Del Taco Crispy Chicken & Fries Box

When you look at the Del Taco Crispy Chicken & Fries Box your first thought should be “are those chicken tadpoles?” I mean, they look that way, don’t they?

 

That’s kind of the big issue with the Chicken & Fries box. The chicken should be thought of more as ‘chicken’ meaning that it’s about as chicken as McNuggets. Well, okay, it’s not that bad but it’s really bad chicken.

 

If you’re a fan of slime molded into chicken and made edible by frying, then these are just fine but take into account that they are very poor quality. 

You can get this out of your microwave so unless you’re short for time this is a bad buy. Then again, you’re buying food from a place called Del Taco which really doesn’t offer tacos but rather things that kind of look like tacos. Eat accordingly.

 

S.pellegrino Essenza Lemon & Lemon Zest Flavored Mineral Water

 S.pellegrino Essenza Lemon & Lemon Zest has been making it's way into my home for more than a year now and I hope it keeps doing so. I would line these up on a shelf in my refrigerator in the morning and drink them as the day went on. This gave me a lot of cans to donate to my charity and kept me hydrated. 

I then found out that my thirst was a result of diabetes and the water was honestly helping, but I had to stop drinking so much sugary soda.  

In any case, this is some good water. I will get it again and again. 

This HMR Beef Stroganoff with Noodles Entrée

 This HMR Beef Stroganoff with Noodles Entrée was a little on the runny side for beef stroganoff. It was also more or less bland, which is what I would expect from HMR. I would call it unoffensive. I can’t say much past that as it didn’t wow me and yet didn’t make me want to put it down.

I would take this for my lunch at work any day. It’s not great but it’s not bad.

Jack in the Box Side Salad

If you eat too much fast food a side salad sounds like a good idea provided you don’t put the whole load of dressing on top. This Jack in the box side salad is the first salad I got from Jack in the box that didn’t look a little on the old side.

It’s about half the salad that you would get if you ordered a garden salad with none of the chicken that one would come with. If you really want a chicken salad it would be a lot more chicken to order two of these and an order of chicken strips and then break the strip up over the salads.

I’m going for a win with this one. I mean, it’s simple and could be better, but we all need to get more vegetables.

 

JJ's Bakery Coconut Cream Flavored Pie

 

I'm not brave enough to look at the ingredients to these JJ's Bakery Coconut Cream Flavored Pies but the word "flavored" is always a red flag. I don't really know what coconut cream should taste like because I never had it before, but these taste like, well, sugar. 

I can't say this was good or bad but it just kind of was. I guess these are not really a food item you think much about. They get crumbs on things and taste okay. 

I wouldn't buy this again but I wouldn't turn my nose up to a free one. 

HMR Turkey Chili with Beans Entrée

HMR Turkey Chili with Beans Entrée isn’t very chili. I mean, chili has to have some spice. I picked out one big onion, but past that I didn’t have much to complain about. There is just so little to say about this product that I don’t know what to tell you.

On the upside it is a good deal less salty than normal chili and so it can be eaten consistently without making you sick. So, yeah, I would get this again.

Jack in the Box Chicken Fajita Pita

My Jack in the Box Chicken Fajita Pita had the lettuce put in last. That’s kind of odd because if you put the lettuce in last it’s hard to see what’s in there. I guess you don’t want to see how sad their tomatoes look. I did order mine with no onions because I get sick if I eat onion.

 

Anyway, this wasn’t bad. I mean, that’s a low bar I guess but it had enough flavor to carry the whole thing and I didn’t think it was nasty. I would honestly get this again except for the fact that if I kept ordering them, sooner or later, I would get onions, and I don’t like onions.

 

If you can hack the onions get this, if you are sitting down and can send it back because of the onions then also get this. I may even start eating pita at home again.

 

Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Sour Cream & Onion

  I would have thought that these Pringles Scorchin’ Hot Sour Cream & Onion crisps would have been hotter but they’re hot enough to leave a lasting burning feeling in your mouth. They are also hot enough to bother the sore in my mouth from eating pizza that was too hot. The sour cream and onion flavor is lost in the heat.

 

There isn’t a lot of reason to match heat with other flavors because they tend to get washed out. Still, if you’re a fan of hot these are the hottest Pringles I’ve had in a long time.

McDonald’s Ice Coffee

I don’t believe I paid more than three bucks for this. I know coffee can be expensive but there was no flavor to this other than that of milk. I could detect almost no coffee. If you need a hit of caffeine than I guess you can go to this but if you want a sipping coffee this will just disappoint.

I guess I would pay double at a coffee house but dang, dude, this was still a raw deal.

Banquet Mega Meals Country Fried Chicken

Banquet Mega Meals Country Fried Chicken is more country slime chicken. This is not fried, but there is slime on it that may have been breading, but is really just slime. 

The chicken itself isn't bad, but the slime leaves much to be desired. The noodles aren't bad. I mean, they could be better but aren't that bad. 

This is a sad shadow of the food it should be and will leave you wanting. It isn't all that filling and I could probably eat two of these. Then again I can eat a twenty piece nugget thing from the golden arches and almost get down a large french fries without any trouble.

These mega meals are for people who work hard at the gym and don't want something big in the toilet when their done. They don't stand up well as food but they work okay as filler in the sad lives we all live suffering from terminal loneliness clinging to the American Dream that has long since died. 
 

Mimo’s Café Coffee

 At Mimo’s Café in Uptown Whittier California. It isn’t bad coffee, and it isn’t the best coffee I’ve had but as coffee goes it works just fine. There are a number of things you can put in that coffee. They have white and blond sugar. I’d say this is nice. I would order it again and I’m picky over my coffee.

Shirakiku Ramune Drink Strawberry

 

This Shirakiku Ramune is the drink with a marble inside to stop you from drinking too fast. It can be a challenge to drop the marble into the drink. Once you get it there you can only really sit the bottle to keep that marble in place and stop it from plugging the whole once again.

Once you have mastered this you can drink some Strawberry fizzy water that has sugar enough to make it sweet but not enough to be as sweet as soda. This really makes you remember how good soda can be.

All in all, this is the kind of thing you should really try just to have the experience, but I wouldn't drink these on the regular. Not that they are bad, more that they make you slow down and think about the world and that can be rather depressing.

Carl’s Jr. Ranch Chicken Tender Wraps

Ranch Chicken Tender Wraps at Carl’s Jr. are a thing to be eaten in short order. The ranch is better cold and in contrast to hot chicken. The lettuce will wilt and what your left with will be a little on the sad side.

I mean, as a fresh wrap these are good enough, not so fresh they’re not as good.

 

Mimo’s Café Red Chilaquiles & Eggs

 

I’ve driven by Mimo’s Café in Uptown Whittier California a thousand times and I may have gone there once. That would have been more than twenty years ago and it may not even have the same name. I noted that the staff was friendly, and the customers knew what they wanted before ordering indicating that the people who ate there were regulars.

I had no idea what to order here so I was directed to the morning menu and found Chilaquiles & Eggs. It turns out that there are red Chilaquiles and green Chilaquiles with the green have more kick than the red. Not being ready to spend the day on the toilet I chose red and so had a nice quiet morning eating this plate of eggs, rice, beans, and fried flour tortillas dipped in red stuff. 

The food was unoffensive. I can’t say that it wowed me but it was good food in a good place. You can eat inside or in the open air and I had been there just after a rain, so the air was clean and sweet. All that was missing was a good friend to eat with.  Good times.

Banquet Mega Pizza Slices Double Stuffed

 Banquet Mega Pizza Slices Double Stuffed needs more stuffing. Not that it's bad, but more that it's not great. It is better than a number of small frozen pizzas I've had but it isn't that much better. 

If you really like pizza, and I do, I think you should try this, but don't expect it to wow you.

Russell Stover Valentine's Milk Chocolate Bar

 Russell Stover Valentine's Milk Chocolate Bars come out every year and often change their look. I think this one was from back in 2022 because that's when I got it, tossed it in my freezer, and forgot about it. 

Well, it survived the process and came out as a good chocolate bar. I can't say that it's a standout, and it's no Hershey's Bar, but it is good chocolate.

Merci Finest Assortment of Chocolates Valentine’s Day Candy Gift Box

Merci Finest Assortment of Chocolates Valentine’s Day Candy Gift Box is a mix of good and bad chocolate and it is mostly good. I'll be it that once you have one you know which is good and which is bad and should never really buy one again.

This is a wine chocolate mix and should be had with a nice dry red to compliment the sweetness. This would be good for a picnic, but more substantial chocolate is better for a dinner or chill session.  

The truth is that the only Valentine's Day thing about this is the heart on the box which means that these are going on sale soon. I'd stash a few in the freezer to have as a "don't forget that I love you" moment down the road with some wine or coffee. 

As for the big day, I'd give this a pass for something bigger.
 

Palmer Peanut butter Hearts

 If you can't get Reese's you may want to try Palmer Peanut butter Hearts. They aren't as good but they will fool dumb children. 

That isn't to say that they are bad just that they are not as rich or creamy as Reese's and they don't taste as natural. Had I not eaten so many Reese's in my day that I look like the blob I wouldn't really see the difference. 

Still, the difference is there. 

Hershey's Extra Creamy Solid Milk Chocolate Hearts

 Hershey's Extra Creamy Solid Milk Chocolate Hearts are as good as one would expect from Hershey's. I think Hershey's is really the king of chocolate, and you can never get better than the king.

I'm pained to put that unopened pack of chocolate in the donation box. Well, I'm fat and there are people who need these more than I. I'll miss them.

Merci Chocolates Hazelnut Almond

 Merci Chocolates Hazelnut Almond ticks the box for the nut lover. You very much want a nut lover to be your valentine so her affinity for this chocolate will be a good sign.  

Frankly, this flavor would be better contained in a bigger bar with more mass. It's not bad chocolate but it's not top notch either. 

Palmer Candy Valentine's Day Hot Chocolate Bomb

This is the first Chocolate Bomb I tried and I can say that Palmer Candy Valentine's Day Hot Chocolate Bomb isn't much to worry over. They taste fine but take longer to make than normal hot chocolate. 

Maybe the milk wasn't hot enough, but it said warm not boiling. It took long enough to dissolve for me to have gone boiling. In the end I had to do some mixing to get it all ready. 

I'm not into bath bombs or toilet bombs and so far these hot chocolate bombs are something of a disappointment. 

They do taste okay. 

Merci Chocolate Praline-Creme

 Merci Chocolate Praline-Creme is a fine chocolate for you to give your love this year. You can get them all the time, but the ones that come with the heart box are only out now. 

I think the whole sampler pack is a bad idea, but you can get them in one flavor packing. That means that when you blow too much money on these you can get your girl too fat to find another man by buying them all year. 

Who am I kidding, there is no woman too fat for another man.

Heart Shaped Junior Mints

 Junior Mints are the perfect candy for kissing so it makes a good deal of sense to make them into hearts. Keep them around will help you freshen your breath but not look like you need to freshen your breath. They have a lingering flavor that holds just long enough for a kiss. 

These taste no different than the normal Junior mints and I found no read filled ones in the pack I got. 

If getting funny shaped Junior mints is something you want to do then these are a great buy. If you keep your breath fresh some other way and don't like Junior Mints these will not change your mind. 

Merci Creamy Chocolate

 Merci Creamy Chocolate really lives up to its name with a smooth flavor and creamy mouth feel. This is one of the better chocolates from Marci. Most of them are winners and this is one of the winners.

Good stuff. 

Carl’s Jr. BBQ Chicken Tender Wraps

The BBQ Tender Wrap at Carl’s Jr. is just like the Ranch or Santa Fe save for this one has BBQ sauce. It’s not the best BBQ sauce I've had, but out of the three wraps this one has the most kick.

If I were to improve this wrap, I would use cabbage and not lettuce, but past that I can’t say much for it. I mean, just the tenders and dipping sauce would be better for you.

 

Merci Dark Mousse Chocolate Bar

Merci Dark Mousse Chocolate Bars are small but rich. You hardly get enough per bar to really taste this one but the flavor is good with what you get. 

This is some good chocolate. I've had better, but this stuff is top shelf for sure.
 

Merci Hazelnut Cream Chocolate

 Merci Hazelnut Cream Chocolate has a very creamy mouth feel and reminds you of that stuff that people say is better than peanut butter. I disagree with them. I think peanut butter is king, but I get the point. 

This is a smooth sweet chocolate and it will go down well with coffee or wine. I would get this again. 

Merci Chocolate Marzipan

Merci Chocolate Marzipan has a strong flavor and is the kind of chocolate had with black coffee or red wine. I think it tastes too synthetic for me and the marzipan does not compliment the chocolate at all. I will call this a fail. Not better than a snickers, but will look better as a valentine's gift.
 

BTS HOT BREW Macadamia Mocha Latte

 I think BTS is some kind of band, but I don't know what they taste like or why I would want this Macadamia Mocha Latte to taste like them. I tasted no macadamia.

I have to admit that this is a smooth latte but there is nothing different about this drink. It's not bad but it doesn't stand out. It just kind of is, and to be honest I would get more.