REVIEW: Sonic Banana Pudding Shake

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Sonic Banana Pudding Shake Cherry

The first thing you should know before we really get into this review is that I love banana-flavored anything. Are you one of those insane people who pitch your banana Laffy Taffy or Runts? I will gladly take both off your hands. But my lust isn’t relegated to artificial banana flavoring alone, oh no. I am just as wild about bananas that come in a pie or in bread. You might say that I *checks notes* go ape for bananas.

There is, however, one blind spot in my yellow-fruit fanaticism: banana pudding. Honestly, it has less to do with my disinterest in that particular flavor and more to do with the fact that my pudding consumption is probably below average. According to an actual website I saw on the internet, 150 million Americans ate pudding in 2020; I’m honestly not sure if I was one of them. (And if I did, it was a very unimpressive amount — likely a single pudding cup.)

So how, then, would I find Sonic’s new Banana Pudding Shake? Let’s review.

Sonic’s shake-take on this Southern dessert classic features vanilla ice cream, banana pudding, banana pieces, Nilla wafers, whipped topping, and a maraschino cherry. As expected, this shake is VERY banana-centric.

The pudding was indiscernible from the vanilla ice cream, which was probably due to, you know, the blending process. So really, it ended up tasting like soupy banana ice cream. Thick chunks of banana abounded throughout the concoction necessitating the need for a spoon at times.

Sonic Banana Pudding Shake Top

The whipped topping was creamy and sweet and provided a nice blanket for a mess of crushed up Nilla wafers. Speaking of, I was surprised and impressed that the wafers held their crunch for as long as they did; Nilla makes a sturdy wafer, it seems. The cherry was probably fine, but I don’t know since my daughter stole and ate it when I wasn’t looking.

Sonic Banana Pudding Shake Soupy

This is the part of the review where you might be wondering how this compares to Sonic’s regular banana shake. Well, for starters, it’s much runnier. The pudding compromises the consistency of the treat, as one might expect. It does, however, also elevate the banana taste as well as add a nuanced layer of additional creaminess. The wafer pieces are also a noticeably different component, adding a welcome textural variance to the affair.

So is it worth it? For sure, but ONLY if you’re crazy about banana. This thing may even be too much for a casual banana fan. And if you don’t like bananas at all, it’s sort of weird that you read this whole thing. But thank you for your time, regardless, and I hope you have a great day.

Purchased Price: $3.79
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (small) 760 calories, 38 grams of fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 24 grams of saturated fat, 100 mg of cholesterol, 370 milligrams of sodium, 94 grams of total carbohydrates, 64 gram of total sugars, less than 2 grams of fiber, and 11 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Burger King Garlic & Bacon King

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Burger King Garlic Bacon King Full

Ah, garlic. Aggressively odiferous plant. Repellent of vampires. Destroyer of kisses. Enhancer of… well, I was going to say “enhancer of Italian food,” but garlic is like cuteness at a kitten convention — it’s everywhere, basically. Including this new burger from Burger King, which it’s calling the Garlic & Bacon King (GBK).

Burger King’s website doesn’t really explain what is on the GBK, but other sites use this description: “a new premium burger made with two quarter-pound flame-grilled beef patties topped with three half-slices of bacon, new garlic pieces, two slices of American cheese, and mayo on a soft sesame seed bun.”

I got the single which is also an option. That also reduced the number of cheese slices by one, which was totally fine, and I’m pretty sure the single came with two pieces of bacon instead of three. (Again, this made sense.)

The real story here is the inclusion of “new garlic pieces.” Now, if you read this but haven’t seen a picture, this is pretty broad, right? Are we talking minced-up garlic mixed in with the mayo? Loose cloves lying sleepily atop the patty? The possibilities are endless. (Okay, well, maybe there are only two or three actual possibilities. But still.)

Burger King Garlic Bacon King Gaaaarlic

In this case, we’re talking thin garlic petals that have been deep fried. And there are a TON of them. An overwhelming amount, in fact. If you do not like garlic, there is no way on Earth you like this burger. There is no subtlety here, oh no. This is a giant poke in the eye with a big, greasy, garlic-coated finger. And to borrow an expression from the youth of today, “I am here for it.”

I’m not sure I had a single bite that didn’t have a crispy, garlicky petal in it. Also, please note that I said “crispy.” Despite a 10-minute car ride home and some photography after, they were amazingly crisp. Texturally (and of a similar potency), the garlic reminded me of the French’s Crispy Fried Onions your Aunt Lydia puts on the green bean casserole each Thanksgiving. These things were STRONG, but delicious.

Burger King Garlic Bacon King Split

Everything else about the burger was pretty standard BK fare. The bacon was thick, well-cooked, and salty, the mayo was appropriately creamy, and the cheese was perfectly fine fast food American cheese. I will say, the patty tasted a bit more charbroiled than I think BK’s patties typically are. I’m not sure how these things are prepared, so I don’t know if it was something in the preparation, or if it’s something with the meat, or perhaps some combination. In any case, it tasted fresh and meaty, and I felt like it elevated this particular burger.

While this isn’t in the same league as the new BK Ch’King sandwich, it is a nice LTO that’s worthy of a go. Just don’t do it before heading to a make-out party or inviting any vampire friends over for a board game night.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: Single patty
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Unavailable at this time (Okay, well, the website says the single I had has 214 calories, and something about that seems off. There are no other stats.)

REVIEW: Popeyes Chicken Nuggets (2021)

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Popeyes Chicken Nuggets 12 Count

Popeyes has always been in a class of its own and, since the splashy debut of its chicken sandwiches in 2019, it’s been awesome to see it get the recognition it deserves. Those chicken sandwiches also got people through the door who had never tried Popeyes before. Now, hoping to continue to entice folks to its stores, the chain is taking on another fast food chicken staple: nuggets.

It’s currently offering nugget meals for one (8 or 12 count) that include a side, biscuit, and drink or à la carte nuggets (24, 36, or 48 count) that are shareable. Despite my desire to dive headfirst into 24 of them, I opted to go with 12.

Oh, I’d just like to take a moment to praise our digital overlords for giving us apps in which we can mobile order items with ease. Popeyes’ app was easy to use, and it has recently started a rewards program.

Popeyes Chicken Nuggets Coating

The average Popeyes nugget is larger than Chick-fil-A’s in both amount of meat and level of breading. The crispy, crunchy coating we’ve become accustomed to with Popeyes’ other chicken is present and delicious.

Popeyes Chicken Nuggets Meat

What immediately puts this ahead of the tenders for me was a more preferable, almost equal ratio of breading to meat. Currently only being offered in mild, the flavor is that familiar Popeyes taste that is peppery strong, but not painfully spicy. Within the breading, the white meat chicken breast is juicy and tender, which is exactly what I’ve come to expect.

I could select two dipping sauces with my order, but honestly, I found myself mostly enjoying the nuggets on their own. That said, the Blackened Ranch was better than expected, and the BoldBQ reminded me of what Wendy’s BBQ used to be like.

If I had to offer any real negatives, it was some of the inconsistency in sizing when it came to the nuggets. Out of the 12, four were comparable to Chick-fil-A nuggets in size. Chances are it might just be a kitchen crew getting used to preparing a new item, and I think it will get more even as time goes on.

Popeyes Chicken Nuggets Box

I so very much enjoyed these and hope they will be successful enough to stick around for a bit. Heck, maybe we can even get a spicy version if they prove to be popular enough. While I doubt we’ll see the same fervor surrounding these as we did in 2019 with the sandwiches, they are worth the try and a tasty addition to an already stellar lineup of offerings from Popeyes.

Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 12 count
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 nuggets) 450 calories, 28 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 76 milligrams of cholesterol, 690 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 22 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Little Caesars Planteroni Pizza

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Little Caesars Planteroni Pizza Whole

I’m not a vegetarian, but I’m no stranger to meat substitutes. My grandfather and stepdad are both vegan, my girlfriend used to be vegan, and I spent two years in college as a pescatarian (eating only fish). While I’ve settled in my omnivore ways as a taxpaying adult, I’m not opposed to a nice Impossible Burger or Tofurky Sausage, and I am legitimately fascinated by the huge wave of plant-based options that have swept fast food in recent years.

If you had told me Little Caesars would beat McDonald’s to the punch in adding a fake meat offering, I’d call ya crazy, but that’s exactly where we’ve landed. Little Caesars’ Planteroni Pizza is a large round pizza with Field Roast Plant-Based Pepperoni.

Little Caesars Planteroni Pizza No Ads

Pulling up to my second closest Little Caesars (my closest is usually a jam-packed nightmare I wanted to avoid), there were zero advertisements of this new plant-based ‘roni, likely because this item hasn’t rolled out nationwide. Although it still seems like a secret, even locally, it was prominently featured on LC’s terrific app under Limited Time Offers, and ordering went off without a hitch.

Little Caesars Planteroni Pizza Pepperoni

It looks great — nice and shiny cheese with a fresh and zesty aroma that instantly makes my mouth water. Field Roast’s “pepperoni” are faux meat made up of canola oil, wheat gluten, potato protein, and pea protein, along with a ton of other binders and flavors. They have a deeper color, thicker cut, and way less greasy shine than your average pepperoni.

Unfortunately, their different look and lack of shininess translate to a lackluster flavor as well. I have no issues with the tougher texture of plant-based proteins, but the lack of salty and fatty intensity really brings down the experience. With pepperoni that isn’t chockfull of salt and animal fat, the cheaper components of Little Caesars’ pizza are exposed, and the crust and sauce both taste weaker and less impactful than any LC’s pizza I’ve had in the last two years.

The saving grace was the Butter Garlic sauce I added to my order, which, hot take alert, is even better than Papa John’s with a more robust and intense garlic flavor. When dunked into that glorious silky sauce, the pizza is pretty good, bringing the necessary salt and fat desperately lacking from Field Roast’s creation.

Another issue with this is that it’s not vegan. Nothing has changed about this pizza except for the pepperoni, and I don’t see this as an improvement over plain cheese or a wonderful veggie combo like mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers for those who don’t eat meat.

Little Caesars Planteroni Pizza Cheep

At the price point that Little Caesars is offering this pizza, $8.49, it should at least be an ExtraMostBestest, with extra cheese and pepperoni, but it isn’t, and that lack of indulgence makes for something that’s pretty underwhelming. For a $2.50 upcharge (the most I’ve ever paid for an LC pizza), I don’t think the Planteroni delivered anything exciting to the Little Caesars experience, aside from a cool and catchy name.

Purchased Price: $8.49
Size: Large
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 pizza) 2180 calories, 84 grams of fat, 32 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 150 milligrams of cholesterol, 4580 milligrams of sodium, 256 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, 107 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Taco Bell Loaded Taco Fries, Loaded Taco Fries Burrito, and Flatbread Tacos

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Taco Bell Loaded Fries Burrito Split

Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries are back!

Taco Bell’s flatbread is back!

Taco Bell’s potatoes are back!

Taco Bell’s Volcano Sauce is back!

Taco Bell’s chihuahua is back!

Okay, those last two aren’t true, but can’t we dream?

Loaded Taco Fries and Loaded Taco Fries Burrito

Taco Bell Loaded Taco Fries Far

When Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries return, they usually comes with a new loaded variation that I assume was developed by having interns throw every ingredient the chain offers up into the air and having another intern catch as many of them as possible into a burrito-sized tortilla that’s attached to their head with a graduation cap.

This time the intern caught seasoned beef, crispy red strips, lettuce, nacho cheese sauce, spicy ranch, tomatoes, and cheese, and it’s called Loaded Taco Fries. There’s also a burrito version with all of that inside the same tortilla used by Taco Bell’s R&D interns.

Taco Bell Loaded Taco Fries Closeup

I might be wrong about many things, like how Taco Bell uses its interns, but I think this is the first time lettuce has appeared on Nacho Fries. And after seeing a lettuce layer on top of my order, I wondered if someday we’ll see a Taco Bell Loaded Taco Fries Salad. Just throwing that out there if a lot of lettuce gets caught in a tortilla, Taco Bell.

Obviously, the Nacho Fries are the highlight of both items. Their seasoning blends well with the much more bold seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, and spicy ranch. Also, the tomatoes brought a nice acidic burst. As much as I enjoyed eating both, all the flavors meld better in the burrito.

Taco Bell Loaded Fries Burrito Fist Bump

I mean, look at the cross-section shot above. I just want to fist bump it. Sure, the fries are not at all crispy, but they give the burrito a notable heft and thickness. Also, it’s just so cool to see fries in a burrito.

Taco Bell Loaded Fries Burrito Girth

Other things about the two menu items. The red strips maintain a decent crunchiness on the loaded fries, while the ones in the burrito were unsurprisingly soggy because it’s trapped in a tortilla with sauces and moisture. Also, I could’ve sworn the spicy ranch was hotter than what I experienced with these. On a scale of 10, it’s a one or two. Maybe my tolerance has changed?

Taco Bell is also offering both with black beans instead of seasoned beef. I apologize to our vegetarian readers for not trying those. Feel free to slap my face with lettuce leaves through your screen.

Purchased Price: $4.29 (Loaded Fries), $3.99 (Burrito)*
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Loaded Fries), 8 out of 10 (Loaded Fries Burrito)
Nutrition Facts: Loaded Taco Fries – 560 calories, 36 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of sodium, 1010 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein. Loaded Taco Fries Burrito – 590 calories, 30 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 1120 milligrams of sodium, 63 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of protein.

Flatbread Tacos

Taco Bell Flatbread Tacos Both

The Flatbread Tacos come in three varieties — Loaded Chicken, Beefy Potato, and Loaded Black Bean. I didn’t try the black bean variety, so I apologize to our vegetarian readers again. Feel free to pelt me with dried beans through your screen.

The Loaded Chicken comes with grilled chicken, lettuce, avocado ranch sauce, cheese, and tomatoes. The beefier and potatoier version comes with seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, and potatoes.

Taco Bell Flatbread Tacos Beefy Potato

Between the two, I enjoyed the Beefy Potato one SIGNIFICANTLY more than the Loaded Chicken. It reminds me of the Taco Bell Beefy Potato-rito, and if you’ve had anything with seasoned beef and nacho cheese sauce, you’ll have an idea of what this tastes like. I’m a little surprised it didn’t come with a smoky or spicy sauce, but it’s still a gosh darn goodie the way it is.

Taco Bell Flatbread Tacos Loaded Chicken

With the chicken version, the flavors of what’s inside aren’t that bold to begin with, and they’re toned down by the flatbread, making the taco taste bland. That toning down also happens with the Beefy Potato, but the seasoned beef and nacho cheese sauce flavors do a better job at coming through the flatbread than the tender grilled chicken and avocado ranch.

Purchased Price: $2.89 (Loaded Chicken), $1.89 (Beefy Potato)*
Size: N/A
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Loaded Chicken), 7 out of 10 (Beefy Potato)
Nutrition Facts: Loaded Chicken – 270 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 580 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of protein. Beefy Potato – 310 calories, 13 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 700 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 4 grams of sugar, and 11 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.

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