Taste Test -

by snebbu

Los Doritos Locos Part 2: The Chips

First, we tested the tacos, now we test the Doritos. Cool Ranch took round one. But does it carry over to the chips? Frito Lay and Taco Bell had the right idea in attempting to send the Taco Bell cult following over to the crispy chip company—but will it work? Well, first off, the chips better damn well taste exactly like the tacos. Secondly, there are two kinds of chips in the bag, and you must take the time to match a taco chip with the regular chip (the work needs to be worth it). Finally—I am expecting the same flavor without the massive toll that tacos take on my digestive system. Anywhoo, let’s talk Doritos Locos chips.

in Cheese 1 comments

by Emily

Ghost Ride the Whipahol

Finally, for those of you sick of just drinking your cocktails (so cliché), I have discovered yet another way to shove booze into your bodies!

My friend Dayna and I were spending a leisurely Saturday afternoon perusing a giant liquor store (you know, just the normal weekend activities) when we stumbled upon something that simultaneously delighted and horrified us: Whipped Lightning, aka whipahol, aka whipped cream alcohol! To be clear, I’m not talking about whipped cream flavored vodka (although, full disclosure, I have treated myself to that before and it is more delicious than I would like to admit). No, this was honest-to-god whipped cream infused with booze. To be more specific, as the can informs us, infused with “grain neutral spirits with natural and artificial flavors and artificial colors.” Oh good, grain alcohol and artificial colors, the cornerstones of any healthy diet.

Why the delight and horror? Well, obviously alcoholic whipped cream is hilarious. But also, scary, because it could be a slippery slope. The world doesn’t really need to make it more convenient for us to slip some booze into our everyday activities. Regardless, we decided the good outweighed the bad, so we selected our flavor (a simple “spiced vanilla” seemed like the safest bet) and trotted on home to spend some time with our new friend.

by Emily

The Endless Road Trip — Philadelphia’s Top 10 Eats 10. Tastykake Tasty Test

Any Philadelphian will tell you that an integral component of their local food culture is the Tastykake. Upon first glance, a non-native such as myself might think, “What’s so different about these packaged snack cakes compared to Hostess or Little Debbies?” Well, watch your mouth. Tastykakes are a beloved Philadelphia institution and locals do not take kindly to outsiders looking down on them.

Wondering what the deal was, I decided to bring a grab bag of Tastykakes back to Seattle and have a handful of native Northwesterners sample and give their opinions on these little cakes with the cult following.

Butterscotch Krimpet

Tastykake Says: Our signature sponge cake, which is both moist and fluffy, is either accented with our legendary butterscotch icing or infused with a variety of delicious jellies.

ES Says: This one was most heavily favored by a friend who has had mild Tastykake experience in the past. She says: “My ex was from Philly. I always asked him what was so great about Wawa, if it was just like another 711 or a Subway, and he said it’s like both but better. He would bring me Tastykakes all the time. I think more than mourning the loss of our relationship, I mourn the loss of my Tastykake connection.”

Why does she most heavily favor the Krimpets? “The flavors are the most combined and congealed together.” Tasty description.

Peanut Butter Kandy Kake

in Desserts / Food Travel 6 comments

by BS

ES Taste Test: Do Foodies Know Whiskies?

As y’all know, us ES-ers are always happy to talk your ear off about where our sushi is sourced and the difference between green garlic and garlic scapes. Fine, we’re food snobs. But for some reason, we’ve never been great at the whole alcohol snob thing. We just generally prefer our whiskey in car bomb form. So when the fine folks at Jameson asked ES to taste test their four different varieties of high-end whiskeys, we saw it as a chance to answer the question: can low-end foodies like us taste the difference between a good whiskey and a great one?

So we assembled a not-very-esteemed panel of amateurs and blind taste tested Jameson’s four selections of increasingly expensive whiskey (sorry, no Crystal Jameson), seeing if we could tell which ones were more expensive, and whether we actually liked the more expensive ones better. Here’s what Jameson says, and what we say:

in Drinks 0 comments