Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Jacques In Ze Box?

As a kid, I used to joke, “I like French food. Especially Jacques In Ze Box.”

Trust me, it had the lunchroom in stitches.

But I may have been on to something if a recent taste test conducted at Jack In The Box’s Kearny Mesa headquarters is any indication.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The fast food giant paid locals, including me, between $25 and $35 to sample a potential new “European-style” chicken sandwich that is being considered for the menu.

The proposed sandwich had grilled chicken and pepperoni on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, mozzarella cheese. It was topped with a garlicky dressing that was described as “pesto,” but had hardly any of the green color associated with that condiment.

Testers ate the sandwiches at computer stations and typed their responses on keyboards that were covered in plastic like my Greek neighbor’s couch. Last thing you want is drippy, garlicky non-green pesto dressing ruining electronics that were state-of-the-art in 1996.

The sandwich — which I suggested they call the “Euro Jack” or, simply, “Le Jacques” — was spicier than the typical chicken sandwich, thanks to the pepperoni. The chicken was a single breast pounded down into an oval shape, instead of being shaped by mixing various chicken parts in a vat.

The brioche bun was soft yet firm enough to hold together despite the dressing, lettuce and tomato, and Swiss cheese.

My main suggestion: The chicken patty would be better if it were breaded, not grilled.

Testers got two versions of the same sandwich. I kept asking the woman in charge if she realized she was giving me the same sandwich.

“There are subtle differences,” she said.

Very subtle. Maybe the second sandwich had more garlic in the dressing.

One of the final questions asked how much I’d pay for either version of the sandwich were it for sale at Jack In The Box. I wrote, “Two bucks, because I don’t like to spend more than five there, and most of my money goes to two-for-99-cents tacos.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About doTERRA

As a kid, I used to joke, “I like French food. Especially Jacques In Ze Box.”

Trust me, it had the lunchroom in stitches.

But I may have been on to something if a recent taste test conducted at Jack In The Box’s Kearny Mesa headquarters is any indication.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The fast food giant paid locals, including me, between $25 and $35 to sample a potential new “European-style” chicken sandwich that is being considered for the menu.

The proposed sandwich had grilled chicken and pepperoni on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, mozzarella cheese. It was topped with a garlicky dressing that was described as “pesto,” but had hardly any of the green color associated with that condiment.

Testers ate the sandwiches at computer stations and typed their responses on keyboards that were covered in plastic like my Greek neighbor’s couch. Last thing you want is drippy, garlicky non-green pesto dressing ruining electronics that were state-of-the-art in 1996.

The sandwich — which I suggested they call the “Euro Jack” or, simply, “Le Jacques” — was spicier than the typical chicken sandwich, thanks to the pepperoni. The chicken was a single breast pounded down into an oval shape, instead of being shaped by mixing various chicken parts in a vat.

The brioche bun was soft yet firm enough to hold together despite the dressing, lettuce and tomato, and Swiss cheese.

My main suggestion: The chicken patty would be better if it were breaded, not grilled.

Testers got two versions of the same sandwich. I kept asking the woman in charge if she realized she was giving me the same sandwich.

“There are subtle differences,” she said.

Very subtle. Maybe the second sandwich had more garlic in the dressing.

One of the final questions asked how much I’d pay for either version of the sandwich were it for sale at Jack In The Box. I wrote, “Two bucks, because I don’t like to spend more than five there, and most of my money goes to two-for-99-cents tacos.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The vicious cycle of Escondido's abandoned buildings

City staff blames owners for raising rents
Next Article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader