review: Taco Bell Breakfast aka FirstMeal

 So I recently was in Oklahoma City for a weekend. I decided I could use this road-trip to stop by one of the few Taco Bell location that has breakfast! I for one was really excited to try FirstMeal. I love Taco Bell. It is one of my favorite fast food places not only because I like the food but the variety and creativity of some of the menu items is cool too. Anyhow, needless to say this die hard Taco Bell fan was really looking forward to this breakfast. How was it you ask?

Lets just say I was extremely disappointed. Here is a rundown of every item and why it did not live up to my expectations. Also a heads up, they ran out of the Cini-bites so those are not reviewed here. I was mad too.

Grande Skillet Burrito- So this was the only thing on the menu I felt like I might get again someday. It is just egg, steak, potatoes (the fiesta potatoes), cheese, and pico. The thing that made this burrito good was the Pico. It really made the burrito light and fresh. The steak was pretty bland and the eggs has that mass-produced taste. It also was not that big for being close to three bucks. 

Review 4/5 - "It's Pretty Good"

The Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Burrito- So this was pretty horrible. the bacon was just bacon bits. and not even crispy, cooked ones but raw, chewy ones. Why couldn't they just get normal bacon? 

Review- 1/5 "it's Flippin Horrendous"

The Steak, Egg, and Cheese Burrito- Taco Bell's steak has always been pretty weak. This burrito shows that even more. there was a sauce in it but I honestly couldn't even taste it. I was hoping it was the baja sauce but I don't think it was. 

Review - 3/5 "It's Just Meh"

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Burrito- Just like the bacon, but with really bad, freeze dried crumbled sausage. Only thing you can really taste is the cheese. This sausage is horrible. 

Review- 2/5 "it's Not Worth It"

Hash Brown- Think of a McDonalds hash brown that was left in the grease pit. It was literally oozing with grease. So gross. 

Review-1/5 "it's Flippin Horrendous"

Johnsonville Sausage Breakfast Wrap- So this was some ol bullshit. This is supposed to be a sausage round patty, egg and cheese. Nope, It was just that freeze dried sausage again, making it just a bigger burrito? I am assuming they just had no more patties. It also was super surprising just how small this is. Thing of a mini crunch-wrap. 

Review- 1/5 "it's Flippin Horrendous"

I think this effort is a huge failure on Taco Bell's part. They should be able make something crazy and good for breakfast, not this crap. The guys in the food lab need to put on their thinking caps and fix this horrible mistake. Throw some Volcano sauce on it or something! 

Overall Review: 1/5 "It's Flippin Horrendous"

Top Five Movies of 2011

So I was putting this post off for a few weeks so I could try and see all the big movies of 2011 that I missed. Next thing I know it's almost march, I have yet to catch up on my movies, and I have yet to post. So I decided that I am going to do to my list anyway. Just remember that this list is of the top five movies I SAW in 2011, not what might be the actual best. 

5. Attack the Block

This movie is a british comedy a la Edgar Wright's stuff (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz). The premise is simple enough, aliens attack a suburb in somewhere in the UK. I honestly could not tell you where and where does not really matter. Just know it is kind of a sketchy neighborhood. What makes the movie so interesting an different is the lead characters. Instead of following around two best friends or some good old  nice chums, you follow a group of 15-18 year old hoodlums who mug, steal, and rebel. It most movies these would be the people you cheer against but as this movie progresses you really gain affection towards them. It has genuine scary moments and lots of funny ones as well. I was pleasantly suprised by this movie and definitely recommend. 

4. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil

I wrote a review for this movie here. So because of that I will keep this simple. This is one of the biggest hidden gems in horror-comedy to come out. EVER. Once again, if you have ever seen a horror movie and though "wow, these kids are so dumb they deserve to get murdered" you will love this movie! Go find it now. You will thank me. 

3. The Muppets

This one scored huge points with me for nostalgia reasons. I was a huge Muppet fan growing up and still am. When I heard they were rebooting it and someone who actually loves the Muppets was being the camera, I got really excited. I will admit, the movie is not perfect. It has pacing issues and they do not give the Muppets the screen time they deserve. That being said, I had a huge smile on my face the whole movie regardless. If you liked the Muppets check this out. If you have not seen the Muppet movies, it makes for a good introduction. I think Jim Henson would be proud to see the Muppets back. 

2. Drive

Now please do not think I am a movie snob because this is one of my favorite movies of the year. I know, no one talked the first half of the movie. Big whoop, no one talked for the first half of WALL-E either. Just because someone does not use words does not mean they are not speaking. That is one of my favorite parts of this movie. The first half is just so calm and cool, it builds so much tension. You know the shit is hitting the fan at some point and waiting in silence makes it even more suspenseful. Ryan Gosling is a huge badass in this movie and I want that jacket. Be warned, this is more of an "artsy" action flick, it is not mindless. But it is awesome.

1. Midnight In Paris

I will be the first to admit, I know very very little about Paris and the history and culture of the city. I know even less about the 1920's and the historical figures of that time. Yes, that is what this movie is about. I still loved it though, and that is why this is my favorite movie of 2011. It has such great character building, a whimsical plot, and is beautifully shot the whole way through. Owen Wilson does a great playing a stupefied author who looks like a kid in a candy store when he meets his idols from the 1920's. regardless if you know the time period or the figures, the message still hits. Take in the beauty of your life, don't wish it was something it's not. 

Honorable Mentions

Hanna- Wrote a review for this one here. Another badass action movie that has a great artistic feel to it. 

Rango- One of the best non-pixar CG movies ever. Johnny Depp is perfectly cast for this role and will have you laughing in a manner of minuets. 

The Decendants- Imagine Little Miss Sunshine, only with George Clooney and in Hawaii. 

Review: Jack in the Box Bacon Shake and BLT cheeseburger

So I am walking home from class the other day, scrolling thru my twitter feed when grubgrade posted an article about Jack in the Box's new BLT cheeseburger and Bacon shake. I am by no means the worlds biggest bacon fan, but crazy fast food ideas like this one always catch my attention. Needless to say, I changed my walking direction towards the nearest Jack in the Box and gave these two a try.

I am going to start with the more intriguing of the two, the Bacon shake. Now this concept is not really new. Bigger restaurants all over the country have been mixing bacon with sweet for a while now. Heck, last year even Denny's got on this trend with their Bacon Milkshake. Regardless, I was still surprised a fast food place like Jack in the Box had the guts to throw this out there. I was also excited because I have never really had the urge to try a bacon desert and this made it easy.

I do not think Jack in the Box has staff meetings because when I asked for the shake, only one out of the seven employees even knew what the hell I was talking about. The rest of them just looked at me confused. Eventually I got my shake, and at first I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping it would have little bacon bits in it or something. I mean if your gunna go crazy, go all the way right? It just uses a bacon syrup flavoring that gives the shake a bit darker vanilla color. It smelled more like vanilla then bacon, with only a hint of smokiness. I was nervous to try it, after all it IS a BACON SHAKE. Honestly though, it tasted pretty good. At first it comes of more like a vanilla shake. The bacon flavor doesn't hit you until midway through your first few sips. I was impressed by how much it actually tasted like bacon, yet still have a strong enough vanilla flavor to not be disgusting. It was actually a really enjoyable shake all the way through with a good balance of sweet and bacon.

Now on to the BLT burger. This was also another pleasant suspire. When I think of Jack in the Box burgers, I think of a shit ton of meet and cheese slathered in mayo. This burger was pretty much just a whopper with no onions or ketchup, but I have never had this many veggies on a burger at Jack in the Box. I gotta say, I really liked it. The shredded lettuce gave the bigger a good heft and crunch. The tomatoes were juicy and plentiful. There was around 6 pieces of bacon on it too. It actually reminded me a lot of a BLT. I do NOT get why there are pickles on there, especially because they did not really had much to the flavor, and its not called a BLTP. Oh well, I am sure there is some research explaining why somewhere.

Ratings:
Bacon Shake: 4/5 "It's Just Swell"
BLT Burger: 4/5 "It's Just Swell"

I gotta say I am impressed. They managed to recreate two tastes in common fast food items, and do it well. If you like bacon at all or are just curious like me I recommend giving the shake a try. If you like Jack in the Box burgers but wish they had more veggies, then give the BLT a go. I do not know if I will ever have either again, but thats more because I dont really care for Jack in the Box.

PS check out the impulsive buy for another view of the Bacon Shake.

tell next time folks