It seems as though flatbread is the fast-food ingredient of the hour. Dunkin' Donuts has long been promoting its egg white flatbread sandwich, and Subway began offering their sandwiches (breakfast and otherwise) on flatbreads as well. Now joining the list, Taco Bell recently introduced its Grilled Chicken Flatbread Sandwich. As I'd thought their Cantina Tacos a successful release, I was intrigued by the new offering—even a bit excited.

The Grilled Chicken Flatbread, like many of Taco Bell's products, is simple: flatbread, grilled chicken, and a three-cheese blend (cheddar, pepper jack, and mozzarella) with a chipotle sauce. At 290 calories and $0.99, it's relatively light, and easy on the wallet. Taco Bell toasts the sandwich so the cheese ends up nicely melted.

When I opened the bag, my heart sank a little; the first thing to hit me was the unappetizing smell. When I bit into the sandwich, I found that it tasted better than it smelled—but not by much. The flatbread itself is chewy and glutenous and stiffens quickly after it's unwrapped. The chicken leaves a lot to be desired: the sandwich doesn't have long strips of grilled chicken, but rather small, unidentifiable nubs (certainly not breast meat). The cheddar dominated the other two cheeses, and while the chipotle sauce was mildly spicy, it wasn't extremely flavorful.

For $0.99, it's not a bad way to spend your money. It not only tastes better than it smells, but better than it looks too. Not a terrible sandwich, and certainly a cheap meal—but it isn't anything special. While I'm an occasional fan of Taco Bell (I liked the Cantina Tacos enough to get a second round) the Grilled Chicken Flatbread didn't live up to their success. It's not a sandwich I would recommend going out of your way to try.