Leinenkugel's Grapefruit Shandy

I know I already have a little entry about beers/alc I'm not allergic to, but that was from a younger me who didn't like drinking as much, so now I feel justified in giving alcoholic beverages their own entries. Unfortunately, even though its been five years, labelling on drinks hasn't improved much in the US. And there are more peanut butter beers than ever. Luckily, most companies are happy to answer questions via email.

Anyway, I always liked Leineys, even before I liked plain beer. The summer shandy is a classic. But this grapefruit version improves on the original quite a bit! It has a nice strong citrus flavor to it, a little sour and fairly sweet (but definitely not cider territories). For someone who loves sour beers and also likes citrus/wheat beers, this is a nice, mild, sweet treat. It's also only 4.2% alc so you don't get embarrassed at the club. Highly recommend! I'm not sure if this is seasonal or not, but I got it in the fall.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Illy - cappuccino

This was OK, but ultimately disappointing because it had a very weird can flavor to it, like sour metal. I was hoping it would taste like coffee only, and not like can. It did have a little sugar added as well, which was nice, but the sharp can flavor was hard to avoid. I don't remember if the non-flavored one had this problem, but I don't think it was this strong. Sad.







Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 4/10

The Annville Grille

I'm liking this ille-ille symmetry! Anyway, I sought this place out because I wanted to play trivia when visiting my parents. It's in downtown Annville, but there was plenty of street parking. The inside is way bigger than the outside looks; there's a big dining room and a decent sized bar room with tables and booths. This is the location of the trivia (which was great fun). They have a decent drink list, and the prices were 2-4$ a pint, which is solid. All I got to eat was the nachos with chicken (no peanut oil there), but it was quite good, with lots of melty american cheese, chicken, lettuce, tomato and jalepenos. Super filling and a great bar snack. Hopefully I'll go back and get an actual food next time, since we won a gift card!!

Chicken Parmesan: This was good! Basically standard, but came with a salad (fine), two chickens and two breads. Super filling, two meals. Good if you're in a mood for pasta time. 7/10

Coffee: It's coffee. Small but also pretty cheap. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (Food was cheap for a bar, around 10 bucks/entree)
Taste: 7/10

Welch's Fruit Rolls - Berry

These fruit roll-ups -- I'm sorry, "fruit rolls" -- are not quite as tasty as the fruit-roll-up brand name, but the process of unfurling a long roll of foodstuffs is equally delightful, even as a so-called adult. Plus there's the bonus that fruit is apparently the #1 ingredient in these, before even sugar, so that's nice. I don't want to delude myself into thinking these are healthy, but they sure are fun. Pretty thick, sweet, tastes like berry (grape, apple, and blueberry/raspberry notes, maybe?), a convenient and portable option; what more could you want? Plus Welch's is pretty great about not having nuts in their stuff (even though I associate them with Grape Jelly of Death).


Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Café Bustelo - Café con leche instant sticks

I love coffee, so this is super convenient for me -- just heat up some water and a mug, mix in this little packet (tube) and you're ready to go! It's only 80 calories, which isn't terrible, and it's very sweet/milky. However, instant coffee is actually like the 3rd ingredient here, which explains why it tastes more than hot chocolate than coffee. Don't get me wrong, it tastes really good, and there's definitely some coffee notes, but not nearly as much as I expected. I actually would prefer a little more coffee flavor because I love coffee and I might have a problem. Anyway, this is delicious, convenient, and fairly cheap, so I'm a fan.




Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10

Kettle Brand Chips - Backyard BBQ

These were really nice! Very crunchy fun texture, a solid chip. The taste isn't super saturated, but they are a little smoky in a nice, BBQ-type way. Reminds me a little of a school carnival or some type of outdoor event; a bit sweet and overall a complex flavor for a BBQ chip. Not your sad indoor solo lunch chip, more of a party chip. Good vibes on this one. Plus, no nuts!






Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

illy caffé unsweetened

Coffee in a can? What will they think of next!

I like illy brand coffee-coffee quite a lot, so I was optimistic for this. And for coffee in a small, warm can, it's pretty decent. There's no milk or sugar or flavoring or anything, so it really is just some tepid coffee. If you want coffee on the go, here you go. There's a little metal aftertaste, and it's nowhere near as good as actual brewed coffee (of course), but I do like it much better than the starbucks/DD/etc prepackaged drinks I've tried, so there's that. Plus this is very stylin' and lo-cal.




Overall
Cost: 5/10 (about 2$ for 6.8oz can)
Taste: 7/10

Birds Eye Steamfresh Rotini & Vegetables

This gave me a crazy stomachache after eating, so it lost a few points for that. Anyway, this is a very easy to cook (just plop the bag in the microwave) side dish, with decent nutrition facts, but the taste is nothing special and the noodles are weirdly soft. The veg are fine and the sauce is a little too buttery maybe? They used to make a box version of this which I liked much better. Still, if you're hungry in a pinch, this is alright, although probably not my first choice. It's decent for 2 bucks though, for sure (minus the random stomachache).




Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 6/10

The Snack Artist Lite Butter Popcorn

I bought this popcorn because it was the cheapest (less than 3 dollars for 3 full size bags) and also not super unhealthy (the butter is, as they say, lite)! It basically ended up being what I expected -- no worse than any other butter lite microwave popcorn, although the taste was obviously less good than real ("real") movie popcorn or any heavy butter varieties. But I think it's not too unhealthy, either, so that's the goal with microwave popzy, isn't it? A clean canvas for any seasonings or candy you might want to throw in there. Cooking also was really straightforward, I ended up with a full bag every time and no burnt or unpopped kernels, which is pretty rare with some other brands. Good, cheap option!


Overall
Cost: 8/10 (2.79$)
Taste: 6/10

Stove Top Turkey Stuffing

A classic for a reason, stove top stuffing is so easy to make (add water, butter, and like 5 minutes of time) and tastes consistently good. Plus, it makes a lot. The downside is that you're eating a bunch of buttery processed carb, but hey, 'tis the season. It's obviously not as good as most homemade stuffing, but since you'll find it in Thanksgiving-themed foods ("the gobbler"[wawa], "the bobbie"[capriotti's]) around the globe, it's good that it's good. I made it with much less butter than recommended (1 tbsp instead of 4), which did have a big effect on the taste, but was still fine. This makes a great base for turkey, potato, corn, etc. Happy holidays! :)



Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 7/10

Giant Eagle Candied Yams

This is the pinnacle of candied yam. I'm not sure what my childhood yam brand was (I know it can't be these, because we didn't have Giant Eagle by me) but these taste just like it. Way better than Bruce's or whatever the common canned sweet yam is. This is the perfect holiday side dish. It goes great with ham, turkey, and rolls, and the sauce is so sweet and lovely but not in a gross way like some yams. The yams are so soft and dense and not really potato-y at all, which is what I want. You can smush them down into a little yam mush if you want. And they're so easy to cook! I really wish I had a Giant Eagle nearby just for these. The flavor is slightly pie-spicey, I suppose (cinnamon? nutmeg?) and a with a lot of thin, sweet sauce. It isn't syrupy or cloying at all. Long live these yams!

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10

Jennie-O's Turkey Breast Tenderloin

After a solo Thanksgiving I was looking for some small turkey bits, maybe some thighs or cutlets or something, and besides ground turkey this is all my local Acme had. So, I bought the frozen loin, curious and optimistic. I decided to make it in the slow cooker, following the instructions online, and I added some Bell's seasoning as well. Sadly, this was a big letdown. The cooking was easy, and it came out as 4 nice size hunks, but the taste was really processed and not at all like real turkey. I know it contains "up to 30% water/filler/???" but you can really tell. Like a bad smokey lunchmeat chunk, or something. Very watery and bland yet bad at the same time, even when smothered with gravy and stuffing. Will not return down this road, even if it's the only option! I'll just get a ham slice!

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (on sale for 5$, which is good for meat)
Taste: 4/10

Rothbury Farms Buttery Garlic Croutons

These are basically all you can ask for in a crouton -- nice and crunchy, not too big or too small, nice butter/garlic/spicy bread taste, but not too overwhelming, a resealable bag, and no peanuts. Not very compelling on their own, but with greens and a nice dressing, you have all you need for a good time. No issues here.







Overall
Cost: 6/10 (Maybe $2.50)
Taste: 7/10

Brother's All-Natural Fruit Crisps - Fuji Apples

I know this is, like, a Halloween size treat, but it's seriously one of the smallest single-serve snacks I've ever had. There were like 5 slices of apple in here. That said, since I know there are bigger sizes out there, the taste and texture are great. These are just dried apple pieces, no sugar or anything else added, so they aren't too sweet, they just taste like a nice apple piece. They aren't chewy or especially crunchy either, it's like biting into a wafer but the wafer is apple. I like them a lot as far as dried fruit goes.




Overall
Cost: 3/10 (maybe 1$, but you get so little)
Taste: 6/10

Java Monster - Mean Bean

I don't really drink energy drinks, and if I did, I'd drink AMP as that's my initials (don't stalk me). However, I do drink coffee, and I like cans. So there's your background.

On first taste, this is pretty good: sweet, creamy, milky, coffee-y, but not TOO sweet like some bottled coffee drinks. On second taste/aftertaste, there's a weird sickly sour flavor, which I associate with regular Monster (maybe it's taurine)? That really brings it down. I did drink the whole can, but I wish they just made the "Java" first and not the "Monster" part, especially since I don't feel very wakeful afterwards and I wish I just had a coffee from DD instead. This is really convenient to carry with you, though, which is a plus.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (2-3$)
Taste: 5/10

Brianna's New American Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Brianna's dressings are always solid, and they have a very stylish bottle. Ultimately this has a little too much oil and sugar for my liking (both health and taste wise) but still, a little squirt of this baby on some mixed greens and you've got a nice, tasty, classy salad. I also really like the new cap, which is a standard squeeze bottle instead of the open faced pour. Easy portion control! Not much to say about this -- a bottle lasts a long time, but I'll probably use quite a bit of it, since it's a convenient way to make a nice meal (meal in the loose sense of the word, perhaps).



Overall
Cost: 5/10 (about 3.50)
Taste: 6/10

Fuddrucker's

My first experience with a Fuddrucker's was just OK! They don't have any allergy info online, despite being a chain, which is frustrating. It's also counter service, and you can order on a touch screen, which is cool but bad for allergy questions. Was able to ask an employee if they use peanut oil though, and they said no. The menu also appears to be nut-free except the desserts and some almonds on salads.

So, I got a custom burger combo (1/3lb) with mushroom and cheese and avocado. It came with a drink and a side; I picked a side salad. Turns out this cost 14$, which seems like way too much, but maybe I ordered dumbly. Anyway, the burger was good, definitely juicy and I liked the mushrooms a lot. They also have a little toppings bar for lettuce/tomato/onion/sauce if you eat in, which is nice and it looked very clean. The side salad was generous and tasty, although I didn't get dressing because they only have Italian and ranch types (no red or orange stuff!). We also ordered to-go and they gave us for-here, but I liked eating there so it worked out. Plus they just opened, so we'll give it time.

One other downside about the touchscreen ordering though: you can't customize the salads. So I wanted a Cobb salad with no bleu cheese but there was no way to order this! Otherwise the venue is chill.

Bacon Double Cheddar Burger (small): Ahh this made me so ill. They also had a PBJ milkshake on offer, which made me feel scared. On the other hand, they were giving out free bottles of beer, so that was nice. But yeah. The burger was extremely filling, but too fatty and almost too sweet. Plus this was just a plain burger with an extra slice of cheese and 2 sad looking bacon strips on it. And so wet with grease. I like that I can add infinite ketchup and tomato, but the whole enterprise was messy and sweaty. Would have got a salad but apparently the touchscreens are no more and the humans take your order now, and it's a lineup scenario, so there's time pressure. SIGH! 4/10

Overall
Cost: 4/10 (10-20$)
Taste: 6/10

Q says: Pretty good, I liked it. 7/10

Iron Hill Brewery

I've always liked Iron Hill; they have good, nice food and good fun beer. Whenever I tell them I have a nut allergy, they're responsive and comforting about it. But today I went with my parents and the waiter was like "OK but is it a serious allergy? Because we have nuts all over the place!!" and I was like "?????!!!!". But I didn't die and they also have an allergy menu and I think that guy might just be new or something. Anyway, don't let that deter you, me. I like the margarita pizza with mushroom and spinach. I tried the ribs but they were weirdly sweet (but very tender). I got a Belgian Blonde beer and it was a solid IPA, and a Witbeer is a good standby in general. Today, since my parents were paying, I got the Flat Iron, which came with fajita veggies and a chipotle sauce. I really like flat irons, and the sauce was pretty strong mexican flavor, but it was good. It came with smoked mac 'n cheese with breadcrumbs, which was obviously good, it's mac and cheese. Mmm. I ate all of it and was pleasantly full! A solid meal.

More foods:

Pulled Pork Sandwich (Carolina style sauce): I should have gotten the St.Louis style sauce! Anyway, I got this with green salad, which is a tasty heap of spinach and carrots and light dressing. The sandwich is big, comes with sauce on the side and a lil cup of cole slaw. The cole slaw is more creamy than zingy, sadly, but it passes here since there's sauce anyway. Overall this was good, but the sauce wasn't amazing. Too mustardy, maybe, not sweet enough? (I know that's what carolina style is, but I've had better!!) Last time I ordered they gave me both sauces, which was sweet. I used the St. Louis one and it was nice like a regular BBQ sauce. The pork is good and moist. 7/10

Reindeer's Revenge beer: This beer was a cool 9+%, so I don't remember much about it, but I got two so it must have been decent. Update: I still like it, one of their better beers. Goes down v easy. 7/10

Happy hour nachos: This is a ton of nachos! I got it with my idol Janey but I ate like all of them. Chips, cheese, guac (weird pasty guac but whatever), lots of sour cream, pico, lettuce. We got it without beans. It was good. However, not good to take home. Should get perhaps soup next time. 6/10

Happy hour pretzel sticks: Only 5 pretzel sticks! They were good. I love the cheese dip and eat it with a spoon. Didn't try the mustard. Good though. Second time we got them they had a ton of seeds, that I scraped off. Didn't die though. Eventually I tried the mustard, it's OK but really strong/spicy! Also they gave me like 7 sticks that time, with fewer seeds. Huh.

Tangaroa beer: Really good and fruity, like tangerine! Wasn't sure if the alc level is 5% or 2%, since I saw mixed info. But it was good. I think it's 5% based on my drunk level, but I'm not positive.

Pumpkin ale: This was really nice, normal ABV and a vanilla and pumpkin flavor. Dessert-y! 7/10

Castroville pizza:  I wanted to try something new, but I shouldn't have - the marg pizza is already flawless. OK, so this is lots of veg (spinach, artichoke, pepper?) and no red sauce, which I didn't realise. It's quite tasty, the crust and cheese is good, and I like the veg, but it also gave me crazy heartburn. Not worth it! Tasty but other pizza is even tastier. 6/10

Fole's Gold beer: This was fine, but not a super standout. I couldn't necessarily sense the plum flavor. I do like beer, however. 6/10

Santa's Little Helper beer: This was a nice yellow color, but surprisingly I didn't love it. It had a very strong type of flavor, kind of like the Iron Hill Witbeer (I think??) has. Not an IPA but like a malty IPA, or something. I definitely drank it still, but it wasn't my favorite. 5/10

Cherry Vanilla Porter beer: This is for valentine's day, which I resent. But it was OK. Definitely a dark beer, malty, which I guess is what porters are? 5/10

Chewie IPA beer: Got this as a pint, and it was nice and yellow, tasty and mildish. 6/10

Double Doink IPA beer: The name is pretty embarrassing, but it was good and solid. 6/10

Rising Sun beer: I got this by accident. It has coconut and dill, which is weird. I do not like coconut flavor in beer. No thank you. 3/10

Thirsty Boots IPA beer: My favorite IPA, nice and hoppy, goes down easy. 7/10

Sweet Leaf IPA beer: JK, this is my favorite IPA. It's sweet and tastes a little like a leaf, no joke. Not super duper hoppy, but a little bit. Very drinkable, I love it. 7/10

Mushroom soup: This is really good, just a small snack though. Tasty, warm, creamy, bits of mushroom in it. Nice. 7/10

Cherry Kalas beer: Sweet Leaf is gone, so this is my new pick. It's fairly low alc, and it's a nice red color. Strong cherry flavor. Super drinkable. 7/10

Brewski burger: This was good! I got it with the lil salad greens, which had good dressing but lots of bitter arugula. Still tasty. I added ketchup to the burger which really elevated it. Got American cheese, but it was white and almost tasted like swiss, so I might try the other cheesers next to compare. It was filling but not overly so. 7/10 edit: cheddar is good, swiss is less good

Clock Out Lager beer: I got this because it's new and Jane likes it, but it wasn't bad. Mild and a little malty. 6/10

Pub Burger (special): This had "pub sauce", which is mayo+lea+perrins which means it had fish but I still ate it. Oh yeah! It was good, juicy and had onions. 7/10

LeBruce beer: This beer is sad because it's an "In Memorium" namesake beer. I guess that's a legacy I'd want, though. It's a very high alc beer, and really tastes...peppery? I guess it's fine, but it got me too durunk. 6/10

Ribs (half rack): This sauce also had fish but I didn't die. But these were weird. Spicy and fruity. Like the sauce was fruity. WTF is that! The meat was tender but the sauce was too novel, I didn't like it even though it wasn't BAD, but not BBQ that I wanted. Also the Newark + Hershey Iron Hills don't have pizza anymore. What's the point of going there!!! :( 6/10

White Walker IPA: Yo, Lancaster got rid of pizza too! WTF. Just when I became a member, Iron Hill! It's like they are pivoting to steaks. Anyway, this was high alc, so in the mug it got me pretty loopy. Tasted like a standard mild IPA. 6/10

Chicken sandwich: Ardmore also got rid of the pizzas, RIP joy. Anyway this sandwich was good. Not burger style like I expected, but 2-halfs of a regular bread sandwich. The sandwich was good, I like bacon and the vibe was fairly moist, even if the chicken was a little dry/boring/tall for my tastes. The mayo didn't really taste like anything, and there was randomly yellow cheese but not bad. 7/10

Demeter IPA: I thought this was the Pink Boots one but I think I mixed them up. Anyway, this is something about women. It was fine, mild enough, but made me feel itchy, so I probably won't repeat it. 6/10

Margarita Flatbread: This was fine (it's an app), but not the same thing as their regular pizzas were at all. There's less "stuff" on it overall, and a little parmesan cheese?? Plus the crust is less crispy. Eh. 6/10

Voodoo Chicken Flatbread: This one was better! Reminded me of Kildy's BBQ Chicken Pizza. For some reason, the crust on this one tasted like sour cream & onion ritz thins. Odd. But I liked it, it was good and fatty and cheesy. 7/10

Jaeger Schnitzel: This was good! Now I know what Spätzle is (kind of?). The pork was good, the Spätzle was good. It was overall oily and meaty. I did not eat the green beaners. 6/10

Azacca Matata beer:  Good, smells nice and fruity and basically tastes like an IPA. 7/10

Philly Special beer:  Good, hoppy and citrusy and basically tastes like an IPA. 8/10

Lunchbox Ale beer:  This was bright orange like Sunny D! It was good and sweet, not really that sour either. 7/10

Oktoberfest beer:  I only had a sample of this (which I appreciate that they give), but that was enough. It really does taste like bread, bread and malt. Bleh. 5/10

Bramble On beer:  This was good! I could really taste the blackberry (which is rare in a beer) and indeed, the lactose, too! It made me super red faced but not allergic I don't think. Lol. 7/10

Maracuja IPA beer:  This was good! I had to look up what maracuja is, and it's supposedly passionfruit, a brazilian word (so the "j" is a voiced palatal fricative). Didn't taste much fruitiness, although it was a canonical IPA that I liked so I guess it must have been fruity. Super frothy. Very good, solid, filling, beer-y beer. 7/10

Char-Grilled Ribeye Steak:  I'm not a huge steak girl, but this was excellent! I think it's like 1500 calories but shhh. It was so, so tender, juicy, a little fatty but didn't feel gross. Big meat but not absurdly so -- I ate it all and didn't feel mad ill. Came with a few asparagus (standard/good) and some very buttery mashed potatoes (also good). Was nice to eat the whole plate. A good, huge meal, but it's 30$ so a real splurger. 8/10

Guacamole and Warm Tortilla Chips: This is a really big portion for one person! The guac is plentiful, which is nice. Good solid guac, some chunky bits of tomato and onion which I like. Not super spicy, mostly avo flavor, but that's OK. Chips are just "eh", they must be home made because my batch had a bunch of soft wet with oil chips, which is not great. But I didn't finish it all anyway so that's fine! 6/10

Dad's Favorite Blonde beer:  This was good! Super foamy. A nice yellow color. Very low flavor, just like a mild lager. Dad must be boring AF. But it's alright, it's beer! And 0 allergy fears. 6/10

Little Red Wagon beer:  This was really good! Very strong strawberry scent and presumably taste, but I was sick so it seemed just like juice. Might even be too much strawberry but I couldn't get a good read on it. I enjoyed this a lot, and it's low alc (3.7% or so) so you don't get schwasted. 8/10

Char-Grilled N.Y. Strip Steak: This was a solid steak, not too fatty or anything. The BBQ side sauce was good for the fries which were themselves just eh, kinda cold and tasteless. I loved the spinach side, nice and moist. Overall very filling and I would have guessed not too fatty, but apparently it was like 1500 calories? Um, OK, I should have eaten an entire pie instead lol. 7/10

Hipster IPA beer:  This was great! I had two special mugs of it. It was a nice hoppy IPA, no weird lemongrass or coconut flavors or anything, just notes of citrus and hops. Solid. I guess I'm a hipster at heart! 8/10

Brambleberry beer:  Is this the same as the former "Bramble on"? It seems like it is! I enjoyed it but it did indeed make me super duper red faced, honestly not worth the post-drinking anxiety even though it's otherwise a mild fruity wheat beer. 6/10

 

Saturday Morningz beer:  The bartender at Ardmore IH told me about this one because I like sours, and I do like it! It's a pretty red color, and it's a nice tart pear/cranberry sour, more tart and less lactose than the Lil Red Wagon. A good way to change it up in my sour lane. 7/10

 

Voodoo Chicken Pizza:  A very solid pizza! I think there's no red sauce, just cheese and BBQ, which I do like. It could use more of the BBQ though, since the saucelessness does seem evident. There's plenty of bacon on here, which is wild, but tasty! A fatty and delicious food, ideal to eat just half of it. 7/10

 

Homestead beer:  This was a really nice wheat beer, mild orange flavors and no weird flavors or me-redness or anything. Cool and refreshing and enjoyable. I got this on a bad first date and didn't even get to finish the whole thing, which I am unduly mad about (especially since I paid the check). D'oh, I should have just stayed there solo to drink more! More! 7/10

 

Chicken Tinga-Dilla:  Heck yeah. I was waiting to get this for months, and the payoff was good! It's 4 solid dilla wedges, nothing amazing, just chicken (a lil spiced) and cheesers, but comes with guac, pico, and sour cream, all are great, and the size is just right to be satisfying but not distressing. Plus 6$ at Happy Hour is an amazing deal. 8/10

 

Bedotter beer:  This was awkward to order because IDK how to pronounce it! Apparently it's Flemish for "Trickster" because of the 9% alc but smooth and light finish. Worked on me, it was delicious (tasted like banana and a tiiiny hint of bubblegum aftertaste) and definitely got me happy-drunk. 1 mug is more than enough. 7/10

 

Bumblebee Hefeweizen beer:  This was supposed to be a fruity honey-y beer, but to me it mostly tasted like a tire. Oh well, I still drank it (but didn't enjoy it). 5/10

 

Overall
Cost: 4/10 (about 15-20 a meal)
Taste: 7/10

MOD pizza

I was so happy that a MOD finally opened near me!!! It's only natural to give pizza the chipotle/subway/saladworks treatment, and I'm so into it. Mine also has shakes, salads, and random quinoa bowls (and charcuterie plates), none of which contain nuts (some are may-contains though). What a beautiful thing. The prices are also fixed no matter so many toppings you add, like Qdoba, which is good for a girl like me who loves toppings but wants to get the cheapest option always. Anyway, it isn't Jimmy-Johns fast, but for a pizza it's pretty fast (about 5 minutes). The price is about 8 bucks, which is OK. They have a ton of veg options, though, plus seasonal things, plus garlic!! Plus shakes!! God is good.

I thought even though I love the custom life I should try some of the premades too, so here goes:

Dillon James: This has garlic, asiago, and tomatoes. I love garlic but I think I don't love asiago, and something in this bad boy tasted a little soapy?? Hopefully the asiago and not the tomatoes or crust, but further eating will reveal the truth. Anyway, not into it, boring and too much asiag. Garlic is amazing though. And the basil was just "there" -- maybe that's the soaper? Hmm. 5/10

Kane (winter seasonal): A spicy pizza! Mostly tasted like roni, hot pepper, and maybe a bit of onion. Overall I really enjoyed it, but I made sure to get it without gorgonzola, which I dislike. Pretty solid and not at all soapy! 7/10

Custom: I got a standard red/mozz base with garlic puree too (amazing) and the seasonal cauliflower (good) and kale (spinach is better) along with classic standbys mushroom (good, needs more!) and brocco (fine). A solid pizza, super good. 8/10

Jasper: I got extra garlic on this, yom. Otherwise it just has mushrooms (classic) and sausage (yum). Tastes like the pizza you think of when you think of pizza! Delicious. Maybe a little stomachachey though. 8/10

Peppermint milkshake: Is there anything better in this world? If you have a nut allergy you know how nice it is to have a dessert. This is white mint cream vanilla-y shake goodness with little candy-cane chips in it. It's refreshing and decadent! Also like 800 cals but shhh. 9/10

Failure to get Lucy Sunshine: Went today and it was super crowded and they assumed everyone wanted a custom and also they didn't give out the pizzas in order once they came out of the oven and my boyf who ordered after me got his like 20 minutes before me and it was bad. But the pizza (brocco, garlic, mushroom, artichoke) still tasted good once it was re-heated.


Isaac (summer seasonal): I took a picture! It looks so pretty, right? Unfortunately, this was super dry and dumb and disappointing. This is partially my fault, because I got it with no balsamic since that is a may-contain peanut topping for some reason. They did as I requested, but they also didn't put on the garlic, and the pizza is already red sauce and mozz-less, so there was like, literally nothing there. Just dough, tomato, basil, onion, little ricottas. All those ingredients were good (basil too, so I think I just hate asiago) but it was just too dry. Also the ricotta at Marg's is so so so so superior to this one, which is fine but just kind of there (Marg's is like, sweet!). So, sorry Mod, try again later! 4/10

Kevin (fall seasonal): I took another picture! Not so pretty, but that's because of a Modemployee error, and not the pizza itself -- they put gorgonzola on it!!! Eughh!!! That's not part of the pizza description and it's not part of my diet, either, because gorgonzola is gross as heck. I tried my best to eat this pizza anyway but I really couldn't get it down. Luckily I think I got a good enough idea about the rest of the pizza anyway -- it's super weird. There's no red sauce, instead the sauce is pumpkin sauce, which is basically exactly like pumpkin pie filling. So it's good but it doesn't go with a savory pizza, at least not in my book. The canadian bacon smelled like bacon but tasted like ham - it was OK but again didn't go with pumpkin. Arugula could not be tasted over the gorgo, and the Mama Lil's peppers were good as ever but didn't seem to go with the pumpkin either. So, sorry Kevin Bacon, I don't think I'll try this again, even if it doesn't have gross gorgo on it. 3/10 

Ruthie (winter seasonal): Drat, I didn't take a picture! I might possibly get this again sometime though, it was good. Basically a regular pizza with roni and jalepenos. There's also arugula and parmesan, but they didn't stand out at all, and Mike's Hot Honey, which I didn't really taste much either (but which didn't kill me!). I thought it was tasty like a good pizza, but it also gave me a wee stomachache and is like 900 cals. So don't get this if you're on the go (or on a diet)! 7/10

Fred (spring? seasonal): I liked this, even though it wasn't quite what I expected! It was canadian bacon (aka ham, was fine but didn't really even taste it much), big red onions (also fine I guess), roasted pineapple (really good, but it was super sweet and not roasted at all??) and BBQ swirl on top, with mozz and red sauce. I never had most of these ingredients before, so that was fun, and it was all plenty good. But the main flavor note was definitely BBQ sauce, and it was sweet and smokey and good and all, but if you're looking for PIZZA flavor and not BBQ CHICKEN FLATBREAD (rip kildys) flavor, then you might want to look elsewhere! 7/10

Diego (summer seasonal): It's a pandemic, y'all! But there's still a new variety of Mod Pizza to try, and I finally got my grubby, weary hands on it. There were no substitutions needed on this for allergy reasons (or even grossness reasons, although I was nervous about how much I would dislike feta)! This is a standard sauce + cheese, with additions of roasted corn, onions, feta, chorizo, and cilantro. The feta honestly wasn't bad, and as soon as I bit into this, I realised that it's basically mexican street corn in a pizza! I really liked it at first because I like street corn, and feta+mozz isn't super different from cotija cheese or whatever it is. There's a little bit diminishing returns on this, especially re-heated, and it's 1000 calories which is a lot more than most of the Mod pizzas. So I don't think I'd get this on the reg, but it was fun to try, unique, and better than I expected. 7/10 

 

Bella (winter seasonal): Welp, the MOD by my house shut down. Thanks a lot, Covid! But I still got to try this new seasonal offering in PA, and it was super exciting because instead of red sauce, it has "mushroom pesto", but there's no nuts in this pesto! Oh yeah! The toppings are mushrooms, spinach, snausage, and maybe some herbs or something. It was tasty, a very good pizza. 8/10

Dominic: Not spring yet, so without seasonal pies we return to the classic lineup. This one is a white pizza (no red sauce) with sausage and onion. I got it with broccoli added (they finally have broccoli again!) so maybe I didn't get the pure Dominic flavor, but I thought it was pretty good. No weird soapyness vibes from the basil or anything. It was pretty heartburny though, so watch out! I don't know if i really love the sausage, but it's only 680 cals so not bad at all. I'd try it again, even without lovely brocco. 7/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10
Ethos: 10/10

Q says: The girl* was bad.

*The girl doesn't mean me, it means the employee.

Suckerpunch Gourmet Pickles - Spicy Garlic Originals

Caveat: I don't like pickles. I never liked them, but they are a little more palatable than olives, so I've been trying to increase my pickle affinity by mere exposure. (It worked (too well) for coffee, alcohol, and avocado, after all). So far I'm OK with your standard circle of dill pickle that you'd get on a burger, but these are a little more interesting. The appearance of this jar is super stylin', and there's lots of fun peppers and seasonings and things floating around in the jar. It also states that there are "no allergens", which is a weird thing to say, but I assume that it means "no top 8 allergens" -- good enough for me. However, the taste isn't what I expected!! They are kind of sweet!! Yikes. I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish this (large) jar, but they are sweet, thick, crunchy pickles. They are also fairly spicy, though I'm not getting much garlic taste. If you are a pickle fan, check them out! If you aren't...stop fooling yourself and just buy a cucumber.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 (I think these are about 5$)
Taste: 4/10

Carrington Farms Organic Toasted Quinoa

I've had cooked quinoa a few times (only a few because it's so much work) and I really like it, but this is a totally different beast. Toasted quinoa touts its "nutty flavor" right on the bag, which sketches me out, but the ingredients here are 100% quinoa, so it is safe. You also don't need to rinse or boil or mess with this in any way. OK, cool. So right out of the bag, initially, I was like "this tastes like bird food, blech", but then I started to get hungry and I got into eating this by the spoonful. It is a little bit nutty (I imagine) and grainy. As you might expect, I suppose. But it feels healthy (ha ha) and filling and is very convenient. The actual balls are super tiny, but not so tough that you can't chew them (they aren't popcorn husks). I might try popping this in some yogurt or stuffing or something later, but even on its own I could probably eat this whole bag. I'm not really lacking for protein or fiber, but if you are veg, this could be super convenient to just throw in different meals.

Overall
Cost: 3/10 (It's like $7.50 dude)
Taste: 5/10

Vermont Nut Free Advent Calendar - Dark Chocolate

Aww, my parents got me this, which is super sweet of them since it's nut free and all. However, I don't LOVE dark chocolate enough to look forward to it every day (don't tell them). Still, the setup is super cute. At first I thought each day's choco would be identical, and while food-wise they are, each is wrapped in different color foil and the molds are different. They are all squares but one has a raised snowman, one a santa, one a wreath, etc. The taste is basically "standard dark chocolate", which is fine and I guess healthier than milk choco(?) but it's not exotic or salted or creamy or anything that makes me go "wow! a special treat!. Despite that, the conceit of one-a-day candy is lovely, and they do make a milk chocolate one which is probably even better.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (about 15$)
Taste: 6/10

Seasons Pizza

Seasons Pizza is the diner of pizza places. I mean they really have everything, and it's at an affordable price. They are also a chain with online ordering/delivery/takeout/eatin, which I appreciate. What I don't appreciate is their total lack of allergy info, and their lack of response to my emails and messages asking for any allergy info. So I've only ordered things that I'm fairly sure won't have any nuts, which is quite limiting. But if you want a cheap, so-so Italian takeout chain, this is the place for you. The interior of mine is pretty chill as well; my friend Marie likened it to a nightclub.

I ordered today a cheeseburger with a side of steamed broccoli (it was a 7.50 lunch combo), and this was adequate. The broc was actually the star, since it was moist and heavily seasoned with salt and garlic and herbs, but still fresh tasting. The burger was OK, standard thicker burger with lettuce and tomato and I loaded on the ketch. I ate it all and didn't vom, so that's a win! 6/10

Overall
Cost: 8/10
Taste: 6/10

Taverna

So, I freakin' love this place. If anyone asks for my favorite restaurant on Main Street in Newark, this is it. The only reason I don't go there often is that it's fairly nice, and so I'd feel weird going alone. To be honest, it's also pretty pricy (but I feel it is worth it). Anyway, I went last night after my dissertation defense (no big deal), and ordered the RICOTTA CAVATELLI which is some little dense noodle tubes with a cream sauce, some pulled pork, some little ricotta chunks, and onions. Kind of a weird mix but it was tasty as always (8/10) and also filling (gave me two meals!). To be fair, I also got the antipasto appetizer, which came with broccoli rabe, prosciutto, and mozzarella, plus some tiny bread toasts. It was tasty as always (8/10) but I mean,  it's meat and cheese. And then they always bring you bread and some tomato oil to dip, which is great as well. What a great place. I wish I had room/social bravery to get dessert!!

calamarata: these are thick noodle tubes with a cream tomato sauce, spinach, and chicken. it's OK (duh) but I don't actually love the sauce. I will try to remember to get something else next time, because it's a little bland. the plus side is that the portion is very large! 6/10

margarita pizza: I split this with my boyf, and he didn't like this! When I saw this, I didn't think I would either - it's mostly sauce, and not much cheese and hardly any basil. However, the thin crust is really good, and the sauce is remarkably unsweet - almost like tomato soup, but if you can push that down, the crust/sauce/cheese is all really nice. Not too exciting but solid good quality cheesey bread. The plating could use some work though, I admit. 7/10

coffee: standard coffee. They bring separate cream and sugar. It's nice. 6/10

Free Range Chicken "Saltimbocca": This is baller -- I think I've had veal saltimbocca before, but chicken is less controversial and they all taste like meat to me! It's a filling and delicious garliccy wet meat with pig and cheese on top. You gotta love it. I also was able to take some home, so it's definitely enough food but it doesn't look like a huge portion like some of the pastas do. I love Taverna! 8/10

mushroom pizza: I split this with a first date, and I don't know if they liked it! (me OR the pizza). I thought it was just OK. Definitely edible, but mostly oily cheese, which is fair enough but not really the pizza vibe I covet. Shoulda just pounded some meats, lol. 6/10

chicken pizza: This certainly looked pretty, but it turns out I still don't love goat cheese, which was very noticable. all the other components were good and it was still solid though. the leftovers at home drunk were even better! :D 7/10

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 8/10

Sinclair's Cafe

A hidden gem in Newark, except perhaps not that hidden because it's always packed whenever I wake up early enough to go. Anyway, there aren't many places to get breakfast during the week, so this is a much-needed spot. They have eggs, pancakes, french toast, etc, along with a few lunch sandwich options too. The coffee is good, the service is friendly, and overall I like it. They also rotate out their pancake/french toast flavors every week, which is fun. I got an omelette where you can pick your own cheese, meat, and 3 veg, and it was good. The meat and veg are just chopped into squares and stuck in there after cooking the egg, it seems like, which is kind of weird and chunky, but whatever, it tasted good. A weird option they have is to mix all the stuff together, but it costs an extra dollar, so I refuse. Anyway the omelette comes with wheat toast that looks nutty but isn't (and there's jam on the table, it's a party) and some home fries that have a unique curry-ish spice. I like them but it took some getting used to, and I think a lot of my friends don't like it.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 (about 8-10$ per meal)
Taste: 7/10

7 Monkeys Plantain Chips - Sweet Sea Salt

This packaging is adorable, but also, I think these are really good! They're fairly thin for a plantain chip, although still crispy, and the sweet/salty combo is perfect here. They're salted and the sweetness just comes from the fact that it's plantains, which is nice. Unfortunately, these aren't super healthy, and this single-serve (supposedly) bag is 429 calories, 13g satfat. So I can see why it tastes good. But if you're looking for a mild indulgence, this is a fun, unique, and portable one! Plus it's from Ecuador, which is like, totally multicultural.



Overall
Cost: 7/10 (about 1.50)
Taste: 8/10

Q says: They're OK.

Dum-Dums Holiday Pops

I bought these for my students to enjoy, but only a few of them even wanted one. Ha ha, more for me! Anyway, these are free of all the top-8 allergens, which makes them a good school snack. They also are super nut free, which is chill. And you know I'm a sucker for dumb seasonal limited edition flavors, so I was excited to give these a try. I think ultimately I prefer regular dum dums, but these were still decent.


Merry Cherry: I feel like I've had this flavor before as a dum dum? Anyway, it's definitely a "cherry" flavor, not super sweet, and giving me vague medicinal vibes. Not my favorite cherry candy in the world, that's for sure. 5/10

Sugar Plum: What is a sugar plum? Just a sweeter plum? I guess that's this...it has a bit of a burnt/caramel flavor, kind of like a raspberry tootsie pop. Not super sweet. I kind of like it. Definitely unique/interesting. 7/10

Hot Chocolate: At first I thought it was weird to have a chocolate lollipop flavor, but this tastes a lot like the chocolate tootsie pop, which is fine. Not my favorite, but fine. Like the others, this is a pretty good likeness -- it really tastes like hot chocolate powder, down to those little grainy marshmallows. I already don't love hot chocolate but if you do I bet you'll like this. 6/10

Sugar Cookie: I guess this tasted like a sugar cookie, but the execution wasn't there for me -- something was a little off, too artificial perhaps? 4/10

Gingerbread: Yikes. Normally I love ginger/gingerbread, but I guess I wasn't expecting it in a dum-dum. This has an authentic, strong ginger flavor, like a sweet ginger tea. But I don't like it as a lollipop. Don't know why. I guess I just want a cookie instead! 4/10

Apple Cider: Tastes just like apple cider. Unlike gingerbread, this isomorphism works for me, because my lollipop saliva is basically liquid. So...yeah. 8/10

Green Apple Crunch: Not really sure what the crunch is supposed to mean, but this is a strong, clear, sweet green apple flavor. Maybe caramel apple is the idea? Not sure. I do like it though. 8/10

Polar Punch: Feels like a mix of bubble gum and a less tart blue raspberry. Like a blue icee! It's OK. 5/10

Mystery: This had a cute santa on the wrapper, which I love. was also bright blue, so I'm guessing mainly polar punch for this one! Which is OK. This was a little sweeter than the polar punch proper, which I think I preferred. 6/10


Overall
Cost: 8/10 (Only 2.50 at Walgreens!)
Taste: 6/10

Lay's Fried Green Tomato Chips

Yikes! I like trying the fun new flavors Lay's periodically comes out with, especially because they usually have the small bags of them available at Subway, where I guess I spend a lot of time. But this year's offerings didn't wow me. First up we have these fried green tomato chips, which sounded good, but instead had a strong flavor of...plant? Tomato stem? I'm not sure, but I don't like it, and it didn't really taste like tomato. I did get that Lay's cat litter vibe, too. On the plus side, the ruffles are fun! And, inexplicably, my boyfriend likes these.



Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 3/10

Goya Mild Salsa - Pico De Gallo

I don't usually love jarred salsas, but this one is fairly unique as jarred salsas go. It's quite watery and also pretty spicy for something with the 'mild' moniker. Otherwise, this is a standard tomato/pepper/onion mix. It's more salsa than pico, in that there's plenty of salty dark tomato paste, but I think that's probably what most people are looking for. Plus the jar looks pretty stylish! It also stays good for weeks in the fridge, so this is a very convenient snack to have around for chips/tacos/etc.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 2.30)
Taste: 5/10

Kernel Season's White Cheddar Seasoning

Popcorn do-it-yourself seasoning is a really cute idea, so I was happy to get these. However, the execution was a little bit disappointing. I wasn't sure how much to put on (they don't give you any instruction!) and I put on at first not enough to taste it, and then I think I put on too much (a good 10 seconds of shaking is too much). The flavor was at first not especially good -- very artificial and not very cheesy. I was hoping for something like a snack cracker topping, but this was more like store brand parmesan cheese maybe. Anyway, after I got to eating a little bit more I got accustomed to the flavor and started to enjoy it, so that was all right. I liked to dip the popcorn in the leftover seasoning, of which there was a lot, because of my earlier confusion. Like I said, I think this is a fun and unique idea, so I'd be happy to try other flavors in the future!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Q says: It wasn't good.

Grown in Idaho - Crispy Hash Brown Dices

I'm not sure if I was just hungry, or if I jazzed these up particularly well, but I found these potato wedges a lot tastier than the steak fries from the same brand! Plus, they're super fast to cook -- just 4 minutes in a frying pan with a little oil. I also added green pepper, cheese, and egg, but I feel like these are super versatile and could go with a lot of things. The taste is  basically just pure potato, and unlike the fries these are all basically the same size/shape (little cubes). Mine weren't super crispy, but that's fine with me (maybe because I used less oil than prescribed). Plus they are super filling. I know I should try another variety next, but part of me just wants to get these again!


Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 3.50)
Taste: 7/10

Simply 7 Kale Chips - Sea Salt

 Well, well, well. I've had quinoa chips from this brand and they were fine, like a regular tortilla chip. But these truly are unique. I like kale, and I like chips well enough, but I can't say I liked these. Honestly, they tasted really briny. Like a funky aquarium flavor profile, which is not what I'm looking for in a chip. They had quite a lingering aftertaste, too. The flavor was more kelp than kale, even though they are made with kale powder. The texture was a standard crunchy chip, but the taste was deceptive! They are also super dark green in appearance, which is a trip. They seem quite healthy, but it's not worth it. Eat kale instead.



Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

Eat 'n Park

There is no Eat 'n Park near my house, so I have only been to one a couple of times, usually on a road trip to Ohio. They have the smiley cookie of legend, but they also have a really complete menu. Sometimes they have a nice soup/salad bar (which is fairly standard), but they also have plenty of sandwiches, burgers, seafood, pasta, and other diner-y options (although I wouldn't really call this place a diner, more like a Friendly's or Hoss's vibe). I ordered a penne pasta with sausage and chicken and peppers, and for 10 dollars it comes with garlic bread (4 toasts!) and one side (and there are so many options for the side: applesauce, cole slaw, brocco, etc). I got brocco to fulfill my veggie quota. The pasta was filling, pretty good even though the sausages were weirdly opaque. The chicken was really nice and the sauce was good. I also like their coffee and the service was very friendly! Plus they were chill about allergies and put an "allergy alert" on the receipt. Good stuff. I'm always happy to stop here.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 8/10

Tai Pei Orange Chicken

Another Tai Pei disappointment in a cute package! OK, disappointment may be a bit harsh, but I still haven't found what I'm looking for, you know? Honestly, this was a lot like the new General Tso chicken. Contains chicken, rice, veg, and sauce. Again, unfortunately the sauce soaks way more into the rice than in the chicken! I want the chicken and veg to have way more sauce, and the rice to have way less, but I can't control this! Anyway, the sauce itself is good, a little spicy, and the veg are fine too (although I prefer the carrots in Tso's to the waterchestnuts here, since the waterchestnuts are just crispy things with no flavor. It's a good amount of food, about 500cals, and it feels filling. Alas, it is not chinese-craving-fulfilling, though. If it's on sale I might rebuy.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 3$)
Taste: 6/10

Annie's White Cheddar Bunnies

All hail thee, king of cheese-based cracker snacks!! I'm not a huge cheez-it/goldfish/etc fan, but these are so good. Inexplicably addictive. They don't have a lot of cheese powder, but what little there is, I love. These are way better than a Cheez-it, and they are nice and puffy with a slight burnt taste and a thin shell. Kind of like Cheddar Penguins (which are also amazing), but more accessible. Plus, these are a cute bunny shape. The only struggle is portion control!





Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 3$)
Taste: 8/10

Tai Pei General Tso's Spicy Chicken

I had previously reviewed the Tai Pei General Tso meal, but this new-container version is quite different, I think. (Sadly, I'm not sure that it's better). One great change is that there are no longer peapods, so I have no allergy issues here at all! However, this meal, though decent, is far from delicious. It could use more sauce, which is rare for a frozen meal, but there was hardly any sauce here, and the sauce was more in the rice than on the chicken, despite my best efforts. The veggies were nice and crunchy; the carrots felt like real Chinese food carrots and not terrible frozen meal carrots, which was probably the highlight. The chicken and broccoli were tasty too. The rice was clumpy and salty, perhaps a bit too saucy/salty for my taste. I would probably buy this again, but it isn't the Chinese food I'm looking for (sniff sniff).

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (around 3$)
Taste: 6/10

Grown In Idaho - Super Crispy Steak Cut Fries

These fries have been blowing up my social media because I got them for free. I've never been much of a frozen-fry girl (or even a fry girl, really), but these are super easy to make, fairly cheap, and quite filling. So I'm moderately into it. I will say that these were oddly sweeter than I was expecting, definitely sweeter than any fries I've had in a restaurant, and I wasn't really feeling that funnel cake vibe. But you put a little seasoning (garlic/salt/pepper) on these and a little ketchup (or a lot) and you're in business. There's enough in the bag for two meals of just fries. They are also fairly crispy, as advertised, although the bigger ones were a bit soft. I do like that there is a fun variety of shapes and sizes in the bag, though, and I'm excited to try other types from this line, maybe the skinnier ones. Stay tuned!

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 3.50)
Taste: 6/10

Roots Natural Kitchen

This place is fairly new to Newark, and it has just one other location (so far?) at the University of Virginia. They serve "bowls", which are basically rice or greens with different veggies, proteins, or add-ons like cheese or pita chips on top, plus a variety of dressings (or just a squeeze of lime or some oil or vinegar). They have a variety of premade options with quirky names, as many places do, but you can also create your own bowl, too. That's what I do, since they do have almonds, chickpeas, and a variety of beans, plus a pesto dressing. No serious peanut or other nut ingredients, though. Anyway, I like to get kale or spinach with brown rice and avocado, brocco, sweet potato, corn, and a squeeze of lime. Sometimes I add chicken as well. This is a really filling meal and it also is pretty healthy, so I appreciate that it's around! This place is also hoppin', so I'm guessing it'll stick around.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (ranges from 6.75 for just veggie to 8.00+ for chicken)
Taste: 7/10


Q says: Jefe! [Editor's note: El Jefe is a popular premade option!]

Big Z Pizza

Here's a local pizza place that I'm pretty sure is not a chain, but perhaps with good reason. It's fairly new (maybe 3 years old now), but I'm not sure if the particular grungy vibe of this place can be chalked up to growing pains. It's a real small hole in the wall, not super tidy, but everything is quite cheap! They also have online deals and student deals that are worth a look. The pizza is solidly mediocre, but for the price, everything is OK. If you're not up to going out or you want a quick pizza pick-up (or perhaps delivery), this is a decent choice.

Italian Stromboli: This was decent; it's big but it only comes with the tiniest cup of marinara (although I'm sure you could ask for more). The inside is strips of deli ham, onions, peppers, and mozzarella. The crust is a little too crispy/big for me, but I think I need to accept that most strombolis around here are this way. Anyhow, this was fine. 6/10

Turkey Club Sandwich: Don't get this! It had the usual club fixings, but with a lot of warm mayonnaise and bad tasting turkey. To be clear, this is a cold sandwich. Probably the worst club sandwich I've experienced! 3/10

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10

SunRype Fruit To Go Bars

These are cute little snacks, not very substantial but they taste good.  Rather than fruit leather, these are in the form of about 5-6 narrow tubes of fruitsnack stuck together, which is a little different, but the texture is ultimately the dense, chewy fruit leather type you'd expect. Overall enjoyable.

Apple Strawberry Watermelon - Definitely getting the apple flavor as a base with a strong note of watermelon, too, which is nice. The watermelon flavor is really good. Not getting a lot of strawberry, though!

Apple Wildberry - What is 'wildberry'? I mainly got notes of strawberry and grape in this one, which is funny since I didn't notice any strawberry in the one named after strawberry! But equally tasty, dense and sticky.

Apple Strawberry - This one I accidentally ate a week after expiry, but I didn't notice any ill effects. It was a little too sticky for my licking, but I do still like the little tubes shape. This tasted mostly just like apple and a little strawberry, as you'd hope, so no complaints there. 

 

Apple Mango - All the flavors sure do have apple! But  this one also sure had mango -- its taste really comes through (but not ONLY mango). It's fine, but not my favorite flavor of these. Still cute though. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 8/10 (50 cents each)
Taste: 6/10

Smartfood delight - White Cheddar popcorn

I must say, this is a nice snack to have around. I bought a big pack of single-serve bags so that I would have something to take to the office, and this served me well. They're light and just cheesy enough to be satisfying. I wish there weren't so many broken pieces at the bottom, but that might be my fault. I also like the other flavors and will probably buy more of this in the future! It may be my favorite cheese popcorn yet. Also, when I googled this I saw that it used to come in a black bag which I used to get in vending machines all the time! I think I like the new version better, even if it's exactly the same recipe. Haha. Good flavor though, not too artificial or overpowering.

Overall

Cost: 7/10

Taste: 6/10

Jimmy John's

Even though all their chips (prepackaged) are made with peanut oil, I'm pretty sure the rest of their food is nut free. However, that doesn't mean you should be excited, because the rest of their food is also pretty mediocre. They have a line of subs "slims" which are literally just meat and bread. Do not get these. The rest are varyingly OK, but none are good. However, they are a little bit cheaper than subway, and very very fast. Often done with the sub right after you order. So that's a plus!

#5 Vito: Don't get this, it's so dry (yet still simultaneously soaked in oil and vinegar) and not satisfying, even though it has everything you'd expect from an italian sub. Somehow it is deficient. 4/10

#4 Turkey Tom: This fares a little better; the flavor is good and normal, though still not great. 6/10


Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Q says: Bad food fast. The delivery driver was reading a book.

Goya Golden Maria Cookies (with chocolate filling)

These are cute! They're impossible to find anywhere, although the non-filled versions are available. Anyway, these are really thin with a large diameter. They are two nice vanilla-y cookies with typical cookie-like chocolate fudge filling inside. The filling doesn't go all the way to the edge, so it's perfect if you want to eat the top, then eat the edges of the bottom, then eat the filling. If that's your thing. Anyway, this roll has maybe 10 cookies in it, which is a nice size. But it's also like 1500 calories, which is definitely not worth it. If you're looking to bulk up, though, check out this acceptable product! :)




Overall
Cost: 9/10 (only 99 cents!)
Taste: 6/10

thinkfruit mix-it-up fruit snacks

This is a perfect review to do on Halloween, because these are basically candy! There's definitely added sugar, which brings this nice sized single serve bag up to like 34 grams of it or so. That said.... it does taste pretty good. But in a candy way and not a fruit way! There's blueberries (the most distinct flavor in here, but also my least favorite), cherries (yum), peaches (yum), and I think that's it. The texture is good; it isn't chewy, but like a nice clean bite (especially with the peaches). They also do a dried pineapple pack which I like even better. Anyway, get these for the flavor (which IS good) and not as a healthy snack, and you'll be doing well for yourself.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Surf Sweets Sour Worms

Yum! These are organic and vegan, which I really don't care about, but they're also tasty and nut-free, which I do. They come in two colors, orange/red and yellow/red, which I believe are grapefruit/orange and lemon/cherry respectively? I like the yellow one better, but both are good. They are only a little sour, mostly sweet, like a peach ring. And the texture is the best part -- they aren't absurdly chewy or sticky like Haribo gummies, more like a Chuckle, even down to the dusting of sugar on top (and who doesn't like a Chuckle!). There's also real fruit juice, or something. Anyway, if you are in the mood for a fruity soft candy, these hit the spot!



Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Pasta Chips - Rosemary

These are really more like crackers than chips, and not at all like pasta, but they're OK. They taste like a thin pita chip with Italian seasonings (I guess that includes rosemary, but also salt, parsley, onion powder, probably others). A little boring, but unobjectionable. I can't imagine they'd be great with cheese, but maybe a cream cheese style dip or a spinach dip or spread would elevate these suckers!

Update: I microwaved 6 of these for 22 seconds with some shredded mozzarella and fresh basil on top, and it was pretty darn good. I wasn't sure how the microwave would effect these, but it just made them a little more crispy, which was nice. In this context, they get a 7/10! Basil saves all things.

Overall

Cost: 5/10

Taste: 5/10

Tai Pei Sweet and Sour Chicken

I want to like this, but I really feel like it would taste so much better without the peppers and carrots and onions. Maybe I'm not cut out for sweet and sour chicken in a frozen meal. Anyway, the chicken is fine, some nice little chunks in there, and a few tasty pineapples too. The sauce is maybe a little too sweet, even though there isn't super much of it. The rice is fine, moist and clumpy and fairly nondescript. I feel that the "veggies" just bring it down a lot, though. They muddle the sweet-and-sour flavor with a strong "frozen pepper and onion" flavor instead. Plus it's almost 500 calories for a fairly small portion! Hoping the other Tai Pei meals are better.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 (about 3$)
Taste: 4/10