REVIEW: Jack in the Box Girl Scouts Thin Mints Shake

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If you can’t wait for McDonald’s Shamrock Shake season in February and March, you can get your green minty shake fill this fall with Jack in the Box’s Girl Scout Thin Mints Shake. The frozen treat features Jack’s ice cream with chocolate mint flavoring and Thin Mints bits mixed with whipped topping and more Thin Mints crumbles on top. Also, sorry, maraschino cherry fans. There is no cherry for you on this shake.

It looks less fun than the bright Shamrock Shake. When everything is mixed up, it has a green-gray color that a paint company would call Aloe Fog, Melted Clovers, or something like that. But it’s as enjoyable as a Shamrock shake with its strong minty flavor. But perhaps it’s a bit too strong. If I drank this shake blindly, I wouldn’t be able to determine that it’s specifically a Girl Scout Thin Mints Shake because it lacks the chocolatey notes that the actual cookies have.

The mint flavoring in the ice cream is so strong that it overwhelms the cookie bits and whatever chocolate flavoring. It also doesn’t help that the larger cookie crumbs provide an additional minty burst without cocoa flavor. Having two types of cookies would be weird, but maybe the chocolate would’ve had a stronger punch if Oreo crumbles were added. It’s an ingredient that every Jack in the Box location has, so it wouldn’t be difficult to add.

Most of the cookie crumbs are tiny enough that they succumb to the milky mess they’re sitting in and become soggy bits or not noticeable at all. But my teeth were rewarded with some crunchiness when they captured more significant Thin Mints bits.

If you want a tasty shake that’ll make your insides as nippy as the weather outside this fall, Jack in the Box’s Girl Scout Thin Mints Shake will help you accomplish that. But if you’re hoping for a bit of chocolate to cut through that mint, you’ll be disappointed.

Purchased Price: $6.69*
Size: Regular
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 780 calories (no other nutritional information was provided on the Jack in the Box website).

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Arby’s Big Cheesy Bacon Burger

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My post-race routine is fairly simple: shower, stretch, and stuff a burger in my face. I recently completed a half marathon and, due to a series of events after that race, I had to postpone the burger part of my routine. Two weeks later, I was craving the thing I never got. Right on cue, Arby’s sent an email advertising its new Big Cheesy Bacon Burger.

It’s one of the two limited edition burgers currently being offered at Arby’s. The Deluxe Wagyu Steakhouse Burger is the base version (a wagyu blended beef patty, burger sauce, American cheese, tomatoes, red onions, lettuce, and garlic & dill pickles on a toasted brioche bun) with the Big Cheesy Bacon Burger having all the same ingredients but with the addition of Swiss cheese and bacon.

It had some heft when I pulled it out of the bag, but didn’t seem very big. Like a mattress in a box, after I took it out of its wrapper, it seemed to expand. Size-wise, it was reasonably comparable to what I’ve gotten from Red Robin. Taking a peek under the bun, I was surprised at the produce’s freshness. I wasn’t expecting rotten tomatoes or anything, but the two vibrant red tomato slices took me off guard. I’m used to fast food tomatoes looking half the time like someone took a red Sharpie to styrofoam.

Even though it looked good, I was ready to find out if it tasted good. In my first bite, I got a bit of every component. All I could think as I took my time taking it all in was, “Wow, this is a really balanced burger.”

Too often, when fast food sandwiches have a laundry list of toppings, they become a mess of competing flavors. In this case, everything was working together to create something extremely delicious. The balance of the sweet burger sauce, hickory bacon, juicy tomatoes, crisp pickles, salty cheeses, and savory meat created a flavor that I could only describe as the most perfect “burger” flavor.

The meat on its own was a bit dry, but the dryness wasn’t noticeable when eaten with the other components. Multiple times (I assume for legal reasons), Arby’s reminds us that the patty is 51% American Wagyu and 49% ground beef. I can’t speak on the American Wagyu being anything special, but the meat quality was above any other fast food offering I’ve had.

Overall, I was extremely satisfied with Arby’s Big Cheesy Bacon Burger. It was delicious and filling and exceeded my expectations from a fast food restaurant. The high quality of the ingredients is what made it stand out. It’s only around for a limited time, so if you’re thinking about trying it, I’d go sooner rather than later.

Purchased Price: $7.99
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 824 calories, 51 grams of fat, 21 grams of saturated fat, 118 milligrams of cholesterol, 2085 milligrams of sodium, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugar, and 48 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Grilled Cheese Nacho Fries

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Taco Bell’s new Grilled Cheese Nachos Fries applies the same technique used with the chain’s popular Grilled Cheese Burrito — put cheese on the exterior, wrap the whole thing in parchment paper, and smoosh it with a grill press for a few moments to turn the white and orange cheese into brown grilled-ness.

But does this fast food kung fu make these loaded Nacho Fries better than regular loaded Nacho Fries? I think it slightly improves it in some ways, but it’s not enough to make me declare on the internet that they all must be grilled henceforth.

The menu item comes with seasoned fries topped with seasoned beef, chipotle sauce, nacho cheese sauce, and a blend of mozzarella, Monterey pepper jack, and cheddar that gets the brunt of the grill press. If you wish for something with a little more heat, there’s a spicy version that includes jalapeño peppers, and if you want something less ground beefy, there’s also a steak variety on the menu. I went with the cheapest and mildest option.

The grilling makes the fries that have cheese seared onto them sturdy enough to withstand the chipotle and nacho sauce’s attempts to make everything soggy. But I wouldn’t say the grilled cheese makes them crispier. The grilling also turned what would’ve been a bunch of individual fries into a slab of spuds that looks like a burnt cheese aircraft carrier. Of course, your results may vary.

While the seasoned beef, chipotle sauce, and nacho sauce have a difficult time compromising the toasted layer’s integrity, they overwhelm the grilled cheese’s flavor. But I’m not going to complain too much about that because those three ingredients, plus the fries’ potato flavor, create a tasty combo. When I got a bite of the fries with just the toasted cheese and very few other ingredients, I noticed some of the same mild cheesiness that I’d tasted with the Grilled Cheese Burrito. The creamy chipotle sauce stood out the most for me flavor-wise, and it added a very slight kick. Its smoky, peppery taste negated the need for one of Taco Bell’s sauce packets.

While Taco Bell’s Grilled Cheese Nacho Fries are a limited time offering, I imagine they’ll be back eventually because it’s a clever variation of its loaded fries offerings. While I enjoyed it, I wished the toasted layer added a bit more crispiness and flavor.

Purchased Price: $4.99*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 530 calories, 35 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, 1250 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 16 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: KFC Mac & Cheese Wrap

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In retrospect, the amount of KFC mac and cheese I consumed in my childhood was not advisable, but it did prime me perfectly to review the chain’s new Mac & Cheese Wrap, which includes three of my favorite things —- fried chicken, mac and cheese, and wacky combos. The new KFC Wrap variety accompanies the returning Spicy Chicken Wrap and Classic Chicken Wrap. But that’s all I have to say about those cheeseless bores, though!

Before ordering, I didn’t realize the combo comes with two wraps, so I went ahead and got the meal, which also includes a medium drink and a side of fries. The two wraps don’t have to be the same flavor, but you can bet your $8.49 that I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to choose double the mac.

When my order was called, I instantly realized why two is the magic number: these wraps are fun-sized, to put it politely. My go-to tortilla-based fast food is a Chipotle burrito, but portion-wise, a better comparison here is a Taco Bell burrito. Inside each teeny, toasted tortilla is one chicken tender, a sprinkling of mac and cheese, and, for good measure, some shredded three-cheese blend as well.

These wraps didn’t escape my pet peeve of all the fillings being packed towards the open end, leaving the other end sadly flat and dry, but I can’t even judge them too harshly because, boy, were they tasty. I’m more accustomed to seeing chopped chicken in wraps, but the length and width of a single tender made for a surprisingly good fit. I’ve previously sworn my allegiance to KFC in the fast food chicken wars, and these tenders only affirmed my loyalty, plump and juicy with an addictive crispy coating. And while this chain might not be as known for its noodles (it’s not called Kentucky Mac and Cheese, after all), I find them insanely craveable. The sauce is creamy, the macaroni is so soft and tender that it practically melts in your mouth, and the overall effect is so mild and comforting that I could eat a vat of it without even noticing. Luckily for my stomach, the wrap doesn’t contain a vat’s worth — more like a couple spoonfuls. The portion of shredded cheese is similar, though it tastes sharper, and is (or was in my order, anyway) notably unmelted. But the majority of the flavor definitely comes from the chicken and mac.

I could gripe that this wrap could use even more mac and cheese, but I’ve struggled so many times to cleanly fold an over-stuffed tortilla that I’m willing to give some grace. Plus, I’m in a charitable mood after such a delicious dinner! If you’re a fellow mac and cheesehead, I highly suggest you get yourself wrapped up in this new offering too.

Purchased Price: $8.47 for the combo (just the two wraps is $5)
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 400 calories. Other numbers are not available on KFC’s website.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Spiced Cookie Coffee

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If you’re ready to trade in your pumpkin spice for less squash-themed offerings, Dunkin’s holiday menu is here, and perhaps the least flashy item on it is the new Spiced Cookie Coffee. Available hot or iced, it’s made with a short list of coffee, brown sugar cookie syrup, vanilla syrup, and oat milk. After my recent run-in with the Ice Spice Munchkin Drink, I was ready to scale back and have a coffee that wasn’t buried in whipped cream, caramel, and donuts. Dunkin’ says this one “captures the essence of freshly baked oatmeal cookies in a cup,” which sounds pretty straightforward and cozy. Sometimes you don’t need all the sleigh bells and whistles, you just want your coffee with a hint of holiday cheer.

I went the hot route for my first take on the Spiced Cookie Coffee, thinking it would be best suited to drawing out the flavors of what I assumed would be warming spices. It smelled pleasantly sweet, with brown sugar and buttery notes dominating. After a couple sips, I could definitely taste how this mimics a cookie, mostly due to the brown sugar, vanilla, and buttery flavors. But I think there might be some confusion about what exactly this is supposed to taste like. Around the holidays, “spiced” tends to evoke thoughts of things like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, etc.. When I think of oatmeal cookies, the only spice I usually associate them with is cinnamon, which I’m not convinced is even present here. Maybe Oatmeal Cookie Coffee sounded like too boring of a name?

I liked the flavor and found the level of sweetness enjoyable, not over-the-top. As someone who doesn’t typically drink oat milk, I had no issues with it here. It brought some creamy and nutty qualities to the mix. The coffee itself gets a bit lost, but my only real complaint is that I was expecting more spice. Without it, this drink lacks the holiday vibe I was anticipating.

Being an equal opportunist, I gave this a second go with the iced version. If I thought the holiday spirit was slightly missing from the first one, it’s totally undetectable here. The coffee is more prominent, but gone are the brown sugar, vanilla, and butter notes that put this in the cookie category. The oat milk seems to be a detriment; instead of being creamy, this just tastes watered down. If I didn’t know this was supposed to be flavored like something, I would guess it was just mediocre regular iced coffee.

If you can overlook the missing spice identity crisis this beverage has, the hot version is a nice treat that might remind you of a simple but tasty oatmeal cookie. If you go iced, though, know that what you’re getting won’t be reminiscent of a snack you’d leave for Santa – unless you’re the kind of jerk that leaves him a bowl of unflavored oatmeal.

Purchased Price: (hot) $3.74, (iced) $3.65
Size: Medium
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Hot), 5 out of 10 (Iced)
Nutrition Facts: Hot – 130 calories, 0.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of total carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein. Iced – 130 calories, 0.5 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 50 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of total carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 25 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

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