Taco Bell Cantina Tacos

The fast food company known more for taking the same five ingredients and creating some loosely-based Mexican concoction has created something totally different and seemingly actually authentic. The first thing you notice about the tacos is that they are wrapped in plain foil and the two tortillas per taco are made of corn, not the usual flour. The tacos are simple, like they should be, with only meat, onions, cilantro and an optional lime wedge, no cheese or sour cream or special sauce. The lime wedge is a nice touch and makes the taco taste fresh. There are three options for filling: pork, chicken or steak. The pork is a nice change of pace but the chicken and steak are the same used in all of the other items and really tastes out of place against the better quality of the other ingredients. As an added bonus, the tacos are about as low in calories and fat as anything else on the menu. The chicken and steak varieties have just 2.5 grams of fat.

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Ched R Pepper SuperSONIC Cheeseburger

Do you ever get annoyed when a fast food chain takes ingredients they already have and mash them together to make something “new” you are supposed to be excited about? Usually it isn’t so tantalizing. That is exactly what Sonic has done with its new Ched R Pepper SuperSONIC Cheeseburger. Basically, it is just a regular SuperSONIC Burger but with the addition of 2 Jalapeno Cheddar Poppers and some chipotle mayo. The plain burgers are average at Sonic but the addition of the tasty mayo and poppers really takes the burger up a notch. The burger is quite large with two patties and messy as well. The Poppers have a tendency to make the burger uneven as they are round and the other items are flat but when you get a bite of burger and popper together and the cheddar bursts into your mouth you know it was all worth it.

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Phoood Haiku: Hormel Beef Tamales

SmashBurger 1/3 lb. Burger

The SmashBurger chain only recently came to California, and today I ate at the restaurant for the first time. I had read a lot of good things about SmashBurger since first learning about the chain a year or so ago and had pretty high expectations. I ordered a 1/3 pound burger on an egg bun with American cheese, bacon, mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup. The patty had a nice, tasty char on the exterior and frayed edges that confirmed it had, indeed, been prepared using the smash method. The meat - fresh, never frozen 100% Angus beef - wasn’t as flavorful as I hoped it would be, but was pretty good. I didn’t love the egg bun, though. It was a little too wimpy for my liking. Fortunately, SmashBurger offers four types of buns so next time I’ll try one of the other choices. The bacon and cheese both tasted great but next time I think I’ll get not only the bacon and cheese, but also a fried egg (only an extra 99 cents). The price of my burger alone was $6.48, which at first seemed a bit high to me. Considering the quality of the ingredients, the fast and friendly service, and delivery of the order to your table, I guess it’s not too bad of a deal. All in all, I liked the burger and reckon that this won’t be the last time I eat at SmashBurger.

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Cherry Crush

I can remember drinking Orange Crush as a kid and how much I loved the taste. These days, I only drink diet soft drinks and Diet Orange Crush has become one of my favorites. While buying some Diet Orange Crush at Safeway recently, I noticed a drink on the shelf that I had never seen – Cherry Crush. Well, I love cherry flavored foods and drinks, so I just had to buy it! It has a very good cherry flavor and is not overly sweet as I was afraid it might be. It was very refreshing on the hot summer day that I drank it and was a nice change from the cola, lemon-lime, orange, and root beer soft drinks that I typically drink. It’s really too bad that there’s no diet version, because as delicious as it is, my body doesn’t need all the high fructose corn syrup. But if you can handle sugary soft drinks, I recommend giving Cherry Crush a try.

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Jack in the Box Really Big Chicken Sandwich

What’s better than a crispy chicken sandwich? A double crispy chicken sandwich, of course! I’ve eaten hamburgers with two, three, and four patties, but I don’t recall ever seeing a double chicken sandwich before (not counting the bastard KFC Double Down Sandwich). Someone at Jack in the Box must have been thinking the same thing because new on their menu is the Really Big Chicken Sandwich. And by “really big,” they mean that it’s made with two crispy chicken patties. Yes, the sandwich is pretty big, but it’s not so big that most people wouldn’t be able to eat it. The sandwich wouldn’t work if the crispy chicken patties weren’t really good, but that’s not a problem here. The patties on my sandwich were crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and had a good flavor. Add to that some bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and “mayo onion sauce,” and you’ve got a very tasty sandwich that will satisfy a big appetite. Even if you don’t love chicken sandwiches, I encourage you to give this one a try. Jack in the Box has a winner on their hands with the Really Big Chicken Sandwich and it easily deserves the highest Phoood rating.

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Pringles Multigrain Truly Original

Multigrain food products are the current rage. Everywhere you look, there’s multigrain this and multigrain that. I like to try multigrain products when I can to compare them to the regular versions. Pringles Multigrain Truly Original is the latest multigrain product that I’ve tried. Not surprisingly, they have the well-known Pringles shape and are packaged in the familiar cardboard tube. They don’t, however, have quite the same crunch as you get in regular Pringles. They have a much different texture and are a bit crumbly. As far as the flavor, Pringles Multigrain just taste okay. Not good and not bad, just somewhere in the forgettable middle. Being a health-conscious junk food lover, I compared the nutritional information of Pringles Multigrain to regular Pringles. It appears the Pringles Multigrain may be a little healthier, but not much. Not enough to choose them over regular Pringles, that’s for sure. With a mediocre flavor and nominal heath benefits, I’m not compelled to buy Pringles Multigrain Truly Original again.

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Fiesta Crunch Chili Con Carne Potato Poppers

The nice folks at Fiesta Crunch recently set me a big box full of their products to try. Some were good, others not so good, and one stood out as being really good. Chili Con Carne Potato Poppers got my attention right away with a bold, rich flavor. It’s about as close as you’re going to get to a real bowl of chili con carne. And I’m not just talking about the combination of tomatoes and spices that makes up a good bowl of chili. Somehow, they were able to capture the essence of the meat itself and put it in the little fried balls of corn meal and potato flakes. By biting one of the poppers in half, I was able to see that the flavorings go deep into it. This is unlike many products I’ve eaten that have the flavorings just sprayed on the outside and is probably one reason why these have such strong flavor. I think Fiesta Crunch is a new brand, and I haven’t seen their products in my area yet. I hope I do soon because I’d love to buy Chili Con Carne Potato Poppers when I’m craving some real good snackage. Also highly recommended are Fiesta Crunch Restaurant Style White Corn Tortilla Chips. They are as good, if not better, than any similar product I’ve ever eaten.

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Wienerschnitzel Big 100% Angus Beef Chili Dog

When it comes to hot dogs, I don’t want any turkey, chicken, or pork in them. For some reason, I just think that hot dogs should be made of beef. That’s why I like the Wienerschnitzel Big 100% Angus Beef Dog so much. I don’t have to wonder what kind of mystery meat it’s made with. The hot dog tastes great and is big - much larger than the standard Wienerschnitzel hot dog. Fortunately, the bun is big enough to handle the large hot dog. My only quibble is the small amount of chili that comes on it. A big dog needs a big scoop of chili! Sure, the dog is easy to eat because the chili doesn’t drip and fall all over the place. But I’d rather have more chili on the dog and take the risk of some of it getting on my shirt. Still, the Big 100% Angus Beef Dog is pretty darn good and I recommend trying one.

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McDonald's Hot 'n Spicy McChicken Sandwich

The other night I was coming home from a night out on the town and started craving some late-night dining. Like many people with this sudden inclination, I typically end up at Taco Bell. However, tonight my cravings were homing in on something more classic: McDonald’s fries. Approaching the drive-thru (again, I’m sure like many in this situation), everything suddenly sounded delicious. I ended up sticking to the dollar menu and ordered a small fry and, in a first for me, a Hot ’n Spicy McChicken Sandwich. Being a big fan of their regular McChicken sandwich, a go-to of mine when I’m dining on a budget, I was hopeful that I would have another regular item on my spend-as-little-as-I-can-on-food-and-still-be-satisfied menu. The Hot ‘n Spicy McChicken consists of the exact same ingredients--mayo, lettuce, and fried chicken patty--as a typical McChicken, except this time around the Chicken Patty has additional herbs and spices that turn the fried patty a tint of red. After my first bite I was pleasantly surprised that this sandwich actually had a bit of a kick, atypical of spicy foods at most fast food restaurants. Unfortunately, after consuming more, I just wasn’t that impressed. The McChicken is beautiful because it is simple: fried chicken, lettuce, and mayo. The addition of the herbs and spices tries to turn it into a premium offering, when the one dollar price point and therefore cheaper ingredients suggests otherwise.

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Diet Pepsi Cherry Vanilla

Dr. Pepper has their Diet Cherry Vanilla, which I’ve always thought is pretty good. Now, Pepsi thinks they can successfully combine the flavors of Diet Pepsi, cherry, and vanilla. Apparently, it’s not easy to do. The cherry flavor of Diet Pepsi Cherry Vanilla is very strong and the vanilla flavor not far behind. The two flavors are so prominent, in fact, that it’s very hard to taste any cola flavor. I guess this could be a good thing if you don’t like the taste of Diet Pepsi, but my preference would be for a more balanced combination of flavors that complement, rather than cover up, the cola flavor. According to the Pepsi web site, Diet Pepsi Cherry Vanilla will only be available for a limited time this summer. So, get one soon if you want to drink a below-average diet soft drink that will soon be long forgotten, like so many other Pepsi varieties.

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Pretzel M&M’s

As if there wasn’t already too many varieties of M&M’s, now there are Pretzel M&M’s. In theory, a pretzel covered with milk chocolate and a candy coating should be pretty tasty. But Pretzel M&M’s don’t work for me. The sphere-shaped pretzel pieces are very small and don’t have much flavor on their own. They also lack the saltiness that is such an important component of a good pretzel. The saltiness of a pretzel and the sweetness of chocolate is a great combination when done right, but Pretzel M&M’s don’t pull it off. If you want a chocolate-covered pretzel, buy some Pretzel Flipz instead. They are outrageously delicious. Pretzel M&M’s, on the other hand, are a disappointment.

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KFC Double Down Sandwich

The new Double Down sandwich from KFC must be the oddest fast food item ever introduced to the public. What mental case came up with the idea to make a sandwich using two chicken fillets as the bun? Maybe it was just a way to get some publicity and bring a few curious eaters like me into KFC to try it. In the middle of the aforementioned chicken fillets are two pieces of bacon, two slices of cheese, and some kind of sauce they call “Colonel’s sauce.” The chicken fillets were juicy and tasty, as you would expect from KFC. And they weren’t thin fillets, either. Each one must have been three-quarters of an inch thick, which means each bite was about an inch and a half of chicken. That’s just too much chicken for my tastes, no matter how good the chicken is. The bacon, cheese, and sauce added some good flavor but also caused my sandwich to be a slippery, gooey mess that was difficult to eat. It’s not something I would recommend that you try to eat while driving, that’s for sure. I’m glad I ate the Double Down but next time I go to KFC, I’ll be getting something else.

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Fruity Cheerios

Long ago, the word "Cheerios" was synonymous with healthy. That’s why it was just about the only breakfast cereal my mom would buy. Nowadays, moms don’t have it as easy because there are all kinds of Cheerios of questionable healthiness: Honey Nut, Frosted, Apple Cinnamon, Yogurt Burst, Chocolate, and maybe the most questionable of all, Fruity. Fruity Cheerios are obviously meant to be a Fruit Loop-like cereal, from the color scheme of the box to the flavor of the cereal. They taste very similar to Fruit Loops, the main differences being that the fruity taste and sweetness are not as pronounced. They’re tasty, but not as good as Fruit Loops. But, I’m eating a cereal that’s better for me than Fruit Loops, right? Not necessarily. I looked up the nutrition information for Fruit Loops and found that they had exactly the same amount of sugar as Fruity Cheerios. Huh? I thought Cheerios were supposed to be good for me! You mean I just finished a box of Fruity Cheerios and I could have eaten the much tastier Fruit Loops instead? Fruity Cheerios may seem like they have less sugar when you read the side of the box, but if you look carefully you’ll see that the serving size is ¾ cup. The serving size for Fruit Loops is one cup, and when you take the serving size into consideration, both cereals have 12 grams of sugar per one cup serving. There are some other minor differences in the nutritional content of the two cereals, and the question of which cereal is healthier could probably be debated. My recommendation is to go for the real thing – Fruit Loops – and don’t fool yourself by thinking that Fruity Cheerios are better for you.

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Taco Bell Salsa Roja Tortada

Taco Bell is a master of making up names for their products that don't exist in the real world. Big Enchilada? Enchirito! Tortilla wrapped around a tostada? Crunchwrap Supreme! Big nacho plate? Nachos Bellgrande! So it's no surprise that Taco Bell went this route when they introduced their new food item, the Tortada. This time Taco Bell decided to combine the words Torta (a traditional Mexican sandwich) and tostada (basically a flat crunchy taco). What's odd about this fusion is that there is no cruchy shell a la tostadas, and the final product is about as close to a Torta as a quesadilla. Nevertheless Taco Bell wants to promote this item as a pseudo-sandwich. The Tortada comes in two variations, the Salsa Roja, and the Bacon Ranch, both with "fire grilled marinated all white meat chicken" (though to be honest, this chicken didn't seem any different than the kind they put in their quesadillas). The basic setup for the Salsa Roja tortada is chicken, cheese, fiesta salsa, and it's namesake, salsa roja, all wrapped up in a tortilla that has been folded into a square and then grilled. So basically, Taco Bell has once again taken ingredients it already has and combined them to make a semi-new item, though in all honesty, this one really seems like the Taco Bell execs were running out of ideas, as this is basically a revamped crunchwrap supreme. I was really looking forward to the salsa roja, which is the only new ingredient in the Tortada, unfortunately, there was very little in the mix and the fiesta salsa definitely dominated the taste. Overall, this isn't a bad product by any means. It definitely lacks in originality, and I would appreciate another pass with the salsa roja bottle, but it was still tasty and worth a second chance.

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Golden Chocolate Oreos

My friend Paul thinks that any Oreo cookie other than the original - chocolate cookies with white creme filling - is an abomination. He’s unwilling to eat any other variety of Oreo. I’m a bit more open minded. Yes, classic Oreos are delicious. But so are Golden Oreos, as I described in my review of them way back in 2004. There’s also a variety of Golden Oreos with chocolate creme in the middle, called Golden Chocolate Oreos. I bought a bag recently to try them for the first time. Let me just say that the cookies didn’t last very long. Yea, the whole bag was gone by the next day. I’m not sure that I like them quite as much as Golden Oreos, but they’re pretty close. The chocolate creme has a nice flavor and the cookies go really well with a glass of milk. Sure, original Oreos still reign supreme, but Chocolate Crème Oreos aren’t that far behind. Come on Paul, give ‘em a try! You might just like them.

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Carl's Jr. Teriyaki Six Dollar Burger

This was a total shot in the dark. I am firmly in favor of pineapple on my pizza, but would I be in favor of it on my burger?

Let me begin by saying that this burger is messy, but that doesn't make it a bad burger, just be careful in the car. At first I was not sure if the combination of flame broiled beef, Teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple, Swiss cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato and mayo was going to terrify my taste buds or thrill them. Turns out it was a little of both. First of all, you have to like the taste of Teriyaki sauce; if that's a "yes" then you are going to like this burger. It was a nice break from the typical burgers that everyone else has, but not something I'd order every time. Carl's Jr's strength is in the variety on the menu. They don’t just copy what everyone else is doing, they try different things. Some work, some don't. This one does.

I give it a "Good" rating. I thought the mayo made the burger WAY too sloppy.

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Cheetos Mighty Zingers Sharp Cheddar & Salsa Picante

Readers of this blog know that I am a Cheetos enthusiast. I can’t get enough of them, especially the crunchy variety. Well, there’s a new Cheetos for me to enjoy – Cheetos Mighty Zingers. I bought a bag of the Sharp Cheddar & Salsa Picante flavor to try (there’s also Ragin’ Canjun & Tangy Ranch flavor). They are small, crunchy Cheetos pieces about the size of popcorn. Both the size of the Cheetos and their flavor didn’t appeal to me at first, but I liked them more and more as I ate them. By the time the bag was finished, I was really liking them. The salsa picante pieces by themselves aren’t great, but when mixed with the cheddar pieces the resulting flavor is surprisingly good. Eating them with you fingers can be tedious because of their small size, which is probably why the bag they come in has a great feature that allows you to tear the corner of the bag off cleanly, without ripping the whole bag apart. The resulting aperture is perfect for pouring the Mighty Zingers into your mouth. Sit down, tip your head back, and enjoy.

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Sonic Ched 'R' Peppers

Sonic Drive In is a recent discovery for me. Being a Michigan native, I would drool over the commercials every time they would air. Now that I have one just up the street, I am making it my goal to try everything on the menu. Today's experiment is the Ched 'R' Peppers, Sonic's take on jalapeno poppers. I can hear you now "jalapenos? No, no, no ... too spicy." Not true! You get a fantastic pepper and cheddar cheese flavor without the blistering heat you would normally expect. They come 4 to an order, a perfect amount for either a snack, or to add a little extra to your order. Plus they were piping hot, right from the fryer.

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Baby Ruth Crisp

Baby Ruth is probably my favorite candy bar. So, when I saw new Baby Ruth Crisp at the local Kwik-E-Mart, I was curious and hesitant at the same time. I didn’t want to be disappointed by a failed attempt to recreate a classic candy bar like I have many times in the past. I bought one anyway and am glad that I did. Although the crispy wafers make it a very different eating experience compared to a regular Baby Ruth, it still has the Baby Ruth flavor that I love so much. Some crispy-type candy bars are so light and airy that they don’t have enough substance to satisfy my generous appetite. I didn’t have this complaint with Baby Ruth Crisp. I think that the Baby Ruth Crisp is so tasty that I’ll go out on a limb and say that it’s as good as the original.

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Carl’s Jr. Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger

The Carl’s Jr. Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger attempts to combine two things I love, a grilled cheese sandwich and a hamburger, into one glorious cheese/bacon/hamburger sandwich. It pretty much succeeds, but not for the reason you may think. As a grilled cheese sandwich with a burger inside, it just doesn’t work. I find that grilled cheese sandwiches are so delicious because of their simplicity and how the buttered, toasted bread goes so well with the gooey, melted cheese. Adding a hamburger patty and bacon to a grilled cheese sandwich only distracts from the magic. However, part of the Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger is really good – the hamburger patty, two slices of bacon, and four slices of cheese (Swiss and American). Eating them reminded me of the nirvana that is the Ultimate Cheeseburger from Jack in the Box. The weakest part of the Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger is the grilled bread slices. They didn’t have much flavor and were soggy messes by the time I got the burger home to eat it (a trip of less than 5 minutes). The Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger would be better if it had a normal hamburger bun. It wouldn’t be a grilled cheese, but it would be a mighty fine hamburger.

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HK Anderson Peanut Butter Filled Nuggets Original

Regardless of whether you like them or not, I think most people can appreciate the pretzel. They are easy to consume with minimal cleanup and are a foundation of the salty snack market. This widespread appeal has caused many pretzel brands and varieties to try to capture a segment of the vast market. Recently I tried one of these new varieties – well, at least new to me – and felt obligated to report the results on the premier snack review website. The product is HK Anderson Peanut Butter Filled Nuggets Original. This is not my first experience with peanut butter and pretzels. Peanut butter filled pretzel Combos were a staple of my childhood and although I enjoyed them in my youth, they're at most average peanut butter wrapped in their less-than-great pretzels, and so didn’t stick with me through the years. On the other hand, HK Anderson’s certainly will. The pretzel outside is of a perfect consistency with just the right amount of salt. Once you get through the pretzel shell, the moist peanut butter will simple melt in your mouth. Pop one in and suck on it until it dissolves in your mouth or grab a handful and throw them into your mouth – either way you can’t go wrong.

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Sun Chips Peppercorn Ranch

The whole business model behind Sun Chips has always seemed a little funny to me. They market themselves as the healthy chip, which is pretty much an oxymoron, but apparently an effective strategy seeing as how they have come to be a major player in the chip market. There has always been one thing that has stopped me from jumping on their bandwagon, and that is taste. It’s not that their chips taste bad per se, it is just that they lack the flavor punch of many of their competitor’s chips. One resulting benefit of this is that their chips don’t leave your breath tasting as bad as some of the more pungent flavors their competitors deploy. With all that being said, the new Peppercorn Ranch Sun Chips stays true to their theme of providing a healthy chip that might lack the flavor of a competitor’s similarly flavored chip. The Peppercorn Ranch chips have an initial mild ranch flavor that then reveals a hint of pepper and finishes with an aftertaste that is very similar to their Sun Chip Original chip. I think the best way I can describe its true flavor is to imagine the taste of a peppercorn ranch chip and then make it diet. For a guy that loves the flavor-packed punch of a Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream or a Doritos Cool Ranch, I can’t fully endorse Sun Chips' unusual new flavor.

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Mom & Popcorn Company Peanut Butter Covered Caramel Popcorn

The nice folks at Mom & Popcorn Company wanted me to try some of their popcorn. The only problem was that their store is in McKinney, Texas, and I’m in California. Sure, I like popcorn, but not enough to travel half way across the country to get some. So, they were kind enough to mail some samples to me. They sent a selection of flavors and all of them were very tasty. However, one item stood out as my clear favorite – Peanut Butter Covered Caramel Popcorn. Wow, is it good! It has the perfect balance of peanut butter and caramel covering crispy popcorn. I think it’s safe to say that it is the best tasting popcorn I’ve ever eaten. If you don’t live near McKinney, Texas, don’t worry. You can order Mom & Popcorn Company products through their website, www.momandpopcorn.com. Be sure to order some Peanut Butter Covered Carmel Popcorn. You won’t be disappointed, unless maybe you’re from another space-time continuum where delicious popcorn doesn’t exist. By the way, my second favorite flavor was Hot Cheese.

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McDonald's Sweet Chili Sauce

I've always been susceptible to advertising, which probably helps explain my love of fast food and candy. During this year's Winter Olympics, I have probably seen the McDonald's promotion for their new Sweet Chili Sauce a couple dozen times. The commercial mentions how this sauce is what all the athletes in the Olympic Village are eating with their McNuggets. I guess McDonald's wants to introduce a flavor with a bold and international appeal. So today I obeyed the ads and went out to try this sauce for myself. Now, McDonald's isn't really known for spicy flavors, and I was worried that this sauce was gonna be all sweet and no heat. Thankfully, all my fears were allayed after my first dip. McDonald's has made a sauce that tastes exactly like the sweet chili sauce semi-fancy Chinese restaurants serve with spring rolls; sweet, but with a very nice pepper/vinegar burn to it. It's a shame this is a limited time only item, because it blows every other dipping sauce out of the water. The only downside is the relatively small amount of sauce you're given, so make sure to ask for two. McNuggets have never tasted better. Congratulations McDonalds, this is a gold medal winner.

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