What I Thought of It

Dairy Queen All-Beef Chili & Cheese Dog

As a fan of the Canadian TV series Corner Gas, I always enjoy watching Brent Butt devour a Chili Cheese Dog at The Ruby.

So it seemed a fun idea to “pull a Brent” by reviewing the Chili & Cheese Dog from Dairy Queen.

This hot dog is served on a white bun in a cute little box. Like a real hot dog done right, the condiments are placed on top (”dress the dog, not the bun”). In this case, the chili goes on top of the hot dog, and on top of that goes the cheese. By the time I got my Chili and Cheese Dog, the shredded cheese had already melted and almost become one with the dog.

The bun was fresh and the dog - which is made of all beef - was hot when I bit into it.

Taste-wise, the Chili & Cheese dog at the Dairy Queen in High River was pretty good for my first experience of a chili cheese dog. I can see why it’s Brent’s favorite food. The cheesy goodness is a tasty fit with the juicy, beefy hot dog. I will only note that while there was adequate cheese, there was not even close to enough chili. The chili part consisted of sauce, a few beans, and no detectable ground beef. Call me crazy, but I think a Chili Cheese Dog should have equal (and substantial) parts chili and cheese.

Now that I’ve tasted my first one, I’m keen to try the chili cheese dog in other places that sell it.

Last thoughts: With the Chili and Cheese Dog at Dairy Queen you get more than just a hot dog, but this also means an extra 62 grams and 180 calories (the difference between a regular hot dog and the Chili & Cheese Dog). This also means that if a normal hot dog is too small for you, then maybe the Chili & Cheese Dog will fill you up. I think I will continue to stick with regular hot dogs and just switch it up with one of these once in a while.

Nutrition facts: (from the DQ website)

Serving Size (g): 169
Calories: 460
Total Fat (g): 24
Saturated Fat (g): 10
Trans Fat (g): 0.5
Cholesterol (mg): 55
Carbohydrates (g): 40
Fibre (g): 2
Sugar (g): 4
Protein (g): 19
Sodium (mg): 1070

A&W Uncle Burger

The Uncle Burger is the latest addition to the burger family served by A&W Restaurants in Canada. I decided to taste-test this newcomer to let you know whether it’s worth ordering.

The Uncle Burger patty boasts 5 ounces of sirloin beef. It’s definitely bigger and thicker than its burger relatives (Teen, Mama, Papa, and Grandpa Burgers) at A&W.

What’s on it, you wonder?

The 5-oz sirloin patty comes in a sesame seed bun. Starting from the bottom piece of bread, you get ketchup, mustard, some onions, and a couple of round pickle slices. Then it’s the beef patty, two tomato slices, some lettuce, some “chubby” mayo, and the top of the bun.

I guess A&W chose to introduce a sirloin beef burger because McDonald’s and Harvey’s already have Angus burgers. A 5-oz patty looks meatier than most of A&W’s burgers. The beef is enhanced with A&W’s signature seasonings, so it has the typical A&W taste.

The taste test:

Like every A&W burger, the Uncle Burger comes in a foil wrapper to keep it warm. And warm it was, so the wrapper concept is a winner. A&W gets points for that, because there’s nothing worse than a cold burger.

The sesame seed bun and the vegetable toppings were fresh, and the amount of condiments was just right.

The sirloin beef patty was nicely juicy and tasty. My taste buds would have liked a bit more seasoning. It’s as if the Uncle Burger gets the same amount of seasoning as its relatives, despite being bigger.

Last thoughts: A&W has a winner in the Uncle Burger. It’s tasty and meatier than most fast-food burgers, and the whole package (bun, meat, sauce, toppings) made me go “Mmm” on every bite. It’s now one of my preferred burgers, so get ready, A&W - I will be coming back soon.

Nutrition facts: (from the A&W website)

Serving Size (g): 258
Calories: 560
Total Fat (g): 33
Saturated Fat (g): 11
Trans Fat (g): 1
Cholesterol (mg): 70
Carbohydrates (g): 39
Fibre (g): 3
Sugar (g): 8
Protein (g): 29
Sodium (mg): 1200