This week I reached out for a Waffle Taco with Bacon, the star of the new morning show at America’s No. 1 Mexican-style fast-food chain, Taco Bell, with 6,500 restaurants running for the border from coast to coast.

Taco Bell’s Waffle Taco with Bacon has all the trappings of McDonald’s McGriddle … and if you think McDonald’s is going to sit on its hands while the Bell challenges its vice grip on the breakfast-market share, you’ve got another free cup of coffee coming. McDonald’s free coffee was just the start of its pushback against Taco Bell. The real shock-and-awe-some deals are yet to come.

Here’s the Waffle Taco with Bacon blueprint: fluffy scrambled eggs, bacon and “real Cheddar cheese” tucked into a folded-over toaster-oven waffle, served with a side of “sweet syrup.” They’re not even trying to fool us into thinking it’s maple syrup. Points for honesty.

Total calories: 320. Fat grams: 18. Sodium: 670 mg. Carbs: 28 g. Dietary fiber: 1 g. Protein: 13 g. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price $1.99.

The Waffle Taco with Bacon is small. Think of a frozen waffle from the supermarket, folded into a makeshift taco. The insides are tasty, quick scrambled eggs, chopped bacon and that “real Cheddar cheese.”

“Real tomato ketchup, Eddie?”

Makes me question whether the waffle, eggs and bacon are “real,” too. But they are. It’s just cheese that needs validation. So insecure, that Cheddar.

The Waffle Taco with Bacon comes with a sidekick of warm syrup for dipping. Unless you’re sitting at a flat table, no wobble, you’re better off opening the waffle and pouring the syrup over the eggs and bacon. That ensures proper distribution and a balanced ratio of syrup to stuff. You’re more in control.

Dipping is too risky — you could run out, or over-dip. Like throwing a pass in football, three things can happen when you dip a waffle in sweet syrup, and two of them are bad. Breakfast tips from Woody Hayes.

I knew there was a catch to the low, low price. You’ll need two, maybe three Waffle Tacos to hold you ’til lunch.

While the Waffle Taco with Bacon is the headliner, the more interesting selection on Taco Bell’s breakfast board is the A.M. Crunchwrap with Sausage. This eye-opener has crumbled sausage, scrambled eggs, “real” cheese and a hash-brown patty hiding in a toasted flour tortilla origami’d into a tight, neat octagon — like an MMA fighting ring.

The A.M. Crunchwrap with Sausage is one-stop breakfast shopping — everything is smushed together like Thanksgiving dinner … the day after. I like this idea. I always put hash browns inside my Sausage McMuffins. The potato patty soaks up the sausage grease and eliminates any potential oil spills.

There’s one big, huge problem with the A.M. Crunchwrap: It’s got 700 calories and 46 fat grams.

If you have room left over, how about a 12-pack of Cinnabon Delights for breakfast dessert? They’re little balls of fried cinnamon buns, about the size of doughnut holes, from the “real” Cinnabon folks. You’ll recognize the aroma from the airport food court. But before you pop the whole dozen, be aware: They’ve got 930 calories and 56 fat grams.