We don’t typically post about fast food here on Unbreaded. This post will be atypical and unusual. Full disclosure: I have an odd fascination with fast food unicorns. They’re the mythical creatures of the commercial dining world. I enjoy the novelty of limited or rare offerings. I remember going out on Burger King crawls just so I could catch the remaining Western Whopper or Rodeo Cheeseburger before they reached the end of their limited runs. By the time Homer Simpson was chasing down the Krusty Ribwich, I had already lived a whole lifetime of chasing down limited, rare or new fast food offerings. Even when I was in LA a few months ago, I had to snag a McRib after being delighted by it’s return to the menu.

When news started surfacing about the reality of KFC’s Double Down, I knew I’d be trying it. There was no question. Touted as “man’s greatest achievement or evidence of our civilization’s impending doom” by The Consumerist, the Double Down employs humanity’s own curiosity as a passive marketing tool.

The sandwich is simple. It’s bacon, pepper jack and swiss cheese and “Colonel’s Sauce.” The game changer? Instead of bread, customers have the option for either fried or grilled chicken patties of the Colonel’s Original Recipe.

Casting aside the validity of this item really being a sandwich or not, I’ll just give a summation of the experience. The chicken taste was a bit overpowering to the point where it actually contested the bacon’s inherent supreme power. Pepper Jack is a favorite cheese of mine, and coupled with the Colonel’s Sauce (likely to be just mayonnaise with random spices), I was able to bear the swiss cheese – which is one I simply don’t really enjoy. I did miss the bread though. Without it, there was absolutely no veil for the obviously expected greasiness and saltiness.

In summation, I’ll quote my friend Mikey Doc (who actually beat me in trying the sandwich out even before I did), “My god, that was the most American thing I’ve ever eaten.”

Now I wonder, is this ‘sandwich’ the first of its kind to be marketed as unbreaded?

Grab your special someone this Valentine’s Day, and make a reservation to dine by candlelight, at a table adorned with flowers and decorations at… White Castle. Yes, that’s right, you and your sweetheart can indulge in a special menu (details unmentioned) during reserved hours on Sunday, February 14th in select cities. Hopefully, this special menu will include some sort of variation of their patented “steam-grilled Slyders®” or chicken rings.

According to the press release, “This is the third year we have offered reserved seating for Valentine’s Day dinners. It was a huge hit the past few years. We’re really looking forward to hearing more White Castle stories from our customers that evening.”

They’ll even upload a photo of your romantic candlelit dinner to their website, which will surely make for an unforgettable evening. To top things off though, make sure you visit the House of Crave Online Store for special Valentine’s Day tees or a plush blanket, both adorned with a “Love Castle” logo.

What is it about the McRib that has elevated it to a sandwich with a cult following? The media has been ablaze with excitement around the return of the sandwich in certain markets, and sightings are tracked on the McRib Locator. For those not in the know, or whom stray away from the sight of the Golden Arches, a McRib is simply a ground pork patty, literally formed into the shape of ribs, doused in barbecue sauce , laid atop pickles and onions.

Can anyone fill us in on the story behind the mystique? Perhaps it’s because the McRib vanishes off the menu, only shortly after it appears? Let us know in the comments, what you think makes the McRib so great.

Burgerville, a chain of restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, has partnered with farmers, ranchers and producers in local communities to deliver fresh, local, seasonal food. They offer a nice selection of burgers and veggie burgers, chicken and turkey sandwiches, even halibut and sole fish sandwiches, all with virtually no trans fats. Seasonal items, like fresh Oregon strawberries, are rotated onto the menu in the form of their balsamic strawberry and goat cheese panino. Burgerville is committed to supporting and enriching the communities in which they operate, and we appreciate and encourage these practices.

Elevation Burger, based in Virginia, has opened up the first of eight planned locations in the Philadelphia area. Organic free-range grass-fed beef burgers, fries cooked in olive oil without trans fats, even sustainable building practices for their stores. With lots of toppings for the burgers and two kinds of veggie burgers to choose from, Elevation Burger is making a clear statement that fast food doesn’t just have to be junk and fat slapped together.

Even venerable KFC has debuted a healthier line of marinated, grilled chicken with zero trans fats. Parent company Yum! Brands (which also own Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s) has rolled out a program called Keep It Balanced aimed at educating people about healthy living and eating. KFC is telling us to Unthink what we thought about KFC with their Unfried products (which also happen to be Unbreaded, wink) and though the grilled chicken has yet to make it onto the sandwich menu, we hope it does soon.