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

Pepperidge Farm Milano Slices - Peppermint

Cronch cronch cronch. These are what happen if you cut a milano in half, add extra choco on top, and sprinkle little peppermint pieces on top. Very cronchy. The overall flavor note is mint, and I do like mint, and these are tasty and refreshing. But I don't like the mint texture, so I'd rather just have a milano whole, I think! Still a good cookie product, and my dad got it for me, perhaps as an unspoken "sorry about the tragic end to your 5-year relationship" gift, so I find that very sweet. :')

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Dean's Sweets - Chocolate-covered maraschino cherries

What a mysterious food product! They look like lil aliens. I like that. I was nervous that these would spoil, because they're all natural, but they were great! What lass doesn't love a maraschino cherry? The milk chocolate one was leagues better than the dark chocolate one, as usual, but both are still a treat. Gotta avoid eating the stems, though! Tricky!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10 (8 for milk, 6 for dark)

Butterball Boneless Frozen Savory Herb Turkey Breast Roast

Turkey ball! My dad picked this out, and I was worried it'd be nasty and itchy like the Jenny-O turkey breast was. But this was an improvement, even though it felt a little "school lunch meat product" vs actual "holiday turkey!". The texture was very Moist, which maybe is good, but was a little disconcerting. Still, cover it up with enough festive sides, and it serves its purpose. There were even tiny bits of fat, which I liked, even though I miss the dark meat. We didn't use the included gravy pack, so no comment on that. (But I bet it's gross!!!)

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

A Thanksgiving classic! My parents always think I like this version better than the whole-berry version, which is false. But it tastes the same, really; the only difference is in the texture. It's hard to eat a lot of this, since it's very sweet and homogeneous, but it goes great with turkey et al, and it comes in a convenient can shape. I'll never not put a little bit on my plate!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Trio Fudge

One night a few weeks ago, I was sadly googling "nut free desserts", and a new to me result popped up -- Trio Fudge! I have no strong fudge feelings, as it's not a dessert I've had very often, and so I don't yearn for it the way I do truffles or candy bars or cookies (aka things I had as a kid). However, it's hard to pass up a cute nut-free dessert in a bunch of flavors, so I ordered myself a sizeable sampler. For the most part, I enjoy all the flavors, although they are really dense and sweet, so it's a very different eating experience than other candies for me -- you gotta pace yourself!

Brownie Batter: This flavor was really good; one of my favorites. It tastes like a chocolate marshmallow or something. I like the choco chips on top. 8/10

Coffee: This did have a strong coffee flavor! It helps to lessen the sweetness, but it wasn't really my favorite variety. It's kind of one-note, and the coffee grounds are just In There, so the texture is gritty. 6/10

Cookie Dough: Surprisingly, although I love cookie dough, this was not my favorite. It basically tastes like vanilla fudge, with a slight articificiality to it. Not especially "cookie dough"-y to me. 6/10

Pumpkin Pie: A strong pumpkin flavor! And it was orange! This is very rich, dense, sweet, and creamy. Not very much graham cracker bottom, and a little vanilla-y tasting. Good though. 7/10

Root Beer: Well, it sure tastes like root beer (mixed with white chocolate). I'd prefer just plain white chocolate. Not that this is BAD, but it's a little weird. Perfect for those occasions when you need a root beer flavored sweet, though? 6/10 

Candy Corn: These were cute little seasonal candy-corn shaped fudge pieces. They were good, and literally tasted like soft white choco, but they had a weird chemical/plastic taste on top of them -- I'm guessing as a result of the bag they came in, since the other flavors weren't like this? Alas. 6/10

Red Velvet: This had a "thicker" texture compared to the others, which I like (due to the cake mix in it, I think). It was also a bit less sweet, despite the chocolate sprinkles on top (which I also like). However, there's kind of a weird undernote of Bubble Gum flavor here, which I don't understand and don't really like. Alas. 6/10

Chocolate: The baseline! It's a pleasant baseline, although I do prefer the brownie batter one to this, I think. It tastes like the chocolate fudge my aunt made once, which was solid. No weird flavor notes in this one, just vaguely marshmallow chocolate. 7/10

Banana Cream Cookie: Aw, I saved this for last because I thought it'd be my favorite, but it wasn't as good as I expected. It didn't really have that strong of a banana flavor, compared to the coffee and root beer ones! Basically I got generic vanilla fudge vibes, with a tiny bit of artificial banana flavor. The oreo cookie bottom is also kind of flavorless -- I wish it were graham cracker instead. 6/10

Coconut Truffle: That's right fam, I'm back on my fudge bullshit! This was a pretty impressive coconut flavor, considering it's artificial. I wish it had actual coconut in, but I guess they're trying to appeal to a broad allergy group, so I gotta respect it. And I don't think I'd pin it as fake if I didn't know! A creamy coconut-choco vibe; truffle is pretty accurate. 8/10

Chocolate Raspberry: This is good, but I think I'd rather have just plain chocolate fudge. It's very dense, with a light raspberry (or generic berry) flavor. 7/10

Orange Creamsicle: This tastes just like orange cream savers, which of course I like (I miss those!) but isn't really what I think of what I think of fudge (choco). Very sweet, but good. 7/10

Chocolate Cherry: This has a kind of gummy texture (maybe just because I left it out the longest, though?). It tastes like a cherry flavored Hershey kiss. It's good, but not life changing. Better than the raspberry one, but I do think I still prefer plain choco flavor. 7/10

Triple Chocolate: Alas, Trio Fudge is no more! They had a big going out of business sale and this was the only flavor left, so I bought it. I'll miss these guys. The triple choco was pretty good -- chocolatey, two different layers that were quite similar but still subtly different, with a few choco chips on top. If you like chocolate fudge, look no further! Except you'll have to because you can't buy this. Woe. 7/10

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Martin's Potato Rolls

Happy Thanksgiving! These are not really good for dinner rollin', but they are great for sloppy joes, BBQ pork, and other large sandwiches. A very solid product. Although, now that I've had the "slider size", I feel almost like these are too big! At least for solo single girls like myself. But Martin's rolls are just generally good.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Katz Glazed Donut Holes

I had seen these in my local grocery store's freezer case before covid, but they're gluten free (and expensive, and frozen) so I assumed they'd be pretty gross. But I was sad and desperate one day, so I got them anyhow. They were better than I expected, but definitely "weird". They have great glaze on them, and a decent texture, but unfortunately taste (and smell) exactly like a corn dog, I assume because the flour is corn flour and not wheat flour. I do love mini corn dogs, but not when I'm looking for a donut "dupe". Still, good to eat, and I would get them again.

Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 7/10

Mrs T's Classic Onion Pierogies

Oh, Mrs. T. Is there a Mr. T???? Ha ha... ha. 

This flavor was pretty standard. Really just your average rogi; not as strong of a flavor as I'd hope for. Nothing to write blogs about. 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Knorr Alfredo Broccoli Pasta

Like all noodle packets, especially the ones that don't have soy protein in them, this is a good food product. Very reliable and comforting, especially when ending a 5-year relationship and you need to cry into your dinner. :)

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Chardonnay

Another cute mini wine bottle! This one was sweet, and a little acidic. It made me slightly itchy, but tastes fine.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon

I got one of these little wine mini bottles as a wedding favor, which I thought was very cute. It equals about one (full) cup's worth, which is perfect for a solo dolo wine party. The taste is very generic (that's Robbie!), which was fine by me. A good treat.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

utz Creamy Onion Dip

Oh, boy. I was nervous about trying this because the other utz dip I tried was really, really bad. Fortunately, this was not as gross as I feared. It was a little too "thick", but the taste was overall pleasant, just onion and dairy. It was OK for cucumbers or pierogy.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Kraft macaroni & cheese - spirals

These are pretty good! They come out very soft and not liquidy (like eating a cloud of cheese!) but they are tasty, more than regular mac n cheese, and very filling too.

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 7/10

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar

This is fine! It's dark chocolate, which isn't my favorite. Obviously it's still pleasant, and I'm glad it's a nut free commercially available food. I also like the thickness of it -- much more palatable, to me, than a thick dark chocolate lump is (some of which I've been getting from Dean's Sweets lately!). So, the format is good -- I like the squares, too, for portion control (lol), but the taste does nothing for me. I will say that it's very similar tasting to premium dark chocos, much more than Hershey's milk chocolate is to premium milk chocos, so that's a plus, considering the price.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Bagel Bites - Cheese, Sausage & Pepperoni

Bagel bites! What could be greater, than playing a game of golf with a baaagel? I haven't seen any bagel bites at my grocery store in forever -- I hope they're OK (and still a thing)! Miraculously, the meats in these have no soy, although the flavor doesn't add much over the cheese, in all honesty. I made this pack in the oven for once, and I will say, they were slightly better. But only just.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10

Dots

Gotta love Tootsie for their nut free-ness, even going so far as to put a nut-free logo on the box. This is a pretty good candy as candies go, it's quite sweet with a good soft texture. I believe my ranking is red > pink > yellow > green > orange, with the red and pink buckets above (like starburst!). 

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Stouffer's French Bread Pizza - Deluxe

My biggest complaint about these is that they are oh-so-slow to good for their size, and you gotta cook 'em in the oven! Usually when I want a frozen pizza, I'm so tired and ravenous, and that ~40 minute wait is just too much for me. That said, the eating experience is good on its own, they're a good size for 1 and not too saucey. Maybe a bit heavy on the crust. Biggest plus: these have snausage and roni, but they are soy free! Nice job, Stouffers.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

2020 Marine Descombe Beaujolais-Villages

Hrmm. OK, so I tried this in its 2018(?) edition, and it was weird. I didn't expect 2 years to make an actual difference, but it really did. I guess that's wine for ya! This time around, it tasted sweet, like sweet concord grape juice. It was odd, and not what I was expecting, given the dank dirty taste of the older one! Definitely better in 2020, unlike literally everything else. 

I also made a turkey meal with this (though not an entire smoked turkey), and that was nice too. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [18$]
Taste: 5/10

Swiss Miss Marshmallow Hot Cocoa Mix

Ah, winter's coming, so hot choco is in! This mix is both very fatty and very sweet (even with water instead of milk), but it is good though. And warm! Too bad the marshmallows melt instantly, I should buy separate big ones to drop in or somethin'.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

2019 Jacqueline Delaunay Muscadet Sèvre et Maine "Sur Lie"

Another Mary T! This is truly the autumn of Mary Taylor wines for me. A comforting experience. This is a rare MT white though, which was fun. It was definitely on the tart side, but not undrinkable. I enjoyed it, though I'm not able to oyster it up as recommended.

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [18$]
Taste: 6/10

Sam Adams Lawn Chair Lager

This was like a lighter version of the pink one (the IPA). It was also fine, just less intense. Still a solid, safe, nostalgic-because-beer beer!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Ilegal Malted Wine, Sauvignon Blanc

Malted wine!? What will they think of next! I must say, I do like the idea of a 50% wine 50% beer mixture, but that's mostly because I like beer (better than wine). I don't like that the company never answered my allergy Q, although it might be because I tried to send it en español and I'm highly nonfluent. Nevertheless! They do have the ingredients on the back (wine and hops, lol), so I felt OK about it, though a little nervous. When I popped this open, I was surprised by how fizzy it was! A light, fizzy wine, less sweet than a typical SB, and less alcoholic which is nice. I thought it was "fine" -- better than wine, but just because I like beer; I don't think combining them necessarily has an additive effect, yanno?


Overall
Cost: 5/10 [15$]
Taste: 6/10

Sam Adams Beach Session IPA

Please excuse the dramatic photo, it's from Sam Adams and not from me (I no longer have the bottle in my possession). I drank this a while ago actually, since it is clearly no longer summer. But this was a nice hoppy IPA! I like it mainly for its safety (nut free!) and nostalgia (IPA!). Objectively, just an average IPA, I think.

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10

Lime & Jalapeño Ruffles

Honestly, I did not like these at all on first eat -- the lime is just so Trix cereal-y, and while these chips don't have the gross Lay's taste, they're bad in a whole new way. They do have a good little spice to 'em, which I do like if not for the lime.

Then when I was very hungry and despo, I ate these again, and I thought "hm, they're not so bad" -- rinse and repeat a few more times. But still I think the lime flavor is no good. And the Lakers stink!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 4/10

Sun-Maid Golden Raisins

I never bought Golden raisins before, but they are basically just yellow raisins. A little bit less sweet and figgy, I suppose. Good for cooking and baking, a little bit more "fun" and "posh", so I do like that. Not really sure what to do with a whole box of these, or how long they stay good (6 months?) or why I didn't get a smaller box. Alas.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Argilla Brewing Co at Pietro's Pizza

This place has a lot of good qualities: they actually answered my FB message about allergens (so rare!) and they answered that it was all basically nut-free except desserts. Hooray! The food and beer were also great, and the location is pretty close to me, with parking, and also not super crowded with undergrads since it's a driver.

The negatives: they don't take reservations, but were busy and we had to wait a while for a table (even though there were lots of empty tables -- I'm guessing they just didn't have enough workers, which is true basically everywhere these days). We also weren't told we could chill at an empty table while we waited, which seemed like a nice thing to do. So the whole check-in process was awkward. But the server at our table once we got it was perfectly fine.

I ordered a pizzo (personal size) with mushrooms and spinach, and it was a good size (I finished it and wasn't dyin') and tasty enough, although nothing earth shattering. I also got the Cherry Berry Whipped beer, which I really especially liked -- it was a milky opaque pink, not super fizzy, nice sour fruity beer.

Good times! I'm looking forward to going back either with family or boyf later.

Later: Ha, joke's on past-me, 'cause I no longer have a boyf and I hardly have any family! But I did go with my dad, and sadly, he did not like the pizza at all and they didn't have fish. So it was a bust for him. For me, I got the Kennett personal pizzo, which was solid, good cheese (ate it all) and a Pineapple Citrus Whipped beer, which I also especially liked. Their beers are great! Their pizza is good! Someone go here with me! :p

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10

Hatfield Applewood Smoked Bacon - Classic Cut

This sure makes a lot of bacon! Whew. It also sure took longer to cook than I'd expected (like 1 hour for the whole pack) and produced a lot more grease, etc. I'm just not cut out to make my own bacon, I think. Or at least not on the stove. But anyway, even though the cooking process was long (maybe 12min per strip) and confusing (when is the fat cooked?!), and the taste right away was nothing special, I put the leftovers in the fridge and gnawed on them for a few days, and then I really missed the cold bacons when they were gone. So ... not a huge fan, but I see why people get into bacon.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

Wild Cherry Pepsi

I remember being a youngster at my grandma's house and a huge huge fan of these (along with my cousin Jeffy!), they were one of my favorite sodas hands down. Then again, I never really liked soda *that* much. And today, I find myself highly unimpressed. However, this particular iteration was, to be fair, from a vending machine and very expired. It was still "OK" -- very sweet. Very bad for you. Ultimately, I didn't finish the bottle. How our heroes have fallen!

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10

Vermont Smoke & Cure - Honey Mustard Turkey Sticks

These are cute -- yellow labels for mustard and honey! So sensible. This flavor is good, but not great. It's healthier in terms of calories, being turkey and not beef/pork, and it feels healthier too if you know what I mean. A bit "dry" compared to the roni types. Not a super strong honey flavor or mustard flavor -- mostly meat flavor. A tiny bit of spice, but the spice is mainly like, black pepper.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

J.L. Kraft Garlic Aioli

The fact that Kraft gets initials when it wants to be fancy is very funny to me. I would like some J.L. Kraft Singles please. One J.L. Kraft Easy Mac to go please. Absurd!

I got this for a recipe. It's pretty niche in my diet, unfortunately, since I don't have any fries on hand (or like, bread). It tastes, basically, like mayo with a strong garlic flavor. Very strong garlic flavor! I'm sure there are places where this is good. Egg salad, as it happens, is not one of those places. I suspect a roast beef or turkey sandwich could do with it.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10

2017 Odile Delpon Cahors

I think I might be having too much wine these days -- I got a lil redfaced and dizzy tonight after drinking this one! I've been lucky to have so many nut-free Mary Taylors to enjoy. This is another new one, although it's a Malbec, so nothing too zany. I enjoyed it; my first instinct was that it was a little gamey(!) but it faded quickly and became kind of "generic red" -- not too thick or thin or acidic or anything off base. Not super fruity either, but that's OK. It held up for 3 pretty solid similar days. Sadly, no bean soup for me, but I do like soup in winter and I bet that'd go with this nicely.

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

Lender's Plain Bagels (Frozen)

Gosh, my grocery store stopped selling all flavors of Lender's bagels, so I got to buy about 1 pack post-lockdown before they went away, and I'm so upset about it! These are really convenient, especially now that I have a good toaster. My bag did have a little bit of freezer burn going on, but I guess that's because they were selling off the bottom of the storage unit of bagels or whatever. Sniff. These are good, tasty bagels, and really good for little sandwiches too. I hope to find them again if I ever switch grocery stores!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 7/10