City Winery DC

I went here for a lovely Magnetic Fields concert (with my now-ex boyf, 😥 -- but the concert was good!) and it was overall a very nice venue, good seating and good visibility (although a little cramped, as you might expect). The food, however... I got a Marg pizza, as it seemed safe (and the waitress confirmed it was, which was nice), and it was really terrible -- cold and definitely not fresh and homemade -- but it was still pizza, so like, not that bad as food goes. The wine was also solid - I got chardonnay. Was the meal worth 100+$ for two? No way. But as a concert venue, it's nice, and it's nice that they let you eat there beforehand. I'd definitely go again for a show, and even eat the bad food there first, I would just never come here as a restaurant. 

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10
Music: 10/10
Sad feelz: 8/10

2021 Mairena Ocasión Torrontés

Hello, other white Mairena. Even though this isn't an SB, it gave me the typical tropicalfruity white wine vibes. No issues with it, a perfectly serviceable wine, but nothing special about it either. Didn't change much warm or cold for me. And didn't pair with the seafood curry either! I did drink some after eating a mint chocolate and I got strong jasmine vibes after that, but I think it was a fluke interaction, lol.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [17$]
Taste: 5/10

Pipcorn White Cheddar Cheese Balls

The name "pipcorn" had me expecting flavors of either (1) corn or (2) popcorn kernels, but really these just tasted like typical cheese balls. A good flavor, although texturewise they were a little bit stale/cardboardy (I don't think they WERE stale, I think that's just the way these are). Even though they read as safe, this company makes crackers that say "may contain tree nuts", and their "allergy aware" website doesn't mention nuts at all otherwise, so these probably aren't worth the anxiety for me to buy again. Just too nerve-racking. The taste is fine though.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Andes Peppermint Crunch Thins

These are good! I always like Andes mints because they are mint and they are safe. They're always better than I remember them to be. This flavor is kind of like the Hershey's candy cane kisses, which are good, but not as amazing as the Boscovs pastel mints or the cookies n' mint bar (my two mint chocolate holy grails, pre-this-blog, sadly). Very minty and sweet, and a fun Christmastime change up. I think I still prefer the original, but these are solid and nice to have just one or two at a time.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Sugar Babies

I regret to inform you that "delicious" is not quite accurate for these bad boys. Nut-free, and inexpensive, these are the good qualities of Sugar Baby. But the texture! Oh, they are firm. Firmer than a milk dud, which is already too firm. RIP my teeth. I realised too late that these aren't chocolate covered, they're "candy covered", which is basically "firm shell of firmness covered". Other candy (junior mint, andes, rolo) is better, and I was a fool to buy this. I still ate them all though.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 5/10

Vermont Nut Free Chocolate Twists

Why are these called chocolate twists instead of sprinkled milk chocolate covered pretzels, I don't know. But they are delicious! This was a sweet Christmas gift for Me and I like it very much. It's cute, and we already know I adore the VNF chocolate covered pretzels without sprinkles, but luckily these sprinkles are the good ones -- the nice, soft, sweet ones you'd get at an ice cream place, and not some weird ones you keep in your kitchen. They taste like cake icing, which is sweet and tasty and a nice soft texture. So, to conclude: these are delicious. And at 150 cals for 4 pretzels, not as bad for you as an oreo! 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 8/10

Stouffer's Cheese Lovers Lasagna

I am 99% sure this is just a renaming of their 5-cheese lasagna, but just in case it isn't, here is a review. This is fine. It is good for 350 calories, but a little bit wet and heartburny. The ricotta is apparently from Ohio, which made me laugh. No soy and no fish, just 2 big noodles, a lot of wet ricotta, and a teeny bit of mozz that sticks to the plastic top wrap. Sadly, the veggie lasagna is no longer at my store (hopefully they still make it?!) so this is what we're working with.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [3.50]
Taste: 6/10

2021 Mairena Ocasión Sauvignon Blanc

Not MY rena! This wine makes me think about my mom never pronouncing the name "Mai" correctly, even though it is, like, also an English word. It's as if the foreign filter is activated. Anyway, just a fun anecdote before we dive into the review. Like all SBs, I got big tropical fruit vibes here. Mango, papaya, pineapple, maybe? It was sweet and not too acidic, although I think I liked it better warm than cold, contra the white wine norm. Ah well.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [17$]
Taste: 6/10

Crofter's Peach Spread

This stuff is good! It's super thick, not runny at all, and it goes perfectly with a plain bagel. About one heaping spoonful is perfect for one bagel. It's sweet, but not overpowering, and the bear on the jar is adorbs. Makes me feel like I have a little breakfast friend (the bear). Lovely.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

2018 Montsablé Grenache

Is this my first montsablé? I guess I put it off since I couldn't find any allergy info. But now that life is normalizing (or was, until recently), I had the nerve to go for it. And dang! It had a huge tangy factor. Very fruity/jammy but also extreeemely acidic. Not pleasant at first sip. Maybe I just let it sit for too long? Anyway, once it was cold it turned into much more of a typical red, and I was able to finish it, but the first reaction was definitely a negative one. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

DeCecco Spaghetti

Number 12? This should be #1! It's spaghetti, for heavens sake! A classic! I guess I haven't bought this 'til now, but it was thicker than I expected. Kind of nice, very substantial, giving it a classy, restaurant vibe (instead of a sad, my house vibe). 10 minutes cook time, no weird chickpea contamination, a little pricy but I think it's worth it. Very solid pasta for your red sauce nights.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch Mini Treats Cereal Bars

Happy this is nut free, but it didn't impress me. A very sweet, pliable rice-cereal bar. No real similarity to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but I now realise there's a limited holiday cereal called Sugar Cookie Toast Crunch which I guess might be more similar to the taste of these. I'd say this is really akin to a madegood rice crispy bar, which is not bad for an allergy treat, but a little bad for a regular treat. Alas. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Deep River Tortilla Chips - Ranch

Apparently these used to be called "Honchos", which is very disturbing. I am glad that they made the switch. Although I dislike corn chips and ranch, I found these very addictive, and not really Dorito-y at all. I ate way too many in one sitting -- they have a strong, tangy seasoning which was ultimately quite pleasant, not cloying or sickly. Neat.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Mrs. Smith's Original Apple Pie

Mmm, pie. I bought this for myself, but when my parents came over for Thanksgiving I felt obligated to make this pie, lol. That's probably for the best, since since 1/8 is like 400 calories or something. The tragedy of pie. Anyway, this tasted to me exactly like the little wedges of pie you get from Burger King, which I can't get anymore due to allergies but which I remember fondly. So this is tasty but not really "gourmet" feeling. In fact, I thought it tasted better cold than warm! Rare for a pie.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

2016 Areyna Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon

Hello, wine! I found this to be a perfectly "fine" wine, consistent over time and nothing to write your blog about, unless you have a regular food review blog or something. It was fine. I had it with a sad, lonely Thanksgiving dinner. :D?

I also made stuffed peppers to go along with this (post hoc), and they were solid, although I think the pepper is more for presentation and the inside mush was the best part. Sorry for the deconstructed pic, but you can imagine.

 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Vegan Rob's Spinach Puffs

Ah, Vegan Rob is at it again. I like the idea of a veggie puff, and this is a filling snack as snacks go, but the taste of these is definitely "bitter spinach powder", yet the nutrition info isn't like "wow spinach!", you know? So I don't find myself wanting these, even though they're edible and v e g a n.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10