Yet Another McDonald's Buttermilk Biscuit and Chocolate Banana Pie Review

(Chowtimes has now run out of gift cards) In case you missed McDonald's free biscuit sandwich promotions on Feb 9 and 10, or want more free sandwiches, Chowtimes is giving away gift cards for additional free sandwiches courtesy of  McDonalds Canada. Head over to their review page to claim your copy. While supplies last!

There is also a giveaway over at Eat 'n About. Go claim your gift card!

As a semi health nut, I normally avoid McDonald's and other fast food joints. However, I'm always interested in trying everyone at least once, and never one to turn down free food. So, I also got in line to get one of McDonald's new Buttermilk Biscuits. In fact, I got 3 over the course of the 2 day promotion. Unfortunately, I ate the bacon one before I got a picture, and on the 2nd day, in the chaos of the free giveaway madness, they gave me two sausage instead of one of each that I ordered, so I only have a picture of the Sausage Buttermilk Biscuit with Egg.

The first thing I noticed about this breakfast sandwich is that it's one greasy artery clogger. So greasy, in fact, that in the short bus ride from McDonalds to work, the oil had soaked and disintegrated part of the wrapper, dissolved the ink on the receipt in the paper bag it was in, and soaked through the napkin and paper bag. I then proceeded to blot the sandwich with 2 more napkins and it still showed no signs of drying up. This is not surprising since one of these sausage biscuits contain nearly 600 Calories and 60% of your recommended daily fat intake.

So is this monstrosity tasty enough worth the massively increased risk of heart disease? Not in my humble opinion. Compared to the classic McMuffin, the biscuit is more moist and flakier due to the increased fat content. However, I like the chewier textture of the English muffin, and the fact that it doesn't crumble and leave a mess anywhere. Rest assured, you will make a mess of crumbs while eating the biscuit. I also have an aversion to foods that leave a film of oil on my lips, and the biscuit does this in strides. If you're also worried about sodium, each biscuit sandwich also contains about 50% of your daily  recommended sodium intake.

In the battle of bacon vs sausage, the bacon is slightly healthier at 460 calories, lower in fat and sodium, but far less tasty. I find that in the midst of the greasy salty biscuits, the bacon kind of gets lost while it helps accentuate the McMuffin by adding a bit of oil and saltiness. The sausage biscuit wins the taste test in this contest.

As for biscuit vs muffin, I would be sticking with the classic McMuffin. I find it far more palatable, and the fact that it's also the healthier option seals it for me. I won't be ordering the biscuit off the menu if I ever choose to have breakfast at McD's.

I also had the opportunity to try one of their baked Banana Chocolate Pies lately. I think this is quite a worthy addition to their lineup. It's not overly sweet, and the banana custard is creamy and the chocolate is smooth compliments the custard. The crust is the same delightful flaky pie crust that is used in the classic apple pies. Unfortunately, I don't think this pie will be in the lineup for very long. A lot of the people I've talked to vehemently hate it and that seems to be the majority opinion from other web reviews I've read. I don't believe this pie will end up being a permanent part of the menu. Given the choice though, I'd rather see something like their baked blueberry pies back on the menu. I see these at select locations but not all of them. I've always rather enjoyed McD's baked pies, and priced at 2 for $1.40 right now, they are quite a bargain as well.

The Point Grill

Instead of going to the student-run Pit Pub for the upteenth time, today we decided to go to Point Grill. It was sunny out for a change, and no one was interested in sitting in a divey, aptly named Pit in a dark dank basement. The Point Grill is on the pricier side of campus eats, and just a shy less expensive than dining at the Sage Bistro.

I've never been here before, and was recommended to go for the Berber Chicken Burger, or one of their gourmet thin crust pizzas. I haven't had a burger in quite a while, so I decided on this plus a gluttonous side of their famous garlic fries instead of a healthy salad.

The burger "patty" is several slices chicken of boneless, skin-on chicken thighs marinated with "berber" sauce and topped with vegies and avocado salsa. Berber sauce is apparently a sauce of north African origin, and it was very mild here. The thigh, while moist and barbequed to a nice crisp skin, wasn't very flavorful on its own, and the sauce and salsa was a bit to mild and didn't quite work for me. I ended up having to add a couple of shakes of Frank's Red Hot sauce to kick up burger up a bit; It wasn't very tasty on its own. There also wasn't a lot of thigh meat on the burger, and it was definitely less meat than you typically get with a chicken breast patty. I find this odd since thighs are usually cheaper than breasts.

The Garlic Fries, however, were a great side. They were fried to a good crispness but not oily to the taste, and tossed in a generous amount of aromatic garlic salt. There were also a good portion served with the burger, and I had to pass some around as I just couldn't finish it all. Despite the generous portion of delicious fries, I would rather have had more meat on the burger instead.

The other burger they are famous for is the Canadian AAA Prime Rib Burger. This is a 6oz patty topped with cheddar, bacon, onion marmalade, mustardy  mayo, and greens. Mr. Production practically inhaled this burger and accompanying fries without chewing. He  loved the burger and was fully satisfied and fully stuffed. I probably should have ordered this instead :P


The third burger we had at our table was the Veggie Burger. It's a brown rice and soy patty topped with gruyere and avocado salsa. Few people who order a veggie burger get it with fries, and of course, Bookworm opted for a side of Farmer's Green Salad instead, which again was a very generous portion. She had no complaints about the burger.


Point Grill is also remarked for their thin crust pizzas, and the one represented at our table was the Prawn & Crab. This was adorned with large chunks of prawns and real crab, feta, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and onions. This also looked very delicious and something that I want to try when I come back.

A unique item on their menu is the High Fiber and Protein Wrap, described as "Vancouver Island smoked tofu, bulgur wheat, Colusari red rice, quinoa flakes, brown flax seeds, alfalfa spouts, & tomato salsa, all wrapped in a jalapeño tortilla." Booties loved the smoked tofu and remarked that this is probably the "whitest" tofu you can get. She's probably right since I don't think I've ever seen "smoked" tofu served at any asian restaurant. As with the veggie burger, fries wouldn't be on the mind of anyone who orders a high fiber tofu wrap, and Booties too opted for a side salad.

One of our party had already eaten lunch, and so ordered just a dessert. She choose the Chocolate Marquise, which is described as a "chocolate paté" garnished with heavy cream and fruit coulis. She didn't really enjoy the paté, indicating that it had the consistency of a very hard fudge.

The last item at our table was a side Classic Caesar Salad. This again was a very generous portion for a side salad.

Although I didn't really enjoy my burger, the fries were very good and most everyone else seemed to be happy with their meals.  I was told that the food would take a long time to arrive, and it was indeed a long wait after we ordered before we received our food. The decor was sharp and wait staff was very attentive, constantly  refilling our waters. It is more than twice as expensive as the burgers we normally get at the Pit Pub, but the quality of the burger and fries were definitely a few notches up. The locale is also well-designed with large sunlit windows on every wall. A great contrast to the dark dank pit that is, well, the Pit Pub.

The point grill is decent place to go when you are at UBC and want a good dining experience that doesn't break the bank, but if I wanted a good burger, I would go to Vera's Burger Shack at the UBC Village Complex. I will, however, have to come back sometime to try their prime rib burger, and the high fiber protein wrap.


Pros:
-new restaurant with modern pleasing decor and well sun-lit dining room
-attentive staff
-a place to eat at UBC that isn't a cafeteria, franchise, or hole in the wall.
-large side portions

Cons:
-food takes a while to prepare
-a tiny bit on the pricey side for what you get
-parking on campus is pricey and limited unless you are already there for the day.


Notes:
-parking available across the street at West Parkade

Website and Menu: http://www.food.ubc.ca/locations-and-hours/campus-restaurants/the-point-grill