Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Taco Bell Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries

Louis

Taco Bell Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries 1

For the most part, I like fries about as much as any other typical fast food fan probably does. But, you know, even I have to begrudgingly admit that maybe it’s time to take a break from them and turn that fryer off for a few months.

Of course, just as I think that those beautiful bastards at Taco Bell’s research and development labs go and craft this new “Mexico on the Hudson” flavor for all the fry-eaters of the world to not only enjoy, but reflect on.

With the hard-charging heat of New York’s Buffalo sauce spilling forth on the stampeding herd of Taco Bell’s famous fries — and its companion burrito, natch — it’s such a tangy stroke of corporate genius you have to wonder why it hasn’t happened before, causing a culture clash that is far more related, like distant cousins, than previously thought.

Taco Bell Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries

Outright, the clear-cut “winner winner, Buffalo chicken dinner” is the fantastic Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries. It comes with a nice portion of shredded chicken and the usual accouterments, such as pico de gallo, reduced fat sour cream, and nacho cheese sauce over Taco Bell’s seasoned fries. But it’s the liberal dowsing of Buffalo sauce that gives the platter a mostly loving kick in the metaphorical junk.

It was definitely a bit of culinary violence that the Bell needed, especially before its fries became a little too staid for their own good —- something I’m sure we all can agree on. That being said, the next time I order these, I’d love to add a squirt or two of the Spicy Ranch, perhaps for a bit of heated resistance.

Taco Bell Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries Burrito

With that said, the sauce isn’t as powerful in the Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries Burrito, but that’s not to say it’s entirely bad either. It’s just…different.

While it could’ve been a fluke in my home Bell’s kitchen, my burrito, loaded with the same items as the fries but wrapped in a loose tortilla, must have had far less of the Buffalo sauce because it wasn’t as “in your face” as the fries.

It still works well though, with the scant Buffalo sauce instead enhancing the burrito and its taste instead of utterly dominating it. I can understand if people would disagree with me about this, but, especially after the stomach-enflaming fires of the fries, that was a somewhat cooling snack, a coda on the whole Buffalo sauce phenomenon.

Who knew it would be Taco Bell, of all places, to deliver it.

Purchased Price: $2.99 each
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries – 490 calories, 32 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 1080 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein. Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries Burrito – 510 calories, 26 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 1190 milligrams of sodium, 53 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Magnum Mini Ruby Ice Cream Bars

Marvo 4 Comments

Magnum Mini Ruby Ice Cream Bars

You could give the person you love a rose. Or give them something much better — a Magnum Mini Ruby Ice Cream Bar.

I mean, look at that bar below. It screams ROMANTIC. Although “romantic” shouldn’t be screamed, it should be said in a seductive tone, preferable with an accent, with double come hither finger pulls and maybe some lip-licking after saying it.

Magnum Mini Ruby Ice Cream Bars Coating

Also, you can’t eat a rose. Well, actually, the flower is edible, but eating roses off of their stems or the petals like a salad is not an appealing look. Go ahead and imagine it yourself. Close your eyes and visualize your significant other or your one celebrity hall pass chewing on rose petals. Not a good look and probably doesn’t taste good.

But these Magnum Mini Ruby Ice Cream Bars, made with ruby chocolate, taste a hundred times better than roses.

If you’re not familiar with the pink chocolate, it’s the first new chocolate in 80 years and is considered the fourth variety (along with milk, dark, and white). It made its debut a few years ago and has been featured with a smattering of products. Now I’m going to type verbatim what it says on the info card Magnum sent to me so that I can make this review look more substantial:

Ruby Cacao beans are found in Ecuador, Brazil and the Ivory Coast. They add a unique berry fruitiness, luscious smoothness, and striking pink color to our new, mini bar offering. Like grapes for fine wines, cocoa beans are influenced by the terroir in which they grow. Only under unique climate conditions, will cocoa trees produce Ruby cocoa beans.

Magnum Mini Ruby Ice Cream Bars Innards

Of course, these small bars aren’t just ruby chocolate; there’s also sweet cream ice cream that’s so white it’s blinding when under photo studio lights. It looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost squeezed himself into the pink shell, or a Casper mattress squeezed into its box. As for its flavor, it has a nondescript sweetness. It’s a little disappointing, but understandable because it needs to be a little plain to showcase the ruby cocoa. But I wouldn’t want to eat a pint of it unless I have some sweet toppings and sunglasses.

The pink coating has a slight tanginess with an equally light berry flavor. I’m tickled pink about the color (sorry), and I find its flavor to be pleasing and I’d eat fun-sized versions of the chocolate. Still, at the same time, I’m not super impressed with the way it tastes because for something that’s promoted as the “fourth chocolate,” it sure tastes a lot like the third chocolate (white) with a berry finish.

Overall, Magnum Mini Ruby Ice Cream Bars are a nice sweet treat that’s tastier than roses. Eat a few yourself, and then gift one to your lover, Billie Jean, or someone who has never experienced ruby chocolate.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product (Thanks Magnum!). Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 6 bars
Purchased at: Received from Magnum
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bar) 130 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 15 milligrams of cholesterol, 20 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 10 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Loaded Breakfast Croissant Stick

Marvo 1 Comment

Jack in the Box Loaded Breakfast Croissant Stick

When I saw Jack in the Box’s Loaded Breakfast Croissant Stick was from the makers of Hot Pockets, I thought it would be the size of a Hot Pocket. Unfortunately, it’s not, and its name is more substantial than the product itself.

The stick is loaded with eggs, cheese, and bacon. Okay, “loaded” is being super generous. It has egg, cheese, and bacon, and I guess one could consider that a load of ingredients, but as you can see below, they don’t fill the croissant stick. Can air be an ingredient? If so, then I guess it can be thought of as “loaded.”

Jack in the Box Loaded Breakfast Croissant Stick Innards

Jack in the Box Loaded Breakfast Croissant Stick Closeup

The croissant crust is flaky and greasy on the outside, and there are a few layers of dough, which give the menu item some crispiness. Underneath that is a thick layer of soft dough to prevent the filling from escaping, which it does an excellent job of, unlike the exterior of regular Hot Pockets.

Jack in the Box Loaded Breakfast Croissant Stick Pen

After passing through the fried crust, there’s the savoriness from the egg, cheese, and bacon, but the ratios are off with every chomp because there’s not a lot of each throughout the stick.

With one bite, it’s more cheese. Another has more bacon. Another has a better balance between the ingredients. And, another…oh, who am I kidding. It takes three bites for me to consume the whole thing. I imagine if this were indeed loaded, then I’d be able to taste everything in every chew. But with the lack of filling, the crust’s flavor is the most prominent.

But let’s now talk about the one ingredient I’m sure you’re all curious about — the air. There’s a lot of it. I assume, when it’s sealed in, it absorbs the flavors of the egg, cheese, and bacon. But once the crust is cracked open, all that probably floats away. Maybe I should’ve stuffed the whole thing in my mouth so that I could taste that delicious, savory air.

Jack in the Box’s Loaded Breakfast Croissant Stick is something I wouldn’t buy again. Even at its ONE DOLLAR promotional price*, I’m not sure it (and all the air it has) is worth a try.

*Unfortunately, I paid two dollars for mine because, you know, living on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is expensive.

Purchased Price: $2.00
Size: N/A
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on Jack in the Box’s website.

REVIEW: Rotisserie Chicken Pringles

Marvo 4 Comments

Rotisserie Chicken Pringles

Costco’s rotisserie chicken is one of grocery’s greatest wonders.

It’s what retail folks call a “loss leader,” which is a product that loses money, but it gets customers into a store’s doors and, hopefully, leads them to buy more profitable products. Its $4.99 price hasn’t changed over the years. Even on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, where everything is more expensive, it’s at that same price point. It’s not only inexpensive, it’s also tasty, making it a product that disproves the adage “you get what you pay for.”

Pringles’ Rotisserie Chicken flavor is one of the brand’s newest varieties.

It’s what snackers call “Oooh, new Pringles flavor.” It doesn’t require you to pay an annual membership fee to purchase it. It won’t make your hands greasy from breaking it down. There are no bones to deal with. And buying one doesn’t increase your chances of spending lots more money by filling your cart with other things, like buckets of mayonnaise or a chicken coop’s amount of eggs, while you make the trek from some far off end of the store to the checkout.

Even before putting two crisps in my mouth to pretend I was a duck, I knew they were going to taste like other flavors I had because they smelled like the Nissin Top Ramen Chicken Pringles I had a few years ago.

After quacking a few times, I chomped down on them, and the familiar taste of those herbaceous and chicken brothy ramen Pringles hit my taste buds, although the level of seasoning on these seemed less potent. These crisps also taste like the stuffing ones I had with the Pringles Thanksgiving Dinner set, which I’ve also said taste like the Top Ramen Pringles.

Rotisserie Chicken Pringles Closeup

But as I made my way to the middle of the can, the flavors began to change a bit. While the ones in the top half of the can tasted like previously mentioned Pringles flavors, the ones towards the bottom had more of a meatiness, and I could notice something that I’d describe as a rotisserie chicken’s skin. But I wish that flavor was a bit stronger.

I found the whole flavor morphing experience to be weird. I’ve never had different flavors with Pringles in the same can before. Maybe I got a bad can?

But, either way, Rotisserie Chicken Pringles is a respectable flavor. More so if it tastes like the top half, but less so if it’s like the bottom half.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product (Thanks Pringles). Doing so did not influence my review in any way.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 5.5 oz. can
Purchased at: Received from Pringles
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (about 15 crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 210 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey Cereal

Meghan 4 Comments

Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats N Honey Cereal

What is Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey?

Debuting as the second member of the brand’s Oat Crunch family of cereals, Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey features honey-sweetened clusters of multigrain Cheerios and whole-grain oats.

How is it?

One thing’s for sure – General Mills really nailed the crunch factor here! I personally have never found regular Cheerios to be particularly lacking in the texture department, but this variation definitely has an edge in terms of crunchiness. It’s not quite on the level of Cap’n Crunch, but it’s certainly got enough heft to it that holds up well in milk.

Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats N Honey Cereal Dry

The oats are bound to the Cheerios themselves using a delicious coating of sugar and honey. This causes the formation of little cereal and oat clusters that have a striking similarity to granola, making this perfect for topping yogurt.

Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats N Honey Cereal Milk

Taste-wise, Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey isn’t much to write home about. It’s much more muted than its cinnamon sister cereal, but still not bad in its own right. It comes across as notably less sweet than Honey Nut Cheerios, which I found rather odd considering both variations have about as much sugar as one another on a gram-per-gram basis. But that’s part of what makes it a great option if you’re in the market for a hardier breakfast that’s not going to cause a 10 a.m. sugar crash.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Calorie counters should remain conscious of their portion size here since this cereal’s similarities with granola don’t end with its consistency. A single serving of this has more than twice the calories and fat than most other members of the Cheerios family, and it’s way too easy to power through two or three servings in a single bowl.

Conclusion:

If you’re in the market for a cereal to hold you over until lunch, or if you’re looking for something a little more wholesome to top off parfaits, I’d say to give Cheerios Oat Crunch Oats ‘N Honey a shot. If nothing else, you can always use it as an excellent base for homemade trail mix.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 15.2 oz box
Purchased at: Food Lion
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup) 230 calories, 5 grams of total fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of total carbohydrates, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 15 grams of total sugars, 15 grams of added sugars, and 4 grams of protein.