Vegan Rob's Beet Puffs

When I saw BEET PUFFS I was like "ew", because I really do not like beets. Luckily for me, these hardly tasted like beets at all. They just tasted like cheese curls, although not especially cheesy (which makes sense as they're vegan). They were very similar to the Cauliflower Puffs that the same company makes. Anyway, I like them. They're made of sorghum, which I am not allergic to but don't know anything about -- is it cheesy? Who knows. I do find it annoying that this bag is very "kosher/vegan/gluten free!!" but not a single mention of nut allergens on the bag or even on their website, but whatever, they are still tasty and normal-food-ish.



Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Mick's All American Pub

Ah, Mick's pub. This is a weird central-PA chain of casual bars (I wouldn't really call it a pub, myself). I played trivia at one once. This one was next to a movie theater so we went there pre-movie, which is probably where they get the bulk of their business. It is certainly a convenient location, and they have Coronas, so I can't hate it. The downside is that they have a ton of peanut butter options on their kids menu, which disgusts me, and the waiter seemed totally unable to answer allergy questions so I just didn't mention it, which is potentially risky. Oh well.

I got Nachos, without beans (for me) and sour cream (for the boyf), and it was still decent. It also came in a massive bowl which was funny. The salsa was in a little cup on the side, which was kind of nice actually, and it was more like wet pico which I liked the taste of. Cheese is cheddar, and there were jalepenos and potentially lettuce and also ground beef. It was fine but not amazing. A lot of food though. 6/10

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Pepperidge Farm Linzer Cookies

Another classic Christmas cookie from our pals at Pepperidge Farm! I wasn't sure if I would like these, because they look a little bit crispy, but they aren't actually crunchy. They are indeed a "sweet and simple" shortbread with a very sticky/dense blorp of raspberry jam inside. Tastes classy and fun and like Grandmama made them. Lovely.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Stouffer's Lasagna with Meat & Sauce

Surprised I haven't reviewed this yet -- I must have had it before since it's noodle and allergy-friendly for me. I think I avoid this one because I think it will give me heartburn or something, but I found it to be a nice little package of noodle and the cheese and sauce is really nice. It's kind of mild, flavor-wise, but I like that. Quick and easy, tastes good, makes you wish you had more of it but that's probably for the best. Honestly didn't even notice meat, it's mostly sauce and cheese goo. And noodle.


Overall
Cost: 6/10 [2$]
Taste: 7/10

That's it. - Apples + Mangoes fruit bar

Another one! Without the fig, this is triple the calories and a totally different texture -- way drier and less sticky, which I actually prefer. It's also way less sweet! The mango really masks the apple flavor. Unfortunately it just doesn't have much flavor at all -- only lightly fruity on the whole -- but I did enjoy it! Better than expected! A neutral dense firm orange-in-color fruit bar.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

lemon bubly

Hello, bubly. You're still cute, even when I'm not sick. This flavor isn't my favorite, but I still like the ethos of bubly. I like that it is sugar free and a liquid, but the lemon flavor really doesn't taste like anything at all. This basically tastes like tonic. Which is fine, it fulfills that proto-alcoholic desire of drinking "something" that's not just water, it just doesn't actually taste very good. But it's nice and neutral and somehow more filling because of the bubbles.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [3$ for 8 cans]
Taste: 6/10

That's it. - Apples + Figs fruit bar

Huh. So, the texture of this is similar to other "just fruit" type bars -- sticky, thick, teeth sink in. The apple is too sweet, but the fig helps with that and makes me realize I like figs a lot! It's like a fig newton that someone made the bad call of dunking in applesauce or something. Only 35 calories for a pretty dense bar means this is a good pick for on the go or desperate hunger, but the actual taste experience is not my favorite (just too sweet/apple-paste-y). Still, the little fig seeds and flavor is a nice addition. More fig, less apple! I also like the packaging and the fact that I got this as a free sample, so thank you, "that's it".


Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Pepperidge Farm Ginger Man Cookies

I love these cookies! They have a silly name, because they seem pretty genderless, but I like the quirky nature of it. These are crunchy and thin, and more sweet than gingery (especially with the sugar on top), but compared to other PepFarm cookies they are lower in calories (like 5 for 140 cals) which I didn't realise until recently and makes me like them even more! They are a cute and fun to eat Christmas/holiday festive treat. A little buttery and very addictive.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Signature Select - Winter Mix Vegetables

 This is good frozen veg! It's store brand, so it's cheap (usually 1.50ish) and it steams in bag, which is nice sometimes. They always come out tasting like pleasant cooked broc/cauli, and not like weird freezer burn or other odd things I've experienced in the past with veggie taste or texture. They make a great mix in with pasta, rice, potato, or probably pretty much anything that could use a veg. No complaints.



Overall
Cost: 6/10 [1.50]
Taste: 7/10

MadeGood Apple Cinnamon Granola Bar

I had this today during a long hungry work day, so I was grateful to have a nice portable snack. I like this company because they don't use weird sunflower butter/seeds or sesame or legumes or anything shady like that. Just oats, rice, and random veggie powder (healthy!). Anyway, this was a very slim bar, I could have used more content. But the taste was good, a decent apple cinnamon flavor. I thought it was very dry, but it does have raisins in it and those are fun and help a lot with the texture. Would eat again.


Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Gina Italian Village Mini Round Cheese Ravioli

This is a confusing product, because at my store it's in the vegan/gluten-free frozen section and ironically I'm usually allergic to that stuff. But this is just "regular" ravioli, it has pasta and cheese so I'm not sure what's special about it. I guess it's egg noodles? Nope, it's wheat noodles. IDK. But these are also always super cheap, so I like to have them around. They are totally normal ravioli, tasty but not like AMAZING, just your default cheese ravioli. In red sauce it is a great treat of a meal. Best to split into two portions, for heartburn management, but otherwise no complaints. They also make a large and a square version, I don't have a strong preference but the small ones certainly look cuter.

Overall
Cost: 8/10 [1.99]
Taste: 7/10

DiGiorno pizzeria! THIN hand-tossed spinach & mushroom pizza

This is one of the better DiGiorno's I've tried, although I must confess I was mid-flu when I had it. The key is really not eating it all in one sitting. It makes 2-3 solid meals. I put a few grape tomatoes on top because I had them around, but I don't think they added that much. Anyway, the crust was buttery and good, sauce was actually red sauce, and I liked that there are veg on it. The only downside is that it made me feel a little allergic, not in a soy way (obvi) but almost like a garlic sensitivity? Even though there's not that much garlic? Again, I was sick and perhaps hypersensitive, and I did eat it all, but slowly. Just something to look out for, future-me. But tasted pretty good and was easy to cook.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [5$]
Taste: 7/10

grapefruit bubly

I am into bubly above all other sparkling waters, because the name is hilarious. i got this because I am sick and need to hydrate. However, it smells really strongly of grapefuit, but the taste is just a tiny subtle citrus hint -- along with another weird chemical/metallic taste (??) but that might be because I am sick. The design of the can is cute, but what's not cute is that because it's pink, they are sponsored by the Susan B. Komen foundation (boo) and they say things like "Check your cans! ;)" (boo). As a high-risk breast-cancer girl, I find that stuff gross and misguided. But I still like bubly.




Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Lay's Flamin' Hot Dill Pickle Chips

Why is this a thing? God only knows. I'm very sick right now, so hot chips are probably not the best food to have. But at least they make me taste/feel something! They are actually pretty flamin' (hot). Is this good? Probably, because it covers up the Lay's cat litter taste as well as the (pretty accurate) flavor of dill pickle. Of course, I do not like dill pickles. I guess it's just vinegar and dill seasoning. Regardless, these leave a strong pickle aftertaste and a burning in my throat. If you like this, dive in!




Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

DIGIORNO pizzeria! Thin - Supreme Speciale

What a convoluted name, DiGiorno. OK, so my esteem for Digiorno is not very high, but these were on a big time sale at my usually expensive grocery store (4$ each!!) so I stocked up. Plus, this pizza did not have any soy in it, including in the meat!! This is super rare for a frozen pizza and I found it very encouraging. And indeed, the sausage tastes better when you're not puffy and scared to die. Roni and peppers/onions were all good as well, and the crust was surprisingly soft + crispy at once, a pleasant texture. The cheese and sauce were just "eh" to me, but overall it was a satisfying food. However, it wasn't particularly decadent, yet it was 1200+ calories (definitely a multi-mealer)!! I don't know if I can justify this as a single lady, but it was decent and better than expected.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [4$]
Taste: 6/10

2018 Bodini Rosé

A malbec! That's fun, because it's pink and not white (or red?? I'm not wine expert yet). I had this with frozen pizza instead of waffles, because it's job application season and that's stressful. But wine helps with that. I didn't necessarily get "Dueling cherries and strawberries get surprised by a faint touch of white pepper" from this (per the description), but I did get a solid rosé that put me in a decent mood and didn't taste too bitter/sour/sharp for my little girl palate. Also not very sweet, maybe a bit sour for my preference but definitely drinkable, especially at night. I drank this as my neighbor's house was on fire, I drank this as I applied for 10 jobs, I drank this as I emailed my thesis advisees, I drank this as I chatted my boyf, I drank this as I texted my parents. It is truly all-purpose. The wine that endures.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

2015 La Perdrix Costières de Nîmes Rouge

By now, this brand is a classic to me! This is almost a 5-yr-old bottle, so I was worried it would have somehow gone off -- but I needn't have been. This was good! Has a very satisfying savory flavor, like a good meal. It wasn't too sharp/bitter/tannin-y at all. A bit of fruity notes, but not over the top. A nice red that feels thick (full bodied?) but not cloying or filling or too heavy. Solid stuff. One of the top reds I've tried, even when not drunk yet.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Tootsie Flavor Rolls (aka Fruit Chews)

I don't know when these changed their name to "fruit chews", but they'll always be flavor rolls to me. For some reason, when I was a kid I absolutely loved these. I guess because they were so rare and I only ever got like 1-2 at Halloween. Now they're all I have in my life! But they're still good. Like a tootsie roll in texture but instead of tasting like bad chocolate flavor, they taste like a nice fruity candy taffy. Now that I'm a bit more ~refined~ I do find them to be overly sweet, but one or two is still a nice treat. I think my flavor ranking is vanilla (very nice) >> lime (very limey) > cherry (always a classic) > lemon (kinda strong but good) > orange (boring).

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Tootsie Rolls

Oh, tootsie roll. I have an idea that I really dislike these, and I actually don't dislike them -- they're nut free candy, after all -- but I can't say I like them, either. I bought a huge "Child's Play" candy mix for Halloween giving, and I ate all the Dots right away, and then the flavor rolls, but I still have 3 different sizes of Tootsie Rolls staring at me in a big pile. I WILL eat them eventually, so again, they aren't terrible, but it's an odd candy. Texture is fine, taffy-esque, but flavor is like chocolate and I don't like chocolate flavored things that aren't chocolate. That's really what it boils down to. However, I don't think these are popular among chocolate-lovers either -- they're kind of a candy dud. But Tootsie as a company is great, so I will endure.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [Like 8$ for a HUGE bag]
Taste: 5/10

Mrs. T's Pierogies - 4 Cheese Medley

These are fine. Very typical, classic flavor potato mash pierogie. I couldn't distinguish them from any of the other cheese types (5 cheese?), but that's fine. It's not my favorite flavor or texture, but it is reliable, and I will say that these tasted really fresh, and the noodle part was nice and al dente. Anyway, as ever these are great when you're starving and have no time, money, or energy and plan to nap right after.



Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Hi-Chew

I wanted to try these for a long time, since they are candy (yum) without any nuts (accessible yum). I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of texture, since they are Japanese and therefore probably different from taffy (my closest guess). Indeed, they are different! I bought mine in the winter so maybe they aren't always, but they were quite firm, like a now and later. Still chewable, but more like gum than like a starburst, even though they do dissolve. It was a fun texture.

Green Apple: This was a super strong green apple flavor, not too sweet and nicely tart. 7/10

Strawberry: Also a good strong strawberry flavor, but I didn't like it as much. It was fine. 6/10

Mango: This had a really strong mango flavor but actually that's not a good thing. It tasted like canned tropical fruit essence, which isn't great for a candy! 5/10

Pineapple: A similar vibe to the mango, but slightly more enjoyable flavor, even though it also had canned tropical fruit vibes. 6/10

Kiwi: Yum! This was good. It tasted maybe more like green apple than kiwi, but it had little kiwi seeds inside which was adorable. 7/10

Acai: Oh no, this tastes like the bubblegum flavored liquid medicine I had a lot as a kid, which was very good for medicine but turns out is not good as a candy. Also has funny seeds in it though. 5/10

Grape: Now this is a solid grape flavored candy, definitely a strong clear grape flavor.  I don't love grape flavor, but it's done well here. 7/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Za Pizza Restaurant

This was our last resto in Boston, and it was a desperate pick because I was having mad anxiety and couldn't find a whole OTHER nut-friendly looking place. Anyway, this was a good pick! There was no wait, it was nice and dark BUT there were lil kids and families in there BUT they served alc. Very good. And they were good about allergies. We got a pizza with mushroom and green pepper (good, normal) and the "Grilled Chicken" specialty pizza (no red sauce with carmelized onions so a bit different, but still good IMO). Both were enough for 2 servings I think. Cut into 6-8 pieces which is great. I also drank the Peak Organic Sweet Tart Sour Ale which was a little TOO sour for me (rare!) but still tasty and a fun colour.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Blue Dragon Restaurant

Wow, wow wow. As a nut-allergy babe who loved Asian food, when I heard that Ming Tsai had a nut-free Chinese resto in Boston, Boston became like, my dream city. And I never got to go to that resto because now it is closed!!!!!! But I went to his new place, which is almost as cool because it's also nut free. I went with my boyf and my great friend, so that was also very fun. The food was great, but sharing it was hard. They were good about allergies of course, including fish and peas! :)

I/we got:

Pork and Scallion Wontons: Honestly I didn't love this -- it was super spicy (??) or made me tear up somehow, even though it obviously wasn't an allergy. Just not what I loved. 5/10

Spicy Chicken Rangoons: This was amazing, it tasted very good but I only got one of them. Crispy and like, uh, Asian food??? I love this. 9/10

Chinese Broccoli: Not the same as American brocco, but basically chili-powdered oily green broc stoccs. I liked it and didn't find it spicy at all, but my cohort thought it was very spicy and didn't love it. I thought "This is fine." 6/10

Chow Fun: This was fun, but I wanted like a lo mein noodle and this was very thick bois. The veg were great and the flavor was great, but I would try a different noodle next time. 8/10

Cookie: OH GOD! THE COOKIE! Got it without the soy caramel just in case. It was so warm and crunchy and good and I love the cookie and ice cream. Cookie. 9/10

Blue Samoan Cocktail: They were out of the beer I ordered, and thank god because this was amazing. Creamy and sweet and refreshing and bright blue and came with an umbrella. I stan (as they say). 9/10

Wine: Wine is fine, I got this. 7/10

Overall, I think our waiter might have hated us and the table was a bit cramped, but the food was great and the service was good and everything was a fun and good experience. Would 100% go back.

Overall

Cost: 5/10 (About 120$ for 3)

Taste: 9/10

Blackmoor Bar & Kitchen

Stopped at the bar for a break along the Freedom Trail in Boston (longer than I expected). I didn't actually get any food, but my partner got a chicken wrap with sweet potato fries (nut free, they claimed) and it seemed fine. A good bar list, I got a Framboise but it was 10 dollars and they only poured me like half the bottle and took the rest away, so that was very weird. Big, nice place though, with poutine on the menu that I hope to try someday if I return.

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10

Abigail's Restaurant

A random Boston trip led us here! This was a cute bar, and the waiter was very good and nice and understanding about nut allergy. I got the seasonal (fall) sangria, which was a little spicy and very good (and nut free). We shared the cheese fries, which of course were good (poutine without gravy or curd, basically) and I got the burger with greens (lots of greens!). All very tasty, nothing too oily or huge, overall a nice and pleasant dinner. Plus the resto itself was cute, classy, and not too empty or full. Good stuff.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Deer Park Sparkling Water - Zesty Lime

Sparkling water is extremely boring. I used to hate it (the whole "eyedropper of flavor in a lake of water" phenomenon) but now I like being hydrated and for some reason my department at school bought a pack of these so I've been indulging. The lime flavor is nice and refreshing, no artificial sweetness, just fizzy water with yes, a hint of lime. Not very noteworthy, but baseline hydration rarely is.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Act II Butter Lovers' Popcorn

I've bought this a few times now because other than the janky store brand, this is the cheapest popcorn for sale. At first I was hesitant because I like to get the "butter lite" types, since I thought Butter Lovers would be like, really bad for you. The problem with popcorn is that the nutrition labels are deeply inscrutable -- none of them are just "per bag" "popped" it's all "2tsp unpopped" and then I have no idea what that actually translates to. But I did the work once to translate it and the butter versions are so insignificantly different from the non butter versions, it's crazy! So therefore, I will buy the cheapest, which for some reason is this one which is half price of the other brands and flavors. Conclusion: it is good. Actually the butter "flavor" is not very good, but the texture is good and it doesn't burn easily and I usually pop most of the kernels, so it's a much better pop than other types I've had. I keep craving this so it must be decent; a fun cheap snack that is so-so healthwise.

Overall
Cost: 6/10 [2$]
Taste: 7/10

Marie Callender's Italiano Lasagna

Huh. OK, so, unlike many frozen sausage bits, this meal contains 0 soy. Which means it didn't make me itchy at all! But the sausage ball bits still tasted fake to me, so I feel really confused. It was safe yet still not great. But not bad! I bought this on sale and I'd do it again; the noodles are fine and the mozz on top is good. The sauce I don't recall, and the ricotta was actively not good, but overall it was "eh".  Better than the PF Changs meal I just saw that had oyster sauce in it but only labelled "milk, soy" as allergens....




Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Halfpops - Brooklyn Dill Pickle

Ah, Halfpops. So hard, they feel like I'm breaking my teeth open when I eat them. But I guess none broke that I know of, so maybe it's just a feeling. I thought this flavor was better than the others I tried, a good amount of flavor which is truly dill (I know it to be so because I had dill potato chips recently and it tasted like these!), and a little sweet. They're also pretty filling for their small size, and cute and unique. So that's something.


Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

2016 Lekker Red

Lekker? I hardly know her! Apparently "lekker" is basically South African for "bonzer", which is cool. I reached for this wine among my remaining wine stores because it has a clean design and a screwtop, and I was pleased with my choice. It's a fairly unique, earthy/spicy/caroby flavor, not as much berry/cherry notes as with other reds. The first sip was really intense, but it's a grower on you. Tastes like restaurant wine, which is high praise!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Jelly Belly - Buttered Popcorn Jelly Beans

I really support Jelly Belly because they're peanut free now! (And say so!) This is a huge deal for a company to make this choice, especially when they used to have peanut butter flavored jelly beans. So I love that. But this is definitely not my top flavor of jelly belly. I guess the flavor profile is fairly accurate, but it's too sweet (popcorn isn't sweet) and consequently, kind of weird. So props in general but not for this single-flavored bag, which is not fun or very good!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10

2017 Maison Marcel Rosé

This is such a pretty looking bottle! It's see through with minimal white writing and very elegant. The wine tastes like a nice standard rosé, maybe a little bit sweet/cloying/acidic for my preferences but delightful enough. It taught me that wine over ice (recommended for this bottle) was not bad! And again, the style of this bottle should not be overlooked. Cute.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Tootsie Caramel Apple Pop

These are nut free, which is great! Tootsie is cool. This is much better than a tootsie roll, and quite different from a tootsie pop. It's a sour apple lollipop (good bright green sour flavor) with a thin uneven coating of hardish sticky caramel over it. A pretty unique candy! I kind of expected the caramel to be chewy, but it really was not. This is a licker of a sucker. But the taste was good, so that's OK.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Anna de Codorníu Blanc de Blancs NV

Bubbly! I popped this sucker open all by myself, which is rare for a scaredy girl like me. It was not a gentle pop, despite my best efforts. Anyway, at first I thought I was allergic to this but I think it was just the bubbles/alc making me itchy. Weird. Anyway, this is a white AND a bubbles so it goes down real easy. I actually did get some peach/nectarine/creamy vibes, which was cool. Tasted good and was fun and drinkable. The lady on the bottle art looks like that "old lady or beautiful lady" art illusion thing, which is silly.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Brothers All Natural Peach Fruit Crisps

This is definitely better than their freeze dried apple (makes sense, because peach is better than apple more generally), but it's still so very little content. Just totally airy peach bits, and you get like 5 of them. What the heck! Airy little cardboards that taste like peach. I know a better product is possible, but I'll still eat it 'cause it's tiny and it's there.

Overall
Cost: 4/10 [Only 1$ but only 30 cals]
Taste: 6/10

2015 Jean Marc Barthez Bordeaux Rouge

Wine! Fine! I opened this up to share with a friend during the Big Brother finale, which always makes wine taste better to me. Because it's scarcer I guess I appreciate it more. So I liked this one, thought it was a great, rich, drinkable red. I gave up on the food pairings, but this was solid to drink on its own anyway.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Mrs. T's 5 Cheese Pizza Pierogies

These were nice! I guess I like the pizza flavors and the broccoli flavors so far. I thought they were nice and cheesy, and not too potatoey. Filling and convenient as ever. Good when I'm starving and want to nap after eating. :) I didn't see these at the store this week though, so they might be defunct.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 6/10

2018 RAW Rosé

I have to give this wine points for durability, because I had kept it in the fridge for literally months. I was worried it would taste super super bad, but even though my initial sips were very bitter, it actually held up well. The taste is decent, like a rosé but a little bit. . .pollen-y? I like the bottle screw top, although I don't like the "vegan"/"mystery ingredients" aspects, both of which are very odd. I want transparency! Anyway this was good. I might put more wines in the fridge now.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

La Perdrix Costières de Nîmes Rouge

Because DE changed their shipping regulations (or at least their enforcement), my wine-by-mail club has cut me off. So I'm suddenly finding more appreciation for my remaining stock, which was starting to get a bit banal before. Goodbye, alcoholism? In any case, this vintage was all right -- perhaps a bit puckery for my liking, but that's reds for ya. It did get smoother over time, as do they all. I know you aren't supposed to chill them, but for some reason the 2nd day of drinking always tastes better to me. Maybe it's just that I know I'm not allergic?




Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Seneca Cinnamon Apple Chips

Hm! These were way better than I expected, which makes me wonder what all the other dumb apple chip companies are getting wrong! These were nice and crispy (like a chip chip) and had a nice sweet cinnamon flavor. Really nice work here. Would happily eat again.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Twinings Camomile Honey & Vanilla Herbal Tea

I believe Twinings is also good about allergens in their tea, and they're less likely than Bigelow to use stupid licorice/chicory/anise, so it's good safe option for me! Unfortunately I still don't much like tea, especially Herbal Tea. No caffeine! Pretty boring. But warm, nut-free liquid is always good, so I don't hate it. Tastes like chamomile, I guess.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10

Dare Maple Creme Cookies

Wow, these were much better than I expected! After the not great marshmallow Dare cookies, I thought these would be a dud, plus I don't really like maple flavoring much. But these are good! 90 calories each, but good. The cookie bits are very buttery, and the inside is good too. They do smell very strongly of maple, like the Quaker Maple Brown Sugar oatmeal, which I don't love. But the taste is better than expected by quite a lot. Plus, the nut free security is really really nice. The bad news is, I guess I didn't seal the box well and mine got stale/soft after a few days. So store them carefully!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Entenmann's Minis - Brownie Chocolate Chip

Bad news, these aren't as great as they look. They seem like they'd be amazing, like the chocolate chip brownie bars I make in the oven, but instead these are really cakey, like a Hoho and not like a cookie. Still sweet, of course, so that tastes nice, but the little cookies are better. Plus even though they don't mention nut allergens I got a little anxious (as you do) after some googling. Not worth it!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Yoplait whips! - Dunkin' Cinnamon Coffee Roll

Oh yeah! I officially tried all 4 of the Dunkin yogurts. I am a true Dunkin superfan/loyalist. Nice. Like the other whipped one, this was decent! It was cinnamony and sweet. Not really reminiscent of any Dunkin product I recognize, including the coffee roll, but it tastes good just the same.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Buffalo Wild Wings

Surprised I haven't reviewed B-Dubs yet! So many memories there over the last decade, like: my tragic friend calling it BBWs by accident, watching UFCs there with my roomies and exes, and awkward morning soccer games as a third or fifth wheel! But seriously, this place is great: unlike PJ WHELIHANS, they don't have a peanut butter flavor with peanuts on it, and in fact have an allergy menu online somewhere. I basically only get apps (the corn dogs are amazing, as are most of the apps unfortunately for the ol' waistline) or the Asian Zing classic wings, which are sweet and Asian, I guess. And a lil hot too! The snack size is plenty and you get nice celery with it. I will say, they don't post the prices for their drinks on the menu, which is super annoying. But they have lots of options.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 8/10

Signature Select Mushroom & Onion Pasta Sauce

This was on super sale so I tried it out. I think I liked it, actually, although the price helped me think so. It wasn't as sweet as other jar sauces, it was thicker and a darker red, more like tomato paste with a strong tomato flavor. A few small chunks of tomato in there too. Reminds me a little of my grandma's homemade sauce minus the meat, which is a compliment. Also, tastes a tiny bit cheesy even though there is no cheese.

Overall
Cost: 7/10 [1.50 on sale!]
Taste: 7/10

2016 Band Blend Live

 This was like insanely smooth. I wasn't even really in a drinkin' wine mood to have this, but I was very impressed with this red. It wasn't nearly as acidic/biting as others. A bit of unspecified fruit flavor; soft and silky. I think I still like whites better (wine only), but for a red this went down very easy. Plus, a screw top! And the idea that this was based around a band practice is cute. I didn't make a recommended vegan burrito with this, but I will eat a regular non-vegan burrito for myself later on. :)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Nature's Bandits Mixed Berry apple veggie fruit stix

These were really good! Mixed Berry is accurate for the flavor, and the texture is nice and firm without being too sticky or sweet or chewy. Very solid. And of course, the mascot is adorable.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Rey Azteca

OK, I can't really give this place a fair rating because it is not peanut free!!!! I went here with my parents, who were super excited to try a new Mexican place close to home. This is a nice looking resto, too, big and bright and cozy all at once. I ordered a fajita quesadilla with chicken, and it was good and the chips and salsa were good. But! I started to feel allergy anxiety midway through and asked about nuts. They said there were no nuts in the food. And indeed I did not die. But then a few hours later I got home and saw the response to the FB message I sent earlier asking about nuts, which was basically "yes we use peanuts for our mole sauce". Eek! I could have died!!! So I will never go back, but I bet my parents will, and if I had no allergies I would too. But you, dear reader, should not.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10 (hard to be objective)

Made Good Soft Baked Mini Cookies - Chocolate Chip

I have MadeGood in my head as one of the 'tasty' allergy companies, since my first impression of them was a good one. But I am slowly wearing away that perception, thanks to things like these cookies. Sadly these were not very good. They have a gritty texture, which is very weird, and the choco chips kind of blended in and didn't stand out from the cookie mass. The one good thing is that these have chia in them, and I ate it and didn't die! So I got some good intel for myself, but otherwise: meh.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10