Quick Bite: QuikTrip’s Blueberry Pancake Roller

Hey, Violet Beauregarde — rise and shine!

It’s well established that we here at LunchBlogKC are big fans of QuikTrip. And we get more than a little excited when there’s a new rolling food to be had. So when I spotted the Blueberry Pancake Roller sign on the way to work the other morning, I had to stop and try one.

I may have actually tried this new item three times over the past few weeks — and I’ll warn that it may not be for everybody. It depends on your affinity for bready breakfasts. The Blueberry Pancake Roller is pretty dense, and while it’s tempting to get the “2 for $2.22*” roller food deal, you likely won’t need the second.

Flavor-wise, it’s a nice balance of salty and sweet, meat and bread. I didn’t even run into any of the gristle bits typically found in this kind of sausage link. Gristle bits are the worst.

I couldn’t tell if there was any built-in maple flavor to the pancake part. While it's good by itself, more sweet-toothed patrons might want to add extra syrup. Maybe look around and see if QT has any complimentary syrup tubs at the condiment bar.

Overall, the Blueberry Pancake Roller is a fine addition to the morning lineup — probably my favorite of the rolling breakfast options. And I’m so happy to live in a world where it’s possible to eat blueberry pancakes while driving.

Rating: 3 sporks out of 5
$1.39 for one, $2.22 for two (the 99¢ price in the pic above was an introductory deal)

QT Kitchens

Putting the gas back in gastronomy.

It may sound blasphemous, but if we’re being honest, QuikTrip is our favorite gas station restaurant. We love the roller grill wonderland, and QT certainly gets you in and out quicker than Oklahoma Joe’s, even if they don’t have a Z-Man.

And now they’re launching QT Kitchens with a slew of new made-fresh-to-order items in a bunch of locations around town. Your Lunch Bloggers were excited to attend a tasting event where we could check some of them out.

Held at a new QT the day before it opened, we arrived and were told to step up and use the touchscreen to order whatever we wanted. This may be the closest we ever get to a Wonka’s Chocolate Factory experience.

We even got to hang out with an anthropomorphic ice cream cone who didn’t seem to mind a bit that Robert ate a tiny him. He gets it. He’s delicious. Here’s the rundown on everything we had.

Bac’n Shake ($3.49)
Despite the event being in the a.m., we started things off with a milkshake, as it is totally legal to get a milkshake for breakfast if it has breakfast food in it. Of course, we were going to get this first anyway, because bacon.

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Hiland Light

‘Land, no.

How cheap is Hiland Light? It’s so cheap that even I think it’s nasty.

And seriously, at $4.99 for a 20 pack, Hiland Light may be the cheapest beer I’ve ever had. I’m pretty sure the last time I bought Meister Brau it was at least $2.89 for a sixer, and that was in the ‘90s.

I found Hiland Light at the Missouri Lukas Liquor. They had a few small sample glasses out, and it tasted fine enough to bring home for a trial run as the cheap beer of the house -- after all, at 25 cents per can compared to 48 cents for a Natural Light (case of 24 for $11.49), that’s a savings of $4.60. Or in other terms, about three Taco Bell Beefy 5-Layer Burritos.

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QuikTrip’s Loaded Potato Rollers

The latest creation from the QT food Frankensteins is a garlicky monster.

About a month ago, I saw a sign at a QuikTrip for some kind of new mac and cheese something or other coming soon. First, I wondered if the rolling food geniuses had devised a way to make a Cheesy Mac Log. Second, I got frustrated that if they had made that breakthrough, they were just teasing me with it and I couldn’t try it right that very second. For the waiting, as they say, is the hardest part.

I kept checking back at the roller grill wonderland for weeks to no avail, when out of nowhere QuikTrip blindsided me with the brand new Loaded Potato Roller. While it wasn’t a Cheesy Mac Log, I wasn’t about to wait to try it.

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QuikTrip's Cheeseburger Rollers

What we’d give to spend a day at the Roller Grill Laboratory.

Back in February when Shaw and I gave our take on QT’s Buffalo Chicken Bites, I predicted that the next QT rolling food would be stickburgers.

Ladies and gents, announcing QuikTrip’s latest -- Cheeseburger Rollers (2 for $2, or $1.19 each).

Soon as we saw them, we couldn’t wait to give them a try -- especially once we noticed all the grease the Cheeseburger Rollers were caking onto the grill. That’s how you know a burger is good.

We each put a Cheeseburger Roller on a bun and started loading them up with condiments. Ketchup, mustard and onions from a packet for me.

Flecked with cheese inside, Cheeseburger Rollers taste like a cross between a hamburger and brown-and-serve breakfast sausages. They’re “burgery.” Like if you’d never had a burger before and someone was to describe a burger to you, this is how you might think a burger would taste.

Hot dog buns aren't really the ideal Cheeseburger Rollers handling device, either -- too bready. While a hot dog has the snap of its casing to pronounce itself from the bun, the Cheeseburger Roller just gets lost in there.

Cheeseburger Rollers are a valiant effort, if not a thoroughly successful one in our opinion. Still, we here at Lunch Blog admire QuikTrip’s tenacity, and would like to offer up these suggestions for QT’s next rolling creation:

• Tso Kebabs
• Gyrollers (or perhaps, Shawarma Fingers)
• Chicken Fried Steak Dipsticks with Gravy
• Philly Cheesesteak Rollninis
• Barbecue Logs
• Meatball Oblongers

Also, there’s got to be a way to adapt Cheesy Blasters to the roller grill. And how has QuikTrip not yet brought back Frankenfurters? Or am I the only person that remembers those? Frankenfurters were hollow hot dogs filled with chili that you could get at the grocery store, and I think the last time I saw them was in the ‘80s.

What would you like to see added to the QT Roller Grill Wonderland?


Update 7/29/20: Who remembers Frankenfurters? Chimpotle does -- and he remembered they were actually called Frank 'N Stuff, too. Here's a commercial.

QuikTrip’s Buffalo Chicken Bites

Because sometimes I don’t want taquitos, except for the fact that I always want taquitos.

Buffalo Chicken Bites are the latest addition to QuikTrip’s roller grill wonderland, and the first time I saw them a couple of weeks ago, I almost got one for breakfast. However, I was in dire need of coffee, and even though coffee and buffalo wings are two of my most favorite things ever, I’m pretty sure they shouldn’t be enjoyed in tandem. That morning, my caffeine jones won.

So on our way to see RJD2 at Record Bar last Wednesday, I told Shaw about the Buffalo Chicken Bites. Considering what a connoisseur of QT rolling foods Shaw is, I was surprised he hadn’t heard of them already. Seriously, this is the guy who with his girlfriend brought over a variety box of burritos, taquitos and hot dogs to our New Year’s Day party. Clearly, we were going to need to make a stop at QT.

Buffalo Chicken Bites are 2 for $2 or $1.19 each, and I think having the word bite in the name is misleading. While you can take bites of one, the item in and of itself doesn’t constitute a bite per se. Unless you consider a bite to be the size of roughly five cubic inches of buffalo chicken.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect. They look like giant reddish-orange mozzarella sticks. Or as if they might house a filling of sauce and diced chicken within a thick and bready deep-fried capsule.

Sinking my teeth into my Buffalo Chicken Bite, the barely-there fried coating offered little in the way of crispiness, but did have a medium level of buffalo heat cooked into it. The interior was made up of some sort of chicken log, with the consistency and flavor of packaged luncheon loaf before it’s cut into individual slices.

Taking about eight bites to finish, my Buffalo Chicken Bite was remarkably mess-free, save for a little bit of grease on my fingers afterward. And it might just be in my mind, but curiously, I found it to have an aftertaste like that of cheese.

Shaw and I both agreed the Buffalo Chicken Bites were neither bad nor by no means great. Actually, they were kind of gross. I don’t think I’d ever choose a Buffalo Chicken Bite over a roller grill burrito -- but then again, there’s no saying what depths I’ll sink to whenever that crave for buffalo sauce kicks in.

What do you think the next QT rolling food breakthrough will be? Here’s my prediction: Stickburgers.

Blame It On Cain’s (Tulsa Road Trip 9/09, Part 2)

Despite the events below, we swear we really do like to drink good beer sometimes.

Cain’s Ballroom

Shaw: One of the best parts of Cain’s is that they’ll sell you Budwesier a six-pack at a time, plastic rings and all. We walked in and headed straight to the bar to pick a few up.

Good thing, too. The lady working the line told us they only had five six-packs left, so the four of us each bought one. And then just to be safe, we went back and got the last one a couple of minutes later.

Robert: Not only does having a six-pack at the ready mean you don’t have to go back to the bar and miss part of the show, but I imagine this is what it must feel like to walk around a ‘70s beer bust barn party.

Tonight was Elvis Costello’s last night on tour for his country album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane. The ex-Angry Young Man played a lot of songs from that, as well as treated us to Americana takes on favorites like “Mystery Dance,” “Everyday I Write the Book,” and, of course, “Blame It On Cain.” It was a pretty fantastic show, and “The Carnegie Hall of Western Swing” was the perfect venue for it.

Shaw: With a band that included two guitars, an accordion, stand-up bass, dobro and fiddle, it was like hearing a country-flavored Elvis Costello cover band with the real Elvis Costello singing. Different, but incredible.

Rocking a purple fedora, Mr. Costello looked very dapper -- though at one point, the green cast of the lights plus his hat and the thick frames of his glasses made him look like the Riddler.

Robert: Maybe Elvis Costello really is an International Art Thief after all.

The Soundpony

Shaw: After the show, we decided to grab a quick beer at the next door to regroup and figure out where we should go from there. However, since The Soundpony had $1.50 Natural Light draws and some old school video games, we ended up staying awhile.

Robert: I took honors on Ms. Pac-Man and Moon Patrol, and Ryan dominated us all at Galaga. The Soundpony also has a Donkey Kong machine that even features the option to play the rare Donkey Kong 3.

Jeff, Ryan, Jeremy and I came here when we went to Cain’s to see Wilco last year, stopping in during happy hour, which lasts from 3 to 9 p.m and includes a free hot dog for every $4 you spend. That’s right -- a six-hour happy hour with free hot dogs. KC bars, please take note.

Shaw: The Soundpony is a cool bar. But man, that is a truly awful name.

I'll also give cheers to the music selection, but jeers to the bartenders who used the microphone behind the bar to subject everyone to their painful vocal accompaniment.

QuikTrip

Shaw: We left The Soundpony to go wander around downtown and look for some more substantial eats. But as it was after midnight and most places had stopped serving, we ended up calling a taxi to take us back to the QuikTrip by our hotel.

Robert: Ah, QT -- land of delicious roller-grilled foods. I got a burrito and a chili cheese taquito dog. Seriously, they’ve got to be just spinning a Wheel of Random Ingredients to concoct these new cylindrical delights.

Shaw: I stayed on the less adventurous end with two hot dogs for $2 and a 99¢ bag of Fritos. Without the availability of Chicago dog fixings or sauerkraut, the only proper way for me to have my hot dogs was with mustard and relish. No ketchup shall defile my hot dogs. Nor shall catsup, for all the Hunt’s fans out there.

Robert: I was a little disappointed there wasn’t even a single egg roll to be found on the grills, though. I do love some late-night Chinese food.

Next time on Lunch Blog: What does it take to get a Whatafarm in Tulsa?

_______________________________________________

Cain’s Ballroom: 423 North Main Street | Tulsa, OK 74103

The Soundpony: 409 North Main Street | Tulsa, OK 74103

QuikTrip: 229 North Gilcrease Museum Road | Tulsa, OK 74127

Apocalyptic Ice Slurpee at 7-Eleven

Man, that Judgment Day sure was a bummer. Let’s get a Slurpee.

To kick start today’s marathon of all four Terminator movies -- a little something we’re calling Terminatorthon -- we went to 7-Eleven to try the new Apocalyptic Ice Slurpee. But according to Slurpee Nation, Apocalyptic Ice is more than a refreshing treat.

"The machines must be stopped, and every sweet citrusy sip you take of blood orange is a step toward their destruction.”

Whoa. That’s a lot of pressure. I mean, how many of these Slurpees do I have to drink before Skynet goes ka-plooey? Is a Terminator going to get me if I’m momentarily sidelined by a cold headache?

Instead of tasting like nuclear desolation, Apocalyptic Ice actually tastes kind of like Ecto Cooler used to, back when you could still get it anyway. Hey, maybe we should try shorting out Skynet via a good old-fashioned sliming.

Scratch that. Bad idea. I’m iffy on the effects of getting slimed by Slimer, but it seems like that could have the potential to imbue the Terminators with the arcane supernatural powers of the dead whose souls have been cursed to wander the earth. And that just sounds like nothing but trouble.

Wait -- hold up again. The 7-11 website is selling a different story about Apocalyptic Ice.

“This blood orange Slurpee drink flavor awakens the machine in you with a sweet, citrus taste.”

So now I’m a robot sleeper agent? But I don’t want to be a Terminator!

I’m so confused. As if I wasn’t already having a hard enough time getting my head around why John Connor and Bruce Wayne look so much alike. Is Batman like John Connor’s uncle? Are they brothers or something?

Clearly, the smartest thing we can do is travel back in time and prevent the Apocalyptic Ice Slurpee from ever being created.

Secondary mission: Stockpile Ecto Cooler. That stuff was so good.