March 26, 2012

Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cereal - Roasted Nut & Honey

crunchynut-rnh.jpgKellogg’s Crunchy Nut Roasted Nut & Honey cereal is a sister product to Crunchy Nut Golden Honey Nut. I really like Golden Honey Nut (read my review here), but I can’t say the same about Roasted Nut & Honey. I thought that it would taste somewhat similar to Golden Honey Nut. Instead, it couldn’t be more different. The flavor of Roasted Nut & Honey is best described as boring and uninspired. Although it contains a good amount of sugar, it doesn’t have much sweetness. And, you can forget about tasting any of the roasted peanuts that top the corn and oat O-shaped cereal. Don’t be fooled by the picture on the front of the box - the peanut pieces are much, much smaller than depicted, and there’s far less of them too. Overall, Crunchy Nut Roasted Nut & Honey is a disappointing cereal that I can’t recommend buying. There’s just too many other good cereals out there that you would enjoy more.

Phoood rating: Don't Waste Your Money

Posted by Jim | Comments (0)

March 24, 2012

Pepsi NEXT

pepsinext.jpgPepsi’s newest soft drink, Pepsi NEXT, aims to taste as good as regular, high fructose corn syrup-laden Pepsi. Pepsi NEXT also has high fructose corn syrup in it, but 60 percent less. It also uses aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace K), and sucralose for sweetness. The result is a great tasting soft drink that has less than half the calories of Pepsi. I was really surprised at how similar Pepsi NEXT tastes to Pepsi. Only by drinking them side-by-side, concentrating intensely, was I able to discern the differences. Pepsi NEXT has a bit more carbonation than Pepsi and a slightly more pronounced sweetness. Pepsi NEXT also has a tiny, barely perceptible amount of that “artificial” aftertaste that is common in diet soft drinks. But, it was so small that I don’t think people will notice it, unless perhaps they have a Pepsi on hand to compare it to. It’s certainly not enough to distract from the otherwise pleasant taste. Pepsi NEXT is a soft drink that people who hate the taste of diet soft drinks will be able to enjoy. If you like the taste of Pepsi, I think you will also like the taste of Pepsi NEXT. And, you’ll be cutting the calories by more than half by drinking Pepsi NEXT. It really is the best of both worlds.

Phoood rating: Good.gif

Posted by Jim | Comments (0)

March 19, 2012

Carl's Jr. Southwest Patty Melt

Optimized-carls-jr-southwest-patty-melt.jpgHaving lived in Alaska pretty much my whole life, I can't say I've had a whole lot of exposure to the Southwest. That being said, I do know that I was looking forward to trying this today. After all, how could you go wrong with meat, cheese, jalapeños, and onions sandwiched between two pieces of sourdough bread? Luckily, the Southwest Patty Melt was just as good as advertised. The jalapeños added a warm and spicy kick to the overall package, while the cheese sealed it all together with its creamy texture. The grilled onions were also a nice addition, but unfortunately the Santa Fe sauce didn't quite come through. I probably wouldn't have even noticed if the sauce had been omitted. When you look at it as a whole, the Southwest Patty Melt successfully manages to bring some heat to Carl's Jr.'s already impressive lineup of fast food.

Phoood rating: Good.gif

Posted by Jin | Comments (1)

March 12, 2012

Taco Bell Doritos Locos Tacos

tbdoritostaco.jpgThe new Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell aren’t revolutionary, but they certainly are a bold attempt to breathe new life into the humble taco. The idea of using a taco shell made of Nacho Cheese Doritos is ingenious. And, it works pretty well. With each bite of taco, you get that great Nacho Cheese Doritos flavor. It’s an improvement over the flavor of a regular taco shell. You also get some of that familiar Doritos “cheese dust” on your fingers. It would be nice if the cheese dust was only on the inside of shell so your fingers stayed clean while eating the taco, but the folks at Taco Bell probably considered this and felt it was best to have the dust on the outside too. So, you may have to lick your fingers or wipe them on your pants more than you would otherwise. It’s a small price to pay for the flavor improvement. If you don’t like the flavor of Nacho Cheese Doritos (I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t, but they’re probably out there…), you can still get yourself a taco made with one of those old-fashioned, passé, regular taco shells. Go ahead and stay stuck in the past, you fast food dinosaurs. I’m embracing the future and will be ordering Doritos Locos Tacos exclusively from now on.

Phoood rating: Good.gif

Posted by Jim | Comments (3)