order of "Loaded Nuggets," complete with the order of "Halfsie" fries, e.g.., curly and regular fries, along with the two tacos that are part of every "Munchie Meal." Quite a meal, to say the least...
Photo: Loaded Nuggets, all by themselves. OK, the nuggets were drowned in a couple of kinds of cheese, which made them a bit hard to taste, but whatever the case, the nuggets were GOOD, to the point of GREAT! Yes, there's bacon, lots of cheese and ranch dressing, but these nuggets are deep fried to goodness! Yes, they look good in the photo, but they taste even better. What are the "food police" thinking when they pan Jack's nuggets? Despite what other's have written, and as I can attest to the fact that I have eaten, and enjoyed all FOUR of Jack's "Munchie Meals," I can, as a food critic, without a doubt, recommend Jack's "Munchie Meals" as great food, and a huge bang for your dollar. Yes, Jack's late-night offerings are fast food, and, yes, there are a lot of calories involved, but, folks, Jack's early morning/late night party food is DELICIOUS, and Jack's "Munchie Meals" represent a gigantic BANG for your hard-earned buck. I recommend Jack's "Munchie Meals" for your late night or early morning dining pleasure...
Photo: Jack introduced another addition to the "Munchie Meal," so in keeping with this series, and the fact that I'm a "foodie" I had to go back for number five. On this Tuesday morning, July 22, 2014, I opted to give the "Hella-Piño Burger" a spin. As you can see in the photo, when you open the box, it's the same as every other "Munchie Meal," as the sides are the same, and only the burger is different. At 0430 on this Tuesday morning, Jack's service was very fast, as the elasped time from order-to-deliver was less than five minutes. The food arrived piping hot, and totally as advertised.
Photo: The "Munchie Meal" in the box, but I've removed the wrappers, so you can see what you're getting. At $6.00 plus tax, this meal is a bargain, and despite what most food critics say, it's delicious! Jack always gets a good mix on his fountain Coke, so whenever I visit Jack, a Coke is always on my order.
Photo: As per the protocol in Jack's "Munchie Meals," the sides are identical to the other meals, and only the burger is different. So what about the "Hella-Piño Burger?" Quite a burger! You bite into it, and the first thing you notice are the jalapiño poppers, and the cheese. Lots of gooey, melty cheese on the burger! You hardly taste the burger, due to the melty cheese and the jalapiño poppers, but who cares, as it's delicious! No mustard, ketchup or anything else is needed, as this burger SHOUTS flavor! I noted the burger has a bit of heat to it, but not enough to deter even the most squemish diners when it comes to heat. Folks, this is a good burger! Now, you want to know my favorite "Munchie Meal." They are all delicious, but I have to go with the "Brunch Burger," but the Hella-Piño is definitely the runner up, and they're all good! Whenever you enjoy a late night/early morning meal, you could substitute any of the main entreés and you'd be pleased, as they're all delicious. Despite what the food critics say, I love Jack's food, including his "Munchie Meals."
Photo: Early Wednesday morning, say 0430, December 23, 2015, it was time to hit "Jack" again to check out his "Chick-N-Tater Melt" Munchie Meal. Jack's place isn't open for indoor dining at 4 O'Clock in the morning, so I was forced to bring my feast home, to enjoy in the comforts of my kitchen. After I opened he box, this is what greeted me, along with the warm, delicious smell of fried food. Jack gives you a 20-ox drink, and unlimed condiments with his "Munchie Meal," and at $6.45, with tax added in, and with the meal clocking in at around 1600 calories, it's a real bargain.
Photo: The meal is removed from the wrappers, so you can see what it looks like. Yes, the "Chick-N-Tater Melt" looks quite different than what you see on Jack's television commercials, but it's still filled with lots of gooey cheese, and it's just plain DELICIOUS! My friendly night-time drive-through gal, Enriqueta, is always glad to hand out lots of packages of hot sauce, and Jack's house dipping sauce.
Photo: Jack's tacos contain "mystery meat" of questionable origin, and unknown ingredients, but they're damn good, and generally under-rated. I felt compelled to include a close-up photo of two of Jack's tacos, which came with today's "Munchie Meal." At the price of two for $.99, Jack's tacos are a real bargain. Yes, they include processed American chesse, but feature fresh lettuce and onion. They're good and I love them!
Photo: The star of the meal, the "Chick-N-Tater Melt" sits naked, on top of Jack's "Munchie Meal" box.
Photo: My favorite late-night/early-morning drive through window gal, Enriqueta, took this photo of me with today's treat: "Chick-N-Tater Melt." See, it's really me, and I love these meals! Despite me "turning on the charm" and doing my best "smoozing," I could not get Enriqueta to allow me to take her photo, as she's camera shy. I'm always a gentleman, and I ask permission before taking someone's photo.
Photo: Jack's web site describes the "Chick-N-Tater Melt" as, "Crispy chicken, bacon, and hash browns all covered in an ooey gooey blend of three cheeses, topped with ranch on a buttery croissant. Time to get your tater on..." That's what Jack says, but let me tell you my opion... OK... here goes. This is a GOOD, maybe even DELICIOUS burger, and at $6.00 for the complete meal, you can't beat the price. The chicken patty is lightly breaded, tender, perfectly fried and delicious, the "tater" slice..." ditto. Bacon... yeah! Melted cheese... yeah! Ooey, gooey blend of everything... Yeah! Jack "nailed" this one, as this sandwich is great!
Photo: It's 5 O'clock in the morning, so you can afford to be a tad crazy, so I "tricked-out" the sandwich with some home-made guacamole that I had in the fridge, and the guac turned an excellent sandwich into an OUTSTANDING sandwich!
Photo: Meanwhile... Wednesday, December 23, 2015... I woke at 0330, tossed and turned for a half hour, and figured that it was unlikely that I could go back to sleep. What to do? How 'bout visiting my local Jack for a "Munchie Meal?" I noticed that Jack had just introduced the "Spicy Nacho Chicken Sandwich," so I felt today was the perfect opportunity to try Jack's latest munchie offering. The "Spiccy Nacho Chicken Sandwich" comes with the usual accompnients, as I've talked about before in this article, including "halvies" of curly fries, regular fries, two tacos, a drink, and of course, the main event, it today's case, the "Spicy Nacho Chicken Sandwich."
Photo: "Spicy Nacho Chicken Sandwich" up-close and personal, sitting on top of the curly fries. Jack's website describes the sandwich as, "Spicy crispy chicken with onion rings all covered in nacho cheese sauce with jalapiños on toasted sourdough bread. Served with two regular tacos, Halvies and a small fountain drink." Jack is quite modest in his description. My taste test... The sandwich starts with buttered and toasted sourdogh rolls. The chicken filet is battered, fried, and slightly on the small side. The onion rings provide the "crunch factor," and the pickled jalapiño slices ramp up the heat factor. It's on the hot side, but "do-able" for all but the most timid. The cheese sort of mixes it all together, and adds a nice, creamy texture. I really liked this sandwich.
Photo: Early Tuesday morning, December 06, 2016, it was time to hit "Jack" again, to try another new offering, the "Sriracha Curly Fry Burger Munchie Meal. I was disappointed, as "Jack" didn't give me the purple "Munchie Meal" box; my meal came in a bag. But, the price is still only $6.00 for the meal, and when you add tax, the price comes to only $6.45, which is a great deal. As in the previous meals, you get your main course, in this case, a "Sriracha Curly Fry Burger," a box of curly and regular fries, two tacos, and a drink. On this early Tuesday morning, I hit "Jack" about 0430, so as crazy as it seems, this meal was breakfast for me.
Photo: Close-up photo of the "Sriracha Curly Fry Burger." You get a bun, meat - naturally - curly fries, cheese, and a helping of sriracha sauce that packs a mild kick and adds great taste. I actually could taste every ingredient, and they all went together well, to make a delicious burger. Today, it wasn't a "late night" craving for me, as it was breakfast. OK, if I had to vote my favorite, I'd still pick the "Hella-Piño" as my favorite of all of Jack's "Munchie Meals." But, in my humble opinion, you can't go wrong, as they're all great. At $6.00 a meal, they're a bargain, and they taste good! Yes, the food critics contend that Jack's late-night "Munchie Meals" are geared toward stoners and drunks, but I don't care, as I think Jack has a great format. Crazy me, is I love this food, and have made it a project to sample every variety of Jack's "Munchie Meals." If I have offended some of my readers, I invite you to leave my web site, forget that it even exists, and go elsewhere. But I know that many of my loyal fans will applaud my efforts, as everybody knows that I'm a "foodie," and I'm one crazy dude. Not to mention that I love Jack's food! Jack In The Box Copyright(c) 2016 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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