Had you asked me for my opinion of Applebee’s a few years ago it would have been somewhere along the lines of “meh.” It’s certainly food, but it’s got nothing on Chili’s.

That opinion has certainly changed, allow me to explicate. Applebee’s, and their glorious Mini Bacon Cheeseburgers, now haunt my dreams every night. I wake up at 3am with a deep, carnal hunger and I can almost taste those cheeseburgers. It’s more than a desire, it’s an infatuation. I’d eat dinner twice if someone wanted to go to Applebee’s immediately following a meal (I may have done this before).

The Applebee’s Ultimate Trio has so much to offer, and it’s because I can get Mini Bacon Cheeseburgers, Steak Quesadilla Towers, and Boneless Buffalo Wings for $10.99 that I have fallen in love with my once ignored Applebee’s.

With so many choices on the Ultimate Trio menu, I’m sure you’ll find yourself going back and swapping things out as you can not take in all of the extravagance at one time. Although, as you swap things you may notice that the mini cheeseburgers always manage to make their way back into your three choices. Mysteries such as that need not be contemplated.

Every bite of a Mini Bacon Cheeseburger is taken with a smile streaking across your face. You certainly know that it makes it harder to eat when you can’t stop smiling, but you can’t help it. Every crunch of the bacon makes your eyes water and you have to spend a moment holding back the tears of joy as to not make the people around you uncomfortable. Little do you know, they are experiencing the same hardship, if you can call it that. The way the bacon, cheese, beef, and bun fold into your mouth after the bite and roll over your tongue gets burned into your senses.

It’s the memory of what your senses will feel that you won’t easily forget. Let’s not forget that the cheeseburgers are just one of three choices. Boneless wings dipped in blue cheese are right up there with the mini cheeseburgers, which can also be dipped in blue cheese. The quesadillas come with salsa, but I think they should also be submerged in a blue cheese dipping sauce. Blue cheese improves upon anything it touches. Could you imagine how much more amazing Taco Bell would be if they had blue cheese packets to squeeze over a grilled stuffed steak burrito?

The Mini Bacon Cheeseburgers by themselves deserve the illustrious 5 pops.

The rest of Applebee’s, separate from the cheeseburgers has gained my trust and gets: