Taste Test - Southern Culture Artisan Foods Pancakes

In my internet travels I happened upon this company one day and was immediately intrigued by the items that they sell. I first saw their southern grits on a website but not long after, came upon their wide variety of pancake mix flavors. The site was amazing looking so I decided to give them an order and check them out. (Let that be a lesson, presentation matters). I realized later that the founder had been on Shark Tank and the Sunday I tried my first two varieties, the episode with the founder came on CNBC, it must be destiny!

So this week, I tried the Banana pudding and strawberry shortcake flavors. I also have in my cabinet, regular Vanilla and Bourbon Salted Pecan which I have to try. Now I mention these four flavors because the line of pre-made pancake and waffle mixes that Southern Culture offers is pretty large. Check out their shop and just see how many they have, you could be trying them out for months, I will have a link to them below.

The canisters that I received were the smaller sizes and each is good for about 12 pancakes which means a family of four can each have a short stack for sunday breakfast. Now compared to the Aunt Jemima's of the world, it seems to be a bit pricey. These were each about 8 bucks before shipping. However, that would be cheaper than IHOP or most other chains and restaurants that have flavored pancakes. The other positive is that many of the flavors can also be made in an acceptable manner for Vegans.

After all of that, let's talk about the pancakes themselves, the formula is pretty simple, add eggs, butter, and milk if you choose to go the traditional route and drop them onto your griddle. The one thing that I didn't expect was the little bits and pieces that are in the mix. The strawberry shortcake pancakes show you little pieces of strawberries that you taste once you bite into them. The banana pudding variety has little pieces of vanilla wafers maybe, or something that gives you a slight little flavor kick. Unfortunately, I do mean 'slight'. The one issue that I have with these pancakes is that the flavor profile is very subtle. Now some of that can be attributed to the natural ingredients, sure, they don't come through as prominently as artificial ones, but it just seemed to lack a little bit of punch on their own. Now I could see a scenario where one would take the Banana Pudding pancakes, make them and then top with some sliced bananas and whipped cream and have something really special, but just for myself I did expect it to stand out a little more.


In the end I didn't think that the Shortstacks Pancake and Waffle Mix was bad, it did let me down somewhat and maybe that was my own faulty expectations. With two down and two to go I have a better frame of what to expect even if I would still like a larger hit of flavor and ability to really taste something different. I also still have a desire to try the other southern favorites like grits and fried chicken batter. If you are bringing the family together with some toppings and some time, it can be a great party where the pancakes are the center of the family. However, just eating them they didn't bring the quite what I was expecting and that's unfortunate.

Rating: 2.5/5

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Restaurant Review - Chicken Shak

So There is a nice little location in Reisterstown that has been home to several small restaurants over the past few years. I couldn't tell you why so many don't last other than the fact that most restaurants in general fail. However, I have high hopes for the latest tenant in the space, Chicken Shak, a mix of Peruvian style charcoal chicken, and local style "pit" meat sandwiches. My wife and I went in recently to check it out.

First of all Chicken Shak is not to be confused with a small Michigan based chain called Chicken Shack. This is a brand new idea that mixes one of the new hot sensations at least in this area, of Peruvian charbroiled chicken and a Maryland staple of pit beef, turkey, and pulled chicken. The menu is a little bit large and includes Whole, Quarter, and Half chickens, chicken tacos, salads, salmon, and the aforementioned pit beef and turkey. Then there are the sides which are pretty numerous with cole slaw, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and different kinds of rice.

For our meal My wife and I split a chicken which is cooked nicely, it has great charcoal and smoke flavor through the meat and the white meat is moist which can be tricky with chicken. My wife was especially impressed with the seasoning blend on the skin of the chicken. My chicken had some extra sauce on it which I dipped my chicken in and it was good and enhanced the flavor. It tastes like the seasoning blend from the chicken in a liquid form. I like the broccoli as well which wasn't mushy and did have some flavor to it. The cole slaw wasn't my wife's favorite, it was a bit tart for her.

For the kids they had BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches. The chicken was the same as the charbroil chicken that I had but pulled apart and put together like a traditional pulled chicken sandwich. The sauce is sweet and reminds of something like Sweet Baby Ray's. But mixed with the good flavor of the chicken it works really well. it is served with home made kettle style chips. They are thick cut and a little on the burnt side, which I like, but they weren't even mine and I might have eaten too many. They could cut back on how many they give, and maybe cook a little lighter, but it wasn't bad.

Chicken Shak is a nice new restaurant with a good product. I will be going back to give the pit sandwiches a try and to see what they do with the Salmon. They are just getting started so there are some service kinks, however when they get over that hump things should be good for them. The food I tasted was good and unique and a worthy competitor to the places already in the market. The restaurant has a nice clean design and incorporates a lot of the modern design that is going on in the market place.


Rating: 4/5

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Taste Test - Blue Bunny Bunny Snacks

With Spring right around the corner, Blue Bunny has brought out their latest creation, a set of ice cream treats perfectly made as individual servings for parties or just to hang out and chow down on as a little treat now and then. Blue Bunny mixes their high quality ice cream with hard shell toppings and cookies for a sundae experience within a couple of bites.

The two varieties I grabbed this week were salty caramel pretzel cookies and cream. Let's talk about the cookies and cream first, the shell that is on the outside of the snacks is pretty good. It has a nice taste to it as well as crunch. it also doesn't melt really fast which is an excellent thing in a snack like this. The one issue that I do have is that the cookie portion over shadows the cookies and cream ice cream. It feels overdone and the balance is slightly off.

The Salted Caramel Pretzel is also pretty good. It reminds me of the older Snickers Ice Cream bars a lot. The pretzels and salted caramel do a good job of replacing the peanuts in those. In this snack the balance is a lot better to me. The ice cream fills out the snack and has a nice smoothness and flavor to it. It's nothing that's great and overwhelming but it's a solid product.

The packaging is unique as well and it is worth noting. The bags stand up in the freezer and have a zipper to close them for simple portion control snacking. that makes them good for single adults, couples, and people with kids whom they are monitoring. They could be good for a party as well as they come individually wrapped, and at about $1,25 each, it's not too bad of a price per each.


Rating: 3.5/5

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Taste Test - Snyders Wholey Cheese Crackers

Casual snacking is always going to be competitive, with that said Snyders of Hanover, an East Coast brand that primarily focuses on pretzels has started to move a bit further out of their niche. To that end they have developed a new competitor for Cheez-its with this new snack cracker.

The snyder's wholey cheese has three varieties Cheddar, smoked gouda, and what has to be my favorite of any chip varieties in years, swiss and black pepper. The crackers are light and airy (and somewhat fragile). They are also full of flavor. The smoked Gouda are pretty good, with solid flavor, although it is slightly a bit salty and should be slightly more smoky for my tastes. Each cracker gets covered in dust unlike a lot of snacks these days. They offer up a satisfying crunch and encourage more eating.

The crackers are pretty much the size as advertised on the bag, and I would have pictures but I absolutely inhaled the Swiss and Black pepper. The cheese flavor is good and the black pepper sets it off so well. One of the things I look for in a good flavored cracker or chip, is dust on the fingertips. For me it shows there is a lot of flavor packed in and I'm not being robbed. These crackers fit the bill.

There isn't really much to talk about when describing a chip most of the time, especially one when it is good and as perfect as theses. All I can say is that the Swiss and Black pepper will be in my cart almost every week from now on until I get sick of eating them and even afterward I will keep a bag on hand just in case. Snyders has a win with this one. Oh yes, they are also Gluten-free if you're into that thing.


Rating: 5/5

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Taste Test - Moonstruck Hot Chocolate

Winter time, bad weather, sitting in the house on the couch and eventually shoveling snow, then drinking some hot chocolate. I was initially looking for some high quality white chocolate for Christmas gifts, which isn't that easy to find and I get it, it's not actually made from cacao. But I did find a few brands of high quality chocolate mixes and I put a few on my own list. I was gifted two of the three Moonstruck flavors, Classic and Dark Hot Cocoa. The third was one I was most interested in trying, the Mayan variety. However, let me give you the review of the flavors I did receive.

Both recipes are to be made with milk first of all and that's fine. I'm sure the fat content and consistency are important when comparing to making some swiss miss with water. Moonstruck is a highly rated brand by a lot of folks so I was intrigued. They come in a nice tin as well with a metal cap. The instructions are to heat 8 ounces of milk to just under scalding and then mix in 4 Tablespoons of the cocoa itself. Maybe it's me but the mug never really looks completely absorbed and mixed together. It isn't the prettiest cup of cocoa for sure.

Out of the two varieties, the Classic Cocoa has the better taste to me but it still isn't very strong and chocolatey. It is smooth, and creamy, but I need the burst of chocolate flavor and I don't get it. The Dark Cocoa fares even worse to me. The chocolate flavor is even less than the classic and there is a lack of slight bitterness that I have come to associate with Dark cocoa. None of the floral notes either. It just doesn't seem to get there where my pallet can truly enjoy it as a hot chocolate.

I know that making a hot cocoa mix isn't the easiest thing and that there is a slight limit of what to expect from this type of product. With that said, I still find that these fall far short of what I expect from a high end cocoa mix. I want to taste a lot of flavor and these lack that, although the classic mix does have a decent texture and smoothness to it. The Dark Cocoa was a real let down however.


Rating:

Classic Cocoa 2.5/5
             Dark Cocoa 2/5

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Taste Test - Chuao Chocolatier - Cinnamon Ceral Smooch

With the Holidays around the corner, folks are looking for stocking stuffers, impressive small gifts, and making gift baskets. One of the common things you will find when it comes to that, is chocolates. There are a dazzling array of chocolatiers and small batch candy makers vying for your attention. One that I found in my local Wegmans was this brand, Chuao, and they have a lot of interesting flavors that you're not going to find everywhere.

This particular bar, is a milk chocolate bar that has cinnamon toast crunch style cereal in it. Much like the candy bars with the rice krispy bits in it, there is a delightful crunch with these, only it has a bit of sweetened cinnamon. I would think that it might be a slightly more bitter chocolate, but this bar is a good mix of milk and slightly more bitter dark chocolate. It is smooth at the beginning with a slightly stronger finish. With most chocolates, the cinnamon would be used so much more as a spice to add bite, but it's so different with the cereal pieces.

This is a nice little bar for someone who wants to be somewhat adventurous with their tastes but not step out there too far.

Rating: 3/5

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Taste Test - Woats Granola

 Shopping in Safeway I saw a tidy little display of this Granola product in the front of the store in the area where I rarely shop unless I'm trying to find something they don't have on the shelf. I was drawn in by some Planter's nut mix but I was drawn to this nice and neat little pouch. There were three flavors I saw, Cookies and Dreams, Peanut Butter Graham Slam, and my choice, Jammin' Strawberry Shortbread.

So I decided on the Strawberry Shortbread flavor because it was different, yet not too out there where I thought I might not like the flavors. Also, I wasn't in the mood for the chocolate cream cookies and reading the package, it seemed as if these fit the bill and idea behind the brand. Looking at the idea of it being a softer granola that my daughter who is currently in braces might want to try also was a strong reason for me to try these. I gave her some but she didn't actually want to taste it, it was fine I almost devoured the entire thing by myself anyway.



Woats Granola is indeed, soft baked which I like. I'm a fan of soft baked cookies for instance and the problem I have with a lot of granola is that it is time consuming to

chew and it's hard and tiring. I was hopeful that this wouldn't be too chewy where it becomes work. It wasn't. This is some of the easiest granola to snack on, which could be to your detriment when looking at serving sizes, and possibly your bank account. There aren't too many of any one portion from what i tried, good balance of berries, granola, and yes shortbread pieces. The one thing I think it could use however, is a sprinkle of salt for contrast. The berries do provide bursts of flavor at times, but maybe there could be a few smaller pieces sprinkle in as well.

I feel like this is a specific product that not everyone will like because it is intentionally made soft. However for me that is the great appeal. It retains it's fresh taste and has a great consistency while not giving your jaw a work out. This is a product that I will be buying in the future I just enjoy it so much.


Rating: 5/5

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Restaurant Review- Andy Nelson's BBQ

If you don't know anything else from the things I post on this blog about what I like to eat, you would learn that I just love BBQ. The smoke, the charcoal, the beef, the sauce, all of it. Andy Nelson's is one of the most lauded places in the Baltimore area to get some Q. Always on the list, I finally had a reason to be in the area to stop in and get a taste of it.

So Andy Nelson's is a quaint place with an outdoor shed set up that was bustling in the nice fall air that existed in the morning, an indoor seating area near where you order, a drive through - which my daughter and I were impressed by, and a separate area for catering orders. It's obvious that it's a popular spot. The decor is quaint and southern roadside, not what you would expect to find in this area at all. In comparison Mission BBQ is a corporate version of that style while Urban BBQ is a hipster version of the same concept. This is the real deal. They sell their sauces and some other items inside and ordering was quick and easy. The staff was warm and the food came out quickly.

Now in order to provide a comparison between all of these places, I try to make sure I order the same or at least similar items. So today it was a brisket sandwich for me with greens and Macaroni and cheese. I also ordered a half pound of rib tips. my daughter had the pulled pork sandwich with macaroni and potato salad. I am glad I got some sauce on the side because it's not on the sandwich, nor given on the side unless you grab it.

For my food, the brisket on the sandwich was from the lean part of the brisket, which is the worst part to give-on it's own. I have come to believe that if you don't ask me which part I would like it from, you should be giving me a mixture of both because you need some fat for tenderness. The rib tips were pretty good. Some pieces were more tender than others, but it also felt like it wasn't quite as slow cooked or smoked. it was marinated well and the flavor was well infused, but it didn't have a rub or anything on it. I did dip it in some of the classic red Andy Nelson's sauce, which was fine. It wasn't overly sweet or overly tangy. It was a good balance of flavors.

The sides were only so-so to me. I was told the potato salad was a bit salty, I didn't try it myself unfortunately. The Greens that I had weren't bad. They were seasoned alright but some more salt might have been good. They pale in comparison to those from Urban BBQ though which are some of the best you can get from a restaurant period. The macaroni and cheese was realer than say Boston Market, but also when compared to the BBQ places in the area which are chains of some kind, it doesn't keep up. Mission BBQ and Urban are way better with more love and time spent on their Mac and Cheese sides.


Andy Nelson's may have been crowned by the local media and magazines but it doesn't make it for me. While the place itself is a character, the food lacks the same charm. it's a bit sparse and bare and when I see these kinds of accolades given to a place I expect the flavors to stand out a little more and be bolder and stronger. I can't give Andy Nelson's the same accolades as others, it's alright to me but I wouldn't rush out to try it again.


Rating: 2.5/5

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Restaurant Review - Bagby Pizza Company

So Foundry Row is bustling and new shops are opening up every week. Searching for a bite to eat after a long day at work I figured something familiar yet good was in order so i rolled into Bagby Pizza Company, expecting to drop in order our normal pies and roll out. Lo and Behold I was surprised to see that apparently, Bagby is two different concepts under one umbrella, which could work but is definitely confusing.

So I normally get a bbq chicken pizza but as I ordered, i noticed that not only this version of the restaurant has pizzas, but also sandwiches and pasta. If that were the difference, that one is slightly larger and has an expanded menu I could understand it even if I thought it wasn't a good idea. However, there are also multiple pizza sizes, Small and Regular to choose from and if you look closely, some minor menu differences that could make a difference if you are really particular.

My wife and son are plain pizza types, so I got a pizza split with cheese and half with pineapples added. The crust is pretty good, I still think the other location seemed a bit better however. They also drop circles of mozzarella which is fine but when trying to eat the pizza and pull it apart, the cheese didn't separate on the slices like i felt that it should. The pineapple also wasn't actually cooked onto the pizza, just placed there afterwards which my wife wasn't feeling as much.

My daughter's BBQ chicken pizza was a little different but the chicken wasn't bad. It just seemed to be missing something. I ordered a Turkey and Bacon sandwich. I thought that it would be a warm sandwich for some reason but it's a cold sandwich on ciabatta bread. The turkey is good and the garlic aioli is superb. The bacon is salty and mixed with everything it is definitely good. I really like this, if it is a big more than I would expect in price. This is a decent addition to the menu.

The service was fine, the young men working were prepared and got the dining area cleaned quickly after customers left. The food came out fast as well. The one thing, I live maybe 5 minutes away and by the time I got into my door, the pizza was lukewarm. 


I don't pretend to be a restauranteur but I do think that there are a couple of issues with how Bagby is doing things. It's not really the food, because it is still solid, if not what I have expected and that's solely based on the operation. Because it is so close to the "Bagby Pizza" location there is bound to be confusion as to what is different and what is the same at each place. I can appreciate the addition of sandwiches and pasta, but the main draw is the pizza and they should be the same at both locations. At least the same recipes would be nice so there would be symmetry. I'm willing to give them more chances, and try some sandwiches but just the confusion I got was a bit unnerving.


Rating: 2.5/5

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Taste Test - Egloo, Duck Donuts, BooQoo Beignets

So I'm definitely looking at interesting companies who are innovating with Donuts these days because, why not? I mean Dunkin Donuts exists as do all of the local markets in the area. The quality is pretty much iffy all of the time and none of them are really noteworthy. I tried B Doughnut earlier this year and there are a couple more Baltimore area places I would like to try, but DC is bubbling with the things. One of the companies I was interested in trying at the Emporiyum was Duck Donuts.

Duck Donuts is a company that makes cake donuts sort of like The Fractured Prune. While they didn't bring a full set up, they do something similar with toppings and flavors. We got some to go, Vanilla, Cinnamon and sugar, chocolate frosted. The ingredients are definitely of good quality and pretty fresh, even two days later when I got around to the chocolate. The cake batter itself is just good, and when heated up the cinnamon and sugar was really good. They are worth checking out.


Now BooQoo Beignets was one of the first things we checked out. I will admit, I have always wanted to have some beignets and never have had the opportunity to find a place that has them. These were good, a cross between funnel cake and a doughnut with a layering of powdered sugar on the top. We ordered the Creole Vanilla Caramel as well. Now my wife was not a fan because the caramel has a hint of pepper to it, but I loved it. The little bit of of a kick that it gives is really good and interesting. With the beignets, it works very well.



I finished up with Eggloo, a waffle dessert shop that makes a bubbly waffle with ice cream, some condensed milk, fruity pebbles and pocky. The waffles themselves were good. The texture was chewy, soft, and had a good texture and bite to it. It didn't fall apart and had a nice moisture to it. The ice cream was good and taken with the waffle it was a nice dessert. While using the pocky to taste the ice cream, the chocolate gave a nice contrast to the strawberry ice cream we chose. Overall it was a nice treat, if a bit over valued, but at this kind of event it's fine at that price.

These three places were really good and a great example of the kind of things you can find at The Emporiyum. High quality ingredients and a nice twist on what you may be used to make it worth checking out. Also, I would look for one of these spots if I was in the area and recommend others go and check them out if they are looking for a new place and an excursion on a weekend. FYI you can also order the caramel sauces from the BooQoo Beignets website.

Rating:
BooQoo Beignets  4/5
Duck Donuts 3.5/5
Eggloo 3.5/5

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Taste Test - Ramenburger

If you're into food and the latest trends in what's hot, you probably have seen the original Ramen Burger, a beef patty with sauce and some greens between two patties made up of ramen noodles. Now like any successful fad, there are copycats and you can find them in a few more places as other chefs of course pick up on it and remake it. That's life, but as far as I know, there is no where near me that actually sells a similar burger unless you go to DC and catch the original Ramen burger at a pop up shop.


This weekend, at the Emporiyum in DC I had my opportunity and you cold tell it was a hot commodity. There was a nice long line for the Ramen burger, but it moved quickly as the process is well oiled by now. Grilled burgers and pre-made ramen buns are prepped assembly style for your consumption.


The bun is just regular ramen, but the thing is, it can be hard to eat because ramen isn't prone to sticking to anything. When you add in the generous slathering of a teriyaki/soy sauce combination that isn't too wild or far out there. It is actually much more tame than I was expecting honestly. The beef patty is just that. It wasn't the best one I have ever had and I guess I expected the entire thing to have some sort of new or slick innovation. I sort of imagine a Five guys patty being much better in it's place and adding a little depth to it.


Overall I can say that I have experienced the Ramen Burger. Was it worth it? Sure why not, you only live once. Would I run to go and find one now if they were popping up again? I doubt it. It just didn't taste that good in order to justify it for me. It's an interesting thing to do but it wasn't wowing in the way I expected. Some of that is my own fault for build-up for sure, but at the end of the day it was just a decent burger...on ramen noodles.


Rating: 2.5/5

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The Emporiyum DC

The second Emporiyum festival/event was held this past weekend at the Union Kitchen in DC. Once again, it was a definite showcase for some local restauranteurs, artisans, and food creatives to display their independent brands and build awareness. The first Emporiyum was really eye opening with the array of vendors that were there building new interesting food businesses.

The location of the DC Emporiyum was really tight and compared to the Baltimore event was severely lacking in parking space. I get it, all areas are not built the same and hopefully for Union Kitchen, some of the new construction going on in the area will have some parking but it doesn't seem that way. Maybe a normal weekend isn't that bad but for us, it was a bit of an issue, although we did get lucky and find a 'spot' there was a fear of getting towed possibly. The signage in the area was definitely confusing.

Inside the event, the first area which was outside in a tent was a bit condensed, with tables for sitting and eating at either end but crammed together. The crowd I would say wasn't as overwhelming, but I will say that the crowd itself was one where people either were not aware of their surroundings or didn't care. Being bumped into or crossed in front of rudely was the norm, now it's not the fault of the Emporiyum and it's organizers itself but it's worth noting it took away from the experience
a bit.

The selection of vendors wasn't bad, there were several I was looking forward to seeing such as Ramen Burger and Jeni's Ice Cream. I also was glad to get to try out Prescription Chicken, Bushwick Kitchen, and an official slice of the infamous "crack pie" from Momofuku Milk Bar. I also ended up being surprised by the Crab roll from Luke's Lobster which was smaller than I expected, but damn good and tasty. It was so good my wife went back for a second helping.


I have a lot of people who say I should have let them know about it and next time I will put out the APB before I get my tickets. The Emporiyum events have been great to attend even though this second one wasn't as exciting as the first, and maybe it was the drive and parking situation, or the fact it wasn't brand new anymore, but I still had a good time and will be going to the next one to see what gems can be unearthed.

My next post will be more specific about some of the food that I tried, but the small bites I had from Route 11 chips - I will be looking for them in stores locally. They had a great crunch and good flavor to the varieties that I tried. Bushwick kitchen has a unique set of honey and syrups that they make. The honey is exceptionally fresh and has subtle hints of flavor in it. I'm looking to order some of their items to try them out further. They would probably be great on some wings.

Be sure to check out the Emporiyum page for their next event.

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Taste Test - Granola Bundles Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

One of the things I am working on is eating better and when snacking, incorporating more whole grains and protein. Cookies are one of the areas where a lot of companies feel they can slide in some extra nutrition along with the goodies that we crave. Why not, just a few small ingredient changes and you can have something that is a treat and is good for you at the same time.

So I was in the store and I decided to give these Chocolatey Chip Cookie Bites flavor of Granola Bundles from Revolution Foods.  It seemed like it had potential, I like soft baked items and it has no artificial flavors, 17g of whole grains and it says it has the natural ingredients that will help provide your body with energy over a long day when used as a snack. Now I don't consider this a red bull or coffee replacement, bust something to supplement the potential hunger pains in the afternoon.

First thing is these cookies are pretty small. I know a normal chips ahoy type cookie isn't very large but these were a little surprising, considering the size of the box. I felt like it would be a little more substantial. Now it is a soft cookie, but also as the name states a granola bar as well. It does have that distinct taste that these type of products have, and it's a 'lack of artificial ingredients' taste. It's not bad, but it does take getting used to if you aren't someone who regularly eats this type of product. The chocolate drizzle on the top is good tasting but at the end of the day, the cookie is the main thing and we have to get used to it to enjoy these.

Of all of the organic, "clean" new products that combine both health and a treat, this one isn't bad. The taste at the beginning takes a little bit of getting used to but almost immediately, the other flavors bring it sort of out of the healthy realm. The other positive is that though small, the two cookies do provide a decent amount of protein and benefits to be a good snack for even adults along with their lunch. Kids would benefit from these immensely with their smaller stomachs, as long as you get them to actually eat them.



Rating: 2.5/5

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Taste test- Donut Shop Coffee

So I am late to the Keurig thing. It was laziness and a lack of counter space coupled with this feeling I wasn't getting full value from buying the pods. I was given a machine and I am sort of converted because in general you can get a cup of coffee for under a buck which I guess is good if you are used to buying Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks a couple of times a day and spending at least 2 bucks a cup you are getting some value out of it. What has gotten me extra interested is the wide variety of specialty flavors. Today I want to talk about two of the more interesting ones I saw that grabbed my eye recently by the Donut Shop, Boston Cream Donut and Vanilla Cream Puff.



When it comes to coffee, I tend to like bold varieties, typically medium, but I can enjoy the dark roasts as well. Both of these are advertised as medium roasts and I'm no expert, but they really didn't seem the same as some of the other roasts I have tried from say Peet's Coffee (which I will be reviewing as well). The Vanilla Cream I expected to be a little bit light for the flavors to come through and it wasn't the boldest roast. The thing is with both of these kinds of coffee is the flavoring to make them really reflect the labels is off. The artificial flavoring is indeed a bit off-putting. Especially with this variety.


The Boston Cream Donut is a bit better than the Cream Puff if only because the chocolate and cream filling that exists in a donut allow a couple of extra layers in the cup. I really could taste the chocolate and cream flavors but the fact that both of them were there probably doubled up on the effect of artificialness and made the coffee difficult to drink. I get it, these flavors are more difficult to create naturally but they could do something possibly with one or more of the elements to make it blend together a little better. Maybe using a more natural ingredient for the chocolate flavoring would make it better.

Unfortunately, I can't recommend either of these coffee flavors. Even if you like something that is a little bit different and fun, these kinds of coffee don't really fit the bill. It's a decent idea but the execution needs work.


Rating: 1.5/5

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Taste Test - Dannon Whole Milk Yogurt

It seems a little bit odd with some of the trends in yogurt that a company would advertise happily that they are using whole milk in their yogurt products. It wouldn't seem to be as healthy and marketable in today's climate, however, maybe they are going with the idea of what is natural and maybe not the lowest in calories but what can be pronounced.

To see if that is really an edge, I compared the Dannon to my normal Yoplait and the Dannon is thicker and creamier. It kind of reminds me of a slight step to the Greek yogurt style that has become popular and maybe that is one of the things that Dannon was thinking. Looking at their new campaign, that is what the idea is, to go back to the idea of natural. The flavor is fine, I can say that one of the reasons I eat Yoplait in general is that I wasn't a fan of Dannon's flavor and texture. This does resolve some of those concerns.

It's never going to be a great change in my opinion. It's mass processed yogurt. What do you expect? However I can say this new whole milk Dannon is now more of an option for me when doing my shopping and that has to be a plus for them.

Rating: 3/5

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Restaurant Review - Shake Shack

I have stuff just sitting around to post and this one is a place that has such a legend behind it at this point, and a great chef backing that it might be somewhat controversial at the end. Shake Shack is a public company now, with huge fanfare and a very strategic growth plan. While the fast casual upscale burger business is booming, no one has the reputation that the Shack has at this point. So during Baltimore Comic con weekend, the family made a trip to the Baltimore Inner Harbor location to see what the hype was about.

There is no shortage of burger spots in the area and a new one Smashburger is opening soon around the corner from my home and there is a heavy presence of Five Guys. Being that one of the big things that was being hailed was the chicken sandwich, I decided to go with that and step outside of the burger box to see what some are comparing to the infamous Chick-fil-a sandwich in a favorable manner. My wife went with the grilled hot dog smothered in cheese, while the kids both had the shack burgers with sauce on the side.

The chicken sandwich was good, but it didn't break any ground. I wouldn't wait in line for it if there was a chick-fil-a close by is what I'm saying. It has shredded lettuce and Buttermilk herb mayo which was cool to me. It just wasn't crazy good. I had a lemonade to drink which was excellent however.

The kids were less than impressed with their burgers, although my son did tell me that it was better once the shack sauce was on the burger, which he tried after tasting it without. They also had milkshakes which just felt like Mcdonalds to my taste buds. My daughter openly said she preferred the Five Guys burgers. My wife said the hot dog was as expected.

Overall, I was not terribly impressed, given all of the hype surrounding the chain. It wasn't bad but it didn't make me want to rush back when there are other versions of this concept that taste better and are more affordable.


Rating: 2.5/5

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