Whos down in Whoville, and underwater residents of Bikini Bottom, there’s information for each of you: McDonald’s and Burger King, longtime fast-food rivals, are going head-to-head. Or, to be extra correct, scary red-wigged, face-painted clown head towards equally scary red-bearded crown-wearing head.On Tuesday, McDonald’s launched The Grinch Meal, and on the identical day, Burger King rolled out its SpongeBob SquarePants menu. So in case you’re sick of Thanksgiving leftovers and wish some quick meals as a substitute, you’ll be able to resolve in case your style buds resonate with the crabby inexperienced Grinch or the at all times cheerful SpongeBob.Both are limited-edition choices, so get to your native McDonald’s or Burger King quickly if you wish to check out the meals.Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based critiques. Add CNET as a most popular Google supply.McDonald’s Grinch Meal ReviewHonestly, McDonald’s Grinch Meal is not as inventive as BK’s choices — the place are the green-dyed buns, the inexperienced shake or the McRoast Beast burger? Essentially, the Grinch Meal is an grownup Happy Meal, consisting of your selection of an everyday Big Mac or a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, fries and a medium drink.Fries with Grinch Salt (dill-pickle seasoning) McDonald’s common fries include a bag of Grinch Salt, which is solely dill-pickle seasoning. You additionally obtain a lunch bag-sized sack to dump the fries and seasoning in so you’ll be able to shake them up collectively. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETMcDonald’s presents just one uncommon meals merchandise with the Grinch Meal, and that is an adjunct for the fries. They include a small bag of tangy dill pickle seasoning, labeled Grinch Salt, that you simply’re purported to shake in your fries for a puckery addition. Pickles, just like the Grinch, are inexperienced and bitter, so I suppose that is the connection right here.My evaluation: How did they style? Pretty good! I’m a pickle fan, and as soon as I shook them up, the fries have been bitter and salty and total pleasant. Two inexperienced, furry thumbs up. I want there was a pickle-flavored dipping sauce too. Grade: A-.No Grinch toy, however … socks?Happy Meals at all times include an additional toy or prize of some sort. But there is no Grinch stuffed animal or Cindy Lou Who figurine with McDonald’s Grinch Meal, though the field all of it is available in is cute and Grinchy-themed. Every McDonald’s Grinch Meal comes with considered one of 4 totally different pair of Grinch socks, every of which has a scrawled message from the Grinch on them. McDonald’sInstead, you get the one Christmas present that is so cliched there are limitless jokes about it: a pair of socks. There are 4 totally different Grinch-themed socks exhibiting The Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, Max the canine and a few McDonald’s logo-themed ornaments. Each pair additionally has an all-caps, hand-scrawled-looking message from the Grinch.The blue socks learn: “These socks stink.”The yellow socks learn: “Nose Hazard.”The purple socks learn: “Property of the Grinch.”And the inexperienced socks learn, “The Grinch was here.”My evaluation: I ended up with the yellow pair of socks. They appear to be of first rate high quality, and contemplating how lame some fast-food prizes are, this was a rating for me. I would truly put on them. Socks are a laughed-at vacation present, however for a fast-food prize, they don’t seem to be that dangerous. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETGrade: ABurger King SpongeBob SquarePants menuIf McDonald’s type of went Grinch-appropriate stingy on its Grinch choices, Burger King went Sponge Bob-overboard with the beneficiant SpongeBob SquarePants menu. SpongeBob followers, you may as properly go all out and order the Bikini Bottom Bundle, which provides you all 4 of the themed objects in a pineapple-shaped field.King Jr. youngsters’ meal in a pineapple field The SpongeBob figurine that got here with the children’ meal was fairly cute, for a fast-food toy. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETThere’s no grownup meal, however there’s a King Jr. youngsters’ meal, in a field formed like SpongeBob’s underwater pineapple dwelling. It contains considered one of six SpongeBob toys. My evaluation: My toy was a figurine of SpongeBob sporting a pirate’s cap and clutching a ship’s wheel. There was purported to be a Burger King SpongeBob crown too, however my location should’ve forgotten to provide these out. The SpongeBob toy was fairly cool as youngsters’ toys go, although. And the pineapple field is cute.Grade: A-Krabby Patty? Almost!As each SpongeBob fan is aware of, the cheerful sponge is a fry cook dinner at The Krusty Krab, serving up Krabby Patties all day lengthy, so he is aware of his quick meals. Burger King has loads of themed menu objects, far more than the McDonald’s Grinch choices.SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper SpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper has no crab (or krab), fortunately. The yellow, squarish bun is type of neat, although. That’s not a chunk I took out of it, the sting of the bun was simply type of damaged like that. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETSpongeBob’s Krabby Whopper is the closest factor to the Krabby Patty from the present. (Wendy’s had a Krabby Patty and Pineapple Frosty final 12 months, you may recall.) It appears to be a reasonably bizarre Whopper till you get to the bun, which is sq. and yellow, identical to our spongy hero. The yellow dye is made with pure spices, Burger King says. Otherwise, the Whopper is only a common Whopper.My evaluation: The Whopper is just not my favourite burger, however I’ve to say the light-yellow, squared-off bun appears to be like tremendous cool. It did not style any totally different, however I appreciated it.Grade: BMr. Krabs’ Cheesy Bacon Tots Mr. Krabs’ Cheesy Bacon Tots have been about as likable because the stingy Mr. Krabs himself. That is to say, by no means. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETMr. Krabs’ Cheesy Bacon Tots are crispy, coin-shaped potato tots full of cheese, bacon bits and potatoes, served in a treasure chest-themed carton. My evaluation: Ugh, cross on these. The synthetic style of the bacon is fairly terrible, and it dried out in about 3 seconds.Grade: C-Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie evaluation Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie was the most effective fast-food desserts I’ve ever tried. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETPatrick Star is SpongeBob’s greatest good friend, and in his honor, you’ll be able to order Patrick’s Star-berry Shortcake Pie. It’s a strawberry shortcake pie slice that includes strawberry and vanilla-flavored creamy layers, a crunchy cookie crumb crust, shortcake cookie crumbles and pink star-shaped sprinkles.My evaluation: Yum! I’m not normally a fan of any fast-food dessert, however this was candy and creamy, and the crust was tasty, too.Grade: APirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float evaluation The Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float was a delight. Think a pineapple Slurpee, however higher. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETHonoring SpongeBob’s pineapple dwelling, you’ll be able to order a Pirate’s Frozen Pineapple Float, described as “an icy, refreshing frozen pineapple-flavored beverage topped with tropical-flavor cold foam.”My evaluation: This was my favourite merchandise amongst all of the meals. I did not actually detect any tropical flavoring within the “cold foam,” however the drink was type of like a classed-up pineapple Slurpee, refreshing and candy.Grade: A+Grinch Meal or SpongeBob Menu, which tastes higher? Fast meals is what it’s, however the design of the SpongeBob and Grinch bins have been fairly cute, and the SpongeBob figurine and Grinch socks have been higher than most included objects in these type of meals. Gael Fashingbauer Cooper/CNETIs it flawed to say I appreciated the non-edible components of each meals nearly greater than the meals? The Grinch socks have been first rate high quality and cute, and the SpongeBob figurine was enjoyable.Food-wise, Burger King will get factors for the tasty pineapple float and the Patrick pie. The McDonald’s meal is simply McDonald’s meals with the dill-pickle seasoning for fries added. That’s fantastic so far as it goes, nevertheless it does not go that far. My vote, then, is in case you’re solely going to go to considered one of these chains earlier than the limited-edition themed meals go away, hit up Burger King and check out the Bikini Bottom Bundle. Unless you are an infinite Grinch fan, pickle lover or really want some new socks.
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