Posts Tagged ‘good’

Review: Taco Bell Strawberry Frutista Freeze

Saturday, June 14th, 2008

Strawberry Frutista FreezePrice: $1.89; paid – $0.89

Promotion: coupon for a free Frutista with any purchase

Location: 3511 W. Devon Ave., Chicago, IL 60659 (map); phone: (773) 588-9712

Rating: 4 out of 5 – good

It can sometimes be hard to find a good (frozen, virgin) strawberry daiquiri at higher-end sit-down restaurants, and that certainly is the case at fast-food places, too. What I would settle for, however, is a reasonably priced fruity slush — which might be considered as less thick, but more easily drinkable than a smoothie. Taco Bell seems to have answered my prayers with the Frutista Freeze, a permanent addition to its lineup, now available in Strawberry and Mango Strawberry. Both versions are topped with real strawberries (which I suppose makes up for the fact that there’s “natural fruit flavors,” but no actual “fruit juice,” inside).

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Review: Popeyes Chicken Deluxe Sandwich

Saturday, May 24th, 2008

Popeyes Chicken Deluxe SandwichPrice: $3.49

Location: 6321 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60659 (map); phone: (773) 588-8282

Rating: 4 out of 5 – good

After the blander Southern Style Chicken from McDonald’s last week, going to Popeyes seemed the right thing to do to satisfy my hunger on a late afternoon. I wasn’t going for the standard assortment of fried chicken, however, as I had another chicken sandwich in mind, this time the Chicken Deluxe… done up spicy like. (Of course, you could order this filet mild, but you’re not getting the full Popeyes experience if you go that route.)

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Review: Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Chunky MonkeyPrice: $0.99(+?); paid – $0.00

Promotion: Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day

Location: 1634 Orrington Ave., Evanston, IL, 60202 (map); phone: (847) 869-2640

Rating: 4 out of 5 – good

Eaten: 1 block away

After random tastings of Ben & Jerry’s socially aware fare over the years, it just felt right to swoop in to a Scoop Shop and begin to more systematically sample its sweets. The cone, at least, came free. (As well as the ice cream, though it was hard to tell exactly how much my scoops usually cost, if they cost anything in addition to the cone; the waffle cone was clearly listed as regularly selling for 99 cents). Not encumbered by the restrictions of price, I had come to check out the simple charm of a Chunky Monkey, as B&J’s concoction of “Banana Ice Cream with Fudge Chunks & Walnuts” is known. After making the Chunk my first priority, I had come to learn that it was apparently a favorite flavor of a friend of mine, so the urgency with which I waited ten minutes in line — out the door in downtown Evanston — became all the more acute as the metered minutes ran down for my publically parked car. Thankfully, the Monkey pulled through, oddly pleasing in a way… much like eating banana nut bread even.

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Review: White Castle Chicken Rings

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

Chicken RingsPrice: $1.99; paid – $0.99

Promotion: an expiring coupon from the White Castle web site

Location: 5940 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago, IL 60660 (map); phone: (773) 271-9638

Rating: 4 out of 5 – good

My experiences with White Castle sides haven’t been all that encouraging in the past, but people can let bygones be bygones when they’re hungry (and sitting on a coupon that’s about to expire). So what happened here? Not only were these chicken rings from White Castle hot and fresh outta the fryer, but they compared nicely to McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets in taste and texture, if not in overall shape. In fact, I was so busy gobbling ‘em up and taking pics that I didn’t bother to check ‘n’ see whether I got six rings or not with my order. Regardless of how many I got, they were all pretty good.

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Review: Burger King Whopper Jr.

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Whopper Jr.Price: $1.00

Location: 6261 N. Lincoln, Chicago, IL 60659 (map); phone: (773) 588-1976

Rating: 4 out of 5 – good

The Whopper Jr. was not something I’d been looking forward to revisiting anytime soon, but a late Friday-night attack of hunger pangs forced my hand. (Actually, running out of meat for the new Burger King Steakburgers ultimately did that, but since I was already at the local BK, there was no sense in wasting gas by driving home on an empty stomach.) At any rate, this time around with the Jr. proved to be a surprisingly pleasant experience, as I actually enjoyed my smaller-sized sandwich quite a bit, even after taking my worked-up appetite into account. The key to a good Whopper, it seems, is all in the customizing — having it Your Way, if you will.

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