McDonald’s wasn’t the first fast-food chain to offer meals in the morning.
Then, it repackages everything yet again and sometimes pairs them withpancakesto form platter-style fork-and-knife meals.
Of course, a few other items are thrown in, but that’s the overall gist.
Photos: McDonald’s. Design: Eat This, Not That!
We all know that McDonald’s drive-thru experience is a well-oiled machine.
The look:A breakfast that would be served at a school cafeteria.
It’s missing cohesiveness, and as a result, comes off like a ragbag of random foods.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
The steak looked particularly withered and sad, bedecked with only two stringy onions.
The taste:The platter isn’t super to-go friendlyor, taste bud-friendly, for that matter.
I couldn’t rustle up an iota of excitement for any of the meal’s core components.
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But, relying on condiments to save the day does not a winning strategy make.
It comes with scratch-made biscuits and a sausage-based gravy.
The taste:Not as instantly regrettable as you might expect fast-food biscuits and gravy to be.
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So, while it could have been worse, that doesn’t automatically mean it was great.
Imagine the carnage and lingering stench.
This would include the maple griddle cakes of the chain’s famed McGriddles.
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The look:Beyond greasythe brown wrapping was practically drenched.
But, this dependable combination simply doesn’t work in this case.
Throw in the cheese and squishy eggs on top and the sammie became overwhelming, to say the least.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
It’s obvious that the steak would fare better when partnered with a more neutral bread base.
The look:This bread was visibly more toasty than the lasta good sign.
The taste:The bagel is still a flopI won’t rehash it.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
But, we’re headed in the right direction here with the more influential sausage.
The breakfast sauce once again sneaks by unnoticed.
However, for protein, steak with grilled onions replaces sausage or bacon.
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The look:The crackliest bagel of them all.
The taste:For me personally, McDonald’s bacon or sausage trumps its breakfast steak in most cases.
Egg McMuffin
The McMuffin.
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It was actually modeled after Eggs Benedict.
Unfortunately, the sammie is no longer 63 cents as it once was.
It now stands at $3.99still a reasonable price in today’s dollars.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
Of these two, I also find the fresh-cracked egg to be inferior to a scramble style.
The look:There is steak on there, don’t worry.
It’s just concealed under a stuck-on layer of cheese.
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It’s the quintessential coalescence of squishy, salty, and buttery.
Steak, Egg & Cheese McMuffin
Next up is a next-generation kind of McMuffin.
The white egg round helped the sandwich to achieve loftiness though, as well as the puffy muffin.
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The taste:Steak in its best form, though that’s not saying much.
Something about the well-made yet understated English muffin brings out the best in the beef.
It rings up at $3.99the same low price as the Egg McMuffin.
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The taste:One more thick slice of bacon would have done wonders for this menu item’s performance.
Sausage McMuffin with Egg
The final McMuffin on the menu is the sausage rendition.
The more elaborate egg-included sandwich is the one I picked up for $3.99.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
The taste:A classic go-to yet not the most dazzling item on the breakfast menu.
Meanwhile, the peppery, only lightly greasy sausage is an indisputable improvement over the steak or Canadian bacon.
The look:Your average, everyday bowl of oatmeal.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
It’s thick and sporting that light tan oat color.
This stuff isn’t half bad.
It’s certainly porridge-like with a sticky and clumpy texture.
Megan Hageman/Eat This Not That
However, it has a pleasant flavor of vanilla and a touch of sweetness even all by itself.
Sausage Burrito
Breakfast burritos are currently all the rage.
Every major fast-food chain has one on its books nowadays from Wendy’s to Burger King to Chick-fil-A.
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At McDonald’s, there is only one burrito option to choose from called the Sausage Burrito.
It is packed with clumps of egg and sausage though, both swirled together and glazed with orange cheese.
Is it reminiscent of a grocery store burrito you would warm up in the microwave?
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Onion and chiles seem to be few and far between but it simply doesn’t matter.
The burrito is delish, albeit not unduly filling, either way.
I nabbed one for $4.79.
The look:This sandwich is glowing with each element standing tall and bright.
The cushiony texture of the cakes envelopes the eggs, cheese, and bacon.
Some are featured a la carte.
Some are paired up with sausage or even with steak.
The look:A full meal.
The taste:Swapping hotcakes for the steak in the Big Breakfast is clearly the way to go.
These pancakes are soft and never soggy with a natural vanilla flavor.
They make the meal quite honestly, but everything else is also up to par.
You could even DIY a sandwich here by tucking the eggs and sausage into the buttermilk biscuit.
You probably could have guessed that though, right?
It’s the only bread bang out where sausage is worth more than bacon.
For example, in the McGriddles, the sausage sandwich is less than one with bacon.
The look:Once again, very similar to the steak biscuit, but a little more kempt.
The cheese isn’t in disarray and the biscuit bun stays intact.
Buttery and nearly melt-in-your-mouth, the biscuit adds a level of zhuzh that the English muffin simply can’t.
At the same time, the cheesy egg and sausage combo is unmatchedmiles ahead of the bacon.
One ingredient I was tempted to throw on was a small dollop of mayonnaise or something similar.
But, with or without, it’s still a sandwich that’s sure to butter your biscuit.
Hash Browns
When it comes to breakfast sides, it’s slim pickings at McDonald’s.
And then, you have items like a lone sausage patty or an egg round.
Served up patty-style, they come at a price of $1.99 a pop.
The taste:A golden addition to the menu.
And, in my opinion, it wins out in terms of taste as well.
The look:Just as perky and attractive as the bacon-loaded McGriddle.
Each layer stands out and the thick pancake buns don a lovely shade of golden brown.
The taste:Savory and sweet, but unlike the steak McGriddle, this one achieves a perfect equilibrium.
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