Mushroom-Swiss has always been my favorite hamburger permutation. For years, that was the only “specialty” burger I would order. A few years ago, though, I started trying different types of specialty burgers, and I decided there were some others that were pretty good. Case in point: The Bonsai burger from Red Robin. With a nice, big slice of pineapple, some lettuce shreds, a light mayo sauce and a little soy, the Bonsai’s flavors all match really well. It’s a tasty burger.

But not all specialty burgers are created equal.

Hardees Prime-Rib Thickburger is neither thick nor prime-rib. It is meatier than a standard-issue fast-food burger, but it doesn’t measure up to something I might make at home. While the meat does taste like meat — and that’s never a given when it comes to a fast-food burger — it tastes more like ground beef than prime rib. It’s well-cooked ground beef, at least. It wasn’t dry.

The onions and the mushrooms are a nice touch, but the horseradish sauce is distracting and not very tasty. I would have preferred a kaiser roll or a standard hamburger bun to the “ciabatta” roll Hardees uses for the Prime-Rib Thickburger. Like the sauce, the flavor of the ciabatta didn’t mesh well.

Overall, I give the Prime-Rib Thickburger a solid C. Given the choice, I would prefer one of their standard, 99-cent cheeseburgers.