Friday, April 29, 2016




Fatty Sundays pretzels were a brand I was interested in taking a look at. This company has been featured in both magazines and on TV with their inventive covered pretzels. It's not the most glamorous item right, but look at their packaging and it screams out "buy me".

Honestly, I can't say much except I think that the pretzels might be too salty.even when combined with the sweet coverings and flavors. I tried both Birthday cake and Cookies and cream. The pretzels are very crispy and the coatings seemed to be a little bit underwhelming but it might be because the salt is so strong on the pretzels. The pretzels aren't the "best" I've ever had, and yes there are differences between hard pretzels, but it's alright.

The packaging and marketing however are great with Fatty Sundays and their selection and website are winners. Sometimes, that's just what it takes.


Review: 3/5

Friday, April 22, 2016




So in my next post recapping my weekend at the Emporiyum I'd like to focus on two brands that I identified before I attended that I knew that I had to try and I would like to say I was not disappointed at all. So let's get into it.

First off the Magpies are pretty much an upscale, higher quality version of pop tarts. As I sit here writing this I am eating one that got beat up a little bit and is crumbling and falling apart but that is a good thing and I'll tell you why. As you look into the package and see it crumbled in my case, you can see the real ingredients. Munching on this Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Magpie, the crust is soft and has a wonderful flaky butteriness to it. This dough that they use is so perfect. The filling is good and not too much. Strawberry is also delicious and has a bright fresh flavor you just can't get from tarts made by Kelloggs. I compared these to the mini ones from Iron Rooster and Megpies has them beat.

If you live in the New York area, there are several places to get your fix and elsewhere you will have to order online. Check out their website here MagPies NYC for more information. A 6 count box is a little pricey, but this is a small company and the quality is very high. The only thing is that the tarts are a little on the small side for a greedy person like myself.

Rating: 4.5/5

Fluffed Up Desserts  aka  F.U.D. is a company that makes mini-smores packs in the DC area. These desserts  are awesome, a great little bite of graham cracker, marshmallow, and flavor. Each bite sized dessert is about the size of that picture right above and a package contains 6 of the 60 calorie bites. Biting into it, the marshmallow is fluffy with the right amount of give and chewiness. The cracker could use a little bit more flavor to it possibly but it's hard to find a fault with these other than they are so small you're likely to run through the package by accident.

Rating: 4/5


Wednesday, April 20, 2016



Dangerously delicious isn't the only pie shop in Baltimore. Though they might be the most famous due to the personality of their owner and the pies of the Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones and his post-game celebrations, they are not alone when looking at the city's growing foodie scene. B'More Tasteful was something I got this past weekend at The Emporiyum after tasting the lemon chess pie and my wife tasting the sweet potato. We just had to get some to take home so we purchased more of the sweet potato and I grabbed the chocolate peanut butter chess pie to give a whirl in the confines of my own home.


Let me tell you, forget Pattie Pies because these mini sweet potato pies are delicious. I ate mine straight out of the fridge. The crust is regular pie crust, but the filling was awesome. On the whole it had a good balance and taste and because of this it didn't last but for 3 minutes before it was gone.



I also ate the chocolate peanut butter chess pie which is like eating a Reese's Cup. The peanut butter also has crunchy peanut bits to brings a little extra to it. I liked that part actually. I wasn't so crazy about the normal pie crust, but I don't see any other way of doing this off hand where you wouldn't overload the senses with sweetness so it works as what it is, a base for the other flavors.

I plan on getting something for the holidays from or at any point I see them at an event posted up somewhere. You can order from them at http://www.bmoretasteful.com .

Rating: 4/5

Monday, April 18, 2016



This doesn't really have a category but my wife and I went to an event called The Emporiyum here in Baltimore. This is a marketplace event for a bunch of food vendors to come together in one place to be sampled and offer up their items for sale.This is the first time we have attended such an event and I for one had a great time. It was so great I told my mother and she had me take her on Sunday along with my son who didn't go on Saturday.

Held in the old Best Buy at the inner harbor, the venue was cool, and the decorations were there but not really needed when you took a break from the sampling to get a view of the inner harbor through the windows. It was fairly crowded on both days with a line to get in at your appointed entry time but things flowed very quickly and the scanning of tickets on the smartphones went really fast considering how those things can sometimes work.




It was a great joy to see so many independent and local brands on display and just about everyone had somethings that was good to great. The independent food scene is popping, alive and well. I'll be doing some special more thorough and singled out reviews on some of the items I purchased but I needed to make sure I shouted out the entire event as a whole.

A couple of my favorite items, The Hot Chocolate from Max Brenner which was crazily rich, yet smooth and creamy. My wife and mother both enjoyed Hoop Tea which is a brand from Ocean City, MD of "hard tea" that doesn't have a strong kick to it from what I was told. Bmore Tasteful pies are also worth seeking out for the Sweet Potato Pie. If you went out looking for a Pattie Pie then you need to get at Bmore Tasteful honestly. Finishing up my over view is the candied bacon from Iron Rooster which is sweet, salty, and has the perfect hit of spicy kick to it at the end. It's wildly delicious and a treat.

The Emporiyum, if you get the chance, you just have to go. Now I just have to figure if I'm going to drive to DC for the next one.

Rating: 5/5

Sunday, April 3, 2016



Pepsi has 2 new beverages for people to try made with 'better' and more 'natural' ingredients for a throwback taste. They are 1893 Cola and Ginger Cola. These aren't in 2 liters or 6 packs but slimmer 12 ounce cans with new modern graphics in an attempt to be a cool throwback drink.

Retro-cool graphics aside, the drinks are interesting to say the least. Made with real sugar you taste it immediately and it's amazing the difference that it has from corn syrup. The other thing that you can taste which is present in both drinks is the kola nut which is the main flavor profile of both drinks. The original cola is smooth and doesn't have the sharpness or bite of the regular Pepsi we drink today. I preferred that over the added Ginger flavor from the Ginger Cola. For me it was slightly odd and off-putting although my mother whom is a huge ginger fan loved the taste. It's not something I would drink again.

Overall these are some unique flavors and there is a group of people who have more sophisticated palettes who will enjoy these drinks more than I did. The Original Cola I would drink again but I wouldn't go out of my way to get or find it in order to do so.

Original Cola
Rating: 3/5

Ginger Cola
Rating: 2/5