[Fast Food Review] Taco Bell’s Cantina Tacos (Chicken, Steak, Carnitas)

Taco Bell doesn’t have authentic Mexican food. One look at menu items like the Tortada or the Enchirito should tell you that. People don’t eat Taco Bell because they want authentic Mexican cuisine, they eat it because it is dirt cheap and delicious.

Obviously someone in the executive office doesn’t realize that. Taco Bell recently released three “Cantina” tacos, chicken, steak, and carnitas, in an attempt to provide a more “authentic” Mexican style taco. Are these really authentic? I couldn’t tell you. Should I research it and find out to better serve you, the reader? Yes. Am I going to? No. But I will tell you whether or not these new tacos hit the spot.

Woman Explodes Over McNuggets. It’s Ridiculous

Just watch this:

I told you. She was obviously very drunk and very angry that she couldn’t have her Chicken McNuggets until 10:30 PM, a stupid rule that’s pissed me off countless times and I for one am glad that someone finally took a stand. No nuggets until lunch time? Bull shit.

Thank you Ms. Psychonugget Drunk Warrior. You’ve started a revolution.

[Restaurant Review] Logan’s Rib-Eye

 

Location:100 South Fruitridge AvenueTerre Haute, IN47803-1644 Style: SteakhouseContact: (812) 235-9197Reviewed by: Zac PritcherLast night my family and I went out for dinner to Logan's Rib-Eye, one of the many steakhouses in the Terre Haute area. You see, here in Terre Haute, people don't take kindly to many types of restaurants. It seems the only ones the majority of the the population will give their business to are steakhouses, Mexican, BBQ, Chinese buffets and any type of fast food. Except Hardee's. Hauters don't like Hardee's. There's also an Indian place, but the only people who eat there are other Indian people.Listening to me complain about the monotony that results from eating out in my city, you'd think I've eaten at every establishment multiple times and have grown weary of dining at all local restaurants. The truth is I've not even tried half the places at my disposal, Logan's being one of them.Was it any good? Let's just say I'll be going back.Review:The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was that it is much smaller than I had anticipated. The building itself is pretty large, so I expected there to be a large dining area inside. It's worth noting that there is a completely closed off bar inside as well, and I'm sure there is at least one banquet hall and a pretty large kitchen. Also, keep in mind I don't mean the dining room is small, just smaller than the building had led me to believe. It's actually comfortably spacious, housing a nice amount of tables and a salad bar near the back wall.We were seated immediately in a comfy corner table, plenty of room for the four of us to eat without feeling cramped, and were right next to the salad bar. Our waitress took our drink orders and delivered them without much wait. While looking at the menu I noticed there was a fair amount of selection ranging from seafood and chicken to the obvious steaks and a few great appetizers. Speaking of which, we ordered the Calamari Rings. Delicious.I ordered the Prime Rib, medium rare. Every entree is served with a salad bar trip and a side, for which I chose rice. The salad bar was full of fresh veggies, a selection of salad ingredients, and plenty of dressing choices. I built a salad of spinach leaves, broccoli, eggs, red onions and peppers, dressed with olive oil and vinegar, and I also plated some cottage cheese and a few green olives. It was delightful. The spinach was fresh and tender and the broccoli and onions were crisp; it was obvious that they took great care to ensure a quality salad bar. The only complaint I can think of is that the onions were a bit on the strong side, but really that's my girlfriend's problem. I like flavorful onions.Due to lighting issues, this picture doesn't do this steak justice. You'll just have to order one and see it with your own eyes.

When we got our dinners, my mouth watered instantaneously. My steak looked absolutely wonderful. It was cooked perfectly, a deep pink color, and was served with a side of au jus. The rice looked just as delicious, a medley of wild grains in a steaming pile on my plate. It’s dinner time.

The steak was succulent and raced beyond the realm of deliciousness. Prime rib is a favorite of mine, and I can safely say this is quite possibly the best prime rib I’ve eaten from any restaurant. Thick cut, flavorful, and wonderfully complimented by the au jus. There was just so much wonderful flavor that I couldn’t eat without smiling. The rice served as a perfect side choice, especially after soaking up all that delicious flavor from the prime rib.

Since I went with my family, I was able to sample a bite of everyone’s meal. My dad ordered the prime rib, and it was fantastic. Exploding with flavors and juices, the succulent meat was cooked perfectly. The inside was tender and moist and the outside was hot and crispy after being seared on the grill from which it drew a delicious smokey flavor. My sister went with the salmon, which was my least favorite of all our meals. It was coated with a nice selection of flavorful herbs and spices, including a wonderful lemony zest, but felt a bit overcooked and a little dry to me. She liked it just fine, however. My mom ordered prime rib, and you already know how I feel about that.

Does It Hit The Spot?

Yes. This was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. The calamari rings were awesome, the salad bar was littered with delicious, crisp veggies and plenty of ingredients for building an awesome salad, and the steak was mind blowingly good. If you find yourself in the Terre Haute area around dinner time, I highly suggest Logan’s Rib Eye for delicious food that’s fairly priced, averaging about $10 – $15 per entree, though a few options break the $20 mark.

[Food Challenge] Eddie’s 20 Burger Challenge

Location:
Eddie’s Sandwich Shoppe
13 S Walnut
Brazil, IN
47864

Challenge: Eat at least 20 burgers without leaving the restaurant dining area.
Challenger:
Zac Pritcher
Status:
FAILED

And failed, hard. Man. I manged to get roughly 19 of the required twenty hamburgers into my stomach before I couldn’t do it any more. Every bit was the most challenging obstacle I’ve ever endured. The bread became painfully dry, and the meat was beyond disgusting. The burgers themselves were good, but only until burger number 10. After that, every bite became worse and worse until I… well, just watch the video.

Pictures from our Sonic Drive-In Ice Cream Social

A while back a rep from Sonic sent me a $50 gift card to take some friends out to sample their new Real Ice Cream menu items. I want to personally thank them for doing so, as we had a great time and were treated to some yummy ice cream on the house. Here are a few flix from our trip. Enjoy! People can check calzoncillos personalizados for the best gift options.

I am the shuttlecock master

[Restaurant Review] The Alamo, Holiday World

Location: Holiday World, Santa Claus, IN
Style: Mexican
Reviewed by: Zac Pritcher

best place to eat in Holiday World

A while back I reviewed Kringle's Kafe', one of the most likely lunch spots during a visit to Holiday World for many consumers. I was less than impressed with the quality, price, and the way the food sat on my stomach. Now I'm back with a review for one of the more popular dinner spots at the park, The Alamo.Located at the heart of 4th of July, The Alamo is surrounded by rides like the Liberty Launch and the Lewis & Clark Trail, an attraction that sees visitors driving extremely slow go carts modeled after old cars around a set track. Lewis and Clark didn't have cars. This has nothing to do with the restaurant at hand, but this just infuriates me. What the hell, Holiday World? Go to school. They teach you that shit.Review:Unlike Kringle's Kafe, the seating for The Alamo is entirely outdoors (like the vast majority, if not all restaurants in Holiday World) which makes it a tough sell during the hot lunch hours when the sun is at its peak along with the temperatures. That's why it's such a great spot for dinner, when the sun is setting and everything is winding down for the night.The decorations help to create something of an old time Mexican-style building, with shaded areas and picnic tables for seating. The ordering system is set up so that you order at one window, are handed a buzzer, and pick up your order at another window when the buzzer goes off. Food doesn't take that long to prepare, and there is a nice selection of condiments next to the free drink dispensers.The menu consists of items you would expect from such an eatery: tacos, enchiladas, burritos and such. I ordered the taco salad, which came with 2 sour creams (or salsa or ranch) and a free drink for $6.41. Surprisingly, the thing is huge and loaded with all sorts of goodies, immediately making it apparent that I found a good value right off the bat. It's easily comparable to Taco Bell's salad, and looks just as delicious.

Upon digging in, I was instantly satisfied with just my first bite. The shell was absolutely delicious, crispy and crunchy and had a good flavor. Inside, the meat was amazing and seasoned very well, and the generous portions of lettuce and tomato were fresh and flavorful, and the shredded cheese helped bring everything together. I topped my salad with Texas Pete, Pasado taco sauce, and sour cream and could not have possibly been more satisfied with such a delicious end to a day of fun.

The one thing I could complain about is that the refried beans were a bit on the soupy side, but that’s a minor nit when looking at the entire package. This is the best place in Holiday World to eat, and this is the best item on their menu. I have no doubt about it.

Does It Hit The Spot

Does it ever?! This was one of the most satisfying meals I’ve ever had, not just because it was absolutely delicious not only by theme park standards, but also when compared to a lot of other restaurants, but because it’s got a large amount of calories as well. Normally this would be a complaint, but I’ve spent all day trekking the hilly landscape at Holiday World, riding coasters and rides, swimming in the wave pool, and sweating my fat ass off, so the quick energy from this giant bowl of delightful taco salad really helped on the two and a half hour drive home. I doubt I’ll ever eat anywhere else at Holiday World for dinner.

[Grocery Review] Velveeta Shells and Cheese

Purchased at: Kroger
Cost: $2.89
Reviewed by: Trey Bolinger

Has your recent hunger for a quick pick-me-up lead you to the idea of making some Kraft Easy Mac? If you’re anything like me, its very difficult to eat it and think, “Wow, that was pretty good.” I often times just end up with a cup of Macaroni and Cheese soup instead. So I was browsing the aisles at the local Kroger grocery store and saw that Velveeta now makes their very own Easy Mac style product.

[Grocery Review] Ore-Ida Zesties!

Purchased at: Wal-MartCost: $4.99Size: 32 ozReview by: Zac PritcherIf I had to make a list of only three things in the world that I love, it would be something like Nintendo, zombies and french fries. In that exact order. Trivial? If you think so then you are extremely shallow. Nintendo is the company responsible for the greatest video games on the face of this earth. Zombies eat human beings because they are driven by instinct to do so, and it's entirely ok to blow their brains into oblivion. French fries? I shouldn't even need to explain myself.Ore-Ida has been a top player in the competitive world of frozen spud sticks for quite some time now, and one of their more popular inventions are the Zesties. These fries come preseasoned in the bag so that you don't have to worry about performing tasks as strenuous as pouring Lawry's salt on your freshly oven-baked side. You've already wasted enough energy opening the bag! And that's not counting the process of preparing whatever brand of frozen, partially cooked, microwavable chicken patty you plan on enjoying them with.Review:The claims on the package are the real draw to the product. First off, the name "Zesties" is enough to catch my attention, and partnering that with a picture of delicious-looking and well-seasoned french fries and I'm already sold. I mean, these things look absolutely delicious in the picture. All golden brown and deliciously crispy and what not.Of course there are a few different ways to prepare Zesties, including pan frying, deep frying and baking. Despite the fact that deep frying would definitely lead to a much more delicious end product, as is almost always the case when the option is suggested, I instead chose to bake them for the added simplicity. Pouring them out onto the baking pan yields a very similar image to the one advertised on the bag. Though the color of the fries is highly subdued in their frozen state, it's easy to imagine that they will look just like they do on the bag once properly prepared.

Once cooked, the product looks pretty close to what is on the bag. The fries appear to be well seasoned and have an excellent color and visual texture. I took my first bite and was admittedly a tad disappointed. The “zesty” seasoning is much weaker than I had anticipated, and though the added flavor was certainly appreciated, I still prefer to add my own seasoning of choice to Crinkle Cut Ore-Idas, as it makes for a much tastier french fry in my opinion.

Also disappointing was the dryness of the fries. Eating them without ketchup was a hard task to perform comfortably, simply because they lacked a proper amount of moisture. This is likely brought about by baking instead of deep frying, so I’m not going to dwell on it. I’ll just deep fry them in the future.

Does it Hit the Spot?

Yes. Though they may not be the best frozen french fries on the market, they are still a competent product that have good attributes that outweigh the bad. The seasoning is weaker than I would’ve liked and baking the fries resulted in a slightly dry texture, but the crispiness and little added flavor from the “zesty” seasoning won me over.

[Name Brand Vs. Generic] Cheez-Its

One popular snack whether you are 3 or 30, has always been cheese crackers. When your momma was giving them to you when your were little, and you continued the habit up to the time you were kicked back at the office looking for some grub.

I was snacking on a box of the brand name crackers, Cheez-Its, and emptied the box in one day. The next day I opened a box of generic Kroger Brand “Cheese Bits.” I figured they were going to just be a bland snack, but upon finishing my first handful, I realized you get twice the flavor at half the price. For some reason, these generic, bland looking snacks have much more flavor and a much larger quantity in one box than the big guys. Check it out for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

:] Stay hungry, folks.

-Trey Bolinger

[Grocery Review] Lay’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips: Harvest Ranch Flavor

Purchased at: Kroger
Yield: About 9 servings
Cost: $3.29
Reviewed by: Zac Pritcher

I work at a grocery store as a bagger. Do you know what that means? It means I belong to the chain of stores I work for. I’m their slave. At times, I am their sex slave. I do what they say, when they say it. I have no input in anything that occurs in my company, nor will my opinions ever be valued by the higher ups. I push carts in 90 degree weather wearing black pants. I sweep floors, I mop spills, I clean human feces out of sinks in the bathroom, and I bag groceries with a smile on my face. I hate it.

Regardless, it’s a great place to work come lunch time. Anything I might be feeling that day is usually just a few aisles down. Of course, I also have a very tight budget. So when I’m not snacking on raman, Banquet meals, and dog food, oftentimes I’ll spend about $10 – $15 at once on food and feed off of it throughout the week. When I do this I like to get the basics: whole wheat bread, muenster, swiss, or pepper jack cheese, a 1 lb. package of lunch meat, Claussen pickles, and a bag of chips. Most recently I bought this Lay’s brand kettle cooked variety, the flavor sounding delicious and the “All Natural” label was enticing. They were a bit out of my regular budget, but I decided they would be a worthy trade over the usual bag of Funions.