March 27, 2008
Pringles Select Bold Crunch Jalapeno Ranch
Usually, when the word “Jalapeno” is included in the name of a snack food, I have fleeting thoughts of heartburn and bad breath. However I have always been an avid lover of Pringles Original Potato Chips, so I decided to give this one a try. The mixture of Jalapeno and Ranch flavors were perfectly united to create a taste bud sensation which I rarely find in the plethora of snack food options available today. The Jalapeno did not overpower the chip, and the crunchy texture was exactly what I look for when I am craving a salty snack. This is a snack I will definitely buy again and again. It’s true, once you pop, you can’t stop, especially when you have an entire bag of Bold Crunch Jalapeno Ranch in front of you at the office. No Tums necessary either, but perhaps a breath mint was still in order for the sake of my companions.
Phoood rating: 
March 19, 2008
Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili
Here we go again – another Doritos flavor. It seems like they come out with a new flavor every other day, but I’ve found that many of them taste very similar. Not so with new Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili, which I saw for the first time in a local Long’s Drug Store. They have a unique flavor that isn’t like any other Doritos chips that I’ve eaten. The spiciness isn’t too hot, but does have a bit of a bite. Underneath the heat is a slight sweetness. The two flavors go very well together and create a final flavor that is both interesting and enjoyable. These chips definitely deserve Phoood’s highest rating.
Phoood rating:
March 16, 2008
Carl’s Jr. Chili Cheese Fries
Carl’s Jr.’s new chili cheese burgers are pretty good, but the same can’t be said for their new chili cheese fries. It’s no secret that Carl’s Jr. has perhaps the worst fries of any major fast-food chain (when are you going to do something about this, Carl’s Jr.?). Chili and cheese on top makes everything taste better, right? Adding some chili and cheese to the fries would definitely improve them, I thought to myself. Well, maybe it would if there was more than a tablespoon of chili on the fries. I’m exaggerating a bit, but honestly, there was hardly any chili on them. “Where’s the chili?”, I wanted to cry out, à la Clara Peller. The fries are advertised as being “smothered” in chili. This was definitely not what I got. I hate to do it, but I have to give the chili cheese fries Phoood's lowest rating for failing to deliver what they advertise.
Phoood rating: 
March 14, 2008
Carl’s Jr. Chili Cheese Burger
Carl’s Jr. never stops coming up with great ideas for their burgers. It’s one of the reason’s I like them so much, even though their advertising is often juvenile and crude. The newest addition to their menu is the chili cheese burger, available with single, double, or six-dollar patties. I recently ate a double, along with an order of chili cheese fries and a diet Coke (I have to watch my caloric intake, you know…). I had hoped that the burger would taste like one from Tommy’s, and it wasn’t too far off. The American cheese was melted into gooey goodness by the heat of the chili. The chili itself was tasty, but there wasn’t nearly enough of it. It didn’t drip down my hands and all over my shirt like I hoped that it would. Also, I thought it was a little heavy on the mustard. Overall, the burger is pretty good. More chili and less mustard, however, would make it a near-heavenly burger.
Phoood rating: 
March 12, 2008
G2 Fruit Punch
As if there weren’t already enough types of Gatorade (Gatorade A.M.???) now we have G2. Officially, it was designed for athletes off the field and has a different formulation than regular Gatorade. However, I have a hunch that the larger market is couch potatoes and others who don’t exercise much but still think they need a sports drink for some reason. G2 has half the calories of regular Gatorade, so I’m not surprised at all that it tastes like watered-down Gatorade. The fruit punch flavor of the G2 that I tried wasn’t necessarily bad, just very faint. Here's a tip: Take some regular Gatorade and mix it with an equal amount of water. Voilà, you just saved fifty percent. Clark Howard would be proud.
Phoood rating: 
March 10, 2008
Cheez-It Duoz Zesty Queso and Cheddar Blanco
Hi. My name is Jim and I am a Cheez-It-aholic. I’ve had this problem for a long time, and new Cheez-It Duoz has made it even worse. The zesty queso and cheddar blanco crackers in the same box are a delicious combination and I found it hard to put the box down once I started eating them. The zesty queso crackers are very spicy and I’m not sure that I’d want to eat them by themselves. Mixed with the mild flavor of the cheddar blanco crackers, however, they are great. There’s still a lot of spice, so you may want to have your favorite beverage nearby to cool things down. I like all the varieties of Cheez-Its, but Duoz Zesty Queso and Cheddar Blanco have quickly become one of my favorite.
Phoood rating:
March 5, 2008
Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Chocolate
When I saw Dr. Pepper’s latest “Limited Edition” Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry Chocolate soda at the AM/PM store, I couldn’t resist the urge to buy. I have bad memories of Diet Shasta Chocolate Soda (circa 1981); memories so bad, in fact, that I haven’t touched a chocolate flavored beverage in 25 years. I planned on hating it, but I was surprised. The first thing I noticed was the chocolate aroma, which translated to a deep, clean chocolate flavor upon the first pull. The sweetness of the cherry flavor kicked in next as an undertone to cut through the chocolate. There was little diet aftertaste, and the flavor of the soda didn’t change over the course of the 20-ounce bottle that I purchased. In all, I wouldn’t be averse to mixing this drink in to my rotation of beverages for a little variety.
Phoood rating:
March 1, 2008
A&W Float
The idea of a root beer float-flavored soda is a great one. But just how do you create the delicious ice cream and root beer flavors in a way that it can be bottled? Evidently, you can’t. A&W has tried with its new Float drink, but it tastes very little like a real root beer float. The components are all there – the root beer, the vanilla ice cream, the creaminess – but the flavor is overly sweet, heavy on the vanilla, and has an distinctly artificial aftertaste. It’s drinkable, and some may actually like it, but it’s no substitute for an actual root beer float. The shapely bottle would earn the Float extra points if Phoood gave points for packaging, but we don’t. At Phoood, it’s all about the flavor, which is exactly where the Float sinks.
Phoood rating: