I tried the new Shiitake Kale Chicken Breast at Panda Express, and there was nothing great about it. It had a brown sauce that didn't really have much taste, except it was salty. So I guess it just tasted like salty chicken to me. Although it had shiitake mushrooms and kale, it didn't really taste or feel "healthy", either.
I ordered a Kung Pao Chicken Special to-go from the China Joy restaurant in Carefree, AZ during their lunch hours (11:30 am - 2:30 pm). When I ordered over the phone, the woman that answered stated the food would be ready in 10-15 minutes. I got to China Joy about 20 minutes after ordering and the woman at the counter said she thought I had forgotten to pick up the food, which was kind of annoying.
Anyway, when I ate the Kung Pao chicken, it was just a wave of salty flavor masking a little bit of spiciness. The best tasting parts of the Kung Pao chicken dish were the carrots because the sweetness from the carrots offset the saltiness of the sauce.
The fried rice was just brown rice with a tiny amount of fried egg, and its dominant flavor was also saltiness. The egg roll was a vegetable egg roll and was the saltiest of the three items. The wrapper on the egg roll was also a little doughy.
The lunch was nothing special, and everything just tasted salty.
Food: Kung Pao Chicken Lunch Special
Source: China Joy, Carefree, AZ
Rating (Kung Pao Chicken): OK
Rating (Fried Rice): OK
Rating (Egg Roll): OK
The burritos in the box each come wrapped individually, and they are pretty quick to cook in the microwave (1 minute and 30 seconds on high). These burritos are smaller than the average restaurant burritos, but they were about the same size as many other microwavable burritos.
I don't like beans, so I liked that this burrito had no beans in it. The burrito tortilla was a little doughy, and the inside of the burrito has a texture a bit like paste (which doesn't sound great), but it's actually a decent microwavable burrito. The inside of the burrito tasted like a mixture of shredded beef, cheese, green chili, and some other seasonings. It was a teeny tiny bit spicy, and it tasted pretty good overall.
Food: El Monterey All Natural Shredded Steak and Cheese Burrito
Source: Albertson's, Scottsdale, AZ
Price: $8.27 sale price for 12 burritos ($11.99 reg price)
Rating: Good
