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Junk Food Review: McDonald's Big Arch

 By now, we've all seen the video of a McDonald's CEO timidly taking a bite of their Big Arch burger before telling us that "we're all going to love the product," in what appears to be a hostage video perpetrated by Linda At The Front Desk.  All publicity, they say, is good publicity, and what was originally a botched promo video did indeed inspire me to buy not one, but two, Big Arch combos from McDonald's.  I don't normally eat at McDonald's, since the ones around Holland seem to be more expensive than other local areas, plus if I'm grabbing junk food on Saturday, I'll often err towards Burger King or some sort of sub sandwich like Jimmy John's.

The Big Arch "start[s] with the two juicy quarter-pound 100% beef patties, layered with three slices of melty white cheddar cheese. It’s then topped with both crispy and slivered onions, zesty pickles and crisp lettuce, but what truly sets it apart is the new BIG ARCH Sauce—tangy, creamy, with the perfect balance of mustard, pickle and sweet tomato flavors. All served on a toasted sesame and poppy seed bun, making each and every big bite equal parts juicy, melty and saucy," according to the McDonald's website.  The burger itself is, to me, most similar to an evolved Big Mac.  The Arch Sauce is a little spicier, maybe a touch of black pepper or something, and the white cheddar kicks it up a notch.  It's a little more bougie, a little more hipster or upscale, but it's right in line with the Big Mac genre of burger (pickle/onion/lettuce, special sauce) more so than the standard ol' McDonald's Quarter Pounder genre (ketchup mustard onion pickle).

 I will say, the crispy onions are a nice touch - they're something like the French's onions that yer mom puts on casserole at Thanksgiving, or an industrial version of haystack onions like you'd find at a hipstery burger joint (you know the kind, they cost like $18 and have fries that come in a metal cup for some reason).  I mentioned that I ordered 2 of these puppies - the first one I got was cold, kinda chewy, and not put together very well at all.  Shame on the Holland McDonald's for understaffing their restaurants and leaving the poor teller and 1 other person to work that evening.  So, I thought I'd do my due diligence and get a second one during a lunch rush on Saturday - you know, when they're really crankin' through burgers and fries, and nothing has a chance to sit around and get cold and soggy.

Overall, it's a pretty good burger.  Would I order it again?  Yes, most certainly.  But, it's not something I'd go out of my way to buy again, ya know?  I don't eat a ton of fast food anyway, and if I do, I normally stop at a restaurant where it's right on my way...if I have to turn the car onto a different road, it's a non-starter.

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