SPOTTED: Minecraft Suspicious Stew Pringles

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 1 Comment

I don’t know anything about Minecraft. Are 350 minecoins a lot? According to the Pringles website, these are crafted with a blend of hearty stew flavors that end in a spicy kick. (Spotted by David P at Giant Eagle.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Yellowbird Nacho Fries

/ / Reviews / 1 Comment

We are living in a golden age of artisanal hot sauces. Thanks to YouTube shows like Hot Ones, these lesser known regional brands are seeing their products gain popularity on a national stage. Taco Bell is doing its part to help bring these sauces into the spotlight by working with brands to create unique condiments for its menu items. It did it before when it offered the Loaded Truff Nacho Fries featuring TRUFF Hot Sauce and are doing it again, but this time with Yellowbird Sauce.

Yellowbird was started in Austin, Texas in 2013 by a couple with a backyard garden and a dream. Today they have a thriving online commerce, and their partnership with Taco Bell stands to put them into the national spotlight. Yellowbird Nacho Fries use the fan favorite Nacho Fries as a base for the toppings that include steak, tomatoes, sour cream, nacho cheese, cheese, and the Yellowbird sauce. Described as a “spicy habanero ranch,” it takes Yellowbird’s Classic Habanero Hot Sauce and blends it with ranch to give it a sweeter, more creamy taste.

Habanero-based hot sauces are always a bit hit or miss for me. They either use too many other flavors to mute the spice or not enough that it’s just a tongue-burning experience. The Yellowbird sauce strikes a wonderful balance that gives you that heat from the peppers, but it never burns in an uncomfortable way. The taste upon the first bite was slightly sweet with a hint of the pepper and a slight heat kick came at the end.

I was able to isolate the sauce enough to get a good taste of it on its own, but overall it got lost by the overwhelming amount of sour cream on the fries. Nacho Fries are in their best form when used as a base for a cheese fry dish. They are hardy and hold up well to the onslaught of ingredients while still bringing their own cumin-forward flavor.

To me, the steak added more of a textural difference to the item than a flavor, but Taco Bell steak has never been amazing. The two cheeses (nacho and shredded cheddar) worked well with the headlining sauce by adding a salty element. Taco Bell tomatoes are essentially decoration by offering no real taste to the dish.

When the titular sauce wasn’t overshadowed, the Yellowbird Nacho Fries were great. I was disappointed to see that the version of the sauce being used in Taco Bell isn’t currently for sale as a standalone item, but I hope that will change. It offers a good habanero flavor without worrying about the overwhelming spice that can come with it. This item is a super limited time (April 27th being the reported last day), so get it while you can. I recommend asking them to go easy on the sour cream when ordering.

Purchased Price: $6.49
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 order) 490 calories, 30 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 1240 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: Mtn Dew Summer Freeze

/ / Spotted on Shelves

Update: We tried it! Click here to read our review.

If you’re unfamiliar with a red, white, and blue ice pop, the flavors are cherry, lime/lemon, and blue raspberry. (Spotted by Dan R at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Strawberry Shortcake McFlurry

/ / Reviews / 15 Comments

Nowadays, many of us learn about someone famous passing away when their name trends on social media. So when did the McDonald’s Strawberry Sundae trend? Because I didn’t know it was gone until I picked up the new McDonald’s Strawberry Shortcake McFlurry.

The lack of dark red gloops or glops in this limited time only dessert had me wondering why McDonald’s didn’t use the syrupy topping. And after a visit to its website, I learned the sundae no longer existed. I guess I should’ve looked at this McFlurry’s promo photos closer and read its description because what’s in this are vanilla soft serve with strawberry flavored clusters and shortbread cookies.

I assumed the syrupy topping would be included because it was around for so long. But instead, McDonald’s has said so long to it. Geez, I could’ve sworn I had the sundae about a year ago.

McDonald’s Strawberry Shortcake McFlurry is sort of like an Oreo McFlurry, but all the crunchy pieces are strawberry-flavored instead of chocolate. That actually sounds good, and this tastes good, but it’s a little disappointing because McDonald’s had a lovely red topping that would’ve been great with this. The artificial strawberry-tasting clusters were plentiful, good, and crispy, but not strawberry topping satisfying.

Although not as depressing as finding out one of your favorite McDonald’s treats no longer exists, the shortbread cookies were a bit of a letdown. Having cake pieces in pints of Ben & Jerry’s and other ice cream brands spoiled me, so expecting actual cake seems reasonable. But then again, I guess cake pieces wouldn’t survive whirls around the McFlurry mixing machine. The idea of using shortbread cookies is fine since they seem to be in strawberry shortcake recipes, but the small chunks in this blended treat get lost among the flavor AND crunch of the berry-flavored clusters when everything is eaten together. McDonald’s describes them as “buttery,” but my taste buds didn’t notice anything like that.

McDonald’s Strawberry Shortcake McFlurry is a fine dessert; I don’t regret eating it. But it’s not tasty enough to make me forget about the strawberry sundae. RIP.

It’s so hard to say goodbye to strawberry sundae.

(I imagine the internet is going to internet, and someone in the comments will tell me that the Strawberry Sundae still exists at their McDonald’s.)

Purchased Price: $3.59
Size: Snack Size
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 370 calories, 12 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 41 grams of sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

SPOTTED: Pink Sauce

/ / Spotted on Shelves / 7 Comments

I’m so behind. I have never heard or seen anything about this before receiving this photo. You’d think the Instagram’s algorithm would show me something about this. Instead, I get shown baseball videos. (Spotted by Sage G at Walmart.)

If you’re out shopping and see new products, snap a picture of them, and send them in via an email ([email protected]) with where you found them and “Spotted” in the subject line. Also, if you want to send in photos and are wondering if we’ve already covered something or if they’re new, don’t worry about it. Let us worry about it.

Scroll to Top