Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Wendy’s Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger

Marvo 3 Comments

With its beef patty, roasted mushrooms, Applewood smoked bacon, muenster cheese, and creamy garlic spread, Wendy’s says that its new Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger is “literally oozing with umami.” With so many savory ingredients, I don’t doubt that, but the burger is also seeping with some surprising spiciness.

That hint of heat comes from the creamy garlic spread, which is literally oozing out from the sides of the burger. Here’s a list of the sauce’s ingredients to help figure out what’s causing the slight spiciness and to add 50 words to this review:

Soybean Oil, Water, Egg Yolks, Salt, Cider Vinegar, Distilled Vinegar, Garlic, Contains Less than 2% of Onion, Sugar, Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Garlic, Mustard Seed, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Monosodium Glutamate, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Natural Flavor, Oleoresin Paprika (Color), Parsley, Citric Acid, Calcium Disodium EDTA Added to Protect Flavor. CONTAINS: EGG.

Well, whatever it is, that spiciness doesn’t enhance the burger. If anything, it was more of a distraction because I usually don’t associate heat with garlic sauces. The garlic flavor is mild enough that if your significant other ate this and wanted to make out after, you shouldn’t be offended by their breath. It’s also subtle enough that it allows the mushroom’s earthiness, bacon’s smokiness, and the beef’s, um, beefiness to come through with every bite.

What doesn’t come through is the muenster cheese, which is supposed to have a mild nutty/buttery taste. Whatever flavor it has gets lost with all the other oozing umami. It’s so inconsequential that folks could be tricked into thinking this has Swiss, another mild-tasting cheese.

But the bacon and mushroom flavors do come through, and I think this is a good cheeseburger, with the garlic spread providing some difference from a standard mushroom and Swiss. However, it’s not oozing THAT much of a difference.

Purchased Price: $8.19*
Size: Single patty
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 670 calories, 43 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1210 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of sugar, and 35 grams of protein.

*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: Dunkin’ Holiday Cookie Signature Latte

Erin 2 Comments

October is over and no matter how much Halloween candy you’re left with, the calendar is moving on to the winter months and sweets associated with them. Do you still have 25 mini Snickers? Eat ‘em quickly because it’s about to be cookie time. Dunkin’ is ushering in the season with its new Holiday Cookie Signature Latte. It’s a blend of espresso, milk, brown sugar cookie-flavored swirl syrup, and toasted almond flavor. The drink comes topped with whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and cookie butter crumbles. At least, it should.

If you’re able to get this drink as described, I think you’re in for a treat. Dunkin’s brown sugar cookie swirl really does get the job done as far as providing you with a buttery, cookie-forward base. It works well with the espresso and gets additionally complemented by the unsweetened toasted almond flavor. The almond might be the unsung hero here because I don’t necessarily associate it with holiday cookies, but I’ll be darned if it doesn’t balance everything out. Holiday drinks tend to pile on the indulgences, but this still tastes of coffee, and it gives some holiday vibes without drowning me in sweetness. None of the components here are new, but they are enjoyable, and I would order this again if not for a major problem.

Signature lattes come with accessories. They’re always topped with whipped cream and then should be adorned with whatever really makes them stand out. A Holiday Cookie Signature Latte should come with cookie crumbles. My previous experiences with Dunkin’ tell me it excels at crumbly toppings. But I got this drink at two different locations and both were disappointingly devoid of the crumbly cookie bits. The first didn’t make an effort to substitute for them, and the second tossed on some brown sugar and cinnamon to compensate. I can’t fault the drink for being the well-balanced beverage that it is, but it feels somewhat plain and too close to some past drinks to differentiate itself. What Grinch is out there stealing all the crumbles? Can someone catch him soon because I would really like to give this one a higher rating.

Purchased Price: $5.29
Size: Medium
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 380 calories, 14 grams of total fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 45 grams of total sugar, and 10 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Salted Caramel Frosty

Marvo 3 Comments

Wendy’s didn’t bring back its delicious Pumpkin Spice Frosty for the holiday season. Are you experiencing various emotions about it because you thought eating one would be an annual tradition because you believed something so tasty has to come back annually? Well, I’m sorry, my mad and/or sad friend, our consolation prize is the new Salted Caramel Frosty that combines a Vanilla Frosty with sea salt caramel syrup.

Speaking of anger, you should also direct some of that emotion at SpongeBob Squarepants. If not for the Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty, which came out at the beginning of October, we might’ve tasted the Pumpkin Spice Frosty this year. (Shakes fist at SpongeBob Squarepants boxers, which I got as a gift a long time ago but never wore because I’d hate to get caught wearing them.)

This is the fourth new Frosty flavor this year. It follows the delicious Orange Creamsicle, the disappointing Triple Berry, and the wonderful Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty varieties. Because Wendy’s is batting .666 this year with home run Frosty varieties, I had complete faith that this Salted Caramel one would be delicious, so I ordered a large. Thankfully, my fast food treats analytics paid off.

The dessert looks a bit French Vanilla off-white, but when a spoonful hits my taste buds, they’re flooded with salted caramel flavor. The caramel is sweet and buttery, and it’s bold enough that there’s no hint of the vanilla base, but it’s not overwhelming. A subtle saltiness enhances the caramel, which turns this treat into something so tasty that it makes me forget about being disappointed that the Pumpkin Spice Frosty didn’t return.

If you’re interested in trying Wendy’s Salted Caramel Frosty, I recommend ordering it RIGHT NOW. Because after what we’ve seen with the Pumpkin Spice one, who knows what’ll happen to this seasonal one in the future. This might be your only chance to treat yourself to it.

Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: Large
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 540 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 570 milligrams of sodium, 94 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 84 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s

Ann 1 Comment

As we approach the holiday season once more, Mars has created a new Peanut M&M’s flavor to get everyone into the holiday spirit: Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s. The brand describes the new flavor as a winter treat made with roasted peanuts infused with cinnamon, vanilla, spiced sugar, and caramel.

While M&M’s has kept a fairly steady stream of new flavors and textures coming in their other varieties, it’s been a minute since the Peanut M&M has seen some innovative love! The holiday-focused flavor comes in just red, green, and yellow colors. There isn’t much else distinctive about these in appearance; they look just like standard Peanut M&M’s.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from cinnamon, vanilla, spiced sugar, and caramel (that’s a lot of flavors), but the first impression I had of these Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s was that they didn’t overdo it with the flavor. It’s definitely present, but it’s not too heavy. I also wasn’t really able to discern any one of their specifically listed flavors. They all sort of melded together and tasted like brown butter, or maybe toffee, or even maple? For something so difficult to nail down, one thing I was sure of is that they’re delicious!

I decided to taste them against regular Peanut M&M’s to see if the flavor would stand out more. The Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M’s maintain a really pleasant warm spiced note compared to their OG counterparts. I will also say that my coworker tried these and said they tasted like a TJMaxx candle, so I guess to each their own.

Overall, I’m trusting my gut here and saying these are great. The flavor isn’t over the top and is just ambiguous enough to fit the broad description of “toasty holiday.” I enjoyed them more than original Peanut M&M’s and sincerely hope Mars keeps innovating with them!

Purchased Price: $2.28
Size: 3.27 oz bag
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1oz/12 pieces) 140 Calories, 8 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 15 milligrams sodium, 17 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 15 grams sugar, and 3 grams protein.

REVIEW: Starbucks Cran-Merry Orange Refresher

Heather 1 Comment

It is time. (Insert Rafiki from “The Lion King” GIF here.)

The holiday beverages are out at Starbucks, and surprisingly, there’s a new Refresher on the menu. Typically any new Refresher varieties come out during the warmer months, so this was super intriguing to see. The new drink is the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher, which has orange, cranberry, and spice flavors mixed with water and cranberry inclusions, which just means cranberry pieces.

I enjoy the other Starbucks Refreshers, so I was certainly eager to give this one a go. My colleague loved it (read more about that later), so the bar was set high. It’s a beautiful cranberry-red color, so this drink certainly looks festive. As for the taste, I found it good. Not amazing, not bad… just good.

There’s definitely a fun mix of flavors here. First, I tasted the cranberry, then the orange, and then the spices at the end. The spices cut the berry’s tartness – this is definitely NOT a cranberry juice. I like the fact that it’s not overwhelmingly tart or sweet yet still tastes like something you’d drink during the holidays. The cranberry inclusions are a fun addition, but I don’t think they enhance the flavor.

But again, this is just good. It didn’t knock my socks off, but I liked it. It’s a different flavor combination compared to the other Refreshers in the lineup, but I’d pick others that I like better.

Like any of the other Starbucks Refreshers, you can order this with either lemonade or coconutmilk added to it. While I haven’t tried either of those modifications, my colleague got the lemonade version and RAVED about it. I’m thinking I’ll like it better than the standard version, so it’s on my list to try soon.

Purchased Price: $5.25
Size: Grande
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 100 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 20 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of protein, and 55 milligrams of caffeine.