Is McDonald's looking to abandon their infamous chicken McNuggets? It seems like they are at least trying something new with their recent launch of Chicken McBites. These are very reminiscent of KFC and their Popcorn Chicken. They are just all white meat breaded bites of chicken. You have probably had something like these before and know what to expect. Little chicken and lots of breading. Well I recently learned through grubgrade that they are testing a spicy version at the McDonald's next to my house. Anytime there is a test item I have to go try it, if only for the reason there is a large chance it will never be seen again.
I just got a "snack" order for $1.99. it was a pretty good portion for two bucks. I would rather of had two McDoubles but it is still way cheaper then what the freaking McNuggets cost. As I mentioned, there is little surprise here. They are your typical "popcorn" chicken. Lots of breading and little bits of chicken. I will say they did a good job with it though. The "spicy" came from the breading which was a lot like the spicy McChicken breading. I thought they were going to be saucy but I guess McDonalds wants an excuse to flaunt its sauces. The chicken itself was always juicy and never dried out which happens a lot with popcorn chicken. There were not as many tiny pieces as I expected either, which was a nice surprise.
Rating: 3/5 "It's Just Meh"
I wouldn't call them bad. They provide a nice little 'real chicken' substitute to the McNugget. Are these things going to replace the McNugget? HELL NO. Anyways check em out if you get a chance, they are worth a peek. Also props for giving me a place to put my sauce.
I love this time of year because now I can bust out the Christmas music anywhere I go. In the mall, in class, in the shower, on the toilet, anytime is good for Christmas music! I wanted to share some of my favorite and most memorable christmas tunes with all of you and I would like to hear some of yours as well! Here is my top 5!
1. Bing Crosby- White Christmas
A freaking classic if there ever was one. There are not too many guys as charming as Bing as he belts out a song about getting some snow on christmas. I can guarantee if he sung this to any girl, even in the middle of summer, he got them.
2. Trans-siberian Orchestra- Carol of the Bells
A ton of bands and musicians have covered this song. There have been the classical version and there have been a ton of hard rock version. This one was one of the original that rocked out to a classic christmas tune. It is still a great pump up song as you get ready to charge the mall and do some holiday shopping.
3. Capital Lights- His Favorite Christmas Story
So this one is from a little band that nobody has ever heard of. They put out one so-so album and then disbanded. Before that happened, they wrote this little heart-warming jingle. It is like a more romantic and less depressing version of "Christmas Shoes" that gets me every time. It is corny as hell but a great tune that is catchy beyond belief. Please check it out if you have not heard it.
4. WAM- Last Christmas
This is the song you break out after having those big family arguments that come from too much togetherness. Whether it is the original or some really bad dutch cover version (the one I put below is my personal favorite) you cannot listen to this song without cracking a smile. Maybe it is George Michael's boyish charm, or maybe it is because the song is so stupid. Either way, it will cause a laugh.
5. The Barenaked Ladies- Jingle Bells
One of the most creative versions of what might be the most popular Christmas song of all. The guys of Barenaked Ladies start it off on a very serious, mellow tone only to break out the crazy about a minute in. Throwing in the Batman verse doesn't hurt either. These guys were always known for their humor and it shows why in this cover.
Honorable Mention- House of Heroes- All I Want For Christmas Is You
They get huge points for making a version of this super-catchy song that I can listen to and sing to without looking like I lost my man card back at The JCPennys. Thanks Boys.
Cover songs are dangerous territory for bands. Taking songs that, most of the time, people love and giving them a bands revision does not always work. At best, it succeeds and you are known for a song you did not even write (Alien Ant Farm anyone?), and at worst you look like a pompous ass who thinks you can touch a classic but fail miserably (Limp Bizket's cover of Behind Blue Eyes).
Like I said, dangerous territory.
There are two ways to go about cover songs. You can either stay pretty close to the original recordings, and just throw in a bit of your bands sound, while not straying out too far. While this can work and is the safe route, a lot of times songs just come off boring. A band that did it well is House of Heroes, covering the classic "All I Want For Christmas is You" (see below video).
Then there is the path of just going crazy and not following anything near the original. While this can distance you enough from the original to get away from comparison, this can also lead to butchering of songs. A success of this method is The Devil Wears Prada's metal version of Big Tymer's rap hit Still Fly (below). If you doubted the ability to make rap into metal, listen to this. Some bad examples, well check out Brittany Spears. She has done some hideous things to some classic rock songs.
As far as Relient K goes, they stayed somewhere in the middle. The band has been known to burst out in random covers during their shows, some of which are much goofier than others. Regardless, a cover album is a good fit for the band. The best thing I can say about this album is it covers a HUGE variety of tunes. From recent hits like Justin Beiber's "Baby" to the seldom heard They Might Be Giants' "Doctor Worm". The band has all the bases covered. Are all of the songs good? It is pretty close. Most of the songs stick to the vibe of the original enough that they are all immediately recognizable. Some get more modern makeovers, like Toto's Africa, but these are welcome modifications.
The hits include: Justin Beiber's "Baby", just because you cannot listen to this song and not laugh at the fact it somehow became a hit. The words are horrible. The Wallflowers "One Headlight", Toto's 80's hit Africa, and Weezer's "Surf Wax America.
There are a few misses. They are not bad covers, just they do not stick out. Third Eye Blind's "Motorcycle Drive By"and "Crazy" by Gnarles Barkley. Neither of these songs really did anything for me and I would much rather just listen to the originals all the time.
Rating: 4/5 "It's Just Swell"
Definitely worth checking out, if not just for a few songs. There is something here for everyone though. If you played this on a road-trip with a bunch of friends, I can guarantee everyone would say "hey I know this song" at least once. Relient K has managed to make a whole covers album without butchering any songs. Impressive.....
Track List
Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper) (2:48)
Baby (Justin Beiber) (2:49)
One Headlight (The Wallflowers) (4:17)
You're The Inspiration (Chicago) (3:45)
The Distance (Cake) (2:54)
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley) (2:51)
Motorcycle Driveby (Third Eye Blind) (4:14)
Doctor Worm (They Might Be Giants) (3:00)
Interstate Love Song (STP) (3:38)
Here Comes My Girl (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) (4:05)
Africa (Toto) (4:57)
Surf Wax America (Weezer) (3:02)
Inside Of Love (Nada Surf) (4:03)
Everybody Wants To Rule the World (Tears for Fears) (3:55)
I am a manly man. I pride myself on being a manly man. I like facial hair, lady's, driving fast, Dr. Pepper Ten, and Steak. I love a good slab of steak.
Note how I said "good" slab of steak.
Taco Bell Steak = Good?
No.
I went into this with very low expectations. The only thing good I have had steak related from Taco Bell is the quesadilla, which is actually more due to the sauce than the meat itself. The steak at the Bell for those who have not had it, is interesting. Imagine a wet, rubbery piece of Jerky that is only half dried out. That is Taco Bell steak to me.
So lets put it into a nine inch flatbread, fill it with cheese and charge $5 for it. Sounds like a good idea right?
Actually, not such a horrible idea. I am glad Taco Bell tried something that is at least entirely new. This is really just cheese, steak, and a flatbread. That is it. So there is not a whole lot to say. It has a lot of steak, that is for sure. It also lacks a lot of flavor and excitement. The steak at Taco Bell gets old pretty fast. Out of the hundreds of sauces they have at Taco Bell I do not understand why they did not put one on this. Thankfully, I had a bunch of the Fire Roasted Salsa I am in love with there and used plenty of it to make things more interesting.
Rating 3/5 "It's Just Meh"
I Can't say I hated it. I actually kinda liked it. I want to try it again but add some volcano sauce to it or something. It's biggest problem is it is $5. I do not go to Taco Bell to get one thing for $5. That does not make any sense to me. Oh well, what can you do.
Now that Wendy's has remodeled it's classic burger and it's fries, it is time for the Chicken. Wendy's is calling this movement "project golden chicken". With that they are targeting better quality and variety of chicken sandwiches. The one you will see on Wendy's website is the Asiago Ranch Chicken Sandwich. I have not been able to find anything on the Honey Chipotle Chicken Sandwich via the interwebs so I guess this is just in testing markets. Is it something that is good enough for nation-wide release?
Meh, not really. The sandwich is just nothing special. It is just a crispy chicken sandwich with a slice of cheddar cheese and a honey chipotle sauce. The cheese adds some nice smoothness to the texture of the sandwich, and the sharp cheddar flavor works well. The disappointment comes in the sauce. The honey-chipotle sauce just is not strong enough. It needs either more of it or a stronger sauce. That being said, it was not much more than the regular chicken sandwich so I did not feel robbed by any stretch. I was encouraged that Wendy's is trying to mix up the Chicken Sandwich part of the menu, it needs it.
Nah, I would rather just hang out at home and dip a piece of rubber in BBQ sauce. It is cheaper and tastes the same. The McRib is crap. Strait up. I have had it three times in my life now, and I honestly hope to never have it again. I would rather eat a salad and apple slices from McDonalds.
The over-hyped sandwich is essentially just a slab of rib-shaped molded pork drenched in BBQ sauce, with onions and pickles on a toasted bun. How bad could it be right? Eh, pretty bad. The meat itself is creepy looking. It is clearly molded to look like ribs, but there are no bones. It is like a giant pork McNugget that is not deep fried. The BBQ sauce is way too sugary and lacks any sort of spice. The pickles were small, dry, and salty. That works great on a Big Mac but for this it just makes the sauce taste more acidy. The onions were crisp and plentiful, but the flavor was overrun by the crap sauce. Props to McDonalds for the toasted bun though. If they made a fish sandwich with this bun I think that would be worth checking out.
Rating: 1/5- "It's Flippin Horrendous"
This thing is way overhyped and taste like garbage. If you want BBQ just make your own or by it from your local grocery. If you think I am crazy and you love McRibs...... I am sorry. I feel bad for your soul.
Right now Whataburger is doing a promotion about their “Hall of Fame” limited-time items. This selection of fan favorites includes four of Whataburgers most legendry items, not just seasonal, but of all time. Now I have already done review for the Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich, the Patty Melt, and For the A1 Thick & Hearty. Just click on the links to see those.
Actually to be fair the A1 Thick & Hearty is really the Steak Sauce Double. The only difference between the two is the sauce though, which went from A1 steak sauce to Whataburger steak sauce. So they are pretty much the same thing in my book.
The only one I have not done is the Chop House Cheddar Burger, which I am going to do here. I am also going to rank them best to worst and give you my “All-time favorite”. But first……
Review: The Chop House Cheddar Burger
I was surprised to see this one as one of the four “fan favorites” on the list. I can say I honestly have never even had this burger before now. I do not really remember it ever being around either.
Huh.
Well it turns out this one is the President of Whataburger’s favorite on the list. No wonder it made the list. This burger is two beef patties, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, bacon, and creamy steak sauce.
Sounds Familiar……
Personally I would have rather seen the Green Chili Burger on the list. This one is just too dang similar to the Patty Melt or the Thick & Hearty. That being said, it is still a darn good burger. When I opened the wrapper I was a little underwhelmed and confused. I thought they just gave me a plain burger first. Thankfully I opened the bun to find the goodies hiding inside. I would have liked to see a bit more grilled onion but there was still enough there to give the flavor it needed. The bacon was pretty weak, very thin and flavorless. As for the sauce….. Weak-sauce. The creaminess was nice, when I could taste it. There was not enough of it and it could be a bit stronger. All the being said, I still enjoyed it. It sounds like I am bashing this thing but I really did like it, I just feel like it could be better.
That is Whataburger for you though. I swear, if someone could take them over and push them to perfection they would be unstoppable. I guess they are happy with SUPER SLOWWW service, undercooked fries, and near perfect burgers.
Rating: 3/5 “It’s just Meh”
I enjoyed it, but I did not love it. I do not really see how this is a huge fan favorite but hey, I am only one guy. What do I know?
Here is how I rank them best to worst (and the ratings I gave them).
I love fall. Know why I love fall? Because I love food, and the best food comes in the fall. Between the pumpkin bagels, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin beer, and everything else, I cannot get enough pumpkin. I am a huge pumpkin pie fan, so I headed over to DQ to see how their pumpkin pie blizzard was, and to see if it stacked up to the real thing!
Sorry for the poor picture
I will say I had high expectations going into this. After the Nutter Butter Blizzard (possibly the best blizzard ever), I did not know what to expect. Thankfully DQ delivered. The blizzard itself has the perfect combination of pumpkin flavor and ice cream. I was worried it would be like eating frozen pumpkin pie, which I felt like would taste pretty bad. It definitely is more ice cream with a hint of pumpkin. There are also TONS of crunchy (but a bit soggy) pie pieces mixed throughout. I do not know if I just got lucky with so many pieces but it was awesome. Normally with things like this toward the end you have to start digging for pieces and savoring them. With this I had a few spoonfuls of crusty pieces left at the end.
YUM-O
They top it off with whipped cream and nutmeg, to give it that authentic pumpkin pie feel. Those two do not really add much as far as flavor goes, but it gives it the look.
Rating 4/5 "It's Just Swell"
While it still was not as good as the Nutter Butter Blizzard, it is still fantastic. If you like blizzards and pumpkin pie this is totally made for you. I am kind of happy it is only a seasonal thing so I can enjoy it, appreciate it, but not get sick of it. Anyways props to DQ for getting this one right.
When your a kid, you judge your favorite breakfast cereal by what's on the cover of the box. I remember I used to HATE Cookie Crisp, but I would always get it because when my friends came over they would be so jealous I was eating cookies for breakfast. Well, I vaguely remember the "monster cereals" that were around when I was a kid as well. Count Chocula was the only one I remember seeing year round. I am pretty sure the other two berry monsters would only come out around Halloween. Either way I do not believe I ever tried them when they were around. Then General Mills went ahead and discontinued them.
Looks like General Mills ran out of new ideas.
The Monster Cereals are back. There is Boo Berry, who is a ghost that has blue cereal that is supposed to be blue berry flavored (I think). There is Franken Berry, who is a frankenstein-inspired-strawberry-flavored rip off. Finally there is the almighty Count Chocula, who is a vampire of chocolate? These names are kind of clever but I gotta say, I feel like an idiot saying them.
The weirdest thing about the cereal is the boxes. The redesigned all of the characters to be really cartoony. I like the new designs, they are very kid-friendly. Oddly enough though, there is no picture of the actual cereal on the box. For a cereal that is marketed at children, I find it kind of strange they do not even show them the product. I suppose the cartoon characters say it all.
The cereal itself is garbage. It is just three different colors of the same goofy (I think bat shaped) cereal with marshmallows. The differences are in the artificial coloring and flavoring of each. They are all pretty horrible though. The texture feels like Styrofoam, and it honestly taste like it too. There are hints of the "flavors" but they are so bland and weak you probably would not be able to guess in a blind taste test. Hell, I could feed you packing foam and you would not notice the difference.
Boo Berry gets a two because it was the least horrible. Regardless I do not recommend getting these. If you want some cereal for the halloween go eat some Reeses Puffs instead. It is candy for breakfast after all.
Thank you Taco Bell. You somehow have found a way to shovel a massive boatload of shit into millions of Americans stomachs. Yes I am of course talking about the, actually I guess I just described every item at Taco Bell didn’t I?
Huh, funny how that works.
Anyhow, I am talking about the XXL Chalupa from Taco Bell. This is not a new item to their menu of course. God forbid they get too creative with their cheap ingredients. No, this actually came out last year around October as well. It is basically just a Chalupa, but way bigger and full of more crap.
To be fair, I actually do not hate it either. I think the Chalupa is one of Taco Bell’s better items, although they have gotten way over-priced in recent times (they are getting close to $3 a pop now). Imagine just taking all three Chalupa fillings and dumping them into one GIANT Chalupa shell. It tastes exactly how you imagine it to. Lots of flavors mixing together to form a pretty big mess. I got the beef version and it tasted most like the Baja Chalupa with nacho cheese added in. The shell is a little flimsy and will probably break every time no matter what so I definitely recommend this to be eaten when you are capable of operating a fork and knife.
Rating 4/5 “It’s Just Swell”
This gets big points with me because of the price point. I mean it when I say it is equal to three regular Chalupas (it probably is in calories too) and it is only fifty cents more than a regular Chalupa. I have yet to try the steak or chicken versions but the beef is worth the price. If you life Chalupas or the crap Taco Bell shovels for food, you will like this.
Wendy's, I am still undecided on what you guys are doing. Your new burgers are not much better than your old ones. Your value menu is shrinking. Now you are messing with your classic Frosty!? Tisk Tisk Tisk.
Actually, this is the best thing Wendy's has ever done with a frosty. This is what it says it is, a vanilla frosty, carmel, apple chunks, and granola. I am not actually a big fan of the vanilla frosty. I would much rather just have vanilla soft serve. That being said it works really well with this. The vanilla mixed with the carmel sauce (which there is plenty of) works great. Then you add in the granola, which adds great texture and crunch to the frosty. I do not know why I never thought of that before but oh my gosh it is so good. The apples were my least favorite part. They were fresh and tasty on there own, but mixed with this the big chunks just throw everything off. The size might also disappoint people at first, it is small. Then you realize the price point and it makes it better. The size is actually perfect for something like this. A reasonable sized dessert that will satisfy a sweet tooth without making you feel fat.
Alien Handsss
Rating 4/5 "It's Just Swell"
Good job Wendy's. Make this a permanent item and you might get back my business a bit.
Just for clarity, I did not drink all fifteen of these beers in one sitting. And also, two of them are ciders. This was a slow, three week long process. That being said, it was always nice thinking, I HAVE to have a beer, for the blog.
So this is my first fall being 21. I look forward to seasonal beers right now just because I have never had any of these yet! I figured with so many different fall beers, why not try them all! Krogers (my grocer) has a nice "make your own six pack" set up. Why not make my own fall beer collections until I try them all!
So I did. They are ranked from best to worst below. I am too damn lazy to write something for everyone. If you have questions or disagree, just comment. The two Ciders are at the end rated in their own section.
I was at Taco Bell the other night and decided to get creative. I made a new and improved version of a Cheesy Gordita Crunch. You get one of the Chicken Flatbreads (I prefer the original) and a crunchy taco and BING BANG BOOM!
My Creation!!
It was damn good I will say. It does not exactly fit right but it tastes good but hey, it is a cheaper version!
Anyone have any other good creations they make themselves?
Oh and the next review is going to be a HUGE fall beer review. So get ready!
Have you ever seen a movie trailer and thought, "Damn, I CANNOT wait to see that movie!". Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil was that kind of trailer for me. I saw they two minuite extended trailer back when the film debuted at Sundance. It showed me a movie that looked fun and hilarious in the vien of Shuan of the Dead and Zombieland. I went ahead and put that trailer below (CAUTION: VERY SPOILER HEAVY).
Fast forward two years later and the movie is just now coming out, first on VOD then in select theatres. It took two years for this movie to get picked up and distributed. How a movie like this does not get picked up but crap like Final Destination 5 does blows my mind.
Anyways to give a brief plot synopsis of the movie it is a pretty basic horror-comedy. Two hillbilly friends, Tucker and Dale, escape to their new vacation cottage in the middle of the southern woods. A group of college kids are also in the same woods. Tucker and Dale are mistaken for crazy Hillbilly killers. Chaos ensues.
The movie is the directorial debut for Eli Craig. It is also shows off the talents of two great, but lesser-known actors named Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk. TV geeks might recognize these two but the average person will not. All I can say is the chemistry between them is damn near spot on. Not once did I doubt these two were not long time friends in the movie and even as actors. The dialog between them is quick and filled with little chuckles. They each have crazy unique traits to them. Tucker (Tudyk) does to PBR beer what My Big Fat Greek Wedding did to Windex and Dale (Labine) has a perfect memory. Crazy quirks like this in the movie give it charm and keep it fresh. There are also scenes in this movie that had me crying with laughter. the movie really does not have any slow scenes and even has a decent enough plot that will keep you interested. The gore is over-the-top, as it should be in a horror-comedy. The ending is predictable, but I can't fault it too much just because that comes with the territory really.
Rating 5/5 "It's The Bee's Knees"
I should probably not give this a five but I want to get people to see this movie. It is too damn funny to be a "cult classic" but then again, maybe it is better that way. Regardless, if you have an On-Demand service I recommend renting it. It is well worth your money.
Ah, the green chile. Something that when done right can add so much flavor. A lot of small or nice restaurants feature green chiles on lots of things. The further southwest you go the more you see of the green chile. One of my favorite sandwiches from a local burger place is a green chile chicken sandwich. The green chili provides tons a flavor, little heat, and a great texture to go along with a sandwich. So why was I so scared to try the Whataburger Green Chile Double? Was it because I do not trust fast food with fresh ingredients? Is it because I do not want to deal with a bad Whataburger or a bad green Chile experience? Who knows, either way, everything turned out okay in the end.
The Green Chile Double
There really is not a whole lot to this sandwich. It is two patties of beef, a slice of american and a slice of Monterey jack cheese, and roasted green chilies. Thats it. No lettuce, no mayo, no onions, just that. The simplicity is what actually made this work though. The patties are what you expect from Whataburger, juicy and flavorful. The two cheeses really give a nice thick consistency to the burger that gives it an almost creaminess that plays well of the chiles. Oh the chiles. So good even fast food cannot ruin you. Whataburger actually did a damn fine job with this. The chiles are moist yet not soggy and wet. The have tons of flavor (as they should) and give the burger a great bite and texture. I was blown away by how much I liked this. If they made the chiles a regular add-on I can see myself adding them in the future. While I do not really have any complaints it is still just a fast food burger so I cannot give it a perfect score. That being said, please do not be afraid to give this a try, it is well worth it.
Rating: 4/5 "It's Just Swell"
Banana Pie and Shake
Whataburger pies are some of my favorite fast food desert. They are really greasy but have such a good crunch and normally great filling so I love when I can get one. They do a good job of trying new flavors as well. When I saw they had Banana pies I had to use this excuse to get one. If you like banana you will like this. It is almost a banana pudding custard filling. Smooth and Rich inside with a strong banana flavor.
The shake (sorry no picture) was less stelar. I added chocolate to it being afraid it would be too banana strong but I barely could taste banana. I do not know if it is because the chocolate that was added or what but I was sad they couldn't get this one right, I love their shakes too. chick-fil-a still reigns supreme on outlandish shake flavors.
Who would of thought someone would go and have six different hot dogs at a fast food place! I mean it is not like it is easy to easy to eat a hot dog while driving, especially one loaded to the brim with toppings. Sonic seems to ignore this conventional wisdom and decided to release two limited edition hotdogs! Each of these hotdogs are unique concepts so I definitely give Sonic some credit for that. How were they?
Bacon and Blue Dog
This was the surprising winner of the two. Keep in mind I am not a huge fan of hotdogs anyway but I found this one surpassingly good. The poppyseed bun was soft and warm. The hotdog it self was cooked well enough. They have a nice firmness to them that gives them a nice firm bite. The toppings were good as well. The tomatoes and lettuce were fresh. The bacon was not great, but for fast food bacon it was not so bad. The Blue Cheese Dressing tasted more like mayo and would have helped to have a thinner consistency but overall it did not take away from the hotdog. Overall it tasted fresh and fulfilling.
Rating: 4/5 "It's Just Swell"
The Kickin' Coney
I would not call this a disappointment, but it definitely was not a winner either. It is simply just the chili cheese dog with crispy onion strings and a chipotle BBQ sauce. The onion strings provide a nice texture change but there are not enough of them and they are a bit too soggy. The Chipotle BBQ was a nice little flavor spin but really did not work with this. It ended up being too much. It was a good and clever idea for Sonic but it did not work for me. I can see some people enjoying it though.
Rating: 3/5 "It's Just Meh"
I always appreciate a good effort by fast food chains to mix it up and Sonic definitely does that here. If you liked their other hot dogs check these out while they are around.
I just got a "snack" order for $1.99. it was a pretty good portion for two bucks. I would rather of had two McDoubles but it is still way cheaper then what the freaking McNuggets cost. As I mentioned, there is little surprise here. They are your typical "popcorn" chicken. Lots of breading and little bits of chicken. I will say they did a good job with it though. The "spicy" came from the breading which was a lot like the spicy McChicken breading. I thought they were going to be saucy but I guess McDonalds wants an excuse to flaunt its sauces. The chicken itself was always juicy and never dried out which happens a lot with popcorn chicken. There were not as many tiny pieces as I expected either, which was a nice surprise. 
