QUICK REVIEW: McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Premium McWrap

McDonald's Southwest Chicken Premium McWrap

Purchased Price: $4.99*
Size: N/A
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: It tastes like a much spicier McDonald’s Southwest Chicken Salad (which is the best McDonald’s salad). Sauce has a nice peppery/smoky flavor. Nice burn, if you likey the spicy. Hearty. Chicken in almost every bite (except towards the end). If you’ve had thoughts about drinking McDonald’s Habanero Ranch Sauce from a cup, you will enjoy this McWrap. The soft drink that comes with it if you order the meal.
Cons: Habanero ranch sauce will be too spicy for some. Not completely enjoyable when the sauce dominates the other ingredients. Habanero ranch sauce pools at the McWrap’s bottom, so expect a very spicy jolt as you finish it. Cheese was completely unnecessary. Some of the greens had more crunch than the tortilla strips. I wish it had the beans and corn from their Southwest Salad. McDonald’s fries aren’t good at spiciness relief.

McDonald's Southwest Chicken Premium McWrap Closeup

Nutrition Facts: (Grilled) – 520 calories, 180 calories from fat, 20 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1300 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fiber, 31 grams of protein, 15% vitamin A, 20% calcium, 15% vitamin C, and 20% iron.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 10/23/2013

Here are some interesting new and limited edition products found on store shelves by us and your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

CPK Limited Edition Spicy Chipotle Chicken

Still waiting to burn my digestive system with a frozen version of CPK’s Habanero Carnitas pizza. (Spotted by Marvo at Target.)

evol quesadillas 1

evol quesadillas 2

Mmm…frozen then thawed guacamole. (Spotted by Marvo at Target.)

Kraft Natural White Cheddar

Psst. Habanero. (Spotted by Lindsay at Meijer.)

New Amy's Stuff

Amy's Mushroom Risotto Bowls

Oh, Amy’s Kitchen! Tired and busy vegetarians must be happy you exist. (Spotted by Sylvia at Ralphs and Melissa at Target.)

Campbell's Chunks Pup Inspired (Canada)

I’m sorry. I can’t help but giggle at “Meatball Bustin’ Sausage.” Yes. I am 12 years old. (Spotted by Justin at Sobey’s in Canada.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

QUICK REVIEW: Jack in the Box Pumpkin Spice Premium Roast Coffee

Jack in the Box Pumpkin Spice Premium Roast Coffee

Purchased Price: $1.69
Size: 12 oz.
Purchased at: Jack in the Box
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: A decent, inexpensive cup of mildly flavored coffee. Nice jolt of caffeine. Smooth coffee flavor. Turns orangy when milk is added. Makes a nice hand warmer. Iced coffee version is much better. Jack in the Box offering flavored hot coffee.
Cons: It’s a regular pumpkin spice coffee and not a pumpkin spice latte, so if you’re expecting this to taste somewhat like a Starbucks PSL, you will be disappointed. Well, you can add your own milk and turn it into a latte. Pumpkin spice flavor too mild for my liking; could’ve used a few more pumps of pumpkin spice syrup. My inability to capture the orange hue with a camera when this coffee is dairy-fied.

Jack in the Box Pumpkin Spice Premium Roast Coffee Plain

Nutrition Facts: 84 calories, 1 calorie from fat, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 153 milligrams of potassium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Jack in the Box Pumpkin Spice Premium Roast Coffee with Half & Half

QUICK REVIEW: Market Pantry Chocolate Truffle Muffin Caps

Market Pantry Chocolate Truffle Muffin Caps

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: 4 count
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 3 out of 10
Pros: They look good. You can stick them in the microwave or let them thaw at room temperature for 45 minutes. Contains live and active cultures. Only 100 calories. 5 grams of fiber per muffin cap.
Cons: Weird slightly bitter flavor. Looks more chocolatey than they really are. Melted chocolate chips have a grainy texture. They look like VitaTops, but don’t provide the same amount of vitamins and minerals. Odd chewy texture. Makes me want my money back. There are tastier ways to get fiber. Calling these muffin caps instead of muffin tops.

Market Pantry Chocolate Truffle Muffin Caps Closeup

Nutrition Facts: 1 muffin top – 100 calories, 15 calories from fat, 1.5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein, 4% calcium, and 10% iron.

REVIEW: Coolhaus Louis Ba-Kahn Ice Cream Sandwich

Coolhaus Louis Ba-Kahn Chocolate Chip Cookie + Brown Butter Candied Bacon Ice Cream

In 1992, my mom fell into the craze that was the Bacon Wave, and when you have a dishwasher-friendly, $19.99 reusable rack specifically devoted to making pork products in 60 seconds, there is no reason not to have pounds of crispy pig belly coming out of that microwave as often as possible.

It was during these breakfasts that Cupid struck my knees, knuckles, and toes with 28 arrows, all of which were directed at ways to enjoy bacon. I had it on sandwiches, astride pancakes and waffles, with syrup, without syrup, in grilled cheeses, between Pop-Tarts, chased with eggs, covered in cinnamon roll goo, and in its simple, unmasked, curvy-crispy form. Yes, I had bacon in all these ways, but never in an ice cream sandwich.

Until today.

Lo and behold, a company has mass-produced an ice cream sandwich that a) is roughly the size of a mastadon’s kneecap and b) contains bacon. Yes, indeedee, smashed in those two giganto-mongous discs is Coolhaus’s Louis Ba-kahn, an ice cream sandwich composed of chocolate chip cookies and brown butter and candied bacon ice cream.

Coolhaus Louis Ba-Kahn Chocolate Chip Cookie + Brown Butter Candied Bacon Ice Cream Cookie Sandwichy glory

Cue the trombones and the trumpets. Heck, pull out the entire wind orchestra, because this ice cream sings. If Ben and Jerry’s could be considered super premium ice cream, this stuff would be ultra super mega platinum premium ice cream (or some other absurdly adjective-filled variant thereof). This softball-sized scoop melts slower than me on the way to a dentist appointment, allowing the consumer to take his/her glorious time. Taking a bite sans bacon, this crème de la vache has a presiding taste of sweet, sugary cream with a backdrop of vanilla.

Tasted on its own, the brown butter flavor of the ice cream eludes me, but when eaten with the brown sugar chocolate chip cookie, the nuttiness of the butter smooshes with the brown sugar in the cookie to create some nutty, sweet gastronomical frenzy. It is here that I realize I am embarking on an ice cream frontier not even Bear Grylls has trekked before. Every bite highlights the thick custard. This is not made by a waif Skinny Cow. This must be a Paul Bunyan cow: a big, friendly bovine living a happy life munching on daisies in a field somewhere.

But brown butter bacon ice cream cannot live without its Porky Pig compatriot. Luckily, small crispy bacon speckles are given a generous showing. These little dots of joy retain the look and feel of sprinkles, adding salt-and-smoke speckles throughout. It’s magic. I’m convinced this is the stuff Peter Pan’s pixie dust is made of.

And let us not forget the vessel of delivery: the chocolate chip cookies. This particular riff has a soft crumb, yet remains pliable, sturdy, and doughy enough to hold the mini mountain of ice cream inside (no small feat). Unfortunately, the chocolate chips in the cookie are too scarce to contribute their cocoa glow, but the vanilla bacon brown sugar combination is enough to make up for the loss.

Is this a good ice cream sandwich? You bet, but, considering the price tag, I’d encourage it to push itself just a smidge further. Bacon, while beautiful, can be an assertive flavor and, at times, I found it overshadowing the sensitive vanilla and brown butter, which made me sad. There is no need for sadness here. Something to bring back the sweet nuttiness, maybe a peanut butter swirl or a cinnamon sugar cookie, might’ve kept the sweet-and-nutty flavors in check with the bacon.

Coolhaus Louis Ba-Kahn Chocolate Chip Cookie + Brown Butter Candied Bacon Ice Cream In the shadow of the wrapper

But I’m nit-picking here. In the end, Coolhaus delivered a solid, innovative showing. At over 500 calories, my doctor might dub this a, “sometimes food,” but you know what they say: live life to the fullest because you never know when you’ll get smooshed by a display of canned tuna. So go out there, avoid getting smooshed, and maybe eat some bacon brown butter ice cream while you’re at it.

(Nutrition Facts – 520 calories, 250 calories from fat, 26 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 0 milligrams of potassium, 62 grams of carbohydrates, 4 gram of dietary fiber, 46 grams of sugars, and 8 grams of protein.)

Item: Coolhaus Louis Ba-Kahn Ice Cream Sandwich
Purchased Price: $4.89
Size: 1 sandwich
Purchased at: Whole Foods
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Loads of ice cream. Bacon sprinkles. Nutty, salty vanilla cream. Cookies actually hold giganto scoop of ice cream. Innovative. Made from happy cows. Reasons to buy a Bacon Wave.
Cons: Brown butter flavor can get muddled. Cookies could use more chocolate chips. Pricey. Getting smooshed by canned goods. Dentist appointments.

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