The latest communique from the “Go ahead, die like a man!” Department:
[T]he new IHOP double down bid: “cheesecake sandwiched by pancakes,” topped with a formulation of strawberries (you can also get “blueberry or cinnamon apple compote”) and a generous dollop of “whipped topping.” The dessert is available for a limited time by itself or with a “combo meal, which adds eggs, hash browns and a choice of bacon, pork sausage links and ham” and at long last your sense of decency.
OK, so I’ve written at some (and, some wags might argue, TIREsome) length about KFC’s Double Down sandwich…but there’s always been a nagging question that remains: What’s for dessert? I mean, if you’re in for a dollar, you might as well go in for the doughnuts, eh? Waitress, where’s the nearest Tim Horton’s?? Surrey, BC?? Road trip!!
Sure, no meal featuring a gastronomic nuclear warhead like the Double Down would be complete without a sweet companion in crime. In this case, it’s IHOP checking in with their “Pancake Stackers”. Describing it as a “diet buster” after you’ve consumed a Double Down seems almost redundant, eh? This meal really ought to be served with a side of EMTs and a defibrillator, knowhutimean??
The Glendale, Calif.-based company did not provide nutritional information for Pancake Stackers by themselves. But the company said the regular combo meal — which includes Pancake Stackers with strawberries, two eggs, bacon and hash browns — runs 1,250 calories….
It also packs 2,750 milligrams of sodium. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults not exceed 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day.
“It’s yet again another dietary disaster brought to you by fast food,” said Susan Levin, a dietitian for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which also has been critical of the Double Down.
Of course, left unsaid by Dr. Levin is that it’s madness and culinary irresponsibility such as this that keeps her and her colleagues in business….
I’ll have to own up to something here: though I’m careful about what I eat, and I work out almost daily, I LOVE stuff like this. In fact, one of my obsessions is tiramisu. I actually rate Italian restaurants by the quality of the tiramisu (Sad, I know…but it’s (relatively) safe and (at least for now) legal). A few weeks ago, I took a friend out to dinner at a local Macaroni Grill, and was beyond excited when I discovered tiramisu on the dessert menu. At least I was excited until I discovered that also listed on the menu was the fat and calorie content- in this case 1100+ calories and God-only-knows how many fat grams. Yeah, you know what happened next…I skipped dessert. Me passing on tiramisu is almost akin to say “No, thanks” to sex. Nice concept, but it rarely happens.
I suppose my point is that, if I’m ordering it, I’m probably already well aware that it’s bad for me. Seeing numbers on a menu that tells me just HOW bad only serves as a supreme disincentive. This leaves me disappointed and the restaurant minus a dessert sale.
Now, if IHOP could just buy KFC…or vice-versa…you wouldn’t even have to get off your ass to have lunch AND dessert. And how cool would it be to be able to get both a Double Down and Pancake Stackers “Value Meal” (including super-size fries and a 64 oz. Coke) at a drive-through window??
Gawd, I just LOVE this country…. ;-)
