McDonald's S'mores Pie

The word "s'more" may evoke various images in a person's mind. Roasting marshmallows over a roaring campfire. Breaking apart honey-scented graham crackers into perfect squares. Watching chocolate melt as you admire your carefully-constructed creation before sinking your teeth into bliss. Fast food giant McDonald's seeks to sell their own variation of the renowned dessert in the form of a baked pie. A couple of months ago, I reviewed the Strawberry & Crème pie and appreciated it as a delightful alternative to the traditional baked apple pie McDonald's is known for. However, I came away from the S'mores Pie feeling unimpressed. The crust was still great- flaky and not too sweet- but it didn't exude much of a graham cracker vibe to me. The almost jelly-like consistency of the chocolate and marshmallow fillings was a bit of a turnoff and the flavors weren't very strong at all. I was expecting both fillings to be much richer and not so bland. I doubt I'd ever be willing to try this again, especially considering how simple it is to make authentic s'mores. The pies may be dirt cheap, but I'd say it's worth spending the few extra bucks to experience the real thing.

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Popeyes Zatarain's Butterfly Shrimp

To be honest, I don't think I go to Popeyes as often as I should. Having been there a couple times, I'm a firm believer that their fried chicken blows the competition out of the water. The sides there are fantastic as well. An item that has recently popped up on their menu is actually a collaboration with Zatarain's, a food and spice company based in New Orleans. As you could probably imagine, the seasoning on the shrimp was quite spectacular. As I looked inside the breading after my first bite, I saw succulent and fleshy little bits of meat. Unfortunately, because the spices were so bold on the exterior and the coating was so thick and dense, the flavor and texture of shrimp got lost on me. The lemon garlic sauce didn't do a thing to help bring out the shrimpiness, but still packed a punch with its acidic tang. One last thing about the breading is that it was so good that I made a spontaneous decision to eat the shrimp tails as well. Although I longed for a bit more coming from the actual shrimp themselves, I would definitely be willing to try these again. Take it from the guy who was willing to go so far as to eat the tails.

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Burger King Bacon Sundae

Bacon has become all the rage in recent years and is showing up in places you would never expect to find it, like bacon olive oil, bacon soda, bacon vodka, bacon jam, bacon floss, and bacon toothpaste. Burger King is the latest fast food company to come to the bacon party with their new, limited-time only Bacon Sundae. It’s made with vanilla soft serve, chocolate fudge sauce, caramel sauce, bacon pieces, and a slice of bacon. I was surprised by the quality of the vanilla soft serve. I guess I was expecting it to be like the soft serve you get at McDonald’s (in their sundaes and McFlurries). But, it was much smoother and creamier, like what you find at Dairy Queen. The bacon had a nice flavor and was very crispy – a nice contrast to the soft ice cream. As strange as it may seem to some, bacon really is a great accompaniment to ice cream, chocolate, and caramel. Trust me. Unless you just don’t like bacon, it would be hard not to enjoy the sweet and salty flavor combination of the Bacon Sundae. Too bad it’s only a limited time item. It really deserves to be on the menu permanently, or at least until the bacon fad fades away.

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Blue Bunny Chocolate Lovers Triple Chocolate Cake Ice Cream

With a name as long as Blue Bunny Chocolate Lovers Triple Chocolate Cake Premium Ice Cream, it’s got to be good, right? Actually, it’s not just good, it’s very good. BBCLTCCIC is delicious chocolate ice cream with pieces of fudgy chocolate cake pieces and ribbons of chocolate frosting. To say the ice cream is chocolatey is a huge understatement. It’s chocolate bliss. It has a premium flavor and texture because it's real ice cream, not "frozen dairy dessert." If you really want to send yourself into chocolate overload, just put some chocolate syrup on top. I did this and was in chocolate heaven. As much as I love the ice cream, I like the container that it comes in just a much. It’s an oval-shaped plastic container with an easy-to-open lid that snaps on and off and should keep the ice cream extra fresh in the freezer. I’ve never seen anything like it and commend Blue Bunny for putting some thought into the container for their wonderful ice cream.

In case you are wondering, that's pastry chef and television personality (Ace of Cakes) Duff Goldman's face on the label. Good job, Duff!

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Goo Goo Cluster

My brother, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, visited me in California recently and brought me a couple Goo Goo Clusters. I had never heard of them before, but the candy has a long history and are pretty well known in the South. A Goo Goo Cluster is a mound of marshmallow nougat, caramel, and peanuts, all covered with milk chocolate. As you might expect, it’s a delicious combination. I like how the caramel easily melts in your mouth and the generous amount of peanuts in each cluster. This is definitely a candy bar, uh, cluster that I can recommend. The only real issue is whether you’ll be able to easily find Goo Goo Clusters where you live. In some areas, you may not find them in supermarkets, but at places like Tractor Supply Company. Check their web site for the retailer near you or just order a case or two directly from the company and have them shipped to your doorstep.

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