Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Arby’s Pumpkin Pie Turnover

Marvo 4 Comments

Because Arby’s has the meats, it’ll always have turkey. But if you want to make that turkey sandwich from Arby’s feel more like a Thanksgiving meal, you can now get a pumpkin pie at the fast food chain for a limited time. Okay, not an actual slice, but a flaky turnover with a sweet pumpkin pie filling and topped with cream cheese icing.

However, it would’ve been better if Arby’s offered pie slices because its Pumpkin Pie Turnover doesn’t put me in a festive mood.

The pastry’s exterior is pleasantly flaky, slightly buttery, and pretty good for a fast food offering, but it’s the orange goo inside that doesn’t work for me. Maybe my expectations were too high. But shouldn’t expecting its flavor to unquestionably and instantly be recognizable as sweet pumpkin pie with delicious warm spices be the minimum? However, that’s not the case with the Pumpkin Pie Turnover.

The dessert’s usual warm spices are there, but they lack that oomph of flavor that I’ve experienced with almost every pumpkin pie I’ve stuffed into my pie hole. It’s like a lite pumpkin pie, with the squash flavor standing out more. I have not been this disappointed in a pumpkin pie product since eating a Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Pie years ago. I don’t know if it’s still the case, but that gigantic pie tastes bland.

The cream cheese icing on top, which I think is supposed to look like laces on a football, has a mild tanginess, and it was nice to taste it on its own. But it’s not enough to help turn around this turnover.

When I received my order, the cashier asked me if I had the Pumpkin Pie Turnover before. She said she has yet to try it. I told her I haven’t. But now I want to drive back to Arby’s and tell that cashier it’s disappointing. Arby’s may have the meats, but it doesn’t have a very good Pumpkin Pie Turnover.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 347 calories, 19 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 4 milligrams of cholesterol, 261 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Red Bull Winter Edition Iced Vanilla Berry Energy Drink

Marvo Leave a comment

Red Bull says its new Winter Edition Iced Vanilla Berry combines the taste of blueberry, vanilla, and “icy-fresh” notes of eucalyptus. So koalas everywhere must be ecstatic about this flavor. Also, the mini bears could use some Red Bull because every time I’ve been to a zoo with koalas, they’re always sleeping.

There are many similarities between Red Bull’s Iced Vanilla Berry and 2020’s Winter Edition Arctic Berry. Let’s start with the can. Both mainly feature a light blue color, but the older one had a dark blue bull, while this can has a silver one. Inside both are beverages that look like what would happen if Gargamel finally got his hands on some Smurfs and made soup stock.

But the similarities don’t stop with looks. After tasting this new Winter Edition and rereading my Arctic Berry review, I can’t help but think Iced Vanilla Berry might just be a slight tweak of the older one.

First off, this has a wonderful cotton candy aroma, which I also experienced with Arctic Berry, and it made me believe I was about to treat my taste buds to a great-tasting energy drink. However, that smell didn’t translate into the beverage’s flavor. Instead, I got a tart blueberry taste that reminded me of the initial sips I took of Arctic Berry. If you didn’t read the review of the older Winter Edition, it’s supposed to be blue raspberry, which I eventually did taste, but at first, I thought I was drinking a blueberry-flavored beverage.

As for the vanilla, it’s not entirely noticeable. It’s like the vanilla you’d taste with Vanilla Coke, but not as strong, which is disappointing. If it had a more intense flavor, I think this would’ve been better than it was. Also, the berry and vanilla don’t stick around throughout every sip. When they fade, they’re replaced by that sour, medicinal finish that reminds me of regular Red Bull.

Red Bull Winter Edition Iced Vanilla Berry could’ve been a great flavor if it tasted as delicious as it smelled, but it’s a bit mid. It’s slightly better than Arctic Berry but less enjoyable than the most recent Winter Editions. But there’s one thing I can say about this newest version that I can’t say about any previous ones, and that’s if you’re a sleepy koala who’s looking for a sugar-free version of Iced Vanilla Berry, Red Bull has got you covered like a marsupial’s pouch.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 fl oz can
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 160 calories, 0 grams of fat, 125 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 38 grams of sugar (including 38 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 114 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Domino’s 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese

Jenna 11 Comments

Domino's 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese 1.

In my humble opinion, pizza and mac and cheese are the two greatest foods ever created. That’s why I was thrilled to learn that Domino’s, famed purveyor of the former, is now also offering the latter in the form of its new 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese (which is also available in Spicy Buffalo, though I opted for the basic version).

What differentiates this from the other cheesy pasta Domino’s peddles is that the penne pasta is topped with a blend of American, Parmesan-Asiago, cheddar, Alfredo sauce, and mozzarella blend. Based on the ingredients listed on the website, this appears to be the same blend as the chain’s 5-Cheese Dip, so if you’ve ever tried that but thought it could use more pasta, this is great news for you! (If, however, you were hoping to dunk your 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese into some 5-Cheese Dip to create an unprecedented 10-Cheese titan, this similarity is not-so-great news, sorry!)

Domino's 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese 2.

The mac and cheese is served in a round aluminum foil container inside an adorably tiny pizza box. Peeling back the lid, I was greeted by a treasure trove of cheese sauce (if you can even call it that, seeing as it’s practically solid) that was appropriately hearty for a dish that brags about its quantity of cheese in its very name. There was a gloppy, melty base layer of white that I assume was the Alfredo sauce and mozzarella blend, and in it swam swirls of darker orange and studs of toasty brown.

Domino's 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese 3.

For how dense the cheese was, it didn’t cling very tightly to the pasta—the majority blobbed together rather than adhering to the noodles, leaving most of the pasta pieces with only light, fairly un-uniform smatterings of sauce. (However, the blobbiness did make for some pretty impressive cheese pulls!) The lack of coherence from the cheese sauce can be mitigated by simply eating a mouthful of both pasta and cheese blobs together, but if you’re craving a consistent coating, just know that’s not what you’re in for here.

Domino's 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese 4.

As far as taste goes, it was… pretty good. Nothing ground-breaking, but pleasant. The five cheeses played together nicely for a rich, buttery experience punctuated by notes of savory sharpness. Between the al dente pasta, gooey and chewy cheese, and crispy burnt bits, the distinct textures might have been even more fun than the taste.

Domino's 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese 5.

My biggest issue comes down to semantics: despite being perfectly palatable, this meal just didn’t feel like mac and cheese to me. As someone who eats more than enough of the stuff to have a strong opinion on it, my definition involves elbow noodles in a smooth, creamy sauce. While I’m open to more creative takes, a dish that doesn’t include either of those key qualities just strikes me as mere pasta with cheese. I enjoyed eating this, but next time I want what I consider true mac and cheese, I expect I’ll look elsewhere. At least Domino’s can still hold its head high knowing it’s mastered the other of man’s greatest meals.

Purchased Price: $13.08
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 830 calories, 50 grams of fat, 31 grams of saturated fat, 1680 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar, and 30 grams of protein.

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REVIEW: Blue Bell Chocolate Brownie Truffle Ice Cream

Brandon 5 Comments

The term “one of the most delightful things I’ve ever put in my mouth” gets thrown around a lot these days. Well, that, or I’m prone to exaggeration. But believe me when I tell you that Blue Bell’s new Chocolate Brownie Truffle Ice Cream is one of the most delightful things I’ve ever put in my mouth.

Having said this, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m by no means an ice cream snob; I’ll just as soon happily consume a pint of “frozen dairy dessert” or whatever lots of brands sell these days that can’t qualify as actual “ice cream.” So maybe it’s just me– maybe all Blue Bell is this great. (I don’t know that I’ve had a ton of it, truthfully, though I did try and really enjoy the recent Cinnamon Twist variety. Also, let it be entered into the record that I am a cinnamon ice cream fiend, particularly when said cinnamon ice cream contains chunks of a) cinnamon roll dough or b) churros.

Anyway, how can you go wrong with chocolate ice cream teeming with chunks of brownie and hunks of chocolate truffles? The ice cream itself is creamy and silky. The brownies are slightly chewy and decadent. The truffles are… well, okay, if I have one beef, it’s that the chocolate shell of the truffle pieces is pretty thick. In its frozen state, it’s a pretty jarring textural disposition. It’s, “mmm, chewy brownie, yum, silky soft ice cream, BOOM, molar rattling truffle.” Truly, though, it’s a minor complaint– “Boo-hoo, I wish this delicious chocolate truffle shell was a bit thinner.”

Okay, but if you’ll permit me another minor complaint— and again, it feels as silly as complaining about a singular errant brush stroke on a masterpiece of a painting— it’s that this ice cream is rich. My sweet tooth is strong, and I rarely find things to be too much, but a regular serving of this stuff wears me out. But honestly, that’s probably not the worst thing from a waistline standpoint. It’s fall treat/pumpkin spice season, and I’m starting to look like the subject of a Francisco Botero work. (To continue the Fine Arts theme for the art nerds in the house.)

Purchased Price: $8.32
Size: Half-gallon
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 Cup) 280 calories, 14 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 34 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 30 grams of sugar, including 25 grams of added sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Carl’s Jr. The Ghost Burger

Marvo 3 Comments

Carl’s Jr. is getting into the Halloween spirit with its new Ghost Burger. It features a charbroiled all-beef patty, ghost pepper cheese, two slices of bacon, sliced onion, lettuce, sliced tomato, pickles, and a soul-scorching sauce on a sesame seed bun. Unfortunately, mine didn’t come with bacon. Or maybe, because I couldn’t see, smell, or taste it, it came with ghost bacon.

Even if mine came with actual bacon, I don’t think it would’ve been enough to overcome what I believe is a mildly disappointing burger.

With having a “soul-scorching” sauce AND ghost pepper cheese, I expected this to pack a prickly spicy punch that would make my mouth need some fruit punch. But with every bite I took from the burger, I wondered if the heat would at some point scare my mouth with an inferno and a BOO. But it never got there. Boo. The sauce didn’t scorch my soul. Instead, it had some heat equivalent to lighting incense to purify my soul.

Oddly, I found the ghost pepper cheese more soul-scorching than the sauce. It had green specks throughout, which I assume are the ghost peppers, and just nibbling on a tiny piece lit a small fire in my mouth. However, eating the cheese on its own made me realize that the variety of vegetables between the fragile sesame seed bun was somewhat hot-blocking the full spiciness of the cheese and sauce, especially the onions, pickles, and head lettuce leaf.

The sauce’s flavor was surprisingly a bit bland. Its lack of fire could’ve been forgiven a little if it had a nice flavor, but other than some pepperiness, it didn’t have much taste despite being slathered on both buns. Heck, the cheese seemed to be more flavorful.

The Ghost Burger from Carl’s Jr. does not taste awful; it’s just a bit ho-hum. Besides the cheese and sauce, the single patty had a nice meatiness with a bit of char, and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. But if you want a burger with a lot of flavor and heat, you might be disappointed, like trick-or-treaters receiving only Smarties and SweeTarts on Halloween. Booooo!

Purchased Price: $8.49*
Size: Single
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 720 calories. No other nutritional information was available on Carl’s Jr.’s 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.