September 26, 2007

Arby's French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub

arbyssub.jpgA popular trend in fast food these days is to offer "toasted" sandwiches. I like this, as the toasting brings out a lot more flavor in the bread. Arby's line of toasted subs includes one that has everything I like and none of what I don't like. The French Dip & Swiss Toasted sub has roast beef, Swiss cheese, and nothing else (such as lettuce, tomato, etc., which I like to call "rabbit food"). It also comes with a cup of au jus for dipping. The sandwich I ate recently was pretty tasty, but the bread wasn't toasted. It was just warmed through. I asked the manager about this, and she assured me that it, indeed, had been toasted. She explained that some people had complained that the toaster that they use was toasting the bread too much, so they reduced the toasting level. She said that I could ask for the sandwich to be toasted twice if I wanted. What a hassle. I have a feeling that this is not what Arby's, Inc. wants their restaurants doing.

Phoood rating: So-so

Posted by Jim | Comments (3)

September 17, 2007

Cheez-It Party Mix

cheezitparty.jpgI really, really want to like Cheez-It Party Mix. Why shouldn’t I? It has lots of good stuff in it, like Cheez-It crackers, mini sourdough rounds, Chex-like cereal pieces, and pretzels. You would think that it would be delicious, but I’ve been disappointed every time I’ve eaten it. I bought a box recently, hoping that it would taste better than the last box I bought. I was wrong. Cheez-It Party Mix just has a flavor that is uninteresting, and always tastes kind of stale to me. As much as I love Cheez-It products, I have to admit that Cheez-It Party Mix nowhere near as tasty as Chex Mix. And with all the delicious flavors of Chex Mix (I love Traditional and Cheddar), there’s no reason to settle for less.

Phoood rating: So-so

Posted by Jim | Comments (3)

September 11, 2007

M&M's Dark Chocolate

mmdark.jpgI’ve seen M&M's Dark Chocolate in the stores for a while, but I only recently got around to trying them. I have always pretty happy with good ol' milk chocolate M&M's (my favorite are the peanut ones). They are always good enough to satisfy any chocolate/candy/sweet craving that I may have. The M&M's Dark Chocolate taste good, and there's really nothing negative I can say about them. However, I just don't like them as much as the milk chocolate variety. If you really prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, maybe you’ll prefer them. But I guess I’m just stuck in my ways, because I want my M&M's to taste like the ones I've eaten all my life. I guess it's just a nostalgia thing. And no, I don't eat peanut butter M&M’s either.

Phoood rating: So-so

Posted by Jim | Comments (5)

September 8, 2007

Arby's Southwestern Mini Egg Rolls

arbyseggrolls.jpgSouthwestern Egg Rolls are an ubiquitous menu item at most of the "American" style chains, such as Chili's. Personally, I've always loved them, so I was very excited to see these on the menu at Arby's. Their version is about a quarter of the size of a traditional egg roll, to make them more bite-sized. They are packed full of black beans, corn and cheese, with just a hint of spice from some jalapenos, and served with Buttermilk Ranch dipping sauce. The taste was delicious, but they're a bit of a "gut bomb" for lunch, even just getting the 4-pack (they also come in 8-packs).

Phoood rating: Good.gif

Posted by Lindsey | Comments (9)

September 5, 2007

Klondike Caramel Pretzel Bar

klondike.jpgThe new Klondike Caramel Pretzel ice cream bar takes several things I love and tries to combine them into one delicious dessert. For the most party, it succeeds. The bar is made with chocolate malt light ice cream topped with caramel and pretzel pieces, all dipped in milk chocolate. The pretzel pieces add saltiness to the bar, which gives it that “salty-sweet” flavor that is so tasty. The pretzel pieces, however, are so small that they are not really discernable other than the saltiness they impart. Larger, more prominent pretzel pieces would have been better, in my opinion. I would have liked more caramel, too. Nevertheless, the Klondike Caramel Pretzel bar is pretty good and is worth trying.

Phoood rating: Good.gif

Posted by Jim | Comments (4)

September 1, 2007

Mother's Fudge Vanilla Crème Cookies

motherslogo.jpgNew on my local supermarket's shelf are Mother's Fudge Vanilla Crème cookies. They are made of two chocolate cookies with an Oreo-type crème filling. All in all, they are very tasty, with a strong chocolate flavor that chocoholics will probably love. The creme filling is overpowered by the chocolate and not too noticeable. But then again, most people are going to eat these for the chocolate, not the creme. My only real complaint was that the cookies broke apart very easily when eating them, due to the softness of the filling. Side note: Mother's Cookies have been around since 1914, but it does not appear that they have a web site. They aren't even on Wikipedia. I can't remember the last time I came across a major company that didn't have a web presence.

Phoood rating: Good.gif

Posted by Jim | Comments (1)