May 30, 2012
Taco Bell Beefy Nacho Burrito
Ever since Taco Bell decided to snatch away the Beefy Crunch Burrito from their menu, a huge void has been left deep within my soul. Apparently the fast food company sought to ease the pain a little by recently introducing the Beefy Nacho Burrito. Was it going to be as good as its predecessor? To be honest my expectations were quite low. However, I was pleasantly surprised as soon as I sunk my teeth in for the first bite. The tortilla strips actually had some crunch to them and there was a substantial amount of nacho cheese. The ground beef was rich and seasoned just right, while the sour cream added a nice hint of tanginess. It was almost as if I was eating a plate of nachos, both taste and texture-wise. If you've had the Beefy Crunch Burrito before, you ought to know exactly what to expect. Although Taco Bell is obviously retreading old ground here, this will be just enough to tide me over until they pry it from my hands at the end of this limited time promotion. Now if only this or its older brother could stay on the menu for good...
Phoood rating: 
May 28, 2012
Red Baron Thick Pan Pepperoni Pizza
I generally like Red Baron frozen pizzas. They may not be the best frozen pizzas you can buy, but they’re not the worst either. And, they are a pretty good value (especially when they are on sale). I picked up a Red Baron Thick Pan Pepperoni Pizza on sale recently, which I had never eaten before. It’s a single-serving, pan-style pizza that you can cook in a microwave oven or a regular oven. I cooked mine in a regular oven because I wasn’t in a hurry and I wanted the crust to be crispy. When Red Baron says “thick,” they really mean it. The crust was probably the thickest, puffiest crust I’ve ever seen on any pizza, frozen or otherwise. The crust had a decent flavor, but I couldn’t get past how puffy it was - it was mostly air. I need a more substantial crust. Even with a below-average crust, the pizza may have been acceptable if the topping were good. Instead, the pizza had a very thin layer of flavorless sauce and cheese and was topped with too few forgettable slices of pepperoni. There’s much better frozen pizza available and even considering its price, I can’t recommend Red Baron Thick Pan Pepperoni Pizza.
Phoood rating: 
May 26, 2012
Doritos Toasted Corn
Doritos is best known for their flavored tortilla chips. You will find numerous varieties taking up a large section of almost any supermarket. But, one of their best flavors - if not the best - is Toasted Corn. No, they aren’t covered in fiery sweet spicy chili nacho cheese taco powder. The ingredients are only corn, vegetable oil, and salt. So, all you get is pure, unadulterated corn flavor. And what a great flavor it is! Better than any other corn tortilla chip, in my opinion. They also have perhaps the perfect crispyness/ crunchiness quotient, the one that other tortilla chips strive for. You may have to look carefully on your supermarket shelves to find Doritos Toasted Corn. They may not be in a prominent location and there may not be many facings of them. You may have overlooked them in the past, but I urge you to buy a bag and taste for yourself. I’m certain that you will enjoy them as much as I do.
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May 23, 2012
Dairy Queen Confetti Cake Blizzard Treat
Ever wonder what confetti cake would taste like if it were mixed with vanilla ice cream? Those looking for an answer can turn to Dairy Queen's "Blizzard of the Month" for May. Seeing as how we're coming up on June, I was fortunately able to try this out before it expired. So, how was it? Well, the vanilla soft serve ice cream was your typical DQ fare- cool and creamy. But of course the main attractions here were the confetti cake pieces and confetti frosting. I'm not sure how much frosting went into my Blizzard, but I only got hints of sugary goodness strewn throughout the dessert. There were plenty of crunchy candy sprinkles to enjoy, but as for the actual cake pieces, well... I noticed something was off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, but I eventually realized that they were simply dry and devoid of any moistness. It basically felt like eating a cake that's been sitting out at room temperature for a few days. Due to the withered texture, I found the rest of the Blizzard difficult to enjoy. It wasn't horrible, but I feel as though this could've been a lot better. It's hard to recommend this to anybody who's looking for a top notch dessert.
Phoood rating: 
May 15, 2012
Screaming Yellow Zonkers
I haven’t seen Screaming Yellow Zonkers on the shelves for a while. That’s because, if the Wikipedia page is correct, they were discontinued in 2007. However, the tasty popcorn treat has recently returned. If you’ve never enjoyed Screaming Yellow Zonkers, or if you’ve forgotten what it taste like, let me refresh your memory: it’s popcorn covered with a sweet butter glaze. SYZ is made with real butter, not some nasty-tasting artificial butter flavor. So, the butter flavor is legit. The butter flavor is balanced with a nice sweetness that should appeal to both sugar-craving youngsters and those who are more mature. It’s a delicious and unique flavor. I’ve been told that Screaming Yellow Zonkers are only available at Walgreens, and only for a limited time. So, get a few boxes while you can.
Phoood rating:
May 10, 2012
Quiznos Prime Rib Philly
To my amazement, Quiznos has recently put out over 25 (!) new menu items. In addition to wraps and flatbread sandwiches, one new item that caught my eye was the Prime Rib Philly, which I assumed was their take on the classic Philly Cheesesteak. Indeed it was, as this sub was filled with mushrooms, onions, green bell peppers, and of course thinly-sliced prime rib. I've had some pretty good cheesesteaks in the past, so my expectations were somewhat high- especially with the price I had to pay for a large size. The onions and green peppers were crisp and fresh, especially compared to that of the other fast food sub chain. The meat was extremely soft and of high quality. The "Philly Cheese Sauce" had a mayo-like texture and tasted like very sharp provolone. After a while, however, I realized that the sauce was a bit too overwhelming and nearly drowned out every other aspect of the sandwich. Aside from that though, Quiznos shows once again that you can find good quality food in a fast food environment. Just be prepared to dish out a few extra dollars in return.
Phoood rating: 
May 3, 2012
Arby's Orange Cream Shake
Arby's latest limited time offering is the Orange Cream Shake, which honestly made my mouth water just by looking at it. I was expecting this to essentially taste like an orange Creamsicle in shake form, and that's exactly what I got. The viscosity of the shake was perfect- not too runny and not too thick. There was nearly a perfect balance between vanilla and orange flavors. Whilst consuming the shake, it was hard to find any negative points to it. And to top it all off, it was reasonably priced. There's not much more to say other than the fact that I was surprised to find a shake of such high quality coming from a place known for its roast beef sandwiches. If you ever find yourself at an Arby's, do yourself a favor and give this a try. I can almost guarantee that your taste buds will be dancing with delight.
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May 2, 2012
Doritos Jacked Enchilada Supreme
With Doritos Jacked Enchilada Supreme, the fine folks at Doritos try to improve on the well-known Doritos tortilla chip in two ways: by making it thicker and by making it larger. The thicker chip works well, but they should not have made the chip larger. By my very hasty and possibly inaccurate measurements, Doritos Jacked are about fifty percent larger than the Doritos I have eaten forever. They are just big enough that I can’t fit a chip into my mouth in one piece. Eating regular-sized Doritos is easy – I just pop a chip into my mouth and chew. With the larger Doritos Jacked, I can’t do this. I have to bite the chip first. You wouldn’t think this would be such a big deal, but it is. It creates crumbs and pieces of chips on my shirt and on the floor. I just don’t need the mess. As for their taste, Doritos Jacked Enchilada Supreme have a good flavor that is consistent with their name and have a pretty good amount of heat. All in all, it would be a good chip if not for their unfortunate size. For this reason, I can’t recommend them.
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