Tag: Fast Food

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Iced Matcha Latte

Marvo 19 Comments

Dunkin Matcha Iced Latte

Update 3/4/2021: We also tried the blueberry-flavored version! Click here to read our review.

Matcha is not for everyone.

I can easily understand how its grassy and slightly bitter flavor can be a taste bud turnoff. Even when the bright green tea powder is mixed with milk and ice, like it is with Dunkin’s Matcha Lattes, it still won’t be for everyone.

But if you love the flavor, as I do, then Dunkin’s Matcha Latte is a perfectly adequate drink.

It’s available hot, iced, or frozen, but because it was 75 degrees when I ordered it, I decided to go with an iced latte. And, because I sometimes like to test my lactose intolerance, I decided to get mine with whole milk.

Dunkin’ makes a big deal about how its matcha green tea powder is from the Nishio region of the Aichi prefecture in Japan, where the finest tea leaves have been grown for more than 800 years. To be honest, I can’t determine how fine the tea is or whether the tea is from Nishio or the city of Uji in Kyoto prefecture. But I don’t care because I’ve enjoyed every slurp of Dunkin’s Iced Matcha Latte.

Full disclosure: I’m a man who is easily satisfied when it comes to matcha lattes. I’ve had a number of them, from either Starbucks or in bottled form from one of the many Japanese beverage brands I can get my hands on here on this rock that’s the closest U.S. state to Japan. Out of all of them, I don’t think I’ve ever had a lousy matcha latte.

Dunkin Matcha Iced Latte Closeup

To me, they all generally taste the same because it’s a simple drink. It’s pretty much matcha powder and milk. But this one from Dunkin’ doesn’t have as strong of a matcha punch as others. Maybe my dairy choice subdued the sweet, slightly bitter flavor, but it did make the drink creamy. Speaking of cream, I thought this tasted like a less sweet, less bitter matcha ice cream.

This offering from Dunkin’ isn’t going to change your mind about the green tea made from baby leaves if you don’t care for its flavor. But if you do enjoy the earthy matcha tea, it’s a perfectly fine latte and it’s nice to be able to buy one from someplace other than Starbucks.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: Medium
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 32 grams of sugar, 10 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Checkers/Rally’s Fully Loaded Fries Bacon Steak Sub

James 1 Comment

Checkers Fully Loaded Fries Steak Sub

I don’t know who dreamed up the idea of putting fries inside of every fast food sandwich, wrap, crepe, and pupusa imaginable, but whoever that person is, rest assured, he or she is my hero.

Carrying on the proud tradition of L-T-Os like Taco Bell’s Buffalo Chicken Nacho Fries Burrito is the latest and greatest potato-stuffed fast food roll-up from Checkers/Rally’s, the newfangled Fully Loaded Fries Bacon Steak Sub. As the name implies, the product consists of all the usual Philly cheesesteak ingredients — albeit, sans the onions and with some good old American cheese subbed in for the more traditional Swiss.

Also in the mix is a decent Montreal Au Jus mayonnaise (which I think we can all agree is way better than the kind they make in Quebec City), an ample amount of bacon and, of course, a sizable smattering of the fast food favorite’s beloved “Famous Seasoned Fries,” all wedged inside of a lightly microwaved — I mean, “toasted” — hoagie roll.

This is definitely a fast food novelty that proves the validity of the expression “big surprises come in small packages.” When I ordered my sub, I was kinda’ disappointed by how small the sandwich was. From end to end, the thing is barely six inches long, but I promise you, there is a LOT of meat, cheese, sauce, and French fry hanging out inside the roll.

Checkers Fully Loaded Fries Steak Sub Closeup

By now, you really don’t need me to tell you how great Checkers/Rally’s fries are — even though they end up getting a tad soggy amidst all the other ingredients, they still taste fantastic here. And the steak strands, while perhaps a bit too stringy for some, are nonetheless chewy, juicy, and flavorful. To me, the bacon was good, but not great — I don’t know if that’s attributable to too much salt, but when all else fails, I’m always the first to blame sodium for everything.

I wasn’t too enamored by the American cheese, which was practically frapped with my order. And the Au Jus juice — while a welcome condiment in today’s Sriracha-this/Boom Boom Sauce-that fast food marketplace — didn’t strike me as anything truly noteworthy. This sub would have benefitted from having an entirely different sauce in the mix — a nice mesquite BBQ sauce or tangy honey mustard would’ve been my preferred accoutrements.

While it would’ve been nice to see the fast food chain make this sucker as ingredient heavy as its Philly Cheesesteak Sub forerunner, for just $4 and some change this isn’t a bad little pick-me-up at all. It’s fairly unique and quite filling, and best of all? You don’t even have to worry about finding a place to stow away your carton of fries — because they’re like, already in there, man.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: N/A
Purchased at: Checkers
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 630 calories, 300 calories from fat, 34 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2 grams of fiber, 29 grams of protein, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 1520 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar

REVIEW: McDonald’s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

Vin 4 Comments

McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

My mother recently enrolled in the 23andMe ancestry service, and I found out I’m about 3% more Irish than I had initially thought.

I wasn’t sure how I’d get over the fact that my entire life had been a giant lie, but luckily for me, the news coincided with the annual release of McDonald’s Shamrock Shake – a treat that’s probably as authentically Irish as I am. I’m about 8%.

To me, late-February/March is Shamrock Season. The winter holidays are all done, Baseball isn’t starting for another month, and there’s not much happening other than the rebirth of the single greatest item McDonald’s has ever offered.

I said it. I’m standing by it.

While I fully intend to have about 12 Shamrock Shakes over the next few weeks, I had to put the O.G. on hold and try the new Oreo Shamrock McFlurry first.

Mashed up Oreo? Shamrock infused vanilla soft serve? That weird McFlurry spoon!? How could I pass that up?

They couldn’t possibly improve on perfection, could they?

McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry Lidless

If I were rating on looks alone, we’d be talking about a 3 out 10 review. I honestly think the guy took a couple of spoonfuls for himself before he handed it to me. It was a mess.

That classic Shamrock Shake green doesn’t pop as well in a McFlurry. I guess the Oreo cookies had something to do with that, but it still wasn’t as fun. I also thought I’d get it served a cool little clear cup, but I just got a sloppy blob of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a non-festive paper cup.

But ya know what, looks, like the lifelong belief in your family’s genealogical history, can be deceiving.

If you like the Shamrock Shake, there’s absolutely zero reasons you won’t like this McFlurry.

McDonald s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry Down

It’s as if they made a Mint Oreo-flavored ice cream. They use regular Oreo cookies, but it may as well have been the Mint ones.

The Oreo cookie pieces were nice and fresh, but the best parts were the little bits of crème dispersed throughout. I feel like that texture often gets lost when Oreo is used in ice creams. They really popped here. Between the crispy cookie pieces, the soft serve, and those little chalky yet chewy crème pieces, it made for a perfect blend.

If I had one minor complaint, it would be that the mint was slightly subdued compared to a classic Shamrock Shake. I would’ve loved one more pump of syrup to compensate for the Oreo additive, but it didn’t ruin the experience at all. The touch of chocolate and crème flavor was a tasty twist on the norm.

Hot fudge topping was also offered (which may have been an extra charge), but I skipped it, fearing it would overpower the Shamrock and Oreo flavors. This doesn’t need more chocolate.

So yeah, I had little doubt about the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry. It’s legit.

I still prefer drinking my Shamrock Shakes, but this is close.

My test results conclude that the classic Shamrock Shake is about 3% better than the Shamrock McFlurry. Get em both. It’s Shamrock Season.

Purchased Price: $3.59
Size: Regular
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 560 calories, 17 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, .5 grams of trans fats, 45 mg of cholesterol, 260 milligrams of sodium, 93 grams of carbohydrates, 71 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sonic Totchos

Louis 5 Comments

Sonic Tatchos

Looking down at the empty tray that once held Sonic’s latest foodstuff, the Totchos, I feel mostly disappointment where satisfaction really should be. Sure, its tater tots are a tried and true fast food go-to, and the melted cheddar cheese is always tops, but while the name is quite clever, the execution is lazy at best.

Totchos, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, is a combination of tots and nachos. Sonic has taken said tater tots and covered them with, of course, gloopy cheese, something called “Baja sauce,” bits of diced onion, and slices of jalapeno. That’s all well and good, but then they absentmindedly threw on a few squares of bacon.

I had to look online to make sure this wasn’t a mistake.

Sonic Tatchos 3

Needless to say, at least for me, it was somewhat distasteful to find bacon, a very un-nacho-like meat, on my cheesy tots. I prefer a pork product with a far more Mexican bent like, say, chorizo. But, still, this is what I was given, so I forged ahead with this ignoble experiment and gave the Totchos the old intento universitario.

As the cheese began to solidify quickly, I stirred my fork around the messy meal and realized it’s basically Sonic’s Cheesy Tots – sans its always delightful chili and with a scant scoop of Baja sauce in its place. You can’t go wrong with Sonic’s Cheesy Tots.

Sonic Tatchos 2

Tasting a few well-covered potato portions, the addition of onions and jalapeno is always novel, and the Baja sauce, though mild as a San Francisco breeze, did add a delightful tang when mixed with the nacho cheese. But what hurts these Totchos, sadly, are the salty cuts of bacon that give an unlikable taste for me, especially when mixed with all the other well-assembled parts.

Maybe order them without the bacon next time?

Ultimately disappointing, there are so many things Sonic could have done to make these Totchos a true nacho reality, like sour cream or even strands of chicken would’ve done alright by me. But, instead, this is what we got and it’ll have to do until they decide to head back to the test kitchen for more Totcho combinations.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: Medium
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 550 calories, 36 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 1670 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Papa John’s Papadias

Tiffany 28 Comments

Papa John s Meatball Pepperoni Papadia

Update 6/2/21: We tried the Parmesan Crusted Papadia! Click here to read our review.

Update 9/21/20: We also reviewed the Grilled Buffalo Chicken Papadia.

Update 12/12/20: We also reviewed the Double Cheeseburger Papadia.

While your favorite pizza chain is still 2000 and late by adding more things to the crust, my favorite pizza chain – Papa John’s – is doing the most with its new Papadias. Inspired by the piadina, a Northern Italy flatbread sandwich, these were tested back in July and clearly did well enough to be launched nationwide. Thank you, test markets!

I was surprised to see ALL four varieties (Italian, Philly Cheesesteak, Grilled BBQ Chicken & Bacon, Meatball Pepperoni) made it through, but I’m making an educated guess the Philly Cheesesteak was the crowd favorite because it’s the hero image on all posters, website, etc.

I’m going to cut right to the chase; these part pizza, part sandwich phenoms are legit! I have eaten many a Subway flatbread sandwiches and it simply can’t compare to flatbread created with Papa John’s fresh, never frozen dough that has a fantastic springiness to it.

I can see why this portable form would work well for lunch. Thanks to the uniform fold-over, it was really easy to hold and didn’t come undone. There was no chance of me accidentally eating more of the top than the bottom and making a mess. Additionally, there wasn’t much oil residue on my fingers – just the tolerable, manageable dustiness that comes with eating pizza.

I was also very impressed by the amount of food for $6 each. It was one of the rare times that the press photos actually mirrored the size of the food in real life!

Double Cheeseburger

(Added 12/12/20)

Zesty burger sauce, ¼ pound of seasoned beef, dill pickles, and signature cheese. Served with a zesty burger dipping sauce.

I’ve been really into cheeseburger pizzas lately. Why you ask? My response: WHY NOT?

Papa John’s new Double Cheeseburger Papadia isn’t helping my cause either. It launched with the reintroduction of its seasonal Double Cheeseburger pizza offering. Both are only around through December 27th!

I was really intrigued by Papa John’s take because of the pickles — not all cheeseburger pizzas include this polarizing brined fruit. So, if you like pickles, you’ll probably enjoy this because it’s pretty pickle-forward tasting.

It may be less pickle-y for you if your Papa John’s doesn’t skimp on the carne though. It claims that it’s the meatiest Papadia ever, but the quarter pound of ground beef was drowned by the creamy burger sauce (which is just basically thousand island dressing methinks) and slices of pickle. The Italian one was way more meaty tasting.

I did enjoy that there was no tomato included as the pizza version of this does. Hot take: tomato chunks or slices don’t belong on a cheeseburger pizza or any legit cheeseburger for that matter.

Also, because there was so much sauce already, I didn’t even touch the additional cup provided. I’d rather have the garlic butter, please.

So, I tried it again – this time as prescribed above with double meat (with no upcharge on the app!) and garlic butter on the side instead. The adjustments brought it very close to dethroning my top flavor, Meatball Pepperoni, but not quite! Plus, it’s only available for a limited time, so I’m sticking with my tried and true.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 1000 calories, 57 grams of fat, 24 grams of saturated fat, 3 gram of trans fat, 130 milligrams of cholesterol, 3190 milligrams of sodium, 78 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 42 grams of protein

Grilled Buffalo Chicken

Papa John's Grilled Buffalo Chicken Papadia

(Added 9/21/20)

Grilled chicken, onions, signature cheese, and three-cheese blend, buttermilk ranch buffalo sauce. Served with a ranch dipping cup.

The latest Papadia to hit the menu is a Buffalo chicken flavored one. It’s inspired by Buffalo wings, but it needed way more tangy heat to deliver on that! The sparse dabs of Buffalo sauce reminded me of pepperoni grease pools. But obviously, there’s no pepperoni.

The cheese was the dominant flavor. The cheese blend and ranch reminded me of alfredo sauce, which is tasty but a far cry from saucy wings. This was all without dipping it in the ranch sauce, so I didn’t bother with the extra cup on the side.

Papa John's Grilled Buffalo Chicken Papadia Split

There were also pretty visible slices of onion. But, like the grilled chicken, it took a secondary flavor seat to all the cheese.

The Grilled Buffalo Chicken Papadia is a safe choice if you can’t decide what to get but want something reliably tasty. But don’t go in expecting big Buffalo flavor.

I would tell you to try it soon, but it isn’t clear if this flavor is being offered only for a limited time or if just the $6 pricing is limited until 10/25.

Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 910 calories, 39 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 165 milligrams of cholesterol, 2860 milligrams of sodium, 77 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 62 grams of protein.

Meatball Pepperoni

Spicy meatballs, pepperoni, pizza sauce, mozzarella, and classic Italian seasoning. Served with a Pizza sauce dipping cup.

Papa John s Meatball Pepperoni Papadia Box

I didn’t want to put this one down. I don’t usually order meatballs as a topping at Papa John’s, so I was a blank slate on this one. I found that the beef and pork meatballs had good flavor and a pleasant overall texture – easy to bite into without weird tough bits or strange gamey-ness. And the pepperoni complemented these very well!

Papa John s Meatball Pepperoni Papadia 2

The meatballs were also cut in half, which helped with the distribution – I always had bites with meatball and/or pepperoni – and ensured that it all stayed in the flatbread. I was a bit disappointed the meatballs weren’t actually spicy though. On the bright side, no need for Alka-Seltzer! Spicy meatball reference, anyone? Overall, this Papadia had all the tastiness of a meatball sub without any of the messiness.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 950 calories, 50 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 140 milligrams of cholesterol, 2460 milligrams of sodium, 81 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 42 grams of protein.

Grilled BBQ Chicken & Bacon

Grilled chicken, bacon, fresh-cut onions, and mozzarella. It’s drizzled with sweet and smoky BBQ Sauce. Served with a BBQ sauce dipping cup.

Papa John s Grilled BBQ Chicken Bacon Papadia Box

What I noticed immediately about this one was the smell. The BBQ sauce was quite pungent, but it was welcomed! The plethora of sweet and smoky BBQ sauce was well-balanced with the mild mozzarella, savory bacon, and sharp onion strips. The first thing that came to mind was that it reminded me of a Carl’s Jr Western Bacon Cheeseburger except way easier to eat. Again, I can get a version of another favorite with LESS MESS? YAS.

Papa John s Grilled BBQ Chicken Bacon Papadia

Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 880 calories, 30 grams of fat, 14 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 165 milligrams of cholesterol, 2630 milligrams of sodium, 91 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 36 grams of sugar, and 59 grams of protein.

Italian

Alfredo sauce, spicy Italian sausage, salami, mozzarella, and banana peppers. Served with a Pizza sauce dipping cup.

Papa John s Italian Papadia Box

I LOVE Italian sandwiches because of the nuanced cold cut meat flavors balanced by the fresh crunch of banana peppers. The Papadia interpretation lost me a little bit because by having it all warm/cooked, the flavors and textures blended together too much.

Papa John s Italian Papadia

It blended so much so that I didn’t even realize there was Alfredo sauce! Furthermore, the salami and spicy Italian sausage melded together so much that the salami flavor couldn’t be discerned. And once again, no heat. Luckily, I was able to get some fuego from the standard pepperoncini fixin’ on the side. From a texture perspective, I could definitely taste the tangy banana pepper, but I wanted that added crunch!

Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 960 calories, 55 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 140 milligrams of cholesterol, 2760 milligrams of sodium, 77 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 38 grams of protein.

Philly Cheesesteak

Sliced Philly steak, fresh-cut onions, green peppers, mozzarella, and the chain’s Philly sauce. Served with a Garlic sauce dipping cup.

Papa John s Philly Cheesesteak Papadia Box

The flavor was unmistakably a Philly cheesesteak with that green bell pepper and onion-forward flavor. However, my biggest gripe was the texture of the “sliced” Philly steak. Sliced is in quotes because it felt like ground beef and I couldn’t get past that. I’m no Philadelphian, but even I know that’s blasphemy! The flavor couldn’t make up for the faux pas on texture. However, even if the texture was right, it still would not leap frog the other flavors in tastiness.

Papa John s Philly Cheesesteak Papadia

Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 850 calories, 39 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 2180 milligrams of sodium, 81 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 40 grams of protein.

Besides personal preference on flavors and textures, the only thing I thought was gratuitous across the board was the sauce on the side. All of the Papadias were really well-sauced and didn’t need any extra love.

Given the tastiness and viability of this innovation, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Hutadias or Domdias soon.

Papa John s Papadias

Purchased Price: $6 each