Opinion

Wendy's piles flavor on new ciabatta bun

Wendy's Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger. Wendy's Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger. Photo: -- Photo: -- Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Wendy's piles flavor on new ciabatta bun 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

This week, I reached out for a new Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger from the No. 3 burger barn, Wendy's, with 6,500 restaurants from sea to shining ocean.

Last year was big for Wendy's. The square burger chain created a nationwide fast-food frenzy by introducing pretzel buns. They looked different and tasted different, and Wendy's threw the kitchen sink at pretzel buns. If it fit between two slices of bread, it went on a pretzel bun. A few months later, Wendy's was back serving burgers and chicken on a buttery French-style brioche bun. Brioche caused a stir, and that bread made a lot of bread, too.

Now, Wendy's is going to the bread well again and coming up ciabatta. The new slogan is "gotta ciabatta," and I gotta tell you … another winner.

Here's the Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger blueprint: a ¼-pound beef patty, roasted chopped tomatoes, creamy rosemary garlic aioli, fresh spring mix, a slice of asiago cheese and applewood-smoked bacon on a toasted ciabatta bun.

Total calories: 670. Fat grams: 39. Sodium: 1,260 mg. Dietary fiber: 4 g. Carbs: 42 g. Protein 32 g. Manufacturer's suggested retail price: $4.79.

That's getting up there, $4.79 for a single patty burger. By the time you're done with fries and a drink, you're nudging the $8 parallel. And once you cross that, there's no turning back.

So it's a bellyful costing a walletful. But we're about the bottom line here - how does it taste and is it worth the big bucks?

Tastes great and more filling.

Ciabatta is a light, airy bread with tiny air pockets to catch the beef runoff and whatever else is on your burger. Those sop holes come in handy because Wendy's piles on the toppings. The Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger is a Messy Marvin, but sloppy is a flavor booster.

The roasted chopped tomatoes and rosemary garlic aioli are new at Wendy's. The aioli I can lose. You won't miss it - the tomatoes and cheese provide plenty enough moisture.

The Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger is Wendy's shot at the upscale (for burgers) Five Guys and Smashburger crowd. The spring greens contain nine different greens. The asiago cheese is naturally aged, the real deal. Wendy's bacon is the bacon that drove other drive-throughs to up their game.

We're talking a legit, big time, quality burger here. Quality costs. But it's worth it.