The new O-M-Cheese Burger from Applebee’s is a brilliant innovation in cheeseburger technology that I expect other restaurants to start stealing immediately.
It’s a simple concept. Applebee’s takes one of those sizzling serving skillets (the kind that I always envision with Chili’s fajitas) and piles in a bunch of queso and shredded cheddar.
Then, they take a cheeseburger, cut it in half and place each half cut-side down into the shallow cheese cauldron they’ve produced. They also throw some fries in there.
What you end up getting at the table is an insane-looking burger shipwreck on a plate. It’s like eating a cheesy oil barge that’s crashed into a beach of sizzling cast iron.
This thing rules.
Applebee’s O-M-Cheese Burger | Review
As you might expect, this thing is not good for you. It’s a burger topped with American cheese, bacon and spicy honey mustard. That’s then plopped into a pool of queso and cheddar cheese, which continues to melt when it’s put on the hot skillet.
The objective is to have the cheese completely melted when it comes to the table. That way, when you pick up one half, you get this indulgent, satisfyingly stretchy coating of cheese.
You also get plenty of cheese left in the skillet for additional dipping.
Taste-wise, it’s the sort of concept that burger bards would write songs about. But when you factor in the nutrition, those songs start to turn into tragedies.
The wreck of the Edmund Fitz-cheddar over here clocks in at 1,280 calories. That’s before adding in 400 calories from fries.
That’s not great. If you swap the fries out for broccoli, you get it down to 1,380 total calories. Looking back, I wish I’d done that. Broccoli is great with cheese and my body was not feeling great after eating the fries.
What does it taste like?
Before even getting into the cheese gimmick, this is a solid burger.
I’m pretty ambivalent about Applebee’s overall. I think they’re fine for a cheap dinner out. As far as affordable chain restaurant burgers go, this was pretty good, coming in with a solid bun and a well-cooked patty.
The spicy honey mustard was a nice touch. That bit of sweetness, heat and acidity came through nicely once all the richness of the cheese got involved.
Picking up and eating each of the burger halves was pretty straightforward. I can envision this getting a little messy, especially with kids. But I really enjoyed the process of eating this.
I was honestly expecting this to come in a pool of cheap Cheez-Whiz. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the cheese used here. I looked forward to trying to get a slathering of cheese on each bite.
So is it any good?
This burger rules. As far as over-the-top, unhealthy gimmick burgers go, this is one of my favorites.
It’s also at a solid price point. It costs $11.99 by itself. You can also get it as part of the Applebee’s combo meal where you get two entrees and an appetizer for $25.
The final word
My only quibble is that my burger came up a little short on the melted cheese at first. I’d been warned not to touch the skillet since it was hot.
But when my burger came out, there was a section of cheese under the burger that remained an unmelted pile of shredded cheese.
Fortunately, that bit melted after a little while. But it would have been nice to have the skillet scorching so that everything was in peak form when it hit the table.
For me, it wasn’t a big deal. I’m not going to go nuts nitpicking minor elements of the new gimmick burger from Applebee’s.
It’s a burger from a chain restaurant with a ton of cheese. Have fun with it.
Or don’t. I don’t care. I’ll be wallowing in the aftermath of my cheesy shipwreck.
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