REVIEW: Tombstone Chili Cheese French Fry Style Crust Pizza

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Tombstone’s Chili Cheese French Fry Style Crust Pizza box describes this as hamburger, chili cheese sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, red onion, & parsley on a potato crust. Hmmmm…

French fries are awesome! Pizza is awesome! Chili cheese-flavored things are awesome! So it would stand to reason that this chili cheese french fry crust pizza would also be, you know, awesome, right?

Well, let’s start with the positives. For a lower cost frozen pizza, there are actually a good number of toppings on this thing, especially cheese. Usually, lack of cheese is my number one complaint with frozen pizzas, so I was pleasantly surprised to find this one decently cheesy. There is a good amount of meaty bits, onions, and sauce as well, although the entire time I was eating it, I couldn’t help but wish sliced hot dogs were used instead of the meatball things. Compare me to Sonic the Hedgehog, but nothing beats a good chili cheese dog!

I really like the flavor of the chili cheese sauce, too. It has a nice bite without being overwhelming or detracting from the other flavors, which is really impressive. The consistency is great, too. Thick enough not to leak or squish out when you cut it.

This pizza also smells AMAZING while it cooks. It reminded me of a Sonic chili cheese coney and tots, that perfect blend of chili, cheese, and potato was spot on.

Sadly, that’s where the pros run out, and we turn to the things I didn’t appreciate.

The French fry crust in THEORY sounds great: Innovative, unique, and like the best part of a crispy French fry. Turns out, that only applies to the very edge of the crust, unfortunately. The crispy, crunchy outer edge of the crust is PERFECT, and what I ultimately wanted from the rest of the pie: crunchy, well done fries transformed into a saucy cheese conveyance vehicle. Something about that so-called “crunchy outside, soft inside” crust is where it all fell apart for me.

The taste is aight. Not exactly French fry, per se, but definitely in the “processed potato product” ballpark. More like hash browns if I had to pick something specific. I didn’t really mind that. What I minded was the texture, which is SO. FREAKING. WRONG. It’s floppy, despite baking the pizza on the bottom rack (as instructed) for an additional 5 minutes. It’s also somehow chewy and squishy. It almost reminds me of mochi or gnocchi, and neither of those has a texture I’m excited about sharing with a pizza. My heart stopped being in it after the first bite, and I forced myself to finish my 1/4 pie serving. It took too long to chew, and it was neither pleasant nor appetizing.

If you could get past that, the “hamburger” meatball things were dry and bland and also had a bit of a weird texture to them, although not as weird as the crust.

I say this one is interesting enough to try for the novelty, but make sure you have a backup plan if the crust texture proves to be too much for you.

Purchased Price: $5.87
Size: 18.8 oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/4 pizza) 330 calories, 15 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 630 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of total carbs, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of total sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Cereal N’ Milk Latte

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Even though there is a Dunkin’ Donuts (or “Dunks” as the chain is affectionately known here in Mass) literally in my backyard, I don’t go there very often. I’m more of a Red Bull kind of girl. When I go to DD, I tend to get cold brew with foam rather than a latte… but a Cereal Milk latte? That had me curious.

It’s genius, honestly. The milk left over after you’ve enjoyed a bowl of cereal is almost as good as the cereal itself! Why have I never considered adding it to my tea or coffee before? Good thing Dunks had my back!

It was hot outside, so I opted to get my drink iced. I was hoping for something refreshing, but it was too thick and rich for that. I was THIRSTY when handed my drink, and as I gulped it, I was left feeling a bit like Ron Burgundy from Anchorman when he chugs the milk in that one scene. I have to say, though, that despite that description, it did have a nice mouth feel, somewhere between Half & Half and melted ice cream. Smooth and velvety and very creamy.

You’re probably wondering, much like I was, what \*kind\* of cereal Dunkin’ is referring to. The term is just too generic, given the various fruity, chocolatey, sweetened, and otherwise varieties out there, and, well… that remains a mystery, sadly. Your guess is as good as mine. The taste is decidedly NOT fruity, as I’d kind of been expecting, nor is it chocolatey or really distinctly anything. Still, it really DOES manage to convey a distinct CEREAL taste that lingers on the tongue after each sip before fading away into a vaguely grain-like aftertaste.

If I HAD to guess? Somewhere between generic Lucky Charms and Frosted Flakes. Both are in the ballpark, but neither feels quite right.

That kinda bitter, slightly burnt taste you can expect with a Dunkin’ espresso product is present, but it does get drowned out by the sweetness and flavor of the cereal milk, which works in the drink’s favor. All in all, I’d get this again. It’s sweet and tasty, and it hits a nice breakfast-y note for me.

I don’t know if it’s universal or not, but my local Dunkin’ (yes, the one I can see from my window as I type this) offers Coolattas and Matcha in addition to the Lattes, so if espresso isn’t your thing but you still want to try this flavor, there you go.

Purchased Price: $5.02
Size: Small
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 220 calories, 7 grams of total fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 31 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 29 grams of total sugar, and 7 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda

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Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda 1.

It’s new! It’s blue! It’s like, totally tubular to the max! It’s Crush’s Back to the 80s Electric Blue Razz soda, and if you tend to like blue raspberry flavored things, you’re going to love it!

The can design, featuring a subtle vaporwave style background and some pixelated blue raspberries, really nails the 80s aesthetic. I can totally picture Ms. Pac-Man herself chasing down those squared off fruits, desperate for a taste of blue razz. But luckily for us, no mazes are required if you want to get your hands on some! It only took me a quick stop at my local Walmart.

Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda 2.

As soon as I popped the top on the first can, I was met with a scent as familiar and cozy as a well-worn blanket. That sweet, slightly tart, very blue scent I’ve grown accustomed to from a variety of candies and other treats greeted me like an old friend.

Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda 3.

The flavor was spot on. A sweet, bright top note followed by a quick burst of tartness, but it’s not sour. It finishes off with a well-balanced fruit-forward aftertaste. This stuff was exactly what I wanted from a blue raspberry soda. It hit every note perfectly, the only thing keeping it from achieving a perfect 10 out of 10 score is that the flavor was a bit milder than I’d hoped. It’s definitely more subtle than say, Mountain Dew. It does, however, make truly excellent floats. And if you have a Ninja Slushi, it makes for a movie-theater-worthy blue slush with the perfect texture and viscosity. All in all, I love this addition to the summer soda lineup. I hope it sticks around for a while. But just in case it doesn’t, I’ll be stocking up.

Sidenote: if you’ve ever wondered about blue raspberries and why they are just a flavor and aren’t an actual fruit, the answer is to help easily distinguish it from other “red” flavors and to replace a specific food dye that was discontinued in the 1970s. The more you know!

Purchased Price: $6.34
Size: 12 pack/12 oz cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Per Serving: 170 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 43 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: A&W Limited Edition Ice Cream Sundae Soda

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Are you a millennial like me? If so, you must remember the New York Seltzer craze. Those cheery glass bottles with their cartoony NYC skylines were everywhere. And I know this seems off topic, but stick with me because I had entirely forgotten about the existence of that stuff until I popped open a can of A&W’s new Ice Cream Sundae flavored soda and was instantly transported back to a bygone 1991 and watching Rugrats while carefully holding one of those aforementioned glass bottles because very young me staunchly refused to allow my seltzer to be poured into another vessel.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that if you yearn for the taste of a long-discontinued cream soda flavored seltzer, which came back in 2015 and was discontinued again, have I got a product for you.

This soda isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t say it tastes like an ice cream sundae, either. Maaaaaybe a mid-tier egg cream. At best. On that front, I’m disappointed. It smells chemically, leaning toward chocolate, but I don’t really taste much in the way of chocolate flavor at all. The overwhelming taste is cream soda (as if that weren’t evident by the first paragraph) with a smack of something… else. Something I can’t quite put my finger on. Is it supposed to be maraschino cherry? Maybe caramel? Whipped cream? Sprinkles? I don’t know, but I can say that it really doesn’t add much to the final product. If you generally like cream sodas, you’ll probably like this one just fine.

There’s a strong and up front vanilla note surrounded by an artificial undertone that’s a bit distracting but not too horrible. It fades away quickly into a mild vanilla aftertaste. I think this would make a decent float, as the game you can play by scanning the QR code on the packaging suggests. The color is also a bit paler than I expected, but then I do tend to get my sundaes with chocolate ice cream, so that one might be on me.

On the whole, this is worth a try for the novelty factor, but don’t expect something completely new and unique.

Purchased Price: $8.78
Size: 12 pack/12 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 150 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 40 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mountain Dew Dragon Fruit

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Despite its namesake, dragon fruit isn’t exactly the boldest of flavors. Now, don’t get me wrong, I \*like\* dragon fruit, especially the yellow kind. However, I really find that it adds more in the way of color and texture than flavor, which is why I was honestly kind of surprised when I heard that Mountain Dew, a brand known for bold flavors like Flamin’ Hot and Code Red, had decided to add a dragon fruit flavor to its lineup.

I do have to give them credit where credit is due (or Dew, haha): this stuff DOES really taste like dragon fruit. The flavor is mild, but it is present, and it does evoke the actual namesake fruit. There is a hint of that trademark vaguely citrusy taste most varieties of Mountain Dew share as a background note and a slight aftertaste, and that Dew scent remains present. However, there is a sort of mild, earthy hint of kiwi-like sweetness from dragon fruit that ties it all together.

Even the color looks close. If you’ve ever blended a few chunks of red dragon fruit into an otherwise pale smoothie, topped some Greek yogurt with it, or even just picked up a piece with your bare fingers, you know that bright pink shade it imparts, and I daresay this Dew nails it.

All that being said, the flavor is still really weak. If I’m taking in as much sugar as two servings of Skittles (there’s no zero sugar variety), I want to TASTE something! This almost feels like a sweetened La Croix with the fruit-like whisper of flavor the dragon fruit lends. So, if you’re looking for a bold new Dew to celebrate the summer with, I might suggest Baja Cabo Citrus, 7-Eleven’s exclusive Infinite Swirl, or the returning Summer Freeze. Because sadly, this one just misses the mark and the flavor I have come to expect from one of my favorite soft drink brands.

Purchased Price: $2.38
Size: 20 fl oz bottle (also available in cans)
Purchased at: Walmart (Exclusive)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 280 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 73 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

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