Product Review: Dr. Pepper Ten

Pretty much since the very invention of diet soda beverage companies have been trying everything they can possibly frickin think of to make that very thing they invented taste more like the stuff they were already selling.  Frankly, I don't get it.  When I drink pop I prefer diet.  Not really so much for it's "diet" properties, but I like it simply because I prefer the less sweet taste that accompanies it.  Call me crazy, but it's what my parents drank when I was growing up and it's what I'm used to.  However, typically for me this usually just applies to Coke vs Diet Coke.  Diet Coke has it's own distinct flavor and isn't trying to be something it isn't.  Unfortunately, the same can't really be said for other "diet" beverages like Coke Zero, Diet Mt Dew and Diet Dr. Pepper. 

Oh Dr. Pepper, you are the most curious of beverages.  It has a flavor you can't quite place, but most people either love it or hate it.  Personally, I'm in the former camp having converted from the latter within the last year or so.  It's even the one kind of pop that the manufacturer proudly claims that it "tastes more like regular Dr. Pepper".  Or at least they used to anyway.  Maybe one of the wizards at Dr. Pepper Snapple decided like I did that maybe their diet version doesn't have so much appeal after all.  Hence the creation of Dr. Pepper Ten. 

Dr. Pepper Ten was so new that when I bought it at the gas station it wasn't even entered as a product into the cash register yet, but the premise behind the drink is an old one.  People like regular Dr. Pepper.  People are trying to cut calories.  People don't like Diet Dr. Pepper.  Compromise and give them a Dr. Pepper with some but not zero calories.  In this case the caloric count is 10 per serving or 20 per bottle.  I had my hopes up for something a little less cloyingly sweet than regular, but a little less unappealing aftertaste than diet.  After drinking the whole bottle I honestly have to say the results are a little inconclusive.  I will say definitively that it really doesn't taste like regular Dr. Pepper, but more importantly I couldn't really discern what makes it different than the diet version already on the market.  It tasted no sweeter and hand no different or stronger flavors.  A swing and a miss here.  Chalk it up as just another marketing ploy to sell more of what is basically their already existing Diet Dr. Pepper formula.  Try it out yourself and let me know if you agree or disagree.

Weekend Food Preview

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, but I thought it was time.  This week has been really long and kind of rough honestly.  I need some good eats this weekend to make up for it.  Not to give too much away, but I was definitely thinking of having at least one more meal on the Random Dude Eats Random Food Summer of BBQ Love Tour.  If you have any non BBQ suggestions please let me know, specifically on the NW side of town.  The Girlfriend got a new job over there, and I planned on showing her the best/quickest way for her to get to work so she doesn't have to go by the GPS' crappy routes.  Also, are there any new grocery products or fast food items on the market that would be worth trying?  Also, let me know if you go or plan to go to anyplace cool this weekend.  Happy eatings!

Fast Food Review: Arby's Smokin Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

Writing reviews of new or even "new" fast food items is really something I enjoy even if I don't always enjoy the food.  I think it has something to do with possibly finding a new all-time favorite like the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, but when it comes to new menu items as of late I haven't really been so lucky.  The Beefy Melt Burrito and the last Arby's 3 Cheese Bacon Angus offerings were both big strikeouts.  Going into this review I was seriously hoping Arby's could redeem themselves with this latest offering.

Even though Arby's specialty is their roast beef I've always thought their strongest offerings were their chicken items.  During high school the Chicken Bacon Swiss was probably my favorite thing on any fast food menu.  However, I've noticed in more recent years that Arby's chicken just doesn't seem quite as good as it used to back in the day.  I can't put my finger on what it is or why, but the taste and texture is just different.  That being said, since I had a coupon for a free fry and drink with purchase of the Smokin Chipotle Chicken Sandwich I figured it was worth a try.

First of all I have to say I'm glad I had the coupon.  If I wouldn't have my regular sized combo would have been almost $9.  Ouch.  The sandwich was the basic Arby's fried chicken patty topped with the usual thickish "chipotle" bbq sauce, a slice of cheddar cheese, pepper bacon, diced jalapenos and lettuce and tomato which I decided to leave off of my sandwich.  The first thing I have to say here is wholy S this was hot.  I was expecting the usual mildly spicy fast food offering with the jalapenos being sparse and seedless.  Not the case here.  There were a ton of jalapenos on here and it just blew out any other flavors that were trying to come through.  I pride myself on being someone who can take quite a bit of heat, but this was even too much for me.  I had to scrape the jalapenos off just so I could taste a little bit of what else was going on.  Turns out it wasn't much.  The cheese was not even close to being melted which is a pet peeve of mine.  The bbq sauce could as well have been BullsEye.  I tasted no hint of chipotle whatsoever. The bacon was a least redeeming with it being on the crisp side for fast food bacon.  There was also more of it than I expected on my sandwich which was a nice surprise.

Taste 2/10 Damn.  I keep hoping for Arby's to recapture the magic of my high school days, but they just keep failing.  If I want a chicken sandwich spicy or otherwise I'll go to Hardee's or Chick Fil A if there is one even remotely close by.
Value 0/10  This is where Arby's really sucks.  I haven't been happy with the food the last 4 times I've ate there and I practically have to get an Obama bailout to afford it. 

Guest Blog: Homemade Chicken Salad Courtesy of The Daily Claire

If you've never checked out any of the links on my blogroll before one I encourage you to check out is a fun lifestyleish blog of a friend and co-worker of mine, The Daily Claire.  I'm not a big recipe or cook at home guy and since some of you are undoubtedly into that I decided to let Claire have a little showcase here for her chicken salad recipe.  It actually seems simple enough that I might try it out myself.  Enjoy.

This recipe was inspired by a recent craving I had for chicken salad.  Not having any of the ingredients on hand, I ordered one at a local spot and was hit with that familiar "You know, I could totally make this better" feeling.  So I did.

Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad 

4 Cups Cooked Chicken-Cubed

1/2 cup Sour Cream ( I used light)

1/2 cup Mayo (I used light w/Olive Oil)

4 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard

2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice

A couple good shakes of garlic powder

A couple good shakes of paprika

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Cup Finely Chopped Celery

1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Red Onion

1 Cup Toasted Pecans, Chopped

1 1/2 Cups Crasins (sweetened dried cranberries)

Mix together sour cream, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.  Stir in remaining ingredients and you're done.  Enjoy it on a wrap, in a sandwich or with a fork.  

Editors Note:  Claire informed me to get maximum flavor out of this recipe it's probably best enjoyed the day after preparation to let the flavors meld and intensify a bit.

BBQ Review: GT South's Rib House

Oh hell yeah!  The Random Dude Eats Random Food Summer of Love for BBQ Tour 2011 marches on, and this time the tour is marching into GT South's on 71st St. just West of Binford Blvd.  As we leave dozens of sauce crazy groupies who just love the pork in our wake we have come to GT South's to find out if our experience is going to be The Boss at the Garden in '87 or  a Loverboy coverband in 2011at the local AmVet (shudders).

To maintain consistency between these BBQ reviews I try to basically get the same thing at each place I go.  That being the pulled pork and coleslaw.  Those two items just happen to be my two favorites that I could eat almost anytime anywhere so it works out.  At GT South's I decided to go with the jumbo pulled pork sandwich with the standard chips on the side and a side of the coleslaw.  The Girlfriend, who if she's getting sick of BBQ by now is hiding it well, decided to go with the smoked brisket sandwich and potato salad on the side.  We both prefer the sauce served on the sandwich.  The Girlfriend went with the sweet sauce and I went with the medium. 

Before I talk about how the food/meal was I want to make a little rant here.  If you run a Southern BBQ restaurant it should be reasonable to expect that some of your diners might want iced tea to drink with their bbq.  As that is usually my preference I decided to order iced tea at GT South's.  What I got was tea with ice in, but that alone doesn't make it iced tea.  The fact of the matter is that the tea itself was setting at room temperature and wasn't the least bit cold before it was put into my glass.  When it was brought to my table the ice had practically already melted and I ended up with a lukewarm watered down glass of something that may have once been tea.  You claim Southern food as a specialty and you eff up the quintessential Southern drink?  Get bent.

Anyway, on to the food that really wasn't much more impressive than the tea.  When my jumbo pulled pork sandwich arrived I noticed that it was undoubtedly a healthy portion, but I was definitely disappointed that I paid a premium for a "jumbo" and got a sandwich that looked basically the same as the regular with the exception of a bigger bun.  Lame.  The pulled pork itself was some of the driest I've had anywhere.  It required I add extra sauce which is something I rarely do.  On the bright side I thought the sauce was pretty good and not too sweet.  It outshined the meat for sure which really shouldn't happen.  The potato chips were straight out of the bag and pretty worthless on the plate.  To me it basically is a statement of "here's some cheap crap to fill up space next to the sandwich".  When it comes to the coleslaw it was a lot like the bbq in that even when it's bad I still like it somewhat.  This coleslaw was definitely not made in house.  The pieces were all chopped perfectly into extremely small uniform cubes.  There was also a small rotten piece of cabbage in my slaw which was a turn off.  I also prefer my coleslaw more creamy and sweet than what this was.  The Girlfriend's brisket was tender, but she was disappointed that it made her bun so soggy she couldn't really eat her sandwich by picking it up.  The potato salad also tasted store bought and nothing to write home about.


Taste:  3.5/10  Like I said bbq that isn't so good is still ok, but I won't be going back to GT South's anytime soon.  That is especially the case when comparing it to other bbq places on the North side.  Also, I can't stop thinking about the small piece of rotten cabbage in my slaw even thought it was very minuscule.
Value 4/10 Below average here as well.  Not that it was expensive because it wasn't, but it wasn't really any cheaper than other much better bbq restaurants.

Product Review: Lean Pockets Sausage Egg & Cheese

I know some of you probably saw Lean Pockets in the title and rolled your eyes immediately.  Personally, I'm a fan of some of the lines that are being put out under the Lean Pockets brand these days.  Maybe I'll do product reviews on them in the future, but trust me the Lean Pockets Chicken Bacon Dijon and Pepperoni Pizza with the new crust are not to be missed.  However, today was the first time I tried the breakfast version of either Hot Pockets or Lean Pockets and the results weren't quite so positive.

Over the years of bringing my lunch to work I've learned that the secret to making  Hot Pockets/Lean Pockets is to put them in the microwave for a little less time than what the package actually recommends.  As long as your cooking with a badass microwave you should be fine to go a minute and 30 seconds instead of the full two minutes.  The product will come out a lot softer and take less time to cool off from being nuclear hot.  As  usual my prescribed cooking method worked just fine with the breakfast Lean Pocket, but it just turned out to be one of the most bland breakfast items I've ever had.  Now I'm not comparing microwaved Lean Pockets to really good breakfasts I've got elsewhere.  I'm just comparing to the other Jimmy Dean and Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast sandwiches I've had in the past.  The Lean Pockets just don't stack up.  There was no sweetness or spiciness to the sausage either of which would have helped.  The cheese was the best part.  The eggs were like any other frozen sandwich...forgettable.  Considering that Lean Pockets does season the bread of some of their other sandwiches they should adopt that here as well. 

Taste 2/10  I cannot and will not recommend these whatsoever.  Too many other frozen breakfast sandwich choices.
Value 2/10 I didn't buy these, The Girlfriend did, so I don't know how much they cost, but assuming they cost the same as other Lean Pockets they aren't too expensive, but given that they generally suck your money is much better spent on other breakfast items where you will get more sandwiches that taste a lot better.

Sweet Treat/Product Review: Pillsbury Sweet Moments Bite-size Brownies

Full Disclosure:  This product was provided to me free of charge.

It has been a while since our last sweet treat review here at the Random Dude Eats Random Food blog, and since Pillbury's PR firm mailed me 2 of their new flavors of brownie bites I decided it was a good time for a review. 

The enclosed promotional materials state the following: "Pillsbury Sweet Moments are small bites of decadent pleasure made just for you.  Each ready-to-eat brownie bite is layered with a luxurious filling, enrobed in a cocoa-kissed shell and finished off with a delicate cocoa drizzle.  Found in the refrigerated section, Pillsbury Sweet Moments are best served cool to accentuate each decadent layer and to magnify each distinct texture for the ultimate indulgent bite."  Damn I haven't heard that much overselling since the last time I saw fat Mike Golic hawking NutriSystem.  Anyway, the two new flavors I tried are the Caramel Brownie Cheesecake and Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake.  Being that cheesecake and brownies are two of my favorite desserts I feel like I would be a good judge here.  Let's get to my findings.

Raspberry

When the brownie bites were shipped to me they were included with a cold pack, but being that they had been sitting in the box for quite a while they really weren't very cold when I opened them.  Since they are supposed to be cold to get the full experience according to Pillsbury I decided to refrigerate them for a bit before I tried them out.  My favorite of the two was the Raspberry Cheesecake Brownie.  The raspberry flavor was really assertive and you could pick it out over the chocolate brownie.  In the case of the Caramel Brownie Cheesecake I could taste only the brownie.  If I wouldn't have seen the cheesecake layer and caramel with my own eyes I'm not sure I would have believed they were even there.  Truthfully I had a hard time picking out cheesecake flavor in both cases.  Cheesecake is one of my favorite things so I was undoubtedly a little disappointed it added little else than a nice texture contrast.  The chocolate coating on the outside was quite good and held up nicely without melting too quickly.  I also thought they bites were a nice size.  They are actually big enough to eat in 2 bites if you wish.  There were also more bites in each package than I expected. 

Caramel

Taste 6.5/10  These taste good and are a good snack, but they really mostly just taste like a brownie or a brownie with a raspberry filling with the cheesecake there in name only.  Nothing revolutionary flavor-wise at all, but little popable brownies could get addictive.
Value 6.5/10  Like I said at the start I did not pay for these, but the MSRP per bag is $3.19.  I don't think that is great, but it's definitely comparable to other snacks you can buy in the grocery store and probably a little cheaper than other brand name "premium" desserts.