It’s Friday night, it’s been a long week, the kids want Chick Fil A and you want…. well… wine! Who says the two can’t go hand in hand? Who says you can’t do both AND be fancy about it? Not me, that’s for sure. I say, YES to fast food and also YES to wine. I also say, there’s actually a right way to do it, and we’re here to help.
My smart and talented friend Brittany Caruso had the idea: pair our most-loved fast food restaurant choices with appropriate wines. Don’t just cop out and drink a beer with that burger; no! Pair it with vino like you know what you’re doing. 😉
So we spent a recent afternoon suffering through a smorgasbord of fast food delights and no fewer than FIVE bottles of carefully chosen wines to make sure you have the proper recommendations for your Friday night quick-stop meal, sure to please the kiddos and the ‘rents. (And no, we didn’t actually drink the entire five bottles; we just sampled. We might have, however, eaten the better of five dinners. Don’t judge. We did it so you don’t have to.)
Dinner #1: My All-Time Favorite — Bojangles
Paired with: Champagne
I go between the chicken biscuit and the chicken supreme dinner (with biscuit and fries) as my definitive fast food favorite go-to’s. The buttery, flaky biscuits melt in your mouth while the perfectly crispy and just-spicy-enough chicken never disappoints. What wine goes with this southern fast food perfection? Uh, Champagne, of course! The yeasty, savory umami of real French bubbles is the perfect compliment for the salty spiciness that’s Bo-Time. And to make that even better, we drank Champagne from Costco, which was fabulous and less than $20 a bottle. You can’t beat that with a stick!
Dinner #2: The Ever-Popular Chipotle
Paired with: NZ Sauvignon Blanc
This was one of our funnier pairings, only because when we ordered guac on our pork carnitas bowl with white rice and salsa, the guy blobbed it on only to have it slide dramatically off to one side. I immediately groaned, “Nooooo!” because all I could think was, “I’m supposed to take a picture of that for my blog!” He looked at me like I was crazy. Nevertheless, we took that sucker home and ate it, while drinking a lovely New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Those who know Kiwi Sauv Blancs know they are notoriously grapefruity, tart and bright — perfect flavors to pair with the lime and cilantro rice and slightly spicy pork.
Dinner #3: Any-Day-but-Sunday Chick Fil A
Paired with: Beaujolais
You might not expect to see a red wine paired with a chicken sandwich, but let me tell you — you can’t just go drinking any old thing with a Chick Fil A. Those chicken breasts have been soaked in pickle juice, right? Plus the pickles on top, and the gotta-have-it Chick Fil A sauce, which is some magical blend of mayo, mustard and sweetness. White wine, which you might ordinarily turn to, just won’t stand up to those prominent flavors. What will? Fruity, bouncy, lively Beaujolais, that’s what. If you’ve never tried Beaujolais, I urge you to do so. It’s a red wine in its own class, different than anything else that hails from Burgundy, best drunk young and with a slight chill. Its fruit-forward profile holds up perfectly to the Chick Fil A sour pickle notes. One of my favorite pairings of the day.
Dinner #4: Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun
Paired with: Merlot Blend from Columbia Valley, Washington State
Ok, so the burger choice was a bit up in the air. McDonalds? Burger King? Wendys? We ultimately decided upon Mickey D’s and the classic Big Mac. You know those things never look quite the same in person as they do on the order screen? Anyway… similarly to the Chick Fil A sandwich, a burger has a lot of competing flavors to play with. If it was as simple as pairing with beef you might just say, Cabernet Sauvignon. But it’s not, because who eats a plain burger? Almost no one. Most people put some combination of lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, special sauce, and cheese on their burgers… you know, the way God intended. So you better choose a big, juicy red produced in a place known for their big, juicy reds — like Washington State. A Columbia Valley Merlot, or a red blend with Merlot in it, is just right and will stand up to all the flavors dancing around in your mouth the next time you have a Big Mac Attack. Or any other beefy burger, for that matter.
Dinner #5: North Carolina Barbecue
Paired with: Red Zinfandel, also known as the only Zinfandel worth drinking
Let’s not get into an argument, ok? I mean, some people like Eastern style, some people like Western style; Texans swear by their brisket while South Carolinians love them some mustard rub. All I know is that when I want good barbecue and I’m not actually invited to a famous North Carolina pig pickin’, I can always count on Smithfields. So that’s where we procured our barbecue plate, complete with pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw and hush puppies. I know, I know… wine, really? Sweet tea, yeah. Bourbon, of course. But wine with barbecue may seem to be a stretch. That is, at least, until you try a nice red Zinfandel from California. Red Zins are full bodied but easy going and often jammy, which lends a nice balance to the vinegary, smoky pork. These wines are just so easy to drink, you might as well be drinking sweet tea. Stick a straw in it and be done.
Ok, so let’s hear it! What do you think about our pairings? What favorite fast foods did we leave out that you’d like to see? This was so much fun we are bound to do it again, so hit us up with your suggestions, feedback and comments. And when you try one of these combinations, let us know what you think!