from karpov

Subject: Double Downer
Date: Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:28:21 -0500

Sad report…

Is it possible that that my sights were set too high, or worse that I am
just being contrary?  I don't think so…I really wanted to like this
sandwich.  Unfortunately though, my experience tonight was the
antithesis of yours during AYCJ.

I got a bit of a thrill when I saw the Double Down poster in the window
as I walked in.  That turned out to be the apex of my meal.

Your counter girlie was 'super cute'.  Mine…

Karpov:  "Hi—I just drove all the way from New Hampshire to try out
the Double Down!"

Dour pudgy Hispanic counter female with all the charm of Bill Mertz: 
"Do you want a meal, or just the sandwich?"

I get my sandwich, and snap a couple of pics.  I can tell something is
wrong when I open it up.  I think 'this does not look that great,
something is off.'

My sandwich had all the requisite Double Down ingredients, but it is
hard to imagine a worse assemblage of them:

Chicken (bun):  Both pieces are room temp.  I expected them to be
somewhat hot, or even lukewarm…hell, refrigerated would have been more
appetizing than room temp.  It is like the chicken had been sitting on
a shelf (sans heat lamp) for 3 hours since it was fried.  It has been a
while since I ate at KFC, but I used to like the spices/flavor of their
fried chicken.  These pieces seemed pretty bland, with only a hint of
the KFC spice.  The meat was a bit stringy.

Cheese: White American, completely unmelted.  The cheese in your pic
looks mostly melted, (due to heat of chicken?)  Mine is just slices of
unmelted processed American cheese.

Bacon:  One small piece, seemed to have been cooked yesterday. 
Crunchy, consistency of a giant bacon bit.

Sauce:  No complaints.

I took a bite, and my first thought was 'no way am I going to eat all
of this.'  I was right…I ate half, and threw the rest away.

Better than lobster? Uh, no.  Not mine…in fact I think I would have
had a better meal at the Subway one mile from my house (and I hate
Subway.) 

I can't imagine that you would have had the reaction you did if you
were served my sandwich.  I can picture that with hot and better spiced
chicken, melted cheese, good bacon, this could be much better (not sure
I'd like it as much as you did, even with all that.)  In retrospect,
I should have gone back to Ms Sunshine and asked her to try again,
harder this time.

I will say that one thing I liked was the mind trick—this contraption
has stuff in the middle of a top and bottom, and my mind thinks
'sandwich' despite the lack of bread.