Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Honey Garlic Sriracha Crispy Chicken Wings

Marvo Leave a comment

Jack in the Box’s Crispy Chicken Wings are back! Thank goodness. I was afraid they were discontinued because they disappeared off the menu so quickly that I didn’t even get to eat them again after enjoying them earlier this year. This time, along with the Classic, Buffalo, and Garlic Parmesan varieties, there’s a new sauce — Honey Garlic Sriracha.

I’m a little surprised that these weren’t hot honey flavored because that seems to be the hottest flavor at the moment. But it’s spicy and has honey, so I guess it’s close enough.

If you missed Jack’s Crispy Chicken Wings the first time, you missed one of the year’s surprisingly great fast food products, at least to me. Yes, Jack in the Box is a burger place, but for some magical reason, it does chicken wings surprisingly well. The exterior has a pleasant crispiness even when sauced, and the meat inside is actually juicy. However, I wish the wings were coated better in their sauces, even with this Honey Garlic Sriracha order.

There’s a bit of a Panda Express vibe going on with the sauce, although it isn’t as gloopy as anything from the popular wok chain. It’s not as hot as actual sriracha because the honey and garlic distract my taste buds from the heat. The sauce overall tastes ever so slightly watered down, which is the best way I can describe it. The sweet, garlicky, and peppery flavors are there but don’t pop. As for the heat, it starts off very mild, but it does build up a little while eating more. However, I didn’t need a Witch Please Shake or water to cool down my mouth.

Jack in the Box’s Honey Garlic Sriracha Crispy Chicken Wings are good, but I feel the others are better tasting. If I went to someone’s house to watch a football game (someone, please invite me over) and these were being offered, I would gladly eat them. But if I’m staring at the Jack in the Box menu all by myself and want chicken wings, if they’re still around, I’d probably pick any of the other varieties.

Purchased Price: $8.99*
Size: 6-piece order
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 500 calories. Other nutritional numbers aren’t available on the Jack in the Box website.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Oreo Coca-Cola Zero Sugar

Brandon 10 Comments

Like a wide-eyed kid away at college, far from home for the first time in their life, Coca-Cola is going through a bit of an experimental phase. Over the past year or so, it mixed its classic carbonation with DJs and conceptual artists, with abstract ideas and intangible tastes like “space.” But like that same aforementioned college kid, things have mostly returned to normal. Well, except first they wanna try one last thing, okay?

Partnering with Oreo for a collaboration that—ahem—swings both ways, the bold and daring can now get Oreo cookies that taste like Coke and Coke that tastes like Oreo cookies. I love flavored Coca-Cola—even when they’re bad, they’re at least fun—so I was eager to drink the cookie.

Cracking open a mini can, I was assaulted by the aroma of, well, Oreo. I took a tiny sip, and yep, there it was: I was totally drinking the famous creme-filled chocolate wafer cookie. As the artificial chocolate flavor coated the inside of my mouth like some greasy sugar juice, I got the tiniest hint of good old-fashioned Coca-Cola, then a crashing wave of aspartame and acesulfame potassium.

The artificial sweetener in this hits HARD. I’m a regular Coke Zero drinker, so it’s not that I’m not used to it; something about the balance in the Oreo Coke, though, is different. I’ve had the same thing happen in some of the other limited edition Coke Zero Sugar flavors, and honestly, it makes it too much. It reminds me of being a kid and accidentally being given a Diet Coke at a fast food place. When I was young and unaccustomed to the artificial tang, that first sip was like getting slapped in the mouth.

And unfortunately, I felt it really hindered my enjoyment of this otherwise fun flavor.

Oreo Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is a fun idea and nothing more. If you’re a Coke completist or someone who likes trying new and unusual things, and you see a bottle, grab it. It’s worth a couple of bucks, and who knows, it may be your new favorite thing. (A lot of chatter I’ve read online so far seems to really put me in the minority, so, as the adage goes, your mileage may be different than mine.)

Purchased Price: $5.98
Size: 10-pack mini cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and less than 0 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Jack in the Box Mummy Wrapped Monster Taco

Marvo 8 Comments

Jack in the Box’s Monster Taco has been a monster success for the chain. Actually, I don’t know this because I’m not privy to the company’s internal numbers, but it’s been around for several years, so I assume it’s a popular item. For the Halloween season, the chain has pulled out from a sarcophagus the Mummy Wrapped Monster Taco.

It’s a Monster Taco topped with the usual American cheese, shredded lettuce, and taco sauce that’s “mummy wrapped’ in a cheese sauce and bacon-stuffed warm flour tortilla.

If you’re reading this review, you’re probably familiar with the taste of Jack in the Box’s tacos, so I’m not going to mention much about it. While I enjoy them, this version is disappointing.

Adding the flour tortilla, cheese sauce, and bacon bits adds a noticeable amount of heft to the Monster Taco, making it a bit more monstrous. However, the cheese sauce and its warmth are trapped under the flour tortilla, making the taco’s center even soggier than a regular Monster Taco. Thankfully, that’s kind of okay because the tortilla prevents any leakage from happening.

However, I don’t know if mine was made with more cheese sauce than the kitchen instructions say, but I felt there was too much of it in my order, and it made things overwhelmingly cheesy. While that sounds nice for fondue, a cheeseburger, or Wisconsin, it’s not in this case because it also makes the menu item too salty. Yes, water is wet, and fast food is salty, but this was particularly so sodium-heavy that my taste buds started to wonder if they should tap out after getting halfway through. I eventually had to convince myself to finish the last three bites.

Besides the overwhelming cheesiness and saltiness, there is also an underlying smokiness from the bacon and the usual mild kick of pepperiness and heat from taco sauce and the seasoned meat. But I wonder if those pork bits also contribute to this being too salty.

While a clever idea, Jack in the Box’s Mummy Wrapped Monster Taco is a monster disappointment. I don’t plan on ordering it again, and I think it should be placed back in its sarcophagus and buried in the tomb of fast food ideas. Or it should have less cheese sauce.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 580 calories. No other nutritional numbers are available on the Jack in the Box website.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Coca-Cola Oreo Cookies

Vin 10 Comments

It’s the brand crossover we didn’t even know we were waiting for. America’s #1 cookie and America’s #1 soda brand* have combined forces to create not only a new cola but arguably the most intriguing Oreo flavor to date.

*According to America’s #1 search engine, the A.I. cluttered and less reliable by the day, Google!

I’ve been starting to get a little bored with Oreo flavor trends. Sure, I just reviewed its Sour Patch collab, but outside of that, I’ve felt like its creative ideas were starting to lose their luster, and each new flavor just ended up tasting like one it had previously made. A shot in the arm was needed.

Enter Coca-Cola Oreo – a jab everyone should agree on. … Let’s move on.

Upon popping the tab on the bag, I was smacked with an amazing scent. This is probably the best-smelling snack I’ve had in a long time. They instantly smell like Coca-Cola but also don’t lose the “baked good” scent of the cookie. It’s a perfect mix. I want this as a candle.

The great start only got better when I saw the dual-colored wafers, with the red side having three distinct Coke-branded designs. The attention to detail is unrivaled by any Oreo in the past.

My nose liked ’em, my eyes liked ’em, but what about my big fat mouth?

Oh yeah, my mouth liked ’em. These are great. I expected them to be, and they met my expectations. They taste like Coca-Cola. Simple as that. Job well done.

Actually, I think they taste like a Coke float, which is arguably even better.

If I had to be specific beyond, “it tastes like Coke,” these remind me of Cherry Vanilla Coke. The crème, which is speckled with popping candies, gives it that vanilla/ice cream/almost marshmallow-like addition, and there is a distinct cherry hint within the Coca-Cola flavoring itself.

The Coke website claims the brown cookie is made with Coca-Cola syrup, while the red cookie is just a dyed Golden Oreo. I separated the two, and that checks out. There’s also definitely some Coke essence within the crème.

Speaking of the crème, my only complaint is that I wish the popping candy… well, popped off more. It’s a fun addition and a great way to ape the effervescence of a refreshing soda into the cookie, but the crackling is few and far between. Also, just to nitpick, I wish they were red and speckled the crème better than the moldy off-white bits they are now, if only for aesthetics.

Cola is not a flavor we really get much outside of the drink itself, so it was cool to have that profile in something edible. The only other things I could really think of were random candies like Bottle Caps or my dearly departed Betty Crocker Soda-licious Fruit Snacks. For the love of all things holy, please bring those back.

So yeah, Coca-Cola Oreo Cookies are a hit. One more tiny knock I’ll give is something about the cola flavor sweetness overload gets a little cloying after a few cookies. I was missing that crisp, bubbly taste of an actual Coke. Also, I won’t step on the review of the corresponding Oreo Coca-Cola, but I definitely liked these more. That said, they’re both a must try.

Purchased Price: $4.88
Size: 10.68 oz package
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition 2024 Mtn Dew VooDEW

Marvo 21 Comments

Personally, I love that Mtn Dew has continued the tradition of offering a mystery flavor here in 2024.

I hope the brand never stops pumping out these flavors.

No other brand has had the creativity to keep this up for this long, with Oreo and Peeps doing it for a couple of years and then giving it up.

Keeping in line with previous VooDEW varieties, this one is also flavored like a particular candy.

So, much like all other Mtn Dew mystery flavors, the soda’s label design, ingredients list, and milky color don’t hint at what this is supposed to taste like.

Though, the label does tell us that this is the sixth VooDEW iteration with an eye inside a red number six.

Also, for those who wish every soda flavor had a zero sugar version, VooDEW 2024 has a zero sugar version, but I’m only going to cover the full sugary version in this review.

Right now, I have to say that this might be my favorite VooDEW so far, although every year has been good to great tasting.

Before I tell you what I think the mystery flavor is, I should say that it’s fruity, a tad sour, and maybe creamy, which pretty much narrows down what it could be.

Um, sorry, Snickers, Twix, M&M’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s, etc, you’ll never have a VooDEW flavor that tastes like any of you.

Really, with the first sip, I thought I was drinking a previous VooDEW that tasted like Skittles, but after taking a few more swigs, my taste buds helped me come to a definite answer.

So what do I think it is?

Take the first letter of every sentence in this review, which I’ve separated for convenience, and put them all together for my guess as to what this delicious VooDEW mystery flavor is.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 270 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of carbohydrates, 73 grams of sugar 73 (including 73 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 91 milligrams of caffeine.