Pepsi Throwback is Pepsi cola sweetened with real sugar, the way it used to be before the switch to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was made. Most soft drink makers currently use HFCS and it is very controversial because of claimed health risks. Despite the possible health risks of HFCS, I wanted to know if Pepsi made with real sugar tasted any different than Pepsi made with HFCS (let’s call it “regular Pepsi”). So, I did a blind taste test of the two. Pepsi Throwback seemed to have slightly less carbonation than regular Pepsi. I don’t know if it really did or this was just an effect of the sweetener used, but I liked it. Because of the reduced carbonation, I thought that Pepsi Throwback was easier to drink and more of the cola flavor came through. The sweetness of Pepsi Throwback was smooth and tasted more natural. Regular Pepsi, on the other hand, seemed to have more carbonation and had a sweetness that was more pronounced than Pepsi Throwback. The differences between the two sodas were pretty subtle, much more so than I expected. So, which one did I prefer? Even though the taste of regular Pepsi was more familiar to me, I preferred Pepsi Throwback because of the slightly more pronounced cola flavor and a more pleasant sweetness. Pepsi Throwback is only supposed to be available for a limited time, so get one while you can.
Winner: Pepsi Throwback
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I had such high hopes for this burrito. Taco Bell had been so successful in the past with incorporating a "hidden" layer of cheese in their products (the Cheesy Gordita Crunch is an all-time fave), but this was a real let down. I should have known from the ingredients listed that the burrito would be a disappointment: beans, beef, cheese, sour cream, and nacho cheese. There was nothing to give this burrito any kick or distinct flavor, instead the nacho cheese and sour cream combined to form an overpowering yet somehow bland mush that would be better suited at a senior center. At the excellent 89 cent price point, it's a shame this couldn't be a winner, as the burrito is quite substantial and would have been a valuable component in my under five dollar Taco Bell meals.
Domino’s Pizza recently made some changes to their pizza in an effort to improve it. They call it a “pizza turnaround,” pretty much admitting that their pizza wasn’t any good before. Although they have been the butt of pizza jokes for many years, I’ve never had a problem with Domino’s Pizza. No, it wasn’t the best pizza out there, but it tasted okay and was inexpensive. To find out how their new pizza tasted, I placed an order through their web site (I absolutely love ordering pizza online!) and got a large Hand Tossed pepperoni pizza for only $5.99 carryout. I could definitely taste the difference between it and their old pizza, but I’m not ready to say that Domino’s now makes a great pizza. The biggest improvement that I tasted was in the new garlic-seasoned crust. It has a lot of flavor, but was a bit too salty. And the texture of the crust, while perhaps better than the old version, still is not that of a high-quality pizza. There was hardly any sauce on my pizza, so it was difficult to tell if it had “a melody of herbs and a red pepper kick” as claimed. The cheese tasted good, but the pepperoni slices were paper thin, making them almost flavorless. With pizza, like many other things, you get what you pay for. With few exceptions, an inexpensive pizza just isn’t going to taste as good as a more expensive one. Domino’s doesn’t make the best pizza out there, but I would buy one again because it’s an okay pizza for the money.
I love preparing food that is quick and easy. Who wants to spend more time making something than it takes to eat it? And while it’s not hard to make pancake or waffle batter, you have to clean the bowl, clean the measuring cup, clean the mixing spoon, etc. Batter Blaster is the epitome of simple. Just hold the bottle over the griddle (or waffle iron), press the nozzle, and start cooking. It took a couple of tries for me to figure out how to make a nicely round pancake. In my case, the secret was to dispense the batter with a swirling motion. The pancakes only took a couple minutes to cook. They turned out to be on the thin side, whereas I usually prefer a thicker, fluffier pancake. But the flavor was very good. I could tell that Batter Blaster is made with quality ingredients, because the pancakes had a great flavor and a subtle sweetness. I was really hard to believe that I was eating pancakes that came from a pressurized can! If you’re the health-conscious type (but then again, why would you be reading this blog?), you’ll be glad to know that Batter Blaster is certified organic. Batter Blaster pancakes are so quick, easy, and tasty that I don’t know if I’ll ever bother using Bisquick again.
One of the quickest meals you can eat is to dump a can of Chef Boyardee in a bowl, microwave for a minute, and eat. If you’re in a hurry or are just lazy, you can eat it cold out of the can. Too sophisticated to eat straight out of the can? Not me. Anyway, I spotted Chef Boyardee Cheesy Burger Macaroni on the grocery store shelf recently and picked up a can on sale for a buck. I figured that it would make a good, quick, and inexpensive lunch. I think they were going for the flavor of a cheeseburger here, but it really falls short. There’s hardly any meat in it, and not much cheese flavor. The sauce tasted really familiar – similar to SpaghettiOs (oh yeah, another of my favorites). And the macaroni was, um … well, how good can canned, inexpensive, mass-produced macaroni be? For a buck, I wasn’t too disappointed but I’m not sure if I’ll buy it again. Overall, Cheesy Burger Macaroni tastes okay, but just don’t think that it’s going to be like eating a cheeseburger.
What sets Mountain Dew Throwback apart from regular Mountain Dew is that it is not made with high-fructose corn syrup, which is prevalent in soft drinks today. Some say that soft drinks made with real sugar taste better than those made with HFCS. I’m not here to debate that issue, just to tell you that Mountain Dew Throwback tastes mighty good. It’s just like I remember it tasting as a kid, drinking it out of a pull-top can or a glass bottle. Of course, the classic Mountain Dew flavor is there. And so is the smooth, pleasant taste of real sugar. The soda is not overly sweet like some soft drinks are. Honestly, I was surprised at the moderate sweetness that it has. That, combined with a low amount of carbonation, made it very easy to drink. I drank the soda on a cold and rainy day, but it would have been perfect for a swelteringly hot July afternoon in Sacramento. A liter or two of Mountain Dew Throwback on a day like that would go down oh so smoothly.
You’ve never heard of Bays English Muffins? I’m not surprised, as they are found in the refrigerated dairy section of the grocery store rather than the bread aisle with all the other English muffins. They are very easy to overlook. I’ve always figured that they are sold in the refrigerated section because they are special in some way and different than their competition. I read all about Bays and their English muffins on their web site, but I’m still not exactly sure why they are sold in the refrigerated section. However, I did learn that Bays English Muffins have a long history and were used by McDonalds for the original Egg McMuffin in the early 1970s. Bays should be commended for making English muffins since 1933, and I really wish I could recommend their muffins over their competitors. But, I can’t. The truth is that the Bays muffins that I ate recently tasted pretty much like other English muffins I’ve had. They had the “nooks and crannies,” crispy texture, and flavor that you expect from an English muffin. They were very tasty, like English muffins are, but they didn’t stand out in any way. I was kind of disappointed, not because they didn’t taste good, but because they tasted so ordinary. I didn’t have any other English muffins to compare the Bays to, and maybe I should have. I’ll consider having a Phoood Fight between Bays and Thomas’ English muffins in the future. But for now, Bays English Muffins are deserving of a Good rating.
Mountain Dew is a brand that is constantly trying to find the next big hit. They bring in new flavors what seems like every time I head to the store, with the hopes of finding one that grabs the market. I like the fact that they continually try to diversify and better their product line, but at times I think it can be a little excessive. The drawback to this business strategy is that some people might ignore the new flavors as simply a marketing strategy of “new is cool” and not as a serviceable soft drink desired for its flavor. That is one reason why I chose to review Mountain Dew Game Fuel. Someone needs to do this drink justice and separate it from the herd of other Mountain Dew novelty flavors, because this drink is simply delicious. This drink is similar to Mountain Dew Code Red (another new flavor favorite), but at the same time so different. They have the similar sweet-as-its-color cherry flavor, except Game Fuel’s is a touch sweeter and has a bit more of a fruity essence (it’s described on the can as a “blast of citrus cherry flavor”). Game Fuel seems to be smoother to drink, reminding me slightly of the drinkability of a juice. That may be because it has less carbonation--at least, that is what it tastes like. I don’t know how long Mountain Dew is going to keep Game Fuel on the market, but if you are a fan of fruit-based sodas or Gatorade, you need to try this for yourself. The only way this item should stay out of your refrigerator is if you don’t drink non-diet sodas or have an extreme taste aversion to either the original Mountain Dew or Mountain Dew Code Red products. If that is the case, I feel sorry for your taste buds, bud.
An easy (lazy) way to expand a product line is to make a new product that is either smaller or larger than the original. For example, Mini Oreos or Big Cheez-Its. Cheetos has taken this approach with new Giant Cheetos. They’re pretty big all right – about the size of a marshmallow. If your mouth is as big as mine, you can pop the whole thing in your mouth and get a mouthful of cheesy crunchiness. I advise against doing this, however, as it’s a lot of Cheeto to chew and your jaw may get sore. No kidding. My jaw ached after eating just a few of them this way. They are a lot more manageable when bitten in half, but still require a lot of chewing. So, the downside of Giant Cheetos is that you may develop temporomandibular joint disorder. The upside is that you get a lot of great Cheetos flavor quickly. If you love Cheetos as much as I do, I recommend that you try Giant Cheetos and decide for yourself if the great flavor is worth the effort it takes to eat them.
I’m a creature of habit. I packed the exact same lunch to take to work every day for about three years straight. I’ve also ordered the same thing every time I ate at On The Border for at least the last five years, a Shredded Beef Enchilada Combo. When I find something I really like, I just stick with it because I am not an adventurous eater. On a recent visit to On the Border, I noticed that there were some new items on the menu. One of these was Loaded Carne Asada Tacos, which I ordered. The tacos are made with grilled flatbread tortillas (really thick tortillas that have more substance and flavor than a regular tortilla) filled with carne asada, cheese, and onion strings. They also come with a creamy red chile sauce that is unique and delicious. If I could buy it by the gallon, I would take it home and put it on everything I eat. My only minor complaint was the amount of meat. Considering that the name includes the word “Loaded,” I was hoping for a little more carne asada in the tacos. Oh well, at least the meat was very tasty and juicy. I’m glad that I finally broke the habit and ordered something new, because the Loaded Carne Asada Tacos are an excellent dish. I know for sure that I won’t be ordering Shredded Beef Enchiladas ever again.
I’ve always liked eating PayDay candy bars because I told myself that they were healthier than other candy bars. After all, they’re mostly peanuts. Peanuts are healthy, aren’t they? Well, maybe not but I like PayDays nonetheless. What I like even more is a PayDay covered in chocolate. It’s a wonderful thing when something that tastes good gets covered with chocolate and then tastes even better, which is the case with PayDay Chocolatey Avalanche. The combination of salty peanuts, caramel, and chocolate is absolutely delicious. The chocolate coating in particular is very good. I’m not sure if it’s some special kind of chocolate or just tastes good in combination with the other ingredients, but wow, it is great. I don’t think I’ll ever eat another regular PayDay again. Give me a Chocolatey Avalanche instead! I’ll go so far as to say that the candy bar is among the best, right up there with Baby Ruth, Snickers, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Yes, it's that good.
I don’t shop at Trader Joe’s very often, but when I do, I always seem to find something that I really like. And, their prices are very reasonable. One of my favorite TJ items is their Multigrain Crackers. The name alone would typically cause me to ignore these crackers on the shelf, but somehow I got past the healthy-sounding name so I could enjoy what are perhaps the best crackers available anywhere. The Multigrain Crackers have a great flavor and a buttery texture. They sure don’t taste like I would expect a multigrain cracker to taste. I especially like eating them with some cheese on top, but they are delicious just eaten by themselves. Like a box of Cheez-Its, I find it hard to eat less than the whole box. In my opinion, they are better than Ritz, Wheat Thins, Wheatsworth, Club, or any other similar cracker. I’m not sure what Trader Joe’s knows about making crackers that Nabisco and Keebler don’t, but they sure know something. Grab a box for yourself and see that I’m right.
I was in the ice cream isle of the supermaket, looking for a tasty treat to take home. I was in the mood for something different, something other than just ice cream. I almost grabbed a box of It’s-Its, but a new product caught my eye. It was Shakers, an instant milkshake mix. You simply pour milk into the container and shake it for 30 seconds. The milk mixes with ice cream beads and creates a milkshake. What a great idea! “But, can it really be that good?” I asked myself. The label stated that the finished milkshake was “unbelievably delicious,” “deliciously thick and creamy,” and “the best shake you’ve ever had,” which convinced me to by it. What a bunch of lies. Shakers wins the award for the worst tasting product that I’ve eaten as a Phoood reviewer. It isn’t thick, creamy, delicious, or the best shake I’ve ever had. In fact, it is, without equivocation, the worst milkshake that I’ve ever had. Adding milk and shaking for 30 seconds as directed only made an icy glob of lumpy chocolate ice cream floating in some frothy, chocolate-flavored milk. And what a nasty chocolate flavor! Where do they buy their cocoa, at the Galt Flea Market? I’ve never tasted a chocolate flavor this disgusting. I could only choke down part of the “milkshake” before I threw the rest away. Typically, I hate seeing food go to waste and almost never throw food away, but in the case of Shakers the garbage can is where it belongs.
A quick disclaimer before I begin: Punk'n is a seasonal ale that is released by Four + Brewing, a sister company of Uintah Brewing Company. As such, it may only be available in Utah. That being said, let's move on. Punk'n is a beer that is is flavored with pumpkin and spices. Many beer purists don't like fruit beers. I'm not one of these. One of my favorite beer varieties is Belgian white ale, which is flavored with orange peel. Needless to say, finding myself in the spirit of the season, and being a fan of anything pumpkin spice flavored, when I saw a pumpkin ale on the shelf, I grabbed a six-pack.
Let's start this review off with some background. I don't like frozen meals. Most of them just leave me unsatisfied, at best, or disgusted, at worst. That being said, when I'm pinching pennies and I buy some to avoid going out for lunch at work, I try and find some that at least look moderately appealing. Marie Callender's new Pasta Al Dente line seemed interesting. The claim on the box is that the heating method causes the pasta to "steam to perfection" (hence the "Al Dente" name). I grabbed two varieties, Beef Bolognese Rigatoni and Chicken Carbonara. As I pulled out the first meal (Beef Bolognese Rigatoni) to cook it, I saw how the heating process worked. The meal comes in a large bowl that holds only the sauce. Set inside the bowl is a steamer which holds the meat, veggies and noodles. The first thing I noticed is that you don't have to cut a slit into the plastic while the meal cooks, as the meal self vents. This is great because it saves you an extra step. When you place the food in the microwave, the sauce heats up which causes steam to rise and cook the rest of the meal. When it's done cooking, you simply pour the stuff in the steamer down into the sauce and mix it together. It's actually a pretty ingenious method, and I'm happy to report that the pasta prepared with it has by far the best texture of any frozen meal pasta I've ever had. As far as taste goes, the Beef Bolognese was OK. Aside from the great pasta, the sauce was good, but uninteresting, and the beef had slightly better-than-average consistency for frozen food meat. It certainly was a bit better than your average frozen food dish, overall, but not spectacular. As I was expecting it to be the better of the two, I had little hope for the Chicken Carbonara. Surprisingly, it was in fact the Carbonara that exceeded my expectations. The smokey, flavorful carbonara sauce was very tasty, and blended well with the chicken, peas and uncured pieces of bacon. When mixed with the great pasta, I must say that it was quite good. I doubt it will cause a culinary revolution, but it is great by frozen food standards. It's my humble opinion that Marie Callender's Pasta Al Dente line is above average in both taste and quality for frozen food. Though I was a bit disappointed by the Beef Bolognese, it was certainly not bad, and the Chicken Carbonara ranks amongst the best frozen food I've ever tried. If you like pasta and are on a budget, I can certainly recommend this line. I'm sure I'll try more Pasta Al Dente varieties in the future, which hopefully will be as good or better than the Chicken Carbonara.