REVIEW: Arby’s Premium Chicken Nuggets

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Arby s Premium Chicken Nuggets Spill

Until I sat down to write this and started Googling for background info, I had absolutely no idea that Arby’s — noted proprietor of meat — didn’t have chicken nuggets on its menu. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen the chicken tenders and just assumed it also served poultry in a more nuggeted form; maybe it’s because when traveling to the land of curly fries and Beef’n Cheddar, who feels it necessary to order nuggets?

I never had before, and, in case you don’t feel like reading a full review of Arby’s new Premium Chicken Nuggets, I probably won’t again. That isn’t to say they are appalling or abhorrently bad; they’re just… boring.

Arby’s touts its new offering as having “100% chicken breast,” which seems legit and is pretty par for the course, I guess. It’s offering them in Arby’s kids’ meals (as a 4 or a 6 piece) and as a 9-piece solo meal or as part of its “2 for $6” promotion, which also includes the Classic Roast Beef and the Classic Beef’n Cheddar. And while $3 for 9 nuggs is a reasonable deal in today’s market (Maybe? To be fair, I haven’t comparative nugget priced in a while.), you’d be better served doubling up on the B&C, honestly.

Arby s Premium Chicken Nuggets Innards

The thing about these is that there is nothing special about them. The seasoning is bland (and by “bland,” I mean “non-existent”) and the nuggets themselves are drier than a mummy’s tongue. These things are no different than frozen nuggets that come from a truck that maybe you’d find at a neighborhood swimming pool or waterpark snack bar. Fresh from the fryer (and these were), they are hot and salty.

Arby s Premium Chicken Nuggets Shapes

Additionally, they are decently sized. Unlike McDonald’s or Wendy’s uniformly sized nuggets, these are all like snowflakes, like the kind you’d get at, oh, say, Chick-fil-A. The smallest piece was the size of two Hershey’s Kisses mushed-up together, and the biggest was the size and shape of an obese walnut. If you’re getting them for $3 as part of the promotion, it’s a reasonable deal; if, however, you’re getting them in the meal or as a solo item ($3.99), you’re moving out of the “good deal” territory.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a perfectly acceptable sauce delivery vehicle, these will do. You know, like almost any other nugget. If, however, you want a nugget that can headline based on the strength of its own merit, this isn’t the one for you. Arby’s would do well to stick with the RB and leave the chicken to those who typically traffic in bird.

Purchased Price: $3.99
Size: 9-pieces
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (9 nuggets) 470 calories, 23 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat,75 milligrams of cholesterol, 1360 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 38 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dunkin’ Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew

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Dunkin Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew Grab

What is the Dunkin’ Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew?

Sweet and spicy? Been there, done that. Sweet and salty? Played out! Sweet and smoky? Hmm, is Dunkin’ on to something here?

How is it?

Dunkin’ is, in fact, NOT on to something here.

Let’s just clear the air first – this is a weird flavor choice. I guess I see why Dunkin’ would do it. It does look cool on paper, but it’s always had a vanilla representation on the menu, and the “smoke” element really didn’t set it apart at all. It’s not all that “smokey.” All I can really say is, the vanilla flavor seemed to have a unique lingering effect to it, so maybe I’ll just credit that to the smoke…?

I always get one swirl just to sweeten my cold brews up a bit, and my choice varies by the day. I’ve had em all, and there really hasn’t been one that I dislike. Smoked Vanilla reminded me of a combination of two of ’em – Vanilla and Caramel.

Dunkin Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew Cup

The flavor was vaguely Werther’s Original, which sounds great as I type it, but “vaguely” is the keyword there. It was like those Werther’s soft caramels with a vanilla filling or those “Cow Tail” candies that I think only me and 43 other people eat. I love those, so even a hint of that flavor was welcome.

That’s all good and well, but it wasn’t what I was being sold. Where’s the smoke? I’m struggling to even hypothesize what “Smoked Vanilla” was supposed to taste like. Maybe it really was just a slightly caramelized vanilla flavor, and they absolutely nailed it.

Anything else you need to know?

Dunkin Smoked Vanilla Cold Brew Bottom

I use oat milk as my dairy, so that may have counteracted the smoke. Who knows? I’m just trying to think of any reason why I didn’t get any. I wasn’t expecting it to taste like brisket, but I expected some sort of intriguing smokiness.

This brew also had sweet cold foam, and it didn’t even last the walk from the Dunkin’ lobby to my car. I apologize, but I can’t even really tell you if it added any flavor to the drink whatsoever. Foam doesn’t really last in a cold iced drink, so I’m not even sure what I was expecting. From what I recall from the last time I had it, it was just a generic sugary sweetener.

Conclusion:

Hey, we’ve got another option to sweeten our drinks. Ya really can’t be too mad about that. If you’re expecting this to taste like a flambeed dessert or something, you’re probably gonna be let down.

Will Smoked Vanilla last as a flavor? I doubt it, but you may think it delivers a lot more than I did, so give it a shot. It’s like the “smoke-heads” love to say, “Smoke ’em if you’ve got ’em.”

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Medium
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 190 calories, 3 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 10 mg of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of total carbohydrates, 36 grams of total sugars, 0 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Blizzard

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Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Blizzard Top

What is the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Blizzard?

It’s the July Blizzard of the Month made with soft-baked Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies and mini chocolate chip morsels mixed with Dairy Queen vanilla soft serve.

How is it?

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Blizzard Nondescript Cup

Despite the nondescript appearance, complete with the nondescript cup it was served in, this is a top-notch Blizzard. DQ has done numerous varieties of cookie dough Blizzards in the past, and I’ve never really loved any of them. The cookie dough always seems a little gritty because it’s not really cookie dough; it’s “edible” cookie dough. What’s the difference? Regular cookie dough, as in the kind you would use to make cookies, has raw eggs and uncooked flour in it. That makes it unsafe to eat, even though we have all done it. I’m not suggesting that you should eat raw cookie dough, but I think we can agree that it does taste better.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Blizzard Cookie Bits

The soft-baked cookies in this Blizzard come pretty close to tasting like raw cookie dough, and they have a really nice non-gritty texture and taste much better than the cookie dough in other Blizzards.

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Blizzard Chips

As for the mini chocolate chip morsels, DQ is not messing around when it says mini morsels. They are tiny, and even though they deliver some chocolate flavor, it would have been nice to have some bigger chip pieces.

This Blizzard is also really sweet — not too sweet, but close. The sugar content doesn’t appear to be higher than the average Blizzard, and the ingredients list on the DQ website has a lot of words I don’t know, so I can’t really explain the extra sweetness. But those are minor issues, and I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Anything else you need to know?

You can still visit the spot where the famous Toll House cookies were invented in the 1930s by Ruth Wakefield at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, except that there’s now a Wendy’s and a Walgreens there. You can, however, check out the restored sign and a marker, but don’t get too carried away with the historical significance as the 1709 date on the sign was a marketing ploy, as was the name. The Toll House Inn was built in 1817, and it was never actually used as a toll house. Thanks for ruining it for us, Wikipedia.

Conclusion:

This is not quite good enough to make my personal Blizzard Hall of Fame, which is topped by the late, great Nerds Blizzard, but it’s still delicious, so maybe I can put it in my Blizzard Corridor of Fame.

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Small) 550 calories, 19 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 gram of trans fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol, 310 milligrams of sodium, 83 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 65 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Spicy Black Bean Burger

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Wendy s Spicy Black Bean Burger Full

Being a vegetarian in the early 2000s sucked. Dining out meant either sad garden salads clearly meant to be a vehicle for grilled chicken or, worse than that, freezer burnt veggie burgers that would always be both overcooked AND still frozen. Most places just didn’t see a reason to offer meatless items, especially fast food restaurants. Fast forward to 20 years later, and the market for meatless is thriving. While I am no longer a strict vegetarian, my diet usually consists of 50%-75% meatless or “plant-based” foods, so I’m always looking for new veggie items. Enter Wendy’s.

The chain has been slow to join the plant-based trend. It tested a black bean burger (non-spicy from what I’ve seen) in late 2015 that was never heard from again. This go around it’s testing out a Spicy Black Bean Burger in Jacksonville, FL (that’s me!), Pittsburgh, PA, and Columbus, OH. We rarely get to be selected as a test market, and all the better that it’s for a meatless item.

The Spicy Black Bean Burger consists of a seasoned plant-based black bean patty, romaine lettuce, onion, tomato, pepper jack cheese, crispy chipotle jalapenos, and spicy chipotle sauce served on a premium bun. I was fascinated that Wendy’s would opt to go a more traditional route with a black bean patty instead of the popular Beyond or Impossible items. Generally speaking, people trying to swap for meatless enjoy the faux meat experience instead of the more “traditional” veggie patty.

Wendy s Spicy Black Bean Burger Jalapenos

I always like to try the special components separately before taking the “perfect” bite. The crispy chipotle jalapenos weren’t what I expected in the best way possible. I hoped they would be similar to the crispy onions one might see on a green bean casserole (dry and crispy). While they were in that same vein, they were more like pickled jalapenos breaded and fried. The spicy chipotle sauce had a deep smokiness with a sweet heat. Finally, the patty had a predominately cumin flavor with various other “Southwest” flavors (onion, paprika, garlic, cilantro). The patty was also square-shaped, continuing the Wendy’s tradition.

Wendy s Spicy Black Bean Burger Patty

Taking a bite, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the layered spicy flavors worked together. The chipotle’s warmness came through with the Southwest blend in the patty and spiciness of the fried jalapenos. The pepper jack cheese felt sort of a take-it-or-leave-it element. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment, but it didn’t really add either.

Wendy s Spicy Black Bean Burger Split

The patty itself was soft. Not soggy or mushy, just soft. The outside could have used a few moments longer on the grill to get more crust. I was taken aback by the high quality of the patty itself. Normally black bean burgers are (more or less) just a mushed blend of veggies in the form of a patty with no discernible vegetable pieces. Absolutely not the case here as whole black beans, corn kernels, brown rice, and wheat berries were easily seen and felt when biting into the patty.

Wendy s Spicy Black Bean Burger Layers

I was impressed with this sandwich. Even though I went in with a low bar, I was blown away by the freshness of the product. The spicy black bean patty was on par with the fresh, handmade ones I’ve had in sit-down restaurants. I would like to note that the item isn’t vegan/vegetarian as served, but like with the Impossible Whopper, the audience isn’t vegans/vegetarians. I think it’s interesting that Wendy’s is taking a chance with a black bean patty instead of faux meat.

The Wendy’s Spicy Black Bean Burger is a unique and flavorful item. But I wonder if the patty might end up being a skip for the more casual meatless diner or people looking for that meaty meatless experience.

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 sandwich) 580 calories, 27 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 1560 milligrams of sodium, 69 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Pringles

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Wendy s Spicy Chicken Pringles Can

My Dear Impulsive Buyers,

I’ve now lost count of my days spent embroiled in the chicken sandwich war.

Whenever I feel they are close to an end, another challenger enters the fray. New culinary battles ensue.

I’ve seen some good sandwiches come and go by the wayside. Young. Fresh. Barely out of the test kitchens. KFC. McDonald’s. The Ch’King – all basically forgotten before they even had a chance.

While Popeyes remains the world superpower, I have a burgeoning respect for a chicken sandwich so battle-tested, so decorated, it has now transcended the sandwich itself – Wendy’s Spicy Chicken.

We can all learn something from Wendy’s Spicy Chicken. To survive the wars, you must adapt. Days may become months, and while boys become men, chicken sandwiches must become potato crisps… ?!

——–

That’s right, folks, Pringles has a Wendy’s Spicy Chicken flavored crisp, and I’m pretty jacked up about it.

I couldn’t even tell you how many Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwiches I’ve had in my life, but I’m pretty confident no other fast food item even comes close. So I knew I had to write this review.

Wendy s Spicy Chicken Pringles Compare

After picking up my can of Pringles, I swung by Wendy’s so I could really see if they would… stack up.

I have to say, at first, I was a little bummed.

Wendy s Spicy Chicken Pringles Closeup

The crisps tasted like poultry seasoning and heaps of black pepper, but it wasn’t distinctly Wendy’s. I cleansed my palate between alternating bites of Pringles and the sandwich, but it just wasn’t clicking like I’d hoped.

Don’t get me wrong, the crisps were delicious, but on a flavor mimicry scale of 1 to Jelly Belly, they came in at about a 6.

I think the main problem for me was the fact that they were missing a little tang of the mayo, which is a key ingredient of Wendy’s sandwich. I also think the crisps tasted like they had a slightly different tasting pepper, but the heat levels were about the same.

Wendy s Spicy Chicken Pringles Topping

I guess you lose a lot in the flavor transfer when you’re biting into a juicy chicken fillet versus a crispy potato chip, and I couldn’t get past that. I did stack some Pringles on my sandwich for a couple of bites to create a Chick-inception just for fun.

All in all, I enjoyed the Pringles, but next to the sandwich, they were only pretty good… That was until I ate them on their own the next day.

I guess the sandwich being there put too much pressure on the Pringles and my dumb brain because they tasted spot on this go around. I was blown away. The aftertaste was especially similar to Wendy’s, and I ended up polishing off the rest of the can. It was essentially like eating the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and fries at the same time.

So, my recommendation would be to just enjoy the chips as their own thing, and I guarantee you’ll notice just how much they remind you of the Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

This was a great effort by Pringles, and I hope Julius Pringle and Dave Thomas keep their collabs rolling. I want a line of Spicy Nugget Pringles that come in different dipping sauce flavors. Spicy Nuggets with BBQ. Spicy Nuggets with Honey Mustard, etc. Whatever. I bet those would be excellent.

——

Perhaps this crisp is what we’ve been waiting for all along. The one that will bring an end to the great chicken sandwich war. I write to you, hopeful that we will find common ground and see rise to more such chicken-based snack ingenuity.

I hope this review finds you well.

Wendy s Spicy Chicken Pringles Top
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Purchased Price: $1.59
Size: 5.5 oz can
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (About 15 Crisps) 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 200 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of total carbohydrates, 0 grams of total sugars, less 1 gram of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

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