By no means is this health food or gourmet dining...
but it IS soul food.
Friendly's has taken their guilt-ridden menu to a new level by adding the 1500 Calories / 79 Grams of Fat Grilled Cheese Burger.
They actually put a cheeseburger between two entire grilled cheese sandwiches.
While most of the media was horrified and other food bloggers went wild with judgment and disgust, I reasoned that one would be hard-pressed to find ANYTHING on the Friendly's menu under 1000 calories, so why be so shocked? And I was right.
There are only a few menu options that roll in that low, and none of them what I would term as a "healthy meal", with the exception of the Apple Walnut Salad.
Never one to turn down a good burger, I decided to roll up my sleeves "for the art", and take one for the team.
The first thing I decided was to eliminate the lettuce, tomato and mayo from this beast.
I don't believe in any of that on a good burger.
The beef always wilts the garnish and the mayo is really overkill when your "roll" is coated in butter anyway.
Surprisingly enough, the burger wasn't as huge as you would imagine.
If you cut it in half and substitute a side salad for the fries, it's a perfectly suitable meal for a splurge without guilt.
All in all, next to the Bruschetta Burger at Applebees, I think this is one of the most delicious chain-restaurant burgers I have had.