As the Taco Bell employee dropped my bag of secrets onto the counter with an indifferent thud and turned to walk away, I demanded he share his insider info.
"How is the Quesalupa? Is it good?"
"It's good. No idea. Haven't tried it."
And that is, in fairness, about as much enthusiasm as one can be expected to muster for this much-hyped new menu item, which officially makes its debut in Taco Bell's Super Bowl ad this Sunday.
As many had expected, the brand's "biggest idea ever" is indeed the Quesalupa, which had popped up recently in test markets.
So what is it? Well it's pretty standard Taco Bell fare: essentially a chalupa (taco made with fried flat bread) with the new twist being that the puffy shell is stuffed with cheese.
Uh...behold?
There you go.
Beyond that, I can tell you it costs about $3 and is pretty filling. The shell crust isn't "cheese stuffed" in the way that a gooey and gross novelty pizza crust might be. It really tastes more buttery than cheesy, and there's not so much cheese that you'll hate yourself after. Well, no more than you usually would.
My prediction: The Quesalupa will see quite a surge in interest after the Super Bowl ad, then drop out of the public consciousness pretty quickly. But it's hard to fault the Taco Bell team for their over-the-top zeal in hyping the thing.
It's a taco made with fried cheese bread. If you actually expected this to be the biggest idea ever, you probably have more faith in Taco Bell than Taco Bell does.