REVIEW: Wendy’s Takis Fuego Meal

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The fire-themed packaging that comes with Wendy’s new Takis Fuego meal makes it seem like your mouth is going to have a fiery time. The meal features the Takis Fuego Chicken Sandwich, Fuego Fries, a one-ounce bag of Fuego Takis, and a drink. However, if you’re expecting A LOT of heat, your expectations will not be beat.

The Takis Fuego chicken sandwich features a spicy chicken breast, chili lime sauce, street corn spread, crushed Takis, and cheddar cheese sauce on a premium bun. The chile lime sauce enhances the peppery and citrusy flavor from the Takis Fuego. Although, there was something slightly off about the sauce that kind of detracted from the Takis flavor. Maybe too sour? Also, despite the 20-minute drive home, the Takis in the sandwich maintained most of their crunchiness.

While a street corn flavor wasn’t noticeable, the cheddar cheese sauce cut through the red seasonings and helped calm the spicy heat from the Takis and the chicken. The cheddar doesn’t make it too cheesy, but it does improves the sandwich’s flavor. I know this because I had to buy a second sandwich because my first didn’t have the cheese sauce, and I enjoyed the one with the cheddar sauce more.

However, the highlight of the meal was the Fuego Fries, which combines Takis Fuego Chile Lime seasoning with Wendy’s fries in a bag treated like a James Bond martini. I think the amount of potato strips in the bag equals a medium-sized serving. The menu item comes in a specially designed bag that is perforated across the mid-section, allowing you to tear off half of the bag to access the fries more easily. It’s neat but kind of unnecessary for someone like me who has a steady hand that’s used to reaching into fast food bags to get the bonus fries at the bottom.

They have that familiar chile lime Fuego flavor, but there is still an underlying French fry taste. I enjoyed tasting the chiles and citrus on Wendy’s fries, even those that had a lot of seasoning. There’s a slight spicy kick, but the level of heat was lower than the sandwich.

Speaking of heat, midway through my meal, my mouth realized something was missing that I always experience whenever I’ve eaten actual Takis Fuego chips — the need to drink something cool. Since the meal comes with a bag of the rolled tortilla chips, I was able to compare, and it turns out that my mouth was correct. It was only until I ate several Takis Fuego chips that I felt like I needed to put out a fire in my mouth.

If you’re trying to decide between the sandwich and the fries, definitely go for the latter. If you want the least spiciest, go for the fries. If you want an intense infusion of Takis Fuego, this meal will not disappoint.

Purchased Price: $11.49*
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Sandwich), 8 out of 10 (Fries)
Nutrition Facts: (Whole meal w/o drink) 990 calories, 44 grams of fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 4000 milligrams of sodium, 112 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 38 grams of protein.

*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.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Crispy Chicken Strips and Spicy Ranchero Crispy Chicken Taco and Burrito

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Right after the introduction of Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets, I felt it was inevitable that Taco Bell would eventually follow up with chicken tenders and shared that with no one who could confirm I actually thought that. Why did I come to this conclusion back then? Well, I had a gut feeling because Taco Bell didn’t stuff those chicken nuggets into a flour tortilla that ended up in my gut.

So here we are with the chain’s new Crispy Chicken Strips made in the same way as its nuggets. And they also come stuffed in tortillas! You can purchase them as a two-strip pack with your choice of dipping sauce. Or you can get one of them in a taco with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, purple cabbage, and your choice of Spicy Ranchero Sauce or Avocado Ranch. Or you can get two of them in a burrito with the same stuff that’s in the taco. Since I felt like I needed to spice up my life, I decided to order the taco and burrito with the Spicy Ranchero Sauce. However, I also picked up an order of chicken strips.

Let’s start with the Chicken Strips on their own, which I got with a Spicy Ranch Sauce. Compared with the chain’s nuggets, which have a satisfying crunch, these strips had an exterior that was less so. It also didn’t stick to the chicken very well, as after my first bite, I noticed the coating started to peel off from the poultry. Of course, your results may vary.

The lightly seasoned coating, infused with Mexican spices, tastes fine and is similar to the nuggets, but it is enhanced by a sauce. While they taste fine and the poultry is tender, I don’t think I’d repurchase them because an order is just TWO pieces that made the sleeve they came in look very roomy.

Although it’s the same chicken, I enjoyed the strips much more in the taco and burrito. Oddly, even though they have the same ingredients, I preferred the messier taco over the burrito because I felt like I could better taste all the ingredients in it.

The highlight of both was the Spicy Ranchero Sauce, which complements the spices in the chicken’s coating. The peppery and smoky condiment made every bite a tasty one, and while “spicy” is in its name, I thought it was pretty mild. No Baja Blast Mountain Dew is needed. There were also acidic bursts from the tomatoes in the pico de gallo and an intense cheesiness from the cheddar.

As for texture, I felt that the chicken maintained most of its crispiness in the taco better than in the burrito. That makes sense since I know through personal experience with bubble wrap that it can get quite stuffy in a burrito. However, not all crunch is lost with the burrito because the purple cabbage does maintain some in the flour tortilla sauna.

Overall, if you want to experience Taco Bell’s Crispy Chicken Strips, I’d recommend getting either the taco or burrito that features them. Again, getting them on their own seems like you’re not getting your money’s worth because it’s only two. Though, I think my gut would feel better if it came with three for the same price.

Purchased Price: $4.99 (Chicken Strips), $3.59 (Taco), $7.19 (Burrito)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Chicken Strips), 8 out of 10 (Taco), 7 out of 10 (Burrito)
Nutrition Facts: Crispy Chicken Strips – Not currently available on the Taco Bell website. Spicy Ranchero Crispy Chicken Taco – 240 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 640 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar (including less than 1 gram of added sugar), and 11 grams of protein. Spicy Ranchero Crispy Chicken Burrito – 500 calories, 20 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 1310 milligrams of sodium, 58 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar (including 1 gram of added sugar), and 23 grams of protein.

*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.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Pink Spritz Refresher

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Leading up to summer – and definitely when it officially arrives – I think we all have similar goals. We’d like to be doing something that isn’t our daily grind, ideally not sweating our faces off, and sipping on a beverage that transports us to somewhere else. If we have to be where we are and a bit jealous of anyone on a vacation (even if they’re probably wearing a sunburn and more mosquitos than their pictures indicate), we deserve a refreshing drink that promises fizz, fun, and a splash of something extra.

Dunkin’ sees this need and offers us the Pink Spritz Refresher, a fruity mix of guava, passion fruit, and orange served over ice and shaken with sparkling water. Continuing its trend of celebrity endorsements, the ad for this drink features Paige DeSorbo of Summer House fame. Is this worth mentioning? I can’t say because I’m pretty uncool and have never seen that show. I can tell you about the drink though!

I read our recent review of the Tropical Guava Refresher, and when I received my Pink Spritz Refresher, questions immediately formed in my head. My drink was pink-forward in color but also carried an orangey sunset tinge. It looked kind of…familiar. Thirsty and ready to find out what it tasted like, I took a sip and found it pleasantly tart, sweet, and bubbly. I initially thought the flavor of passion fruit came through most with guava coming in second and orange being mostly in the background. As a passion fruit fan, I’m pleased to see that flavor gaining popularity and making more appearances. The overall blend was reminiscent of a tropical punch and sort of made me feel like I was drinking tropical Jolly Ranchers. The sparkling water had the right amount of carbonation, with plenty of crisp bubbles, yet still remained laid-back and not overly bubbly.

As I continued to sip and thought more about what I was tasting, things were leaning in the guava direction. I looked at my Dunkin’ app and checked the ingredients. It turns out that the Pink Spritz Refresher uses the same concentrate as Tropical Guava, but where the Guava version is made with green tea, the Spritz version uses sparkling water. Dunkin’ is calling this the Summer of Refreshers, but in light of this development, perhaps it’s also the Summer of Redundancy? I suppose it was silly of me to think that they’d have two different flavors that both featured guava in the rotation at the same time, but I do feel a bit like the folks at Dunkin’ are trying to pull the sun hat over our eyes. At the price of $3 for a medium all summer long, I can’t be mad about it. The Pink Spritz is true to its refreshing moniker and a very enjoyable thirst quencher if you’re craving something cold and caffeinated to take your tastebuds to the tropics.

Purchased Price: $3.32 ($3 deal in-app, regular price $4.39)
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 130 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 28 grams of total sugar, and 1 gram of protein

REVIEW: Taco Bell Mike’s Hot Honey Diablo Sauce

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Mike’s Hot Honey has been a popular condiment for over a decade. The sweet and spicy sauce has been found in just about every corner of the food world, collaborating with the likes of KFC, Red Robin, Dunkin’, and DiGiorno. Oh, that’s not enough for you? How about Utz, Blue Diamond, Keebler Club Crackers, and Boulder Canyon?

Now you can add Taco Bell to the list with the limited-time Mike’s Hot Honey Diablo Sauce, which rolled out with the rerelease of the Crispy Chicken Nuggets. It can also be added to the Nacho Fries or purchased à la carte.

Taking a sniff, the sweet honey was the first note, followed by the signature smoky essence from the Diablo. Trying the sauce on its own, the lime flavor was a punch to the mouth. It was overwhelming at first, but once the honey and chipotle showed up, it became more pleasant.

Dipping a chicken nugget into the sauce, the texture and appearance were reminiscent of sweet and sour sauce. The initial bite was a little overwhelming at first as there were a lot of flavors hitting me at once. The honey and lime came on strong, but an underlying smokey heat quickly became the primary flavor. The combination of chilies from Mike’s Hot Honey with the chipotle and red chilies from the Diablo sauce made for a mouth-numbing kick.

The sweetness of the honey, however, comes in clutch to dull the spice just enough to keep me coming back to dip my chicken. There was a consistent heat in my mouth, but it never went into uncomfortable territory while eating my five nuggets. Their crunchy tortilla coating was a perfect delivery service for the sauce. The chicken’s flavor didn’t detract from the dip but added a savory component to help stay balanced. I wouldn’t be surprised if a social media “hack” of shaking the nuggets with the sauce in the box pops up sooner rather than later.

The dip also works well with the “bold Mexican spices” of Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries. Also, for science, I tried it with a plain chip and found it less enjoyable than it was with the nuggets or fries.

The collaboration between Mike’s Hot Honey and Taco Bell’s Diablo sauce creates a unique and surprisingly balanced taste profile. That initial lime kick might surprise you, but the balance of sweet honey and smoky, numbing heat keeps you dipping. The crispy nuggets are the perfect match, adding savory crunch without getting lost. This limited-time offering is a bold, flavorful item that’s definitely worth trying for those who enjoy a “swicy” meal.

Purchased Price: $4.69 (side with Crispy Chicken Nuggets) OR $0.80 (à la carte)
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 45 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Papa Johns Cheddar Crust Pizza

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Pizza chains have attempted to make the pizza’s end crust as delightful as the rest of the pizza. However, while they have done things like stuffing it with cheese and meats, brushing it with garlic butter, and dusting it with seasonings, it usually never ends up being as satisfying as the rest of the pizza. However, Papa Johns Cheddar Crust Pizza might be the best tasting end crust I’ve ever stuffed into my pie hole, and I hope it never goes away.

The crust features a blend of aged cheddar cheese with a garlic and herb seasoning baked onto the edge of Papa Johns’ Original Crust. All that aged cheesiness and seasonings helped create an orangey crust that made my taste buds think they were eating elongated, doughy Cheez-It Crackers, but saltier. With the first slice, I ended up finishing the rounded end before I even took a bite of the sauce, cheese, and pepperoni side. I can’t say I’ve ever done that with any stuffed crust.

While enjoying that first slice, I wondered if the cheese extended to the bottom crust because I believe Papa Johns did that with another cheese. It doesn’t; it’s just the ends. But after taking bites from both ends of my second slice to get the whole pizza experience, I think having the cheddar on the bottom would be a waste of cheese because the toppings, especially the sweet marinara sauce, overwhelm any cheddar flavor.

However, not only do the cheddar and seasonings give the end crust a Cheez-It-like flavor, but they also provide a pleasant toasted cheese crispiness, along with the crust’s usual chewiness. The one-two punch of taste and texture makes this one unlike any other crust I’ve had. Also, you know how sometimes a pizza has a large bubble in the end crust that’s all dough and no show? Well, there was one with this pizza, and I didn’t mind it at all because I knew the cheddar baked into it would provide a good amount of cheesiness.

I loved the ends of Papa Johns’ Cheddar Crust Pizza enough that I may or may not have cut off the crust from a third slice and then put the rest of the slice back into the box so that I could eat that cheddar-y pizza butt on its own. SHHHH! Don’t tell anyone in the house that it was me. But I’m going to tell you that you should give this cheddar-encrusted crust a try.

Purchased Price: $16.99*
Size: Large
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on Papa Johns website at the time of publication.

*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. It’s being advertised for $11.99 in other areas.

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