Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Harvest Berry Pie Blizzard

Denis 3 Comments

Dairy Queen Harvest Berry Pie Blizzard

What is the Harvest Berry Pie Blizzard?

It’s harvest time in the Dairy Queen kingdom, and the realm’s loyal subjects have rounded up a trifecta of berries – raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries — to mix with pie pieces and vanilla soft serve. It’s not the Blizzard of the Month for September though, as the retread Pumpkin Pie Blizzard gets that title, even though that version seems better suited for October or November.

How is it?

Dairy Queen Harvest Berry Pie Blizzard 3

Berry good. I mean very good. Of course, my Blizzard looked nothing like the promotional photo with plump berries happily swimming with their pie piece friends in an ice cream vortex. I could only find one near-intact berry on top, but there were plenty of berry pieces throughout and the crunch of the pie pieces added a nice texture to the softness of the fruit.

Dairy Queen Harvest Berry Pie Blizzard 2

It would be interesting to see how this Blizzard tastes with just one or two types of berries mixed in because the combination of all three creates an indistinct, somewhat tart berry flavor. What flavor is it? Is purple berry a flavor? It’s not a bad flavor. It’s just nothing special. Even when I got a decent size chunk of fruit in a bite, it was hard to tell which one it was with the other two berries also fighting for the attention of my taste buds.

Is there anything else you need to know?

You might think that with three types of fruit this Blizzard would be healthier than other DQ concoctions. Well, you’d be wrong. I guess it doesn’t matter what you mix in with soft serve and pie pieces because the result is going to be a high-calorie and high-carb sugar bomb. Even though this looks more like a smoothie than a Blizzard, nutritionally speaking it’s about the same as the ones loaded up with chocolate and candy. And most smoothies are not that healthy either. If you’ve ever looked at the nutritional info, they are also packed with sugar and carbs, which is precisely why they taste so good.

And as the photos attest, my local DQ apparently has no mini Blizzard cups, nor did they last time I visited. The coffee cup certainly did the job to insulate my treat and keep it from melting, but it’s still a bit off-putting to see a picture of steaming coffee as I wolf down a Blizzard.

Conclusion:

You can safely order this Blizzard without fear of having your mind blown, socks knocked off, world being rocked or other cliché of your choice, but the Harvest Berry Pie Blizzard is a nice change of pace if you are looking for something without chocolate and candy that will give you or your loved ones the false impression that you are trying to eat something healthy.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: Mini
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Mini) 380 calories, 16 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Original Filled Cheesecake Doughnut

Sean 3 Comments

Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Original Filled Cheesecake Doughnut

What is the Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Original Filled Cheesecake Doughnut?

Another two weeks go by and another filled doughnut has arrived. I could get used to this consistency from Krispy Kreme. To kick off the relentless (and glorious) season of the pumpkin spice, KK has blessed us with a Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed Doughnut filled with Cheesecake Kreme.

How is it?

As I noted in my 2017 review of the Pumpkin Spice Original Glazed, there isn’t a ton of true pumpkin flavor going on here, in fact, there’s barely any at all. But there is a ton spice, and even more so than I remember from the past.

The strongest flavors that jump out are nutmeg and ginger, followed closely by cinnamon. It’s an aggressive but respectable amount of spice that lets you know the season of the witch has arrived and the days of strawberries and elongated sunsets are in the rearview mirror.

The Cheesecake Kreme has the texture of custard as opposed to the usual Twinkie-esque KK aesthetic, and it holds its own against the dominant spice of the fried dough. It has an interesting lemon flavor to it that is more subdued than in the standalone NY Cheesecake doughnut but is still noticeable. The lemony-ness does well to add the expected tang you want from cheesecake. While I wish it was a bit more like cream cheese and less citrus-y, I do enjoy it and it helps get across the richness of a dense autumn cheesecake.

Is there anything else you should know?

Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Original Filled Cheesecake Doughnut KREEEEME

I have excellent luck with my local Krispy Kreme, and this one was absolutely loaded with filling. There wasn’t a dry spot in sight, and its intense filling-to-cake ratio replicated cheesecake better than I had hoped or expected.

Conclusion:

If spicy and fall-scented with a nice hit of decadence is what you’re looking for to kick off the pumpkin season, then you’ll want to make it to Krispy Kreme for this.

Purchased Price: $1.89
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on website.

REVIEW: Crunch ‘n Munch Popcorn Clusters (Birthday Cake and Brownie Brittle Crunch)

Meghan 1 Comment

Crunch n Munch Popcorn Clusters Birthday Cake and Brownie Brittle Crunch

Who needs an actual birthday cake when you can have birthday cake-flavored popcorn instead?

“Not me,” I thought as I gleefully tossed a bag of Crunch ‘n Munch Birthday Cake Popcorn Clusters into my shopping cart in lieu of a pricey bakery cake. Internally praising myself for frugality, I decided to throw in a bag of Brownie Brittle Crunch variety too. Turning 22 deserves celebration, after all.

Birthday Cake Popcorn Clusters

Created to bring an entire birthday party to your mouth, this flavor features rainbow-sprinkled, cake batter-flavored popcorn alongside miniature sugar and birthday cake cookies.

Crunch n Munch Birthday Cake Popcorn Clusters

Aesthetically, I’ve got to admit this is one of the most attractive popcorn treats I’ve ever seen. Beyond color, each kernel was visibly loaded with a thick coating of candy, cookies, and surprisingly large confetti sprinkles. It’s one of those snacks you only have to glance at to know you’re in for a great experience.

It doesn’t disappoint on the taste front, either. Although the layer of candy enrobing each kernel didn’t taste as strongly of birthday cake as I would have liked, I’m willing to give it a pass anyway for being so sweet, thick, and pleasingly crunchy.

In addition to being delicious in its own right, the candy coating’s strength also helped the cookie chunks adhere to the popcorn, causing small clusters to form in the process. The bits, although tasty and a nice textural contrast from the candy coated-popcorn, didn’t have much flavor by themselves. In fact, I found it pretty much impossible to discern the birthday cake cookies from the regular sugar ones, and it would be easy to forget the inclusion of two distinct types of cookies pieces if it weren’t for the description on the back of the bag.

Brownie Brittle Crunch Popcorn Clusters

Throwing a bone out to chocoholics everywhere, Crunch ‘n Munch’s Brownie Brittle Crunch flavor includes chocolate-glazed popcorn alongside brownie brittle, brownie cookies pieces, and praline almonds.

Crunch n Munch Brownie Brittle Crunch Popcorn Clusters

Unlike the Birthday Cake Popcorn Clusters, this variety isn’t as photogenic – sporting a brown-on-brown color scheme that reminds me more of burnt Jiffy Pop than a decadent treat. Normally, this wouldn’t be much of an issue for me because I don’t typically expect my popcorn to be worthy of a full-page color spread in Food Network Magazine, but its flavor was also a flop.

The biggest problem was the popcorn’s coating. It wasn’t terrible, but I was expecting it to taste much more cocoa-forward than it was. Instead, I found its taste to be more similar to a chocolate-flavored hard candy than a chocolate lover’s dream come true.

The brownie cookies and accompanying brittle didn’t fare much better. Much like the birthday cake and sugar cookies on the Birthday Cake one, the cookies and brittle pieces here were nearly indistinguishable from one another, and you’d be hard-pressed to identify where one starts and another one ends when chomping down on a large cluster of popcorn.

Speaking of indistinguishable components, I’d say the praline pieces fall into this category. After eating a couple of handfuls and not detecting a single one, I poured my bag out into a bowl and embarked on a personal mission to find and consume every praline I could find. For all my trouble, I was beyond sad to discover only five lonely pieces in my bag, which was a real shame, considering pralines almonds are one of humanity’s crowning achievements in confectionery.

Minor flaws and laughably minuscule serving size aside, I found both of these loaded ‘n coated popcorn snacks to be a step up from your everyday caramel corn. While neither may be entirely able to entice me to forgo a traditional birthday cake in the future, I can certainly see myself stashing these in my purse on future trips to the movies.

Purchased Price: $2.68 each
Size: 5.5 oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Birthday Cake), 6 out of 10 (Brownie Brittle Crunch)
Nutrition Facts: (1/2 cup) Birthday Cake – 140 calories, 4 grams of total fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 120 milligrams of sodium, 25 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 16 grams of total sugars, 16 grams of added sugars, and less than 1 gram of protein. Brownie Brittle Crunch – 130 calories, 3.5 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber, 14 grams of total sugars, 14 grams of added sugars, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Burger King Chicken Caesar Sandwich

James 1 Comment

Burger King Chicken Caesar Caesar Sandwich

What is the Burger King Spicy Chicken Caesar Sandwich?

With 2019 effectively serving as the Summer of Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches, did anybody expect Burger King to remain content sitting on the sidelines?

Indeed, BK has recently launched not one BUT THREE new Caesar Chicken Sandwiches, including both a grilled and crispy permutation. Today’s review, however, will focus explicitly on the spicy chicken variation, which comes with all of the usual fix-ins — lettuce, tomato slices, and bacon — with a couple of peelings of parmesan cheese and a proprietary Caesar sauce squeezed underneath the oily topmost potato bun. And oh yeah, I almost forgot — the crispy chicken filet is all breaded and battered with tongue-tingling spices. You know, with it being marketed as spicy and whatnot.

Burger King Chicken Caesar Caesar Sandwich 2

How is it?

At first glance, I was kinda’ taken aback by how small the sandwich appeared. And while the burger may be slightly more condensed than your regular Big King and Whopper offering, rest assured there is a LOT of content underneath this thing’s super greasy buns.

The chicken filet tastes slightly different from the chain’s other “spicy” patties, although I’m not quite sure what the new or tweaked spice itself may be (call it a shot in the dark, but maybe more paprika?). But it definitely gels very well with the rest of the ingredients. The bacon is super crispy, and the lettuce and tomato taste noticeably “fresher” than what you normally get out of a fast food hamburger.

Burger King Chicken Caesar Caesar Sandwich 3

But the two things that give this sandwich a unique identity are the slices of shaved parmesan cheese (which isn’t melted onto the chicken, thankfully) and the in-house Caesar sauce, which has a mild Creole seasoning flair to it. All in all, it doesn’t really taste like something you’d expect to find at Burger King — which, depending on your perspective, can either be a really good thing or a really bad thing.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Be forewarned; this is a very messy sandwich. Even small nibbles will produce quite a bit of Caesar sauce spatter, and the normal Burger King caveats concerning saltiness once again apply here. It packs a walloping 2,050 milligrams of sodium, so you’ll DEFINITELY need a beverage nearby to put this sucker down. Furthermore, at about $6 in the metro-Atlanta area, it’s far from a “cheap” on-the-go eat, especially considering the relatively small portion size.

Conclusion:

Well, the Spicy Chicken Caesar Sandwich certainly isn’t going to give the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich a run for its money, but that’s not really meant to be taken as a slight.

Overall, I’d consider this pseudo-premium offering from Burger King to be well above-average, and without question one of the more unique limited time only items to come out of the chain in quite some time.

The price point is problematic, but you could do much, much worse with deluxe edition fast food poultry burgers. Consider this a very good — although far from legitimately great — contribution from BK as the ongoing Chicken Sandwich Wars doth continue.

Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 830 calories, 50 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 2,050 milligrams of sodium, 59 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 37 grams of protein.

REVIEW: KFC Mac & Cheese Bowl

Louis 9 Comments

KFC Mac Cheese Bowl

Ask any small child and they’ll tell you that KFC has not only always had mac and cheese on the menu, but has always had mac and cheese with bits of chicken cut up and tossed around in the bowl. It’s a hand-mixed taste sensation that’s usually left half-eaten and thrown away by a mom tired of fighting with a child that won’t cooperate with a lunchtime meal.

From these literal mouths of children comes Kentucky Fried Chicken’s latest bowl du jour, the Mac & Cheese Bowl, an easy-enough concoction that brings the famous side to the forefront and makes it a blessed entrée for any adult that needs their food in a somewhat compact form, available in both original and, of course, spicy.

KFC Mac Cheese Bowl Top

Despite the trouble ordering just the bowl at my area franchise — my server told me it’s only available as a “fill up” and I did not feel like arguing — when it arrived quickly on my tray, I immediately noticed it looked far less plump than the advertisements hung all around the store made it seem. While the pictures depict the bowl as a heightened foodscape of chicken and cheese dreams, in real life, it is just a low-lying valley of flat nuggets and buried cheddar.

Popping the plastic top and letting the scented heat waft upwards though, the smell was a peppy delight of warm Nashville hot sauce and melty cheddar cheese. There was a decent enough ratio of chicken to macaroni, always a plus. The spicy chicken popcorn nuggets seemed to cover the top, my fork gently stirring the mac and cheese from the bottom, like a perverted variation of yogurt.

KFC Mac Cheese Bowl Mixed

While the spicy Nashville flavor of the chicken overpowered the well-meaning mac and cheese, it still worked here. The underlying cheesy taste is a heavenly layer of yellow deliciousness that manages to break through the thick wall of clucky goodness. It’s a taste that combines very well and, honestly, probably something that many of us already did before this even came out.

KFC Mac Cheese Bowl Closeup

Sadly, as tasty as this is, I don’t think it makes a better combination than the typically perfect chicken and mashed potato Famous Bowl, which seems like more of a natural dish, one that has a sprinkling of cheese on it already, along with a few bits of corn. Still, if you’re ordering a Mac & Cheese Bowl, you know what you’re getting and, in that case, you’re going be mighty happy.

But, you know, if this meal doesn’t make you happy, chances are you’re just a fussy four-year-old with great reading skills.

Purchased Price: $5.00 (Fill Up Meal)
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Unavailable at post time.