Phoood Hall of Fame: McDonald's Chicken McNuggets

I can hear it now: “McNuggets? You’ve got to be kidding. Only kids eat them.” Well, maybe we can learn something from kids. The much-maligned McNugget is viewed as a joke by many people, not “real” food and certainly not something that a sophisticated adult would eat. Perhaps a sophisticated adult wouldn’t eat them, but then, I’m not very sophisticated. I just like my fast food to be tasty, deep fried, and easy to dip into a little tub of sauce. The McNugget meets all these criteria. Another great thing about McNuggets is that you can order them in various quantities, depending on your appetite. The 10-piece McNugget pack, fries, and a soft drink make a nice meal for me. McDonalds sometimes offers a 20-pack, which is probably more McNuggets than any one person should eat but is sure hard resist for this McNugget fan. It’s time the McNugget received the recognition it deserves, which is why it is being inducted into the prestigious Phoood Hall of Fame.

Doritos Stadium Nacho

This is not so much a review as it is an appeal for people to go out and start enjoying the new Doritos Stadium Nacho chips, inspired by Madden NFL 11 from EA Sports. The name, at least the stadium nacho part, is a perfect description of what to expect in this chip. This tastes exactly like nachos you find at most major sporting events, except . . . better. About a year ago, I reviewed another Doritos product that was subtitled Last Call Jalapeno Popper from their Late Night line, and concluded that the chips tasted like stadium nachos. After trying the new Doritos Stadium Nacho, and comparing it to those chips, it appears that the folks down at Doritos have now found the formula that goes beyond perfecting the stadium nacho in a seasoned chip. After trying both chips, I realized the slight difference and ultimately the major success in this new chip. The Late Night Last Call Jalapeno Popper, surprisingly enough, had a bit of a more jalapeno taste, which took away from the aftertaste in my opinion. The new Stadium Nacho chips don’t have as much of a kick, resulting in an aftertaste that leaves you begging for more. I’m a bigger fan of sweet snacks than salty snacks, and this chip accomplished something only one other salty snack has ever accomplished with me. Only Munchies Cheese Fix and the new Doritos Stadium Nacho inspired by Madden NFL 11 have made me finish an entire bag in one day, because they were just too tasty to save. I hope everyone goes out and gives this limited-time product a shot, encouraging Doritos to turn it into one of their staple products for years to come.

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Taco Bell Chicken Flatbread Sandwich

When I first saw commercials for the new Chicken Flatbread Sandwich, I was interested as to what it would taste like. I guess the flatbread emphasis tricked me into thinking it was something unusual, but when it comes down to the actual ingredients and preparation, it is basically a chicken quesadilla. The item consists of the typical Taco Bell three-cheese-blend, pieces of grilled chicken, a chipotle-cheese-like sauce, all contained within a piece of square-cut flatbread. The chicken tastes lean, the cheese full of flavor, and the flatbread warm and soft, while the chipotle sauce brings a little something extra while pulling it all together. At the end of the day, I would describe this as a flatbread chicken quesadilla with a little Spanish flavor added through the chipotle sauce. It isn’t the most filling item on the menu - after all, it is essentially a mini quesadilla - but this is one item you should definitely think about ordering, especially considering it is on the value menu.

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Jack in the Box Pastrami Grilled Sandwich

I went to Jack in the Box recently for lunch and wanted to try the Pretzel Burger, which I had seen TV commercials for. But, I couldn’t find it on the menu.

“Do you still have the Pretzel Burger?” I asked the lady behind the counter.

“Yes, we serve breakfast all day” she said, pointing to the breakfast menu on the wall.

I had a feeling that trying to order a Pretzel Burger was going to be more difficult than I anticipated, so I ordered a Pastrami Grilled Sandwich instead. I think this is a new (probably temporary) item on the menu, as I don’t remember seeing it before. The sandwich is pretty straight forward – hot pastrami, cheese, mustard, and pickle slices between grilled bread. The pastrami tasted pretty good, but it definitely isn’t Carnegie Deli quality. It reminded me of the pastrami that Carl’s Jr. has used on their hamburgers in that past. The sandwich would have been better if it had more pastrami in it, but in all fairness, it had just as much as in the menu photo. The bread was my least favorite part of the sandwich. Jack in the Box refers to it as “Artisan” bread, but I’m not sure what’s artisan about it. It was pretty typical fast-food type bread to me. All in all, the sandwich wasn’t bad but I can’t get excited about it like most other Jack in the Box offerings.

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Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Snaps

Ginger snaps are not my favorite type of cookie, but I’ll eat them in a pinch. Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Snaps, however, are not your typical ginger snap cookie. They are made with fresh, crystallized, and ground ginger, which gives them a fantastic flavor. You’d think that with three types of ginger, the cookies would be over-the-top gingery. Fortunately, that’s not the case at all. They have a very pleasant ginger flavor that isn’t overpowering. The flavor gets even better when you bite into a piece of the fresh ginger. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a Trader Joe’s product that I didn’t really like, and Triple Ginger Snaps are no exception. They are a delicious treat that I strongly recommend.

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