Baskin-Robbins Banana Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Review

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Baskin-Robbins Banana Dulce de Leche Ice Cream a double scoop because I loved this flavor so much

I have banana bias. So read this Baskin-Robbins Banana Dulce de Leche Ice Cream review with your BS detector on. BS stands for “banana skewed,” of course.

But maybe there is no banana bias in this review because I imagine banana custard and brown butter ice creams with crunchy toffee pieces and dulce de leche swirls would make just about any sweet tooth dance with excitement. If that sentence made your sweet teeth shimmy, then let me tell you that it is as delightful as it sounds. Even before trying it, I knew I’d love this flavor, and I doubled down on my prediction by ordering a double scoop instead of my usual single. Or maybe I have ESP.

REVIEW: Baskin-Robbins Banana Dulce de Leche Ice Cream a closeup of a spoonful

Going into the scoop, it was a little disappointing that the banana custard ice cream made with banana puree had to share some space with a brown butter base. But it turned out pretty well for my banana-loving taste buds. While there were occasional spoonfuls in which the banana faded into the caramel-y background, most bites delivered the sweet, fruity flavor I was after. It’s not an in-your-face, overly artificial banana, and even though the sweet, buttery dulce de leche swirls, toffee pieces, and brown butter base outnumber it, it still stands out as the star of the scoop.

The dulce de leche swirls were gooey and sweet, though they tasted more like a mild caramel than a true milky dulce de leche. That said, the other sweet and buttery components in the scoop helped elevate the swirl’s flavor. The toffee pieces added a satisfying crunch, making the spoonfuls that included them a little more exciting with their textural contrast. The combination of components was extremely delightful and I so glad I got two scoops. I might have to get a few more before it goes away.

Baskin-Robbins’ Banana Dulce de Leche is easily one of my favorite scoops from the ice cream chain. But again, I go a little bananas when it comes to banana-flavored anything, so your taste buds may differ. However, if you’re also banana-skewed, then it will absolutely satisfy your banana-loving heart.

Purchased Price: $7.19
Size: Double scoop
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (4 oz scoop) 300 calories, 15 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 180 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 28 grams of sugar (includes 22 grams of added sugar), and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: McDonald’s Big Arch (US)

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McDonald's Big Arch box

After globetrotting through Canada and several European countries over the past few years, McDonald’s Big Arch has finally landed in the US for a limited time. Okay, there was a layover at the McDonald’s headquarters restaurant in Chicago last year. Either way, it has more passport stamps than me, and now it’s available to everyone across the country.

The highly anticipated burger features two quarter-pound beef patties, white cheddar, slivered onions, crispy onions, pickles, lettuce, and a Big Arch Sauce on a toasted sesame and poppy seed bun.

McDonald's Big Arch bun with sesame and poppy seeds

Just opening the box and seeing that bun made this feel like an elevated experience. I’m used to the standard sesame seed bun on most McDonald’s burgers, but the black poppy seeds gave it a premium feeling. They don’t add much flavor, but they make a strong first impression.

McDonald's Big Arch two 1/4 lb patties

Think of the Big Arch as the Big Mac’s younger, but more sophisticated sibling — a Big Mac that went abroad, and came back to the States more refined, mature, and cultured, and clearly hit Planet Fitness three times a week while it was away. Its size alone makes the Big Mac look, well, less big. Though for all its refinement, it still has the bad habit of leaving toppings scattered across the bottom of the clamshell box, just like its older sibling.

McDonald's Big Arch lettuce, sauce, pickles, and onions

As for the flavor, it’s Big Mac-ish, thanks to the familiar combination of beef, pickles, onions, lettuce, and cheese. The creamy, slightly sweet Big Arch Sauce reminds me of French dressing with the tang dialed back, and it works beautifully with the pickles and onions, much like Big Mac Sauce does. The crispy onions add a pleasant crunch and a mild onion bite, though I’d say the slivered onions do most of the heavy flavor lifting. The white cheddar is milder than the orange American slices in a Big Mac, but its cheesiness still comes through among all the other toppings. Although there’s a lot of beef, every ingredients shares a bit of the spotlight, making each bite well-balanced, and I can taste why this burger was a hit abroad.

McDonald's Big Arch split

While it tastes great, the Big Arch isn’t something I’d order regularly if it became a permanent menu item. At 1,020 calories and as the most expensive burger my local McDonald’s currently offers, it’s firmly in splurge territory. If it were brought back periodically, like the McRib, I’d order it every time it returns.

It’s also worth asking: does it actually need two patties? The photos in this review are from the second Big Arch I ordered, which I had to purchase because the first one I bought had only one patty. Even with just one, I walked away completely satisfied with the meatiness and the overall flavor. A single-patty version would bring both the price and the nutrition numbers down to something far less intimidating, and, just like the Quarter Pounder, McDonald’s could always offer a double-patty version for those who want more meat.

Either way, McDonald’s Big Arch is a delicious burger, and I’m glad I don’t need to pull out my passport to try one.

Purchased Price: $8.99*
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 1,020 calories, 65 grams of fat, 25 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of trans fat, 175 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,760 milligrams of sodium, 59 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar (including 10 grams of added sugar), and 53 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 Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries

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Taco Bell Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries

At this point, I feel as if I don’t need to explain what Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries are, and how there’s always a loaded version of them that usually features standard Taco Bell ingredients that, in the past, may have been chosen by pulling out slips of paper from a flipped-over bell. In the present, I imagine the physical pulling has been replaced by an in-house AI chatbot called Gidget, after the chihuahua from the 90s Taco Bell commercials.

If Gidget does exist, its latest creation is the new Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries, featuring slow roasted chicken, pico de gallo, bacon, cheese, nacho cheese sauce, and avocado ranch sauce. There are also Chicken Bacon Ranch Street Chalupas, which include almost everything above minus the nacho cheese sauce, wrapped in toasted cheddar chalupa shells. However, when the Toasted Cheddar Street Chalupas debuted last year, I wrote that “if it ever comes back, I’m sure I won’t be sticking it and its bread-y flavor in my mouth again.” So I didn’t give them a try and stuck with the fries. Hey! That rhymes!

A quick search of this site confirms that chicken, bacon, and ranch are a common fast food combo, and the Nacho Fries are an excellent vessel for highlighting them, providing a slightly crispy, seasoned bed for those toppings to rest on. I was skeptical that the nacho cheese sauce could be paired with the avocado ranch, since one might cancel out the other. But the orange goop added a cheesier layer that complemented the creamy, slightly tangy avocado ranch rather than competing with it.

Taco Bell Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries close up

The biggest letdown was the chicken, but mainly because my order didn’t seem to have much of it. It looked less like a star of the menu item and more like it had been accidentally included in my order on its way to being added to another order. At least, there were enough bacon crumbles to make up for it. The pico de gallo was a welcome addition, bringing bright, acidic bursts with each forkful, and doing a nice job of cutting through the richness of the sauces.

Overall, Taco Bell’s Chicken Bacon Ranch Nacho Fries are as good as many of the previous loaded Nacho Fries iterations. There’s a lot of flavor, and the fries are a great carrier for all the sauces and toppings. But at the same time, there’s nothing about it that makes it a must-order, and if you happen to miss this limited-time offering, there’s no need to feel any amount of FOMO.

Besides, Gidget will have something new for us soon enough.

Purchased Price: $6.99 each
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 350 calories, 24 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 940 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Oreo Matcha Shake

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Jack in the Box Oreo Matcha Shake Cup

While other fast food chains trot out minty green products for St. Patrick’s Day season, Jack in the Box is going green in a different way this year with its Oreo Matcha Shake. To be honest, I wish matcha were a more prevalent flavor in the fast food world and replaced mint as the unofficial St. Patrick’s Day flavor. We already have peppermint covered in the winter, so one less minty seasonal flavor seems like a perfectly reasonable ask.

Jack in the Box Oreo Matcha Shake green

The Oreo Matcha Shake is a vanilla shake blended with matcha tea and Oreo cookie crumbles, then topped with whipped cream and even more Oreo crumbles. It’s a little surprising to see a matcha shake from a major fast food chain, since matcha remains a rare sight outside of coffee chains. But then again, it’s not that surprising coming from Jack in the Box, a chain with a long history of thinking outside the Jack in the Box. Need I remind you of the ube shake?

Jack in the Box Oreo Matcha Shake spoonful

As for its flavor, it delivers the familiar sweet and slightly bitter profile that matcha sweets are known for, though it’s more restrained than a matcha-flavored Kit Kat from Japan. Here it’s gentler, likely diluted a bit by the vanilla shake base. But that’s probably for the best, since a full-strength matcha blast through a straw might be a lot to ask of the average fast food customer, and this is approachable enough that even matcha newcomers might find themselves pleasantly surprised.

Jack in the Box Oreo Matcha Shake Oreo crumbles

The Oreo crumbles were plentiful, as they tend to be in Jack’s Oreo shakes, and they provided welcome bits of texture with each sip. However, I can’t say they contributed much in the way of chocolate flavor. Throughout the entire shake, I could only detect matcha, which makes me wonder whether the slight bitterness of the Oreo crumbles simply gets absorbed into the matcha’s bitterness. It’s not a dealbreaker, but if you’re ordering this expecting a matcha-chocolate experience, you may want to temper those expectations.

If matcha matches your taste buds, the Jack in the Box Oreo Matcha Shake will make them very happy to have met. And if you’ve never tried matcha before, this is a pretty delicious place to start.

Purchased Price: $6.29*Size: Regular
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 780 calories. (No other nutritional information is available on the Jack in the Box website.)

*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: Costco Double Chocolate Mint Sundae

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Costco’s Double Chocolate Mint Sundae cup

This year’s McDonald’s Shamrock Season is here!

But if you have a Costco membership card, I might recommend grabbing it and heading to your nearest warehouse to get your hands on the new Double Chocolate Mint Sundae instead. Of course, that’s after you pick up paper towels, frozen chicken, a pillow-sized bag of chips, rotisserie chicken, a bag of romaine hearts that’ll rot before you get halfway through them, batteries, and a bunch of other things that’ll easily total over $200.

The seasonal dessert at the Costco food court features mint-flavored soft serve swirled with chocolate sauce and topped with more chocolate sauce and cookie crumbles.

Much like everything at Costco, this sundae is more than you need and offers an amazing price. It’s large enough and inexpensive enough to make the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry look McFeeble and green with size envy. Speaking of color, I’m trying to remember whether Costco’s dessert had a green tint. I keep squinting at the photos above and swearing I see some green, but I could’ve sworn the creamy base was just white while I was eating it. Maybe the food court’s LED lighting was doing something strange to my phone’s camera. However, in the end, it doesn’t really matter, because once you mix things, the chocolate syrup blends into the soft serve, turning everything grey. Delicious grey.

Costco’s Double Chocolate Mint Sundae top with cookie crumbles and chocolate syrup

The mint in this sundae rises to a level of slightly chewed Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum, and the chocolate, even though my sundae looks like it got caught in a chocolate flash flood, still allows the mint to come through. However, if you want a stronger minty punch, I feel McDonald’s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry has Costco’s offering beat, but only slightly. Also, because it’s smaller, the McFlurry has a better soft-serve-to-cookie ratio. By the time I got to the bottom half of the sundae’s cup, the cookie crumbles made rare appearances.

However, while Costco’s Double Chocolate Mint Sundae may not be as minty or have as many cookie bits as McDonald’s offering, it still tastes amazing, and I say the chocolate syrup makes it more decadent. Also, its low $2.99 price for something twice the size of a McFlurry makes it taste a bit sweeter. I hope it returns every year so we can celebrate Costco Double Chocolate Mint Sundae Season!

Purchased Price: $2.99

Rating: 8 out of 10

Nutrition Facts: 790 calories. (No other nutritional information is available)

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