TGI Friday's Sweet and Smoky Popcorn Chicken

First of all, we want to apologize to all of our adoring readers and fans for being remiss in posting this and the preceding blog on the same day. But, both of you know what kind of week we've had, so just shut yer yaps!

B-Com Says:

So, we finally enter the arena of microwavable meat products. I've waited long for this day. My microwave experiences go back far enough to remember when microwaves were fairly new, and I felt the need to microwave EVERYTHING: SPAM, (which is nasty microwaved, by the way,) items wrapped in aluminum foil or bowls with a spoon still inside, ("ooohhh, look at the fireworks!) And who could forget my brother's 16-minute hot dog escapade. (I swear to you, that hot dog either exploded into vapor or transported itself to another dimension, because when this was over, the microwave stunk like burned hot dog, but the hot dog itself was gone.)

J-Lam tells me technology has come a long way, and he swears these 'sweet and smoky' chicken bites will be "mmmm, sooooo good!" as he clutches them in the patented J-Lam Death Grip (which is really just an awkward fat-guy hug.)

As he took the plate out of the microwave, I see he used the two-plate method described on the package to promote maximum moistness. Rifling one in his mouth, he starts screaming and lolling his head back and forth, crying about how hot they are. Now seriously, how can you complain about how hot something is when you pull out of a nuclear particle accelerator after two minutes of violent nuclear bombardment and rifle it in your mouth immediately?

After I let it cool down a touch, I popped one in my mouth. It tasted like a chicken-flavored meatball. The flavor was alright, but the texture was very mushy. Overall, the flavor of the sauce was good, but I guess I look for more density in my chicken. I'm the kind of guy who needs a dense chicken...

I'm going to stop now. It did taste good, so I'm giving it a hesitant...

TERRIFIC!

J-Lam Says:

I've had the original appetizer at TGI Friday's, and sadly, the frozen microwaveable version is just as good. For less than a third of the price and a tenth of the time investment, I was able to consume 750 calories worth of incredibly tasty sweet misquite-flavored white meat goodness.

There's not much more I can say because B-Com used up our entire day's bandwidth with his overextended "reminiscing" about the history of the microwave. I'll just mention that these delectible protein bombs are NOT healthy. I don't go to the frozen-convenience-food section of the grocery store expecting a balanced, healthy meal, and I didn't get one this time.

But damn.

It tasted awesome.

TERRIFIC!!

Vegetable Thins - Flavor Originals

Nabisco goes retro with Vegetable Thins!!!!

Who cares?

J-Lam Says:

It would be nice if "Flavor Originals" had some flavor. You know, any flavor at all would be nice. Something. I guess the original flavor was invented before flavor existed, so they needed to specially design a chip that tasted like nothing. It's like the Seinfeld Show of crackers!

That's not to say I wouldn't pound these things down without thinking about it, while watching the 49rs trounce a bunch of sissies in spandex and pads, but I wouldn't like it. There's nothing to like. (Unless of course, you like nothing. And if you're that kind of consumer, you'll have a tough time convincing yourself that the nothing you find here is the kind of nothing you like. Being that you like nothing... Anyway,) They're not even good for you. They're still almost as high in fat as any of a million varieties of snack chips, but all those chips taste better.

This one was easy:

TURD!!

B-Com Says:

I have fond memories of enjoying Vegetable Thins as a kid. I remember the crackers as crisp and buttery with a perfect blend of (vegetable) spices, which made them even more delectable. The box now touts them as "baked, with a great new recipe!" As I tore open the top of the box, I was reminiscing so hard, I could almost feel that rich, spicy cracker crumble over my tongue...

Then I was brought crashing back into reality with my first bite. I laughed.

Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that I laugh when something is bad. Really bad. Car crashes? I generally chuckle. Train wreck? A good hearty guffaw. Vegetable Thins?

I was crying, I was laughing so hard.

I had to check quick to see if I'd accidentally bitten the box because the chip tasted like cardboard. I know the packaging was very proud to boast it was made of 100% recycled paperboard, but I didn't realize that included the contents!

Of course, it wasn't a total loss. There was a very interesting recipe for Creamy Vegetable Garlic Dip on the side of the box that I'm very interested in trying. But as for the Vegetable Thins, they're a shoo-in...

TURD!!!

Burger King Flame Broiled Potato Snacks

Those miracle workers at Inventure Group have done it again!!!!!! (As long as you like onions.) Check out their official site here: http://www.inventuregroup.net/burger-king.asp

JLam Says:

I was noticably skeptical when BCom held out the bag, because there were only a few chips remaining in the bottom, and I naturally assumed he had snagged them somewhere unmentionable or maybe stole them. But even more importantly, The Whopper holds a place of almost sacred honor in my Pantheon of Consumables, and the thought of anyone trying to infuse some of that holy essence into a potato chip was very nearly sacrilege.

But that didn't stop me from finishing the bag. And I have to say, they were really good. I mean, as chips go, I'd put these right near the top of my list just because they're a little different, and (if you can believe this,) relatively healthy too! But most important is the taste, which honestly is flame-broiled in that the smoky, delicately spiced flavor you expect on a good burger is found here in copious amounts. It's definitely missing the lettuce, tomato, ketchup, pickles and mayo that would make it a truly epic culinary delight, but again, as chips go, this salty and crunchy treasure trove from Inventure Group gets my coveted...

TERRIFIC!

BCom Says:

First of all, let me settle the issue of the nearly empty bag. I purchased these chips fair and square, and let JLam know we had something to try, and he took his dear sweet time getting his lazy butt down to my desk to try them. In the meantime, I housed those suckers.

Now, I have to begin by explaining that The Whopper is definitely a personal favorite, and I love the fact that I can have it My Way. Now, all things being equal, I like the flavor combo that the original Whopper provides, including the sharp tang of white onions spicing up each bite. But, I am in the habit of ordering a Whopper without onions any time I plan to see, hear, or interact in any way with any other human being over the next two or three days because Burger King has apparently made a pact with the Devil, and the Devil is an onion farmer.

The onions Burger King uses will cement their scent to your fingertips and your breath for eons of time, announcing to one and all that you just downed 600 calories of pure burger bliss.

That being said, I will immediately endorse Burger King Flame Broiled Potato Snacks because they are extremely tasty. And they're not dripping with grease. But, somewhere deep down in the "flame-broiled" flavor, is some dehydrated dust that was, at one time, a proud white onion. And that white onion is just waiting for the opportunity to cling like leeches to your fingertips and breath, announcing to one and all that you just ate a bag full of Whopperish Wonder.

You can't control the scent... you can only hope to contain it.

My bottom line recommendation: expect to spend $4.98 on this bag of chips. $2.99 for the bag of chips itself, and $1.99 for the rubber gloves you'll need to get through it without stinking like a Whopper. Regardless, these chips have earned our...

TERRIFIC!!!

Cape Cod Cheddar Jack and Sour Cream Potato Chips

B-Com Says:

These chips have an intense cheddar cheese flavor. Is there Jack? I don't taste it. There is a definite hint of sour cream. In short, there is really no concrete distinction between these and other cheese-flavored chips, but they do taste great!

TERRIFIC!

J-Lam Says:

What can I say? It's another cheese-flavored chip. It's not different, it's not special.

But, Cape Cod makes a really good kettle-cooked chip which has a satisfying crunch and a flavorful bite. As far as that goes, this is a great example of a Cape Cod chip. Although I tend to shy away from cheese-flavored chips and snacks, this is one is fairly good, and it gets my

TERRIFIC!

Oreo Cakesters

A soft, snack-cake version of the legendary sandwich cookie! You can check them out online here: http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/cakesters/

B-Com Says:
As expected, the cakester tastes like chocolate cake with an Oreo-like cream filling in the middle. Most people, myself included, love the filling of an Oreo. That's why Double Stuff Oreos are so popular. But, oddly enough, in this case, the cream was too much!

I found it too be way too sweet in proportion to the amount of cake. It felt like there needed to be more cake to offset the super-sweet cream. I was reminded of the numbnuts who put frosting on a brownie. I mean, honestly! Frosting on a brownie? Come on!

But, I digress. I liked the cakester to a point: it had an intense flavor that was initially good, and it is a lot like it's namesake, which is an automatic winner. So, all this being said, I'd like to nominate it for the Golden Turd award, but we only have two choices here. So, I'm calling Oreo Cakesters

TERRIFIC!

J-Lam Says:

I was bowled over by the Oreo Cakesters. They're definitely up to Oreo's standards of super-tasty goodness, and the combination of that great taste with the soft and chewy cake and filling makes this a winner! I don't need to keep gabbing about it, because I'm on the way to the store to pick up some more!

TERRIFIC!

Pizzaria's Cheese Pizza Chips

Pizzaria's Cheese Pizza Chips are distributed by Poore Brothers and Inventure Group. Check them out at http://www.inventuregroup.net/Poore-Brothers.asp. We're both pretty impressed with the company itself. Not your average snack food mega-corporation, and they're willing to try different things, make some valuable name-recognition deals with companies you don't normally associate with vending-machine fare, and they're putting some pizzazz in the pizza chip!

B-Com says:

First off, how cool is it that the bag I hold in my hand is ONE serving of chips! The nutrition info is what you'd expect from a serving of full-bore chips, but it's not 1/5 of the bag, or something equally stupid.

The packaging first struck me as odd, even a touch boring, with it's simple brick wall background and fat lettering. But, now that I've stuck one of these stellar chips in my mouth, I'm looking again at the bag, being reminded of an old-fashioned brick pizza oven.

Pizza Combos, Pizza Pringles, Pizza-ANYTHING have nothing on these chips! After I hoovered down the whole bag, even the aftertaste is good! If you like pizza, these chips ROCK!

J-Lam says:

Inventure Group? Why haven't we heard of these guys before? They're definitely not your average chip company.

I, too, was initially bored by the bag. After eating the chips, I'm still bored by the bag.

Pizzaria Cheese Pizza Chips do not taste like cheese pizza. More like a seasoned Cheez-It. But it's good.

Half the calories are from fat. OUCH. The chips aren't quite good enough for me to justify that fat content to my wife, but I'd probably eat them again on the sly.

I wish there was some middle ground I could vote for, like a Golden Turd, or Terrifically Mediocre, but that's not an option.

Terrific or Turd?

Since B-Com bought the bag of chips, and punched J-Lam in the mouth after reading his paragraph, we're giving Pizzaria's Cheese Pizza Chips a bloody Terrific!

Pringles "Extreme" Gets a Hesitant Terrific!

You can check out Pringles' online touting of their newest product line here: http://www.pringles.com/pages/index.shtml

B-Com Says:

First, take a look at the packaging. It's eye-catching, which is always good, especially in an over-crowded chip aisle. But, honestly I think the whole "extreme" thing has more than run its course. There is no extreme any more. It's been over done, so the line's name leaves something to be desired. Maybe they should have stuck with "popping" or some powerful variation of their "everything pops with pringles" theme. . .

Now, of the three flavors available, I gravitated toward the Blazin' Buffalo Chicken because I happen to like Buffalo wings. But I was leery of the words "blazin'" and "extreme" because I generally order my wings medium-mild, and don't want them too hot. As it turned out, I had little to worry about in the heat area, but if I weren't purchasing it for this blog, I'd probably avoid them out of respect for my delicate taste buds. I hope they're not losing too many customers that way.

J-Lam Says:

I came into this hoping for more. Don't get me wrong, the Blazin' Buffalo Chicken flavor Extreme Pringles tasted great. But they were just the latest in a long line of great-tasting Pringles. They were nothing special when compared to Pringles' other great flavors, and they certainly were not "extreme" in any sense of the word. Now, I love hot food. Depending on my mood, I love wings that'll bring tears to my eyes. I gravitated immediately to the Blazin' Buffalo assuming that's what I was going to get. Instead, I got a buffalo sauce-flavored chip with a tiny kick to it.

Terrific or Turd?

Looks like we both agree this time. Pringles' new Extreme line of potato crisps are as terrific as any other Pringles, but they're nothing special beyond that.