Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Lay’s Flavor Icons Potato Chips

Vin 35 Comments

Lay s Flavor Icons Potato Chips Bags

This is one of my favorite times of the year.

Seriously, I love it when Lay’s does its big multi-flavor rollouts, whether it be the jealousy-inducing “Do Us a Flavor” finalists, the recent music inspired flavors, or its “Tastes of America” campaign that these new “Flavor Icons” seem to be a continuation of, I’ve pretty much enjoyed every single special chip they’ve put out.

This year, the “Flavor Icons” are chips inspired by foods from famous American eateries. As an East Coast guy, I’ve personally dined at two of the five, so I guess I can say I have a frame of reference on a couple of these flavors.

I’ll rapid-fire through these reviews starting with the two places I’ve eaten at:

Lay’s Kettle Cooked Grimaldi’s New York Style Pizza (Brooklyn, NY)

Lay s Kettle Cooked Flavor Icons New York Style Pizza Potato Chips

Grimaldi’s is a chain of pizza places that originated where I originated, Brooklyn. I haven’t had it in years, but I do recall thinking the pizza was a little overrated. Needless to say, it’s a super famous NYC pizza joint, and that was a blasphemous opinion to anyone I mentioned it to.

Anyway, these chips hit me like a massive nostalgia bomb when I popped open the bag and got a whiff of the old Keebler Pizzeria Chips. I was probably in elementary school last time I had those, but it all came back to me.

Speaking of memories, these hit me right in my taste receptors because WOW(!!!), they tasted exactly like how I remember Grimaldi’s. The chain makes a very saucy pizza, and they definitely gave their secret recipe to Frito Lay. I’d describe it as “gourmet,” with all the ingredients you’d expect from a pizza sauce – onion, garlic, oregano, basil, olive oil, etc.

I’m more of a cheese guy, so I loved the fresh mozzarella flavor and tiny bit of parmesan on the backend. I do not think they needed to be kettle-style, but it reminded me of a crisp pizza crust, so it worked. Pizza is usually hit or miss in chip form. These may be the best pizza chips I’ve ever had.

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (18 chips) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 180 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Lay’s Geno’s Philly Cheesesteak (I’ll give ya a hint, PA)

Lay s Flavor Icons Philly Cheesesteak Potato Chips

I’ll tread lightly because I don’t know how to talk about Philly cheesesteaks without breaking the rules. Last time I went to Philly, I got a steak at Geno’s… then I walked across the street and got one at Pat’s, so I don’t have a preference. Cheesesteaks are just awesome.

These chips start out tasting just like Cheddar and Sour Cream, but as I went on, I started to get a “meat” flavor I guess you’d classify as beefy. Beef and even a hint of peppers remain as an aftertaste. So, it starts with the cheese “whiz” (did I do that right?) and some onion, and ends with the beef and peppers. It’s actually pretty complex, and I thought these were excellent.

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 15 chips) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 210 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Lay’s Wavy El Torito Carnitas Street Taco (Marina Del Ray, CA)

Lay s Wavy Flavor Icons Canitas Street Taco Potato Chips

Now we get to the places I’ve never been to. Carnitas were my go-to Mexican order before I decided to stop eating pork. Well, I broke my resolution because these chips actually have pork listed as an ingredient. They definitely taste like charred pulled Mexican-style pork, albeit weakly.

They start with a very slight sweetness that I attributed to the sauce El Torito must use to simmer the pork. There’s a little blast of lime and fresh chopped onion in there too. There’s a weird, dull “dryness” to these that I persuaded myself was supposed to mimic the tortilla. These don’t POP as much the rest of the lineup, but they’re still pretty tasty, and I love that they’re Wavy.

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15 chips) 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 210 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

Lay’s Cocina Azul Chile Relleno (Albuquerque, NM)

Lay s Flavor Icons Chile Relleno Potato Chips

Full transparency, I didn’t even know what this was – some kinda egg and cheese mix stuffed inside a pepper? Sure, why not, that sounds good. Well, after eating the chip, I’m gonna make it my duty to seek out the actual dish.

These chips smell and taste like a light queso dip. The chile pepper tastes both crisp and vibrant while giving off the perfect amount of heat. They’re not really too spicy, which I appreciated. There is also definitely an “eggy” taste, like cheesy scrambled eggs that peek out towards the finish. These are probably the saltiest of the bunch, and I imagine some may think they’re too mild overall, but I’m a big fan.

Purchased Price: $1.89
Size: 2 5/8 oz bag
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15 chips) 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 180 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Lay’s Party Fowl Nashville Hot Chicken (Guess Where, TN)

Lay s Flavor Icons Nashville Hot Chicken Potato Chips

Now I’ve had plenty of hot chicken in my life, but I’ve never had Nashville-specific hot chicken, so forgive me if I say anything out of line.

As you’d expect, these are the hottest chip in the bunch. I’d put them slightly under the standard “Flamin’ Hot” heat, which keeps them very snackable. These are undeniably chicken-flavored, but they mostly tasted like crispy chicken skin to me.

They had that “dryness” that I mentioned in the Carnitas review, that I can’t quite find a better word for. I like it, though. The hot sauce flavor doesn’t have any particular ingredient I can pinpoint. Google tells me they usually use cayenne and brown sugar, but I didn’t necessarily get that, nor were they listed as ingredients.

There’s a pickle on the bag, but I don’t believe this has any pickle flavor. I would have loved a little splash of dill, but not a huge deal.

Purchased Price: $2.50
Size: 7 3/4 oz bag
Purchased at: ShopRite
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (15 chips) 150 calories, 10 grams of fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 190 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Lay s Flavor Icons Potato Chips 2

So, there ya have ’em. I pretty much loved all five, but a couple were near perfect. I can’t be super confident that three are perfectly accurate to the specific restaurant dish they’re copying, but judging from the two I know, I bet they’re pretty spot on.

Maybe I’m just an easy (Frito) lay, but I’m really impressed. These might be the most complex flavor profiles Lay’s have tackled to date, and they nailed ’em. Basically, every intended ingredient of each dish came through for me. That never happens.

According to the bags you have until 9/10/20 to try these. Don’t drag your feet. Otherwise, you’ll have to drive coast to coast to try the real things.

Oh, and if anyone from Frito Lay is reading this, I dare you to make my last flavor submission – Onion Knish with Spicy Mustard!

REVIEW: Clif Bar Coffee Collection Minis

Marvo 1 Comment

Clif Bar Coffee Collection Minis

What are Clif Bar Coffee Collection Minis?

These are new flavors of Clif Bar’s Coffee Collection, but smaller than the original members. They weigh less than half the regular bars (0.99 ounces vs. 2.4 ounces). While the full-size bars are available in Dark Chocolate Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, and Vanilla Almond Latte, the Minis come in Espresso and Cappuccino. There are 20 bars in a box.

According to Clif Bar’s website, the Espresso Minis have crunchy pieces of chocolate-covered coffee beans and a hint of sweet cocoa. The Cappuccino Minis have rich roasted coffee, white chocolate-flavored chunks, and crunchy pieces of chocolate-covered coffee beans.

How are they?

Clif Bar Coffee Collection Minis Espresso

If you’ve had chocolate-covered espresso beans, you’ll know what the espresso ones taste like, although the flavor isn’t as bold as what you’d get with the choco-coated beans. As for the Cappuccino version, the coffee flavor is a bit muted, and, overall, the bars are sweeter than the Espresso variety. With both, I occasionally get the crunch of the java beans, which are sustainably sourced from Colombia, if you were wondering.

Clif Bar Coffee Collection Minis Cappuccino

Beyond the coffee, there are the other ingredients that make up all Clif Bars, which always seem to make them look like construction material to me. While they’re all there to keep the bars together and give them their chewy and crispy textures, they don’t play too much of a role with both flavors. If anything, they perhaps lower the coffee-ness a little.

Overall, I enjoyed both, but prefer the more robust flavor of the Espresso Minis.

Anything else you need to know?

These do contain a good level of caffeine. According to the box, one has about the same amount that’s in an espresso shot. What does that mean? The side of the packaging explains that each bar has 60-70 milligrams of the stimulant.

I’ve been replacing my daily early afternoon iced coffee with one of these Clif Bars, and they seem to give me the same energy boost that gets me through the rest of my workday.

Conclusion:

While I like the flavor, convenience, and caffeine content of these Clif Bar Coffee Collection Minis, it’s the last two that stand out to me. It’s nice to consume a pick me up without having to walk over to the kitchen (or Starbucks) to get a caffeinated beverage.

Purchased Price: $10.43 (on sale)
Size: 19.80 oz. box/20 pack
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Espresso), 7 out of 10 (Cappuccino)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) Espresso – 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 90 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein. Cappuccino – 100 calories, 2 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert

Marvo 1 Comment

Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert

What is Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert?

It’s vanilla frozen dairy dessert, a cereal swirl, and Lucky Charms marshmallows from the folks at Dreyer’s. It made its debut with a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream. Yes, the CTC one is ice cream, although light ice cream, and this is frozen dairy dessert. Sometimes life isn’t fair.

How is it?

It tastes better than it looks.

Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert Top

I mean that the vanilla base looks like dirty snow to me, and since most of what I see is that base, it’s slightly unappealing. The bright colors from the Lucky Charms marshmallows are definitely a visual contrast to the frozen dairy dessert base. However, most of them in my container had melted into shapeless color globs, making the view from above look like a canvas drop cloth under a first grader’s painting or the Care Bears not taking care of Care-a-lot.

As for the cereal swirl, I don’t know if it exists because it’s not noticeable visually or texturally. Is the dirty snow base actually a fusion of the vanilla base AND cereal swirl?

This frozen dairy dessert does a great job of incorporating all the flavors in a bowl of Lucky Charms. ALL. THE. FLAVORS. The marshmallows, the milk, AND the sweetened oat cereal are all there with every frozen spoonful. And because Lucky Charms is one of my all-time favorite cereals, this 1.5 quart-sized treat tastes delightful. But, after eating one-fifth of the tub, its flavor also makes me think of ice cream in a crunchy sugar cone.

Anything else you need to know?

Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert Marbits

Because it’s frozen dairy dessert, it’s super easy to scoop out. Also, I’m disappointed the marbits lack that freeze-dried mouthfeel. Instead, they’re just soft melted sugar globs.

Conclusion:

This treat captures Lucky Charms wonderfully, and I recommend it if you’re a fan of the cereal. I could be cliche and write Lucky Charms Frozen Dairy Dessert is, um, you know. But I won’t. But it is, um, you know.

Purchased Price: $2.80
Size: 1.5 quart tub
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 160 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Stouffer’s Classic Lasagna Bites and Chicken Pot Pie Bites

Marvo

Stouffer s Classic Lasagna Bites Right

SALISBURY STEAK BITES!!!

And that was the first thing that popped into my head after learning Stouffer’s was taking some of its classic dishes and turning them into snacks. Sadly, Salisbury steak and mac & cheese didn’t get snackified, but the popular frozen food brand is now offering Classic Lasagna Bites and Chicken Pot Pie Bites.

The Classic Lasagna Bites feature crispy breading stuffed with meat sauce and Italian style herbs, mozzarella cheese, and noodles. The chicken pot pie version has a flaky golden crust stuffed with white meat chicken, peas, carrots, and a creamy gravy.

Stouffer s Chicken Pot Pie Bites Right

There are multiple ways to prepare them — conventional oven, convection oven, air fryer, or an unconventional air fryer that involves a dragon breathing on them. Since I lack an air fryer, the patience to wait for a conventional oven, or a dragon, I went with the convection oven instructions that involves baking them at five minutes at 450 degrees, flipping them, and then having them sit in the oven for another four minutes (five minutes for the lasagna ones).

Stouffer s Chicken Pot Pie Bites Closeup

After my first bite of the Chicken Pot Pie Bites, my mind instantly thought, “This needs more gravy.” It’s not dry or anything, and it’s impressive that Stouffer’s was able to fit everything it did into a nugget that’s smaller than a Tamagotchi. Heck, there are whole frickin’ peas in them, plus everything else. Still, when I think of a chicken pot pie, I imagine a gravy pool with all the other ingredients wading in it.

But beyond that slightly nitpicky detail, these do remind me of the comfort food. Although with each bite I’ve had so far, I taste the peas, but not so much the carrots, and the crust doesn’t seem to be buttery or flaky to me. It’s similar in texture to what’s on the lasagna one.

Stouffer s Classic Lasagna Bites Closeup

As for the Classic Lasagna Bites, if it weren’t for the noodles, I’d mistake these for pizza rolls. The combination of herbs and meat reminds me of Italian sausage, but the cheese and sauce complete the pizza image in my mouth. They taste as if they have more sauce in them than the amount of gravy in the chicken pot pie ones. Look, I’m not going to complain about these tasting like pizza rolls, because I found myself enjoying these more than the other variety.

But I am going to grumble about the crust on both. They’re not what I’d consider crunchity crispy, but they’re definitely not soft. Although my choice of preparation might be the reason for their texture. I should really invest in a dragon oven. The crusts are also thick, which is understandable since what they hold could ooze out during the heating process (which surprisingly didn’t happen). But they also seem to tone down the flavors of the ingredients within them.

If you regularly heat up Stouffer’s Classic Lasagna or Chicken Pot Pie, these Bites are a unique way of experiencing those classic entrees, although they’re not as flavorful or filling.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free samples of the products. Thanks Stouffer’s! Doing so did not influence my review in any way. But I hope by doing this review, I’ve encouraged Stouffer’s to create Salisbury Steak Bites. Also, the box images used are from Stouffer’s.

Purchased Price: FREE (MSRP of $4.99 – $5.99)
Size: 12 oz. boxes
Purchased at: Received from Stouffer’s
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Chicken Pot Pie), 7 out of 10 (Classic Lasagna)
Nutrition Facts: Chicken Pot Pie Bites (4 pieces) 190 calories, 10 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 500 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 6 grams of protein. Classic Lasagna Bites (5 pieces) 230 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 630 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Popcorn M&M’s

Leonard 4 Comments

Popcorn M M s Bag

When I tore open the share size bag of these new Popcorn M&M’s that have milk chocolate with a crisp rice center, I was immediately transported to a movie theater.

Or, if you look at Blue on the package, it is to the stands of a football game chowing down on a chocolatey popcorn treat. The scent of these is outstanding as they do nail the essence of a creamy, buttery milk chocolate concoction.

However, please don’t get your hopes up too too much as the smell doesn’t fully translate to the taste of them, unfortunately, but it does get pretty gosh darn close.

Now, if you had asked me how these were when I first stumbled upon them at a random gas station in central Pennsylvania, I would have given them a 10 out of 10 and told you to drop everything, seriously drop EVERYTHING, and do whatever you need to do to indulge in these. It’s been a few days, so I have had time to come back down to Earth from the high of finding them unexpectedly and experiencing their intense aroma.

Popcorn M M s Colors

These come in perfectly themed colors of dark brown, neon yellow, and off-white to mimic the product they are trying to emulate. These being M&M’s there is, of course, the glorious hard candy shell to bite into first. The main flavor of these is definitely chocolate, and you can tell it is prevalent throughout the bite. And, technically, if you look at the packaging, these are CHOCOLATE popcorn flavored treats.

There is a definite butter flavor with a hint of salt, at least as far as I can tell, but it is very light. As I ate more, the flavor seemed to diminish, and I could see potentially without the shell colors, bag, or smell someone could mistake these for regular crispy M&M’s, although a very creamy milk heavy version.

Popcorn M M s Split

One component that is a slam dunk, or field goal, I guess I should say based on the sponsorship is the crisp rice core. It adds another crunchy texture in addition to shell, and this being a lighter one definitely reminds me of the crunch that popcorn would give.

All in all, these are delicious M&M’s with a light popcorn flavor as I have already downed 2.5 share size bags singlehandedly. I also applaud Mars for thinking outside the box with this inventive flavor. I just wish the butter flavor (and maybe the salt) was dialed up a few more notches as it would have truly knocked these out of the park flavor-wise. (Eeek sorry, would have made the flavor make an amazing touchdown flavor-wise, keeping with the theme.)

P.S – I wish Blue would have been chilling in a movie theater auditorium seat instead of with a football and eye black. I get the sponsorship, and that popcorn is a snack at stadiums, but not having a movie theater connection seems wrong.

P.P.S. – Rather than Blue holding a bucket of chocolate popcorn, shouldn’t it be a mixture of M&M’s and popcorn since that is what I originally thought they were drawing inspiration from when hearing about this flavor. Although maybe that is too meta and also means Blue is a cannibal. Eeek.

P.P.P.S. – Let’s not end on thinking about cannibalism, these are milk chocolatey with a hint of butter goodness, try them!

Purchased Price: $1.75 (2 for $3.50)
Size: 2.83 oz. Share Size Bag
Purchased at: Sheetz
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 27 g (1/3 of bag) – 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.