Tag: Fast Food

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Midnight Coffee

Vin 9 Comments

Dunkin Midnight Coffee Cup

What is Dunkin’ Midnight Coffee?

In accordance with the present times, Dunkin’ has decided to get a little dark – darker than it’s ever gone before, in fact, with the release of the new Midnight Coffee.

How is it?

I almost always opt for the dark roast when I order my cold brews on the app, but that option seemed to disappear in the past month or so. Thankfully Dunkin’ has decided to go even darker with its new Midnight blend.

I’m just gonna say it – Dunkin’s regular base coffee stinks.

But it is a gateway to a better beverage. If you love it, more power to ya, but I can’t fathom drinking it black. It’s just not that good. 4 out of 10.

Dunkin Midnight Coffee Comparison

To reinforce my opinion, I tried a hot Midnight coffee against Dunkin’s regular roast, and it was (mid)night and day. Of all the crazy sugar bombs Dunkin’ drops monthly, this might be the most important menu addition in years.

Ok, I’m being dramatic. But for a dark roast fan like myself, this is big.

Dunkin Midnight Coffee Mug

Midnight is a rich, darker blend that leans more towards espresso with big notes of bitter dark chocolate.

I found the taste to be softer and dryer than the standard, with a much more pleasant aftertaste. It made the regular coffee sour in comparison.

Anything else you need to know?

After taking a few sips of the straight black coffees, I added oat milk, which is the G.O.A.T. milk, not be confused with goat milk, which is a goat’s milk.

Again, Midnight was considerably better. The oat milk’s creaminess enhanced the dark chocolate notes slightly and left a chocolate-covered espresso bean flavor in its wake.

Conclusion:

Dunkin Midnight Coffee Mug

Look, I’ll probably never order a hot black Midnight coffee again if I’m honest, but that doesn’t change the fact that Dunkin’ finally has a coffee I would drink black. It’s not hard to mask the flavor of Dunkin’s base roast, but I’m still thrilled it’s added a new starting point to my coffee order.

Dunkin’ better expand Midnight into the iced side of the menu because I see no reason to ever go back. If you’re a dark roast coffee drinker, this is definitely for you.

Purchased Price: $1.87
Size: Small
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Not available on website.

REVIEW: Starbucks Pistachio Latte

Heather 9 Comments

Starbucks Pistachio Latte Cup

What is the Starbucks Pistachio Latte?

The new Starbucks Pistachio Latte has a typical latte base – steamed milk and espresso – with pistachio sauce and a salted brown butter topping.

How is it?

2021, you are off to an amazing start on the coffee front. I don’t think I could love the Pistachio Latte any more!

At first sip, there was a mellow, not overly sweet nuttiness, thanks to the pistachio sauce, which I’m looking forward to trying in some of my other favorite beverages. (Hint, Starbucks: Please keep this sauce forever!) While in reality I was about to go to work, I would have preferred to drink it during a cozy afternoon reading by the fire.

Starbucks Pistachio Latte Top

I’m really impressed with the pistachio sauce – I think Starbucks hit the nail on the head with a flavor that pairs nicely with the milk in the latte. It’s warm, filling, and has just the right amount of flavor. It reminded me slightly of a flat white. Even though traditional flat whites don’t have a sauce or syrup, the Pistachio Latte was reminiscent of the warm, just a tiny bit creaminess of a flat white.

Lastly, I found the flavor to be apparent down to the last drop.

Anything else you need to know?

The *only* thing that fell a bit flat for me and why I gave the rating I did was the salted brown butter topping. I typically find that these toppings sink right into the hot drinks and you can’t really taste it. This was the case with the Pistachio Latte.

Conclusion:

Go. Try. This. Latte. I can’t wait to get it again! Here’s to hoping it sticks around beyond winter.

Purchased Price: $4.65
Size: Grande
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 230 calories, 6 grams of total fat, 3.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 35 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 33 grams of total sugars, 9 grams of protein, and 75 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Starbucks Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew

Heather 2 Comments

Starbucks Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew Cup

What is the Starbucks Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew?

Another new Cold Brew has graced the Starbucks’ menu! This one is for the non-dairy group/almondmilk lovers. The Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew has just three components: Cold Brew coffee, a little honey to sweeten it up, and almondmilk.

How is it?

First thing to note: When I got this, there was an obvious separation of the Cold Brew and the almondmilk. In fact, these separated layers stayed that way until I had about 25% left. I’ve found that to be true when I add Starbucks almondmilk to other coffees – the almondmilk just doesn’t mix in the way a sweet cream or dairy milk does.

Starbucks Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew Top

But on to the flavor! The honey taste was strong at first sip, in a great way. I enjoyed it as a nice change of pace from the usual syrups or sauces I use to sweeten my Cold Brews. It went down smooth and still kept it’s flavor after the drink sits a while. You can ask my co-workers – I’m known for milking (or almondmilking… see what I did there?) an iced drink for several hours. Two hours later, the honey flavor was still there when I finished.

Anything else you need to know?

As for its sweetness, you’re really getting a bang for your buck in the amount of sugars. A grande has only 10 grams of total sugars, even though it feels like more.

And it packs a nice caffeine punch, as the Cold Brews usually do. After having this as my morning beverage, I even skipped an afternoon coffee run with my co-workers… something I usually NEVER do. I felt satisfied by both caffeine content and taste.

Conclusion:

The Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew was good and a nice change of pace, but I won’t likely add to my usual rotation because it wasn’t anything super special. If you like almondmilk, though, this is a nice drink that pairs well with honey.

Purchased Price: $4.25
Size: Grande
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 50 calories, 0.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 25 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 10 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein, and 205 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Papa John’s Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza

Brandon 14 Comments

Papa John s Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza Whole

The year is 1995. Coolio is busy living in a gangsta’s paradise. Alicia Silverstone — as Cher Horowitz or Hamilton (they accidentally gave her two last names) — was falling in love with her stepbrother, but no one cared because hey, it was Paul Rudd. And, an innovation that would change the junk food world forever, Pizza Hut was stuffing cheese in its crust. The chain also attempted to convince the American people that “eating your pizza backwards” was a thing everyone would start doing.

(Spoiler alert: no one actually did this.)

Fast forward 25 years. Coolio is living…man, who knows where Coolio is living these days. Paul Rudd has eclipsed his stepsister’s fame by a wide margin. Pizza Hut is still slinging cheese-stuffed crusts, and has even been known to occasionally put other things in there, too. (Hot dogs, bacon, shrimp and mayo, Marmite.)

Meanwhile, competitor, Papa John’s? In all these years, they’ve never stuffed anything into a crust.

So, if you were in Product Development for Papa John’s, what would you do? Why you’d introduce your own version of the stuffed crust pizza to capitalize on an idea Pizza Hut begat a quarter-century ago.

It’s 2020, so sure, why not?

Here’s the absolutely bizarre thing about this pizza: the pizza body is no different than a normal Papa John’s body, but the hat? Tastes exactly like Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Crust. It’s almost like a Frankensteinian operation that involves surgically grafting the two pizzas together.

Papa John s Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza Slice

From the slice’s point up to the crust, it is distinctly Papa — the sweet sauce, the cheese that doesn’t do much stretching (and sadly, wasn’t even melted uniformly on mine), and whatever toppings you choose to make it your own. (For the sake of the review, I went with pepperoni.) The point being, you’ve had this pizza. And you are either fine with it or don’t like it; this particular incarnation won’t do anything to change that.

Papa John s Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza Cheese

Then you get to the crust. And, like I said, you’ve probably had this, too, just not from Papa John’s. The thing I find most unusual is that the dough used to make this crust is probably Papa’s regular hand-tossed, or “original” dough, just, you know, stretched. It’s the same way Pizza Hut does it. But Pizza Hut’s hand-tossed dough is decidedly different than Papa John’s, wouldn’t you agree? They’re distinct until they’re stretched and stuffed with cheese around the perimeter! Something about that act makes the two crusts indiscernible.

Papa John s Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza Flyover

Overall the cheese in the crust is warm and appropriately stretchy and a nice way to end a slice. With Pizza Hut’s version, you can add some flavor to the crust, like a garlic buttery blend or toasted parmesan, which elevates things. Papa John’s crust didn’t have butter, but it would’ve added a little something. Not to be a broken record, but if you like Hut’s stuffed crust, you’ll like this, too.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see if I can find out how Coolio is doing.

Purchased Price: $12
Size: Large
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Unavailable at time of publication.

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REVIEW: Jack in the Box Sauced & Loaded Tots

Marvo 10 Comments

Jack in the Box Sauced Loaded Tots Boxes

What are Jack in the Box Sauced & Loaded Tots?

They’re a follow-up to Jack’s Sauced & Loaded Curly Fries. They’re available in two varieties — Cheddar Bacon and Jalapeño Ranch. The former features cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, and bacon bits on top of tater tots. While the latter has cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, jalapeño slices, and buttermilk ranch plopped on tots.

How are they?

In my experience, it’s rare that anything involving cheese-covered deep-fried potato thingies ends up being awful, so it’s not surprising I enjoyed these Sauced & Loaded Tots.

Jack in the Box Sauced Loaded Tots Cheddar Bacon Closeup

Jack in the Box Sauced Loaded Tots Cheddar Bacon Forked

But having tried multiple varieties of Jack’s Sauced & Loaded Curly Fries, I think topped curly fries are a better experience than these. The curly fries’ seasoning stands out a little more among the cheeses and sauces, and the coating helps prevent the potato product from falling apart. With both tots varieties, by the time I got to the middle of their boxes, the viscous toppings softened most of the coated tater tots to the point where they fell apart when picked up with a fork.

Also, I don’t mean to be a Danny Double Downer, but Cheddar Bacon and Jalapeño Ranch are uninspiring flavors. If you’ve been eating Jack’s food for years, the flavor combinations will be familiar, so they’re not anything unique.

Jack in the Box Sauced Loaded Tots Jalapeno Ranch Closeup

Jack in the Box Sauced Loaded Tots Jalapeno Ranch Forked

With that said, both are tasty, but if I had to pick a favorite between the two, it would be the Jalapeño Ranch. I prefer the ranch’s tang and jalapeño’s zing over the porky and cheesy flavors of the other one. Although, I do wish there were more pickled peppers in the container and with all the cheese and sauces, the jalapeños don’t have a strong kick.

Anything else you need to know?

I’m going by memory, but this might be the first time Jack has offered tater tots. Unfortunately, unsauced and unloaded tater tots aren’t its own thing on Jack in the Box’s menu. However, using the chain’s app, I could remove all the toppings to turn them into plain tots. But, of course, the price doesn’t change even after the deletions. I was able to try a few tots on their own and they taste like any ol’ tots you’ve had.

Conclusion:

If you enjoy anything involving cheese-covered deep-fried potato thingies, Jack in the Box’s Sauced & Loaded Tots will satisfy your cheese and carbohydrate cravings.

Purchased Price: $4.00 each*
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Cheddar Bacon), 7 out of 10 (Jalapeño Ranch)
Nutrition Facts: Cheddar Bacon – 740 calories, 47 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 1670 milligrams of sodium, 65 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of protein. Jalapeño Ranch – 750 calories, 49 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 1770 milligrams of sodium, 66 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 12 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.