Kotas Reviews the Arby's Brown Sugar BLT

Bacon. The very word can inspire salivation and anticipation, or unbridled rage at the thought of how trendy it has become to throw it on everything. A fatty, greasy salt bomb of pork flavor, bacon may be one of the most symbolically American foods. As you probably figured out, I like bacon, though I feel that people can take anything too far. Still, the bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is an American institution. So, what happens when a fast food chain tries to horn in on a craze that's on its way out by resurrecting a sandwich not seen on many menus for a generation. Today we tackle the Arby's Brown Sugar Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. 

She don't look like much kid...

Brown Sugar Bacon is simply bacon that's been lightly candied with brown sugar. I know you are all shocked at this marvelous revelation. I first heard about it on Epic Meal Time, who tend to use candied bacon in more recipes than you'd think. I've never had it myself, but I thought, "Hey, for 'MURICA and such." So, here I am. Let's crack this puppy open and see what it done brung us.

But she's got it where it counts.

Well, it most certainly is a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. My first worry was that they would skimp on the bacon and make this sandwich kind of "meh" on that alone, but I need not have worried. Arby's, despite having some nihilistic outlooks on occasion, tends to be somewhat generous in their meat quantity, at least on their specialty sandwiches. I rather like the King's Hawaiian bun they slapped it all between too. And, it makes a pretty enough sandwich I suppose. Frankly, it SHOULD be pretty. This thing cost $5.50 for the sandwich alone, making it one of the pricier options in fast food. I've gotten value meals that cost less than this sandwich. Heck, my local McDonald's is running a special: 10 piece McNugget combo: $4.50. Is it worth it?

I tried to get its good side.

I isolated a piece of the bacon to try by itself. It's actually pretty good. It's got a sugary sweetness that melds nicely with the smoky salty porkness of the bacon, which is a lot better that I expect from fast food bacon. The sandwich itself is pretty tasty as well. The lettuce is nothing to write home about, but it does the job of providing some texture variation and some bitterness. The tomato...could be better, really. Not a lot of actual flavor there, which is par for a fast food tomato slice. Of course, it has mayonnaise, because PATRIOTISM and tradition. The mayonnaise is fine. All in all an interesting flavorful sandwich.

On the FACE Rating System, this gets 1 smiley face. I am not going to order this all the time, but when I get that rare hankering for a BLT, I would totally pick this up. It's nice to have something offbeat in my fast food experiences, and this fits the bill nicely, though the price can be off putting. If you are willing to pay a premium for the sake of novelty, and/or you are a bacon lover, give this sucker a try. Because FREEDOM.