Doritos Fiery Fusion Sizzlin’ Cayenne & Cheese

When I sat down to write this review, I realized how many times a review has been posted on Phoood for some variety of Doritos chips. It’s because Frito-Lay, rather then just be satisfied with the success that the Doritos’ brand has had, is continuously introducing new flavors. To be honest, I haven’t always loved the flavors they have come up with. But Fiery Fusion Sizzlin’ Cayenne & Cheese (what a long name...) is one of their best. The chips combine the flavors of cayenne, jalapeno, and cheese in a way that is nicely balanced. You can taste each flavor separately, and none overpowers the other. I don’t usually like things that are jalapeno flavored, but these chips are rare exception. Those of you that like it hot will enjoy the lingering heat of the cayenne that stays on your tongue and in the back of your throat long after you are done eating the chips. It’s a reminder that these aren’t just any ordinary tortilla chips. Frito-Lay is to be commended for continuing to offer bold, interesting flavors such as Fiery Fusion Sizzlin’ Cayenne & Cheese.

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Breyer’s Blasts! Whoppers Malted Vanilla

These days, almost all the ice cream that I eat has stuff in it: cookie pieces, candy pieces, nuts, caramel, chocolate chips, etc. I just find ice cream with “stuff” in it much more enjoyable than plain ice cream. Breyer’s has a line of ice cream called Blasts!, one of which is Whoppers Malted Vanilla. It’s malted vanilla ice cream with Whoppers mini malted milk balls and fudge swirl. Okay, technically it’s not ice cream. It’s “frozen dairy desert,” which, from what I’ve read, means that it has less fat than ice cream. In the end, I don’t really care whether or not it can legally be called ice cream, as long as it tastes good. The malted vanilla “frozen diary desert” has a great flavor and the frozen mini Whoppers add a pleasing texture. I thought that the combination of malted vanilla and chocolate-covered malt balls might be to much “malt,” but the two flavors really go well together. There’s also some fudge swirl in there, but not much of it. Breyer’s should either increase the amount of fudge to a respectable amount or leave it out altogether. Ice cream lovers - or frozen dairy desert lovers - should try Whoppers Malted Vanilla for it’s unique, interesting flavor.

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Taco Bell Bacon Ranch Chicken Flatbread Sandwich

Recently, Taco Bell decided to bring back their Chicken Flatbread Sandwich along with a new Bacon Ranch variety. I had the opportunity to try the original Chicken Flatbread when it was first introduced, but I can't remember whether I liked it or not. That being the case, I decided to try out the Bacon Ranch sandwich the other day. At 99 cents, the obvious selling point is how cheap the sandwich is. However, upon first seeing it I have to admit I wasn't impressed at all. First of all, it looked comparable to something you microwave at home (just do a Google image search to see what I mean). The flatbread was sweaty and moist, and in no way did it resemble the advertisements for it. The pieces of chicken were not evenly spread out and overall the whole thing just looked like a mess. When it came to taste, I guess it wasn't horrible but at the same time I wasn't feeling any less hungry than I did before and I couldn't make out any sort of bacon flavor in the sauce. There's plenty of other cheap items at Taco Bell, so I suggest you invest your money towards something a bit more filling and memorable.

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Cheez-It Baby Swiss

Now you're probably thinking the same thing I was when I passed by Cheez-It Baby Swiss in the supermarket for the first time.

Baby Swiss?

This immediately piqued my interest and so after a quick internet search I soon realized that Baby Swiss was actually a real thing, characterized by its mild taste and smaller "eyes" (holes in the cheese). I guess that's appropriate for Cheez-Its, as they too have a signature hole in the center of their crackers. Anyway, immediately after digging into the box my first impression was that it tasted too similar to the regular Cheez-It crackers. It was only after a couple dozen more that I was able to recognize some subtle differences. It's not as sharp as the regular Cheez-Its, and it has a sweeter aftertaste. These differences weren't very noticeable though, as I had a hard time trying to find something unique to the crackers. Maybe it's due to my lack of experience with Baby Swiss cheese, but I had hoped for a little more "oomph" coming from flavor department. Either way, I always find it difficult to put down a box of Cheez-Its, so I suggest you try it at least once to determine whether or not you like it.

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Burger King California Whopper

I've had burgers in many different variations for as long as I can remember. Burger King's new California Whopper which comes with guacamole, Swiss cheese, and bacon, did not come across to me as anything fresh or original. Since I'm accustomed to seeing these ingredients put into a burger, I knew that this Whopper had a lot to live up to. Let's start with the bacon: it was crisp, peppery, and very satisfying overall. When it came to the Swiss cheese... well to be honest, I actually forgot that it was even there. I guess that shows how much it contributed to the burger.

Now let's talk guac. I'm a huge fan of it in general, and I have to say that the guacamole in this Whopper was pretty decent. It didn't carry too much of an avocado flavor, but it had somewhat of a spicy kick to it and it was nice and cool temperature-wise. It was smooth and had a good contrast with the hamburger meat and bacon. The final verdict? Well, the flavors were good and it had some variety in texture (something not too common in fast food), so I wouldn't mind ordering another one in the future. However, I can get something similar to this at any other burger joint, so let's just stick with calling it "Good."

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