Tag: Fast Food

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Oreo Fudge Brownie Blizzard

Denis

Dairy Queen Fudge Brownie Blizzard Cup

It’s the Blizzard of the Month for August and perhaps the most straightforwardly named Blizzard in history. As you might have surmised, it has Oreo cookies, brownie pieces, and cocoa fudge with vanilla soft serve blended together in the magic DQ Blizzard machine.

Dairy Queen Fudge Brownie Blizzard Top

It’s like one of The Fast and the Furious movies, which according to Wikipedia, is now known as Fast & Furious for those of you who are sticklers for accuracy on movie franchise names. Regardless of whether there’s an ampersand or not, you basically know what to expect going into any movie featuring Vin Diesel — things are going to explode, and you’ll have a satisfying, albeit predictable, experience (assuming you enjoy explosions and not having to think about the plot).

Will you tell your friends how great the movie was, or will you even remember the movie’s actual name in a month or two? Probably not, and that’s what we have here.

Chances are you’ve had an Oreo Blizzard in one form or another (maybe even the Oreo Firework one that actually did blow up, or at least had popping candy). And chances are you’ve had a Blizzard with brownie pieces and/or cocoa fudge. So there’s nothing earth-shattering here (much like every movie featuring another F&F star, The Rock, unless you want to count the earthquake disaster movie San Andreas), but as I’ve said in some past Blizzard reviews, that doesn’t make it any less tasty.

This is kind of like a greatest hits edition of a Blizzard, and it definitely hits the spot, even if it’s not as fancy-looking as some of its Blizzard friends.

Dairy Queen Fudge Brownie Blizzard Spoon

If there is any surprise here, it’s that the textures of the Oreo and brownies work great together. Because both look nearly identical, especially covered in fudge-infused soft serve, you are never quite sure what’s going into your mouth.

While that can be problematic in some situations, like at a middle school lunch table when a friend wants you to taste some grayish mystery meat. In this case, it provides a nice bit of intrigue. Will it be the crunch of Oreo cookies, the chewiness of brownies, or a mixture?

Oreo cookies and brownies also have a difference in chocolatiness, so that adds another level to the flavor. The cocoa fudge amps it up more, but not so much that I feel it’s choco overload.

If you are looking for something unique or with an exciting name, there are plenty of good options on the DQ Summer Blizzard Menu. But if you have a hankering for a familiar, chocolatey treat, you can’t really go wrong with the Oreo Fudge Brownie Blizzard.

Purchased Price: $3.59
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 1,480 calories, 62 grams of fat, 30 grams of saturated fat, 2 gram of trans fat, 100 milligrams of cholesterol, 760 milligrams of sodium, 210 grams of carbohydrates, -2 grams of dietary fiber, 160 grams of sugar, and 28 grams of protein. (These figures from the DQ website appear to be inaccurate, as some are almost double those of similar Blizzards, and having a negative number of grams of dietary fiber seems implausible.)

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Refreshers

Vin 5 Comments

Dunkin Refreshers

What are Dunkin’ Refreshers?

If you’re looking for an invigorating beverage this summer, Dunkin’ has you covered with the new green tea-based Peach Passion Fruit and Strawberry Dragonfruit Refreshers.

Dunkin Refreshers Flavors Closeup

How are they?

I won’t bury the lede – they live up to their name, but one definitely outshines the other.

Peach Passionfruit was the clear winner.

It tasted like Peach Tea Snapple with a splash of guava that also had a few Sour Peach Fruit Rings floating in it. Well, maybe if you mute all of the previous flavors by about 33%. It’s not nearly as sweet as that description sounds, but I appreciated that.

It started with a strong peach flavor that soon got washed with a mild sourness I can only assume came from the passion fruit that I thought tasted exactly like guava. Still, peach was in the driver’s seat, and the flavors blended well, unlike, Strawberry Dragonfruit, which was just pretty dull.

Dunkin Refreshers Top

It tasted like strawberry for a split second, but immediately turned into Power-C Vitamin Water. It makes sense, since they’re both dragonfruit flavored, but this is essentially just that Vitamin Water with some faint herbal tea notes in the background. That’s it, it’s Vitamin Water.

Anything else you need to know?

Refreshers are made with iced green tea, flavored fruit concentrate, and B vitamins, so you can see why Dunkin’ chose this name. Despite not being a big fan of one, I can’t dispute the claim. These are pretty refreshing.

Dunkin Refreshers Cuvee

For all the wine drinkers out there, I went ahead and tried a little cuvée of both flavors. Sad to say, it was a non-descript mess. Somehow the sourness rose while the peach tea flavored completely died. It ended up tasting like a flat, tangy, tropical punch seltzer.

Conclusion:

Oh, that reminds me, I wish these were carbonated. I think both flavor profiles could have benefitted from some effervescence.

There are much better menu options at Dunkin’, but if you don’t feel like a coffee or a frozen fruit drink, you might get a nice boost to your day from a Refresher – just make sure to get the Peach Passionfruit.

Purchased Price: $2.00 each
Size: Medium
Purchased at: Dunkin
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Peach Passionfruit), 4 out of 10 (Strawberry Dragonfruit)
Nutrition Facts: Peach Passionfruit – 130 calories, 0 grams of fat, 15 milligrams of sodium, 32 grams of total carbohydrates, 29 grams of total sugars, 24mg of potassium, 10g of calcium, 1 gram of protein. Strawberry Dragonfruit – 130 calories, 0 grams of fat, 15 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of total carbohydrates, 27 grams of total sugars, 24mg of potassium, 10g of calcium, 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Lemonberry Slush Float

Mark 6 Comments

Sonic Lemonberry Slush Float

What is the Sonic Lemonberry Slush Float?

Sonic has combined four summertime elements into one drink, from top to bottom: real strawberries, classic Sonic slush, 100% real ice cream, and lemonade slush.

How is it?

Since I had to get it from the drive-thru and bring it home (see below), I used my own straw and spoon to taste all the elements.

Sonic Lemonberry Slush Float Strawberry

The strawberries on top have the unmistakable flavor of frozen fruit. I don’t expect a national fast-food chain to use fresh berries, but I have never found frozen strawberries to taste that great.

Sonic Lemonberry Slush Float Slush

Below that, there’s the “classic Sonic slush.” Does that just mean a slush without any flavoring? Because that’s exactly what it tastes like: nothing. I guess it’s supposed to mix with the strawberries, but I don’t see the point.

Sonic Lemonberry Slush Float Ice Cream

The ice cream is what makes this a float, rather than just a slush, and it’s the reason you need a spoon instead of just a straw. It’s just what you’d expect from soft-serve vanilla. It’s enjoyable, but nothing amazing.

Since the lemonade slush was on the bottom, it was what I tasted when I stuck my straw into the cup and sucked. It was by far the best part -— tart, refreshing, and summery. Unfortunately, I quickly depleted the lemonade part and was sad when I only had the ice cream.

I had hoped the flavors would mix together better, but mostly I just tasted each element on its own, even when I wasn’t trying to keep them separate, and even though they looked like they were somewhat mixed.

Anything else you need to know?

When I pulled into a stall to order in the usual Sonic way, the red button timed out twice without anyone ever helping me, so I had to go to the drive-thru, where I kindly told them what had happened. Also, they gave me salt packets but no syrup for my French toast sticks. So, at the risk of sounding like a Karen, my experience at the Salt Lake City Sonic gets a 2 out of 10. Yelp review over. But I’m rating the drink on its own merits.

Conclusion:

The Lemonberry Slush Float is fine, but next time I think I’ll just get a regular lemonade slush.

Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: Small
Rating: 6 out of 10

Nutrition Facts (small) 350 calories, 80 calories from fat, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 68 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 59 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Subway BBQ Rib Sandwich

Louis 13 Comments

Subway BBQ Rib Sandwich Sign

When people usually think of pre-formed rib portions, they often think of McDonald’s famed McRib, and rightfully so. Wanting in on that long-running fandom and fanfare that comes maybe once a year, the sandwich artists at Subway are horning in the fake-rib business with the introduction of its BBQ Rib Sandwich.

Using a similar rib-shaped patty to the McRib, Subway’s variation seems more significant, nearly filling the entire six-inch sub I ordered. And while the artisan behind the glass recommended white bread, I instead went with whole wheat. This is where the Subway sandwich begins to differ from McD’s greatly.

Subway BBQ Rib Sandwich Patty

The pale patty with fraudulent grill-lines is placed on bread and absolutely slathered with Subway’s somewhat passable barbeque sauce. It is then put into the proprietary space-age super-oven and toasted nicely within a minute. After it’s pulled out, another heavy squeeze of sauce is added. And then comes the cheese and vegetables.

Subway BBQ Rib Sandwich

With the McRib, you get it the way the clown wants to give it to you: rib, bun, pickles, slivered onions, and sauce. But with Subway, its method of making the sandwich right in front of you brings this rib patty concoction into a whole new realm of possibilities. In addition to the bread, I also got a few slices of provolone cheese, some fresh tomatoes, red onions, green peppers, and jalapenos.

While it will never be a true BBQ feast, for a fast food sandwich, it is one of the better BBQ sandwich offerings out there. While the patty is less fatty than McDonald’s, there is an easy smoky flavor that is enhanced by Subway’s tomato-rich barbecue sauce. Combined with the melty provolone cheese and various vegetables, it’s like a BBQ dinner in a bun.

With Subway’s BBQ Rib Sandwich, I got better than expected results. It’s available for a limited time, but if it comes back somewhat regularly, like the McRib, I can see myself lining up for a taste year after year after year.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 6-inch sub
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 430 calories, 18 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 590 milligrams of sodium, 47 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 19 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Papa John’s Shaq-a-Roni Pizza

Sean 17 Comments

Papa John s Shaq a Roni Pizza

In 2019, the garlic sauce-soaked pizza that defined my early 2000s video gaming marathons got a massive upgrade – Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaq came into Papa John’s not only as a brand ambassador, but also a board member and part-owner of nine franchises. (LeBron James and a Blaze investment who?!) Fast forward a little over a year later and the NBA Hall of Famer gets to break the backboard of 2020 with his first signature pizza.

The Shaq-a-Roni Pizza channels the energy of Shaq and promises an epic experience of extra large, extra pepperoni, and extra cheese. Sounds like I’m gonna need some extra cardio!

Not only does this pizza sound like a good time, the chain also donating $1 for every pizza sold to the Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community – bringing relief not only to our rumbling tummy’s but the community too. Count me in.

Papa John s Shaq a Roni Pizza Box

First things first – this pizza was supposed to come in a special box with Shaq’s face on it and the saying “everyone loves pizza – pizza loves everyone” along with a QR code to unlock another level of fulfillment via Snapchat. The location I went to didn’t have the box, but the pizza itself still felt big and substantial in my hands.

Papa John s Shaq a Roni Pizza Slice

All awesome NBA tie-ins aside, this is Papa John’s attempt at making a NY style pizza, which harkens back to Pizza Hut’s The Big New Yorker that I absolutely adored in the late 90s. The dough is spread out thinner than your average Papa John’s pizza but maintains a doughy soft chew without any of the crackery crunch one might associate with a “thin” crust pizza. Picking up the slices, they flip and flop all over the place like James Harden driving into the lane, and even though I can’t stand that kind of offense, I love this kind of eating.

Papa John s Shaq a Roni Pizza Pepperoni

The pizza is large and intimidating with tons of pepperoni often overlapping each other fighting for space across the vast cheesy landscape. As you might expect, the initial taste is salty and just a touch spicy with spotted greasy pepperoni taking the star player role as I chew.

Papa John s Shaq a Roni Pizza Crust

I’ve always enjoyed Papa John’s for its slightly sweet crust that pairs oh-so-beautifully with its signature (and included!) garlic dipping sauce, and the crust and sauce are just as good as I remember. The cheese definitely feels abundant, but it’s more of a gooey texture than distinct flavor with the overlapping ‘ronis that control each bite.

This is a solid take on a big and thin, but chewy NY style slice, but it does falter a bit in its excess. While I appreciate the extra everything mentality, the sauce gets lost in the mix kind of like Shaq’s free throwing ability. I miss that sweet and zesty zing that ties everything together.

Papa John’s Shaq-a-Roni Pizza is good, and I would definitely eat it again, but it lacks that perfect balance and feels one note after a couple of slices. Fortunately for Shaq, just like his ability to dunk on whoever he wants, that garlic sauce switches it up whenever I want a little extra depth and keeps me coming back for more.

Purchased Price: $12.00 (allegedly normally $27.99!)
Size: one XL pizza
Purchased at: Papa Johns
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (One Slice) 285 calories, 17 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 690 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 1 gram of total sugars, and 10 grams of protein.