Taste Test

T.G.I. Friday's Best Sizzling Dishes

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Feb 8th 2011 @ 2:00PM

Photo: Elizabeth Hait, AOL

You've seen us dive into the best Applebee's appetizers and Outback Steakhouse favorites, now we're turning up the heat with our taste test of T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Dishes.

Menu Overview: All of these "sizzling" dishes come on blazing hot cast-iron skillets. (And yes, they sizzle.) Three of them have melted cheese at the base of the dish, topped with chicken or a combo of chicken and shrimp and then there are two fajitas dishes. The Sizzling Chicken and Cheese plate was "not nearly gooey enough for someone looking for something really cheesy." While the chicken was cooked well, the "peppers and onions that came with the dish were too salty." The Steak Fajitas were bland and under-seasoned -- where's the heat? Plus, the steak was too tough.

Find out our T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Winner, Runner-up, and Loser after the jump.

Filed under: Taste Test, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Taco Bell's Quad Steak Burrito and Quesadilla Reviewed

COMMENTS 18

by Erik R. Trinidad, Posted Feb 8th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Taco Bell's Quad Steak Burrito Photo: Erik R. Trinidad

A few weeks ago, the nation found out about a California class-action lawsuit against Taco Bell, in which it was alleged that the Mexican-inspired fast food empire was serving a "meat mixture" containing less than 35 percent meat. In response, Taco Bell fought back with a very public statement (and full-page ads). Additionally, they rolled out the Quad Steak Burrito (and Quad Steak Quesadilla) to showcase the fact that they do, in fact, serve real USDA Select beef. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: The Quad Steak Burrito is a burrito with four times the amount of steak pieces than the Steak Burrito Supreme, all wrapped in a flour tortilla filled with seasoned rice, "fire-roasted" salsa, reduced-fat sour cream and cheddar cheese. Its quesadilla counterpart has the same ingredients -- with four times the amount of beef than a Steak Quesadilla -- although it's flatter and not as filling as the burrito. (Both contain 610-660 calories, according to a menu poster.)

Filed under: Taste Test, Fast Food

McDonald's Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon & Cheese Burger and Snack Wrap Review

COMMENTS 38

by Erik R. Trinidad, Posted Feb 7th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and Wrap Photo: Erik R. Trinidad

Years ago, the McDonald's Corporation was a financial backer for the fast-food chain Chipotle, but the two parted ways in part because the Mexican grill's founder, Steve Ells, decided to pursue a philosophy of "Food with Integrity." Nowadays, the Golden Arches has a new association with the word "chipotle," this time as an ingredient in the barbecue sauce for the latest versions of their Angus Third Pounders and Snack Wraps. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: The Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon & Cheese Third Pounder is a 1/3 pound Angus beef patty, topped with American cheese, bacon, pickles, red onions and chipotle BBQ sauce, all served on sesame-seed bun. The Angus Chipotle BBQ Bacon & Cheese Snack Wrap is half of an Angus patty (a Sixth Pounder), with all the same toppings, wrapped in a tortilla. (800 and 400 calories, respectively).

The Price: $4.09 for the burger, $1.99 for the wrap (Manhattan, NY; prices may vary depending on location).

Filed under: Taste Test, Fast Food

Best Pretzels: Over 100 Bags Tested

COMMENTS 8

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Feb 4th 2011 @ 5:00PM

Pretzel taste test Photo: Elizabeth Hait, AOL

In one of Slashfood's biggest taste tests to date, we dive into the world of supermarket pretzels -- over 110 bags in all. You didn't realize there were that many varieties of pretzels? Neither did we. So to keep things simple, we decided to break up the taste test into 12 categories: sticks, extra-dark, honey wheat, multigrain, flavored, crisps, old fashioned, gluten-free, unsalted, rods, sourdough and traditional.

It didn't take long to conclude that pretzels are a very personal thing. Everyone has a favorite variety, shape and flavor -- and people like wildly different amounts of salt. So to level out the playing field, we invited employees from all over AOL to join in and vote for their favorites.

After the jump, find out how we voted and flip through our gallery to find out our favorites, as well as the brands we'd skip.

Filed under: Taste Test

Schwan's Introduces New Scotto Frozen Meals

COMMENTS 0

by Michael B. Dougherty, Posted Feb 3rd 2011 @ 3:00PM

Fresco by Scotto frozen meals for Schwans Photo: Michael B. Dougherty

With the Manhattan gripped by frigid temps, it seemed like an appropriate day to sample Fresco by Scotto's new frozen dishes for Midwest delivery giant Schwan's.

Back in 2009, Schwan's approached the telegenic cooking family about replicating dishes from their Midtown eatery for its customers. "So the conversation starts, 'We could really use a Fresco in Minnesota.' And we're like, no way, too cold for us," Elaina Scotto explained, perhaps eating her words a bit today. "So they said, 'What about doing your great dishes, in a frozen food format, and we can ship it anywhere in the United States?'"

We review the Fresco by Scotto dishes after the jump.

Filed under: Taste Test

Dunkin' Donuts New Cocoa Yeast Donuts Reviewed

COMMENTS 17

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Feb 1st 2011 @ 11:00AM

Dunkin Donuts new doughnuts for Valentine's Day Photo: Elizabeth Hait, AOL

Doughnut lovers, rejoice: Dunkin' Donuts is ringing in the month of love with three new chocolate doughnuts. Yes, you're thinking, "I've had chocolate doughnuts at Dunkin' before, what's the big deal?" Here's the twist -- these are chocolate yeast donuts. And that's a big deal in the doughnut world -- the chain is the first in the country to offer them.

Meet your new doughnuts, released today as part of the chain's "Chocolate Lovers Month":

Cocoa Confetti: a chocolate yeast ring, topped with chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles.
Reverse Boston Kreme: a chocolate yeast shell filled with chocolate Bavarian Kreme and topped with vanilla icing.
Cocoa Kreme Puff: a sugared chocolate yeast shell filled with vanilla butter cream.

We were lucky enough to get ahold of the new treats. After the jump, our review -- along with more photos.

Filed under: Taste Test, Chain Stores / Restaurants

T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Ice Cream Nachos

COMMENTS 5

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Jan 31st 2011 @ 4:00PM

Sizzling Ice Cream Nachos Photo: Elizabeth Hait, AOL

Forget brownie sundaes, molten chocolate cakes and designer cupcakes. The dessert world has a new trend: sweets that resemble appetizers. T.G.I. Friday's new dessert nachos are a prime example -- with a treat like this, no one needs to worry about dry cakes and deflating souffles. Here, the sweet ingredients are all piled together, and voilà. If nothing else, it's an easy way to get the entire table to join in on the fun (this dessert is definitely meant to be shared).

The Claim: The "sizzling" ice cream nachos consist of wonton crisps piled high with pineapple, mango and strawberries, then topped with two generous scoops of vanilla ice cream and a heavy drizzle of caramel sauce.

Filed under: Taste Test, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Best Outback Favorites

COMMENTS 126

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Jan 28th 2011 @ 5:30PM

Outback Favorites menu taste test Photo: Sarah De Heer, AOL

First it was the best Applebee's appetizers, now we head Down Under to the popular steak chain, Outback Steakhouse. With so many entrees on offer, we decided to start with the restaurant's tried-and-true classics: Outback Favorites.

Menu Overview: There are seven main courses in the "Favorites" section, including Baby Back Ribs, which had a great crust, but the meat was a little fatty. "Would have loved them with more sauce," one taster said. Next, we sampled the Grilled Chicken on the Barbie (the chicken was dry and lacked seasoning), the pleasantly spicy No Rules Parmesan Pasta (but where was the Parmesan?) and the Sweet Glazed Pork Tenderloin, a dish that prompted one taster to suggest it "could have been cardboard" underneath the heaping pile of overly-sweet sauce.

Find out our Outback Favorites Winner, Runner-up, and Loser after the jump.

Filed under: Taste Test, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Best Super Bowl Snacks & Drinks

COMMENTS 2

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Jan 25th 2011 @ 12:00PM

Best snack foods and drinks for super bowl

Super Bowl Sunday marks one of the greasiest days of the year -- between pigs-in-a-blanket, buffalo wings and chili-cheese nachos -- everyone indulges in party food. Whether you're hosting a party yourself or you've offered to bring snacks along, you want to make sure you're serving the best. Over the past couple of years, we've given you the Best Frozen Buffalo Wings, the Best Chips and Salsa and, more recently, we've taste-tested the Best Potato Chips.

After the jump, we've simplified your search. In one gallery, we showcase the best chips, salsa, tortilla chips, margarita mix, boxed wine and buffalo wings to help you score a touchdown during the big game.

Filed under: Taste Test

Pizza Hut's Big Dipper Reviewed

COMMENTS 41

by Erik R. Trinidad, Posted Jan 21st 2011 @ 4:00PM

Pizza Hut's The Big Dipper Pizza Photo: Erik R. Trinidad

You might have noticed that most "new" items at fast-food chains are just rearrangements of the ingredients found in their usual fare, and Pizza Hut is no stranger to this concept. Their latest offering is the Big Dipper -- made from their staple ingredients of crust, tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings. It's the presentation that's new: This pie is sliced to share three or four ways on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Claim: The Big Dipper is a rectangular pizza (about 24"x9"), served with one or more toppings. It is cut into 24 pieces, each about 2" x 4.5", and served with four 3-oz cups of marinara sauce, presumably so that four individuals can have his/her own.

My full review after the jump...

Filed under: Taste Test, Reviews