Here are some interesting new products found on store shelves by your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of them, share your thoughts in the comments.
(Spotted by Robbie and Allison H at Target.)
The ONLY interesting one here is the Maple Bacon Donut Cereal. It’s so compelling that by tomorrow I will have forgotten what the other two were. (Spotted by Amanda Y at Walmart.)
Spicy food is pretty new to me. I’ve been too afraid to order fiery food for most of my life, and only recently realized that I actually like the burn of mild-to-moderately spiced food. I’m still never going to order a Super Triple Spicy Ghost Pepper Burger or whatever, but I like me some Wendy’s Spicy Nuggets.
What makes this item interesting — yet another burrito from Taco Bell, oh joy — is that it seems like the spiciness has been calibrated for people like me. You’ve got the salsa verde, which Taco Bell calls “green sauce,” which is spicy, but the presence of rice, grilled chicken, reduced fat sour cream, and a three-cheese blend are all fighting valiantly to cancel out that spice. What I ended up with was a burrito that created a pleasant, light-burning sensation on the tip of my tongue and the roof of my mouth, but did not spread that heat to the back of my mouth.
Other than the perfect spice level (for me, anyway), there isn’t that much to talk about. The other foods that complement the green sauce, save the cheese blend, are all relatively bland, which leads to a bland dining experience. The chicken tastes fine, but lightly marinated chicken is never going to rock your socks off with flavor. The cheese blend could add some flavor contrast, but I tasted very little cheese in my burrito. I’m assuming that means there wasn’t much in my burrito to begin with because cheese has a flavor that would have stood out if it was there in any reasonable quantity. More green sauce would have dialed up the flavor, but then the burrito would lose its “perfect for spice-wimps” level of heat.
Since I have so little to say about the flavor, I spent a little time online seeing what other reactions this burrito has been inspiring. Surprisingly, some eaters noted that it had too much cheese and not nearly enough salsa verde, which does not match my experience at all. Apparently, there may be some quality control issues going on here, which will not shock anybody.
The last thing I want to mention is the fact that this burrito is only two dollars on Taco Bell’s “Cravings” menu. Criticisms aside, this is a pretty hefty burrito for only two dollars; if you’re a somewhat light eater, this could serve as a really cheap lunch. Taco Bell is known for providing cheap eats, and while this burrito is far from perfect, it’s a pretty good deal for what it is.
Purchased Price: $2.00
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 390 calories, 12 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 1110 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of sugar, and 18 grams of protein.
If there was a Year in Review that covered the food I ate last year, Sonic would easily get the “Most Visited” award. Interestingly, when I started 2022, I wouldn’t have guessed Sonic would get that top honor. Rekindling my love of its slushies and the ease of ordering through the app has made Sonic my go-to. I also like that the app offers the chance to try new items before they have a menu-wide release. When I opened the app to order a slush in December, a screen popped up advertising the new Steak and Bacon Grilled Cheese.
The sandwich is an interesting offering. Instead of a hamburger patty, the protein is grilled steak mixed with onions. It’s also topped with bacon and cheese and finished with BBQ sauce and mayo between two slices of Texas toast. It was a no-brainer that I’d order it as it reminded me of a similar favorite sandwich no longer offered at my local Sonic that had a beef patty and onion ring.
I was worried the 10-minute drive home would yield a more soggy sandwich, but the Texas toast held up well against the more moist elements of the sandwich (the mayo, BBQ sauce, and steak). Looking under the hood, I was pleasantly surprised to see larger slices of steak. Generally, in my experience, fast food “steak” tends to be small and tough. While there were some little pieces, a majority were larger slices. The grilled onion pieces mixed in got a little lost to me. Overall, the steak was pretty good for a fast food offering. It was tender, smoky, and a nice change from the usual beef patty.
The bacon added a nice salty crunch to the sandwich and worked well with the steak instead of fighting for protein dominance. The BBQ sauce had a sweetness, and the mayo added the rich creaminess I enjoyed. The cheese contributed little, but it also didn’t detract from the sandwich. All the different elements worked well together to deliver a delicious sandwich.
For an impulse buy, it ended up being a great sandwich. More than anything, it was a nice change from the norm. The steak was surprisingly good, and the sandwich held up well on the drive home. It’s a limited time offering that, if it’s still around when I get my next slush fix, I will absolutely order again. Oh, and if you want spicy, Sonic does offer a version that adds jalapenos and zesty cheese sauce.
Purchased Price: $4.99
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 830 calories, 56 grams of fat, 19 grams of saturated fat, 105 milligrams of cholesterol, 2190 milligrams of sodium, 51 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 32 grams of protein.
From the fine folks at PepsiCo. I want this to be a success because I really want to see all the store brand versions with star or sky-related names. Hopefully they’ll end up as vast as all the generic names for Mountain Dew and Dr Pepper. (Spotted by Luke P at Kroger.)