The king of roast beef decides to tackle turkey
This week I reached out for a Grand Turkey Club sandwich, part of the new Turkey Roasters line of legit turkey sandwiches at, naturally, the king of roast beef sandwiches, Arby’s, with 3,600 restaurants in the U.S., Canada, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and one other country … Turkey!
If Arby’s didn’t have restaurants in Turkey now, that’d be like opening a chain of stores selling dishes, and not having one in … China!
Here’s the Grand Turkey Club blueprint: sliced roast turkey, melted Swiss cheese, peppered bacon, leaf lettuce, tomato and mayo on a toasted Harvest Wheat Bun.
Total calories: 490. Fat grams: 24. Sodium: 1,440 mg. Dietary fiber: 2 g. Protein: 29 grams. Carbs: 38 g. Manufacturer’s suggested price: $4.29.
Keys to the game: The sandwich is served hot. That’s hot stuff, and it’s the main selling point of the Turkey Roasters’ unveiling. Arby’s has offered turkey before, but only as cold turkey served on honey-wheat bread — part of Arby’s Market Fresh Sandwiches line.
Cold turkey (great song by John Lennon) sandwiches are fine — the day after Thanksgiving. But Turkey Roasters are one giant leap at Arby’s (miss you, Neil Armstrong). It’s the first time in nearly 50 years of pushing roast beef sandwiches that Arby’s has dabbled in hot turkey.
There are two other sandwiches on the Turkey Roasters menu: Turkey Classic (a plain turkey sandwich for $2.79) and Turkey ‘n Cheddar (see plain turkey sandwich … with cheese, for $3.49).
The Grand Turkey Club is the headliner and scene stealer. It starts with REAL turkey breast, not a jumbled, smushed mass of meat from a whole herd of turkeys rolled into one gigantic hunk of who knows what. This is not a big ol’ turkey McNugget.
Arby’s takes a whole turkey breast and slow-roasts it at 170 F for four and a half hours. I’d be standing at the oven door shouting, “Let’s move it!” at that low temperature.
The Grand Turkey Club has all the club-sandwich musts, like cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo. Arby’s has cooked this sandwich up right.
The Swiss is Swiss — hard to mess that up. But the bacon is peppery and crispy without being dry and crumbly. Bacon is such a delicate flower. If you want to cut back on the calories and fat, hold the mayo. The sandwich won’t be as tasty, though.
The Grand Turkey Club is not cheap, but you’re getting a real-deal sandwich. Add an order of curly fries and a big Diet Pepsi, and you’re in for something good.
(c) 2012 by King Features Syndicate.