September 27, 2012
Triple Double Oreo Neapolitan
The folks at Nabisco have taken the Oreo cookie a long way from its original form – two chocolate cookies with white creme filling between them. Now, there are all kinds of odd bastardizations of the iconic Oreo. One of the newer Oreo products is Triple Double Oreo Neapolitan. They're made with three vanilla cookies with strawberry and chocolate creme between them. On paper, it sounds pretty good: an extra cookie (kind of like the middle bun on a Big Mac…) and two flavors of creme. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work. The extra cookie doesn't improve the Triple Double in any way and in fact makes the entire cookie fall apart while you are eating it. The strawberry and chocolate cremes taste all right by themselves, but they don’t go together as well as I hoped they would. If you really want the taste of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, get yourself a half-gallon of Neapolitan ice cream, grab a spoon, and dig in. I reckon you’ll enjoy it much more than Triple Double Oreo Neapolitan.
Phoood rating: 
September 21, 2012
Popeyes Handcrafted Tenders
Before I recently visited a local Popeyes and had their Handcrafted Tenders for lunch, I had never eaten at Popeyes. Chicken fast food has never been my favorite, and there have never been a lot of Popeyes in the areas of Northern California that I’ve lived. They’re not on every other corner like many other fast food restaurants are. Too bad, because I’ve really been missing out. The Handcrafted Tenders I ate were one of the best fast food items I’d ever eaten. They were better than chicken tenders I’ve had at casual dining restaurants. Let’s start with the most important part – the chicken. It was, cooked perfectly, juicy, and delicious. I’m not a chicken expert, but to me the meat appeared to be high quality. I got the “spicy” version of the tenders. Apparently, the chicken was marinated in spices before being battered and fried. It wasn’t nearly as spicy as I was hoping it would be, but it tasted great nonetheless. I’m not sure what the tenders are breaded with, but they have a very crispy, flaky exterior that I really like. Popeyes obviously knows something about chicken and about making tasty fast food. It’s a shame that there aren’t more Popeyes around because I would sure like to eat there more often. Tip to Popeyes: put “extra spicy” Handcrafted Tenders, with some real heat, on your menu to further differentiate your product from the competition.
Phoood rating: 
September 11, 2012
Lay's Classic BLT Flavored Potato Chips
Ever since the creation of the potato chip, there's been quite a few... unique flavors cooked up that many people aren't aware of. A few examples are cheeseburger, kimchi, and even "Australian BBQ Kangaroo" (seriously). The list goes on and on, but I'm the type of person who prefers simplicity when it comes to food. Even still, I couldn't help but be curious as to whether or not Lay's Classic BLT potato chips would actually taste like the popular sandwich. As soon as I ripped the bag open, I caught a whiff of vinegar and bacon. Upon eating the first few chips, I noticed a hint of toasted bread as well as the tartness of mayonnaise, surprisingly. The smoky presence of bacon was there— albeit rather mildly. This may be hard to believe, but I did notice the taste of lettuce here and there. Sadly the chips didn't do a very good job in exuding a tomato flavor. Of course, the texture of bacon and the coolness of the vegetables could not be replicated but I believe this is as close as it can get. The chips surpassed my expectations and resulted in my taste buds almost being fooled into thinking that I had just finished eating a BLT. Perhaps now I will be more open to sampling other strange varieties of potato chips; although I will most likely pass on haggis.
Phoood rating: 
September 8, 2012
Carl’s Jr. Memphis BBQ Burger
Pork on a hamburger isn’t uncommon; you can get bacon on your hamburger just about anywhere. But pulled pork on a hamburger? That’s something I had not seen before I bought a Memphis BBQ Burger at Carl’s Jr. recently. Yes, they have combined BBQ pulled pork with a hamburger to create something pretty unique. Within the buns are (from bottom to top) BBQ pulled pork, your typical Carl’s Jr. charbroiled patty (available in a single, double, or Six Dollar Burger), American cheese, crispy onion strings, and Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. Despite being made with two very different types of meat, the burger works. The tender pulled pork is a nice contrast to the firm hamburger patty. The crispy onion strings give the burger some interesting crispness and a hint of onion flavor. All of the flavors and textures combine to make a tasty burger. Only two things keep the burger from earning Phoood’s highest rating. First, there is not enough pulled pork. The photo accompanying this post suggests the burger has almost as much pulled pork as hamburger patty. This was definitely not the case with the burger I purchased. Secondly, there was not enough BBQ sauce in the pulled pork or on top of the onion strings/cheese. The BBQ flavor was there, but it was not pronounced enough to make me think that I was eating a burger inspired by Memphis-style BBQ. Despite these issues, I recommend that you give the Memphis BBQ burger a try.
Phoood rating:
September 5, 2012
Hershey's Air Delight Chocolate Bar
After briefly seeing a commercial for these a while back, I was only marginally interested in trying out an Air Delight. It seemed like a pretty clever way to pack less chocolate into a Hershey's bar. I did some research and found that aerated chocolate bars are actually quite popular in other parts of the world. I figured that at least the texture might be interesting, so I decided to give it a shot. First of all, there's absolutely nothing new here when it comes to taste. Air Delights are exactly like their standard counterpart in this regard. When it came to texture however, it felt as though the inside of the chocolate bar had been hollowed out. The honeycomb-like aerated portions were so vaporous that it melted on my tongue almost instantly. This resulted in me not being able to savor the taste of chocolate for very long and my mind being tricked into consuming less than what was expected. Perhaps another sufficient way for me to describe this is that it's like taking in a quick gasp of air before biting down on a piece of chocolate, then swallowing both the air and chocolate at the same time. The satisfaction of chewing into a substantial chunk of candy is all but gone. I think it's clear that I'm not a fan of this new product, as I was left feeling a little cheated. After all, why would I pay for more air and less chocolate?
Phoood rating: 