May 30, 2004
Dippin' Dots Ice Cream
I finally got around to trying Dippin’ Dots, which claims to be “ice cream of the future.” Dippin’ Dots are small, round pellets of very cold ice cream that are unique in shape and texture, and are unlike any other ice cream. While Dippin’ Dots are sure to appeal to kids, they have absolutely no redeeming value for an ice cream lover such as myself. To begin with, they were so cold that I actually found them painful to eat. My mouth was numb by the time I finished them. I bought what was supposed to be “Banana Split” flavor, but they tasted nothing like a banana split. Maybe it was just because my mouth was partially numb, but I couldn’t really taste much flavor at all. Then there’s the cost of Dippin’ Dots. I paid $2.29 for a 5 oz tub, which is the equivalent of $58.62 a gallon. For this price, I would expect the best tasting ice cream I ever had. Young kids may like Dippin’ Dots because of their novelty, but true ice cream lovers shouldn’t bother to waste their money on this sad excuse for a frozen dessert.
Phoood rating: 
May 26, 2004
Cheese Nips Salsa & Cheddar Doubles
In my opinion, Cheese Nips have always taken a back seat to Cheez-Its when it comes to cheese snack crackers. I just never thought that Cheese Nips had as good of a flavor. I recent years, however, the folks at Kraft have introduced some new Cheese Nips varieties that close the gap significantly. The Four Cheese variety are great, and are probably my favorite Cheese Nip. The Salsa & Cheddar Doubles variety are unique in that the cracker has a different flavor on each side. I first thought that this two-sided approach was just a gimmick, but after eating the cracker, I’m convinced that it’s not. By having two sides with contrasting flavors, the eater really gets to taste both of them. And in this case, both flavors were really good. Together, they were even better. Once I started eating them, I couldn’t put the box down. After I had finished of the box, I started thinking about the other flavor combinations that might taste good as a Cheese Nip Double. How about Pizza & Beer? Pastrami & Swiss? On second thought, maybe I should leave the product development up to the people at Kraft.
Phoood rating: 
May 22, 2004
Jack-In-The-Box Deli Trio Pannido
I few nights ago, I needed a quick meal while on the other side of town and didn’t have a lot of choices, so I decided to try one of the new Pannido sandwiches from Jack-In-The-Box. After contemplating the three choices of sandwiches available, I chose the “Deli Trio” (also available are the Ham & Turkey and the Zesty Turkey). I was surprised to find that it was served warm, not cold as I expected. The bread was very good for a fast food restaurant, better than most bread you get at a sandwich shop such as Subway or Quiznos. The creamy Italian-Dijon sauce was very tasty and complemented the meat well. The meat was good, but I wish there would have been more of it. The meat is rolled up around dill pickle slices rather than placed flat on the bread, which makes it look like there is more meat than there really is. A clever cost-control measure, no doubt. Some cheese on the sandwich would have been nice. Overall, the sandwich was pretty good, but the small amount of meat makes it difficult for me to justify the price of the sandwich. I still prefer the Ultimate Cheeseburger when eating at Jack-In-The-Box, but I might have a Pannido when I’m in the mood for something different.
Phoood rating: 
May 20, 2004
Ritz Chips - Cheddar
These new Ritz Chips are an interesting snack – they’re kind of like a chip and kind of like a cracker at the same time. I tried the Cheddar variety (they are also available in Original and Sour Cream & Onion), and found them to be delicious, with a great cheddar flavor. The texture and taste are a perfect combination of a cracker and a chip. They are really unique in this way; I don’t know of any other snack like them. In case you have any doubt that I absolutely love these snacks, you have to know that I ate two entire bags of them all by myself. And now, I purposely steer clear of them in the supermarket so that I’m not tempted to eat another two bags. Oh yeah, I love them.
Phoood rating: 
May 19, 2004
Doritos Rollitos - Taco and Nacho Cheesier Varieties
I think that civilization would have survived just fine without Doritos’ new Rollitos, described on the bag as “bite-size tortilla snacks,” but I guess someone high up at Frito-Lay thinks that snackers like me are tired of eating those old-fashioned, triangle shaped Doritos chips. So, they took a chip, rolled it up, and made it “easier to eat” (according to the Doritos Web site). I never found that tortilla chips were difficult to eat, but maybe that’s just me. I tried two varieties of Rollitos, Taco and Nacho Cheesier, and was disappointed with both. The Taco variety had an odd texture that didn’t remind me of a tortilla chip. They also had a terrible aftertaste that made it impossible for me to finish the entire bag (which is almost unheard of…). The Nacho Cheesier variety had a better flavor, but I didn’t care for the texture either. Overall, I’m in no hurry to eat Rollitos again. My snack food money will be spent on other, more tasty snacks.
Phoood rating (Taco):
Phoood rating (Nacho Cheesier):
May 5, 2004
Yoo-hoo Double Fudge
Yoo-hoo has been around since the 1920's, but it has only been in the last few years that it has been widely available in California (where I live). I've always liked Yoo-hoo, but not just for it's taste. My favorite guitar player, Johnny Ramone, is a Yoo-hoo fan. Each time I drink a bottle, it reminds me of him. When I recently saw the Double Fudge flavor for the first time in a local Kwik-E-Mart, I just had to try it. I was not disappointed. It has a deep, rich chocolate flavor that is delicious. If you like regular Yoo-hoo but crave more chocolate, then Double Fudge is for you. I don't know if Johnny has tried the Double Fudge flavor, but I have a feeling he would love it.
Phoood rating:
May 3, 2004
McDonald's Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle
Whoever invented the syrup-infused pancake used in McDonald’s McGriddle breakfast sandwich should be added to Mt. Rushmore. OK, that’ll never happen, but it is deserved nonetheless. I didn’t think that the McMuffin could be improved upon, but I was sure wrong. The Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle is absolutely delicious. The pancakes, filled with little pockets of syrup, would be great by themselves. Add sausage, eggs, and cheese to them and you get an entire breakfast in each bite. I don’t know how many calories or grams of fat a McGriddle has, and I don’t want to know. I just want to eat another, and another, and another…
Phoood rating:
Alaskan Brewing Company Alaskan Pale
I have heard good things about Alaskan Brewing Company, and their Web site list the many awards their beers have won. I recently had a pint of Alaskan Pale at a local restaurant, and was kind of disappointed. It was ok, but not great. I found the taste lacking in distinctiveness, and it left me wondering what all they hype is about. The restaurant served the beer ice cold, but the taste didn’t impress me even after it warmed up a bit. I’m anxious to try some of Alaskan’s other beers; hopefully they’ll impress me more than Alaskan Pale.
Phoood rating:
Cheez-It Twisterz Cheddar & More Cheddar
I have loved Cheez-Its since I was a young child. I vividly remember eating them with a glass of milk with my best friend Todd at age five or six. I also remember feeding them to the family cat, Midnight, who loved them just as much as I did. Back then, there was only one flavor of Cheez-Its to choose from. Now, we have lots of choices, including low-fat, spicy, extra large, and SpongeBob SquarePants-shaped crackers. New to the Cheez-It line up are Twisterz, bite-size crackers made by twisting together two flavors. The Cheddar & More Cheddar variety combines yellow and orange cheddar flavors into one of the tastiest snacks I have eaten in a long time. They have a very distinctive taste, just the right amount of salt, and are impossible to stop eating. After eating just one box, Twisterz are on my list of favorite snack crackers. Also available are the Hot Wings & Cheesy Blue variety.
Phoood rating:
Tombstone Brick Oven Style Pepperoni Pizza
The latest trend in the pizza section of your supermarket’s frozen food section is thin-crust pizzas. Freschetta’s is square, Tombstone’s is round, and I wouldn’t doubt if DiGiorno has one in the pipeline. The Tombstone Brick Oven Style is nothing more than a regular Tombstone (which already had a pretty thin crust) with a thin, “cracker”-style crust. The crust tastes good, cooks up nice and crispy, and the pizza is less filling than the regular variety. This is either good or bad, depending on how hungry you are. Personally, I was still hungry after eating the entire pie. Next time, I’ll stack one on top of the other and make it a double-decker pizza.
Phoood rating: