Cracker Barrel Just Launched Its Fall Menu—Here’s Every Item, Ranked by a Food Editor

• What Is It: warm, freshly baked mini cinnamon rolls with gooey cinnamon filling and cream cheese icing
• Price: $8

Our server accidentally gave us our desserts to-go, so who's to say if I would have liked this more served in a skillet. But the dough here was dense, porous and drier than I'd hoped. I wonder if the cast iron pan preparation would've made for a stiffer crust, softer center and crisper, caramelized edges. The icing was sweet, simple and very buttery.

• What Is It: warm cinnamon rolls drizzled with caramel pecan sauce and topped with praline pecans
• Price: $8

I liked the light, syrupy consistency of the glaze, as well as the crunch of the earthy pecans. The ratio of sauce to dough to nuts was just right, IMO, but the dough itself was, again, dense and dry. I'm betting the skillet preparation would have made for a tastier base.

• What Is It: grilled ground beef, American cheese, crispy fried onions, bacon, pickles, BBQ sauce and country comeback sauce on a toasted buttermilk bun with your choice of one classic side
• Price: $14

At first glance, this handheld looked a bit dry to me, but it was actually quite tender, despite being overcooked past medium as requested. The burger came with a generous amount of bacon and fried onions (the latter of which was exceptional, BTW). Even though it was slathered with two sauces, the bun wasn't soggy. I also enjoyed how the tangy house sauce complemented and curbed the sweetness of the BBQ sauce.

• What Is It: Southern fried chicken tossed with Nashville Hot sauce on grilled sourdough bread, served with pickles, buttermilk ranch and your choice of two classic sides
• Price: $15

The heat built up really well as I ate this spicy chicken number. The sauce was vinegary, acidic and a touch smoky. I liked that the chicken was saucy and well-coated without being drowned or excessively messy. The meat itself was super juicy, despite the crisp exterior. I could've done without the bread, and I would have liked sour pickles better than the sweet, although the latter is more common in the South.

• What Is It: Southern fried chicken drizzled with sweet honey butter on toasted buttermilk biscuits, served with your choice of two classic sides
• Price: $15

Like the Weekend Honey Butter Southern Fried Chicken (more on that in a sec), this dish is only available on Saturdays and Sundays. Phew, this was a big plate of chicken! The breading was impossibly crisp and very freshly fried. It was light and crisp, rather than super thick and overwhelming; it does its job without taking the spotlight away from the succulent interior. The honey butter was delectable and very well balanced with the optimal dose of salt.

• What Is It: crisp, oven-roasted half chicken in citrus herb sauce with your choice of two classic sides and biscuits or corn muffins
• Price: $15

Overall, I feel like Cracker Barrel's fall menu doesn't give fall the way last year's lineup did. But this comforting classic certainly made me excited for chilly nights ahead. The skin wasnt greasy or rubbery; the skin was flat, thin and evenly browned without being burned, which to me signals that they meticulously rendered out the fat and turned the bird many times as it cooked. I also appreciated the simplicity of this one; I'm guessing the sauce isn't much more than butter, thyme, salt, garlic and lemon.

• What Is It: 10-ounce New York strip steak topped with buttery garlic sauce; served with two sides and biscuits or corn muffins
• Price: $20

On my first visit (there were three the first time I reviewed the Cracker Barrel fall menu, for science), I ordered the New York strip by itself with two sides. I was sharing it with a friend who likes his beef cooked well. We compromised by ordering it medium. It turned out tender for its thinness, but we both thought it was excessively salty. Curious if the temp had made it that way by concentrating the salinity, I ordered the steak and shrimp combo on my second trip, this time medium-rare. The seasoning was just right (and I could better taste the garlic sauce). I wish they’d seared the fat cap on the end and better trimmed the silver skin off the edge, but it was significantly juicier and more tender than the first go round.

• What Is It: baked chicken breast smothered with creamy mushroom sauce over seasoned rice; served with two sides and biscuits or corn muffins
• Price: $14

This Daily Dish main was a mixed bag, but overall fine. (Sure, I ordered to-go, but I don’t think it would have made a difference if I hadn’t.) The mushroom sauce was super savory and creamy, and the chicken was tender—not dry—despite being a boneless, skinless baked breast. However, the rice was dry and pretty bland without the mushroom sauce. I wished there were more mushrooms, but with two sides and bread, it was a steal for less than $14.

• What Is It: ten-ounce New York strip steak topped with grilled shrimp and zesty Creole sauce with your choice of two classic sides and biscuits or corn muffins
• Price: $24

This meaty main was mostly cooked medium rare as requested, but was medium is some spots and straight-up rare. It was surprisingly tender (and notably buttery-soft in the center), aside from some very chewy connective tissue that I had a hard time getting through. However, the shrimp were delicious—super juicy and flawlessly cooked, as well as deeply flavorful, thanks to a Creole-inspired sauce that tasted like very garlicky Old Bay. I felt all the components needed a touch of salt to be their tastiest.

• What Is It: ice tea blended with wild berry flavors
• Price: $4

This sipper wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was still tasty. Perhaps because of the color, I expected the semi-tart tang of hibiscus, or even of raspberries. But it really tasted like a Southern sweet tea with a glug of juice. I felt it was missing a touch of acidity, so I thought it was more well-rounded with the addition of lemon.

• What Is It: slow-braised rib roast with carrots, onions, celery and beef gravy; served with mashed potatoes, one additional side and biscuits or corn muffins
• Price: $15

It’s so rare that I say this, but this main was literally perfect. No notes. It was so homey and comforting. The meat was beyond tender (no knife required!), the gravy was super savory without being over-salted; just herbaceous, decadent and simple. I really enjoyed the mashed potatoes as well. They were silky, creamy and still had a few tiny lumps, offering a rustic feel to every bite.

• What Is It: pot roast with carrots, peas, onions, celery and mashed potatoes, topped with a hashbrown casserole crust; served with biscuits or corn muffins
• Price: $16

As if the pot roast wasn’t flawless on its own, Cracker Barrel topped it with cheesy hashbrown casserole and baked it to shatteringly crisp perfection to create this masterpiece. It had a stellar mix of textures (succulent meat! tender veggies! crunchy spuds!), and I thought the tangy sour cream was a stellar contrast to the savory veggies and beef. This superstar is also on the menu for good, so there’s technically no rush to try it…but I’d hit the road for it ASAP if I were you.