Oreo S'mores

Oreos, what are you trying to do to me!?

The Attraction

Oreos new flavor + Me = going home with new Oreos

The Review:
Oreos and I have a love / hate relationship. I love to eat 'em, but hate what they do to my midsection. Even at that, when an iconic cookie like this comes out with new flavors, you have to stand up and take notice. Yes, yes, I have been a sucker for many of Oreos new iterations of it's cookie. Whether it be Red Velvet, a "Thin" version or good ole' Peanut Butter, I have been there for Oreo every step of the way. Minus the occasional misstep, Oreo's cookie game has been on point. Will they keep on keeping on or will they take a slip? Let's find out.

In case you don't know me, I can be cheap when it comes to snacks sometimes. I've had my eye on these for awhile, but I waited until these were on sale. As luck would have it, I got these essentially for a 2 for 1 price, but then I happened to have been abstaining from sweets for a month due to a co-worker roping me in...etc, etc....so basically I've been staring at these in my pantry for a month waiting for the clock to tick down. I was pretty psyched to sample these.

You can see a hint of that creme swirl

I peel open the package and the sweetness of these cookies come pouring out. I couldn't quite pinpoint the smell other than it being sweet. I bet it was the smell of graham crackers from the cookie shell. I also then immediately noticed how the creme filling was a swirl as opposed to most other one flavored cookie sandwiches they offer. I guess that would make sense as they need to emulate the flavor of marshmallows and chocolate. Visually, it's a clever thing to do. It makes these Oreo S'mores feel much more like a "S'more".

Better view of the creme concoction

I pick out a lucky Oreo and take a bite. I can tell quickly that the cookie shell is the same graham flavor composition used in the Red Velvet Oreo. It tastes as good as I remembered. Next, the white creme slides in and even though it's supposed to be marshmallow-flavored, it's the same creme filling you find in a Oreo. Not a bad thing, but interesting to note.

This is what a cookie trying to look sexy looks like

When the chocolate creme kicks in, it definitely throws a nice monkey wrench in the works. As a consequence of it's presence, even though it adds another dimension to the cookie, it also adds a richness to it as well. Don't get me wrong, it tastes great, but it makes you oh so aware that you are eating a cookie...and not a "it'll do your body good" one either. You might hit your cookie max at 3-4, if you are like me. It also doesn't taste like a s'more, but it does taste good.

The Sweet:
All the textural things you love about Oreo, but now in S'mores flavor!

The Bitter:
A bit more rich than the standard Oreo

Conclusion:
You have to hand it to the folks at Oreo; they are brilliant. They invest the time to make other flavors and then figure out how they can leverage those new flavors to make other flavors. Somehow they are able to do this while maintaining what makes an Oreo an Oreo, yet still bring something fun and interesting to the table. Oreo S'mores are no exception.

At this point, it's almost like when you find "the" suit or dress. You know, the one that fits just right and makes you feel like a million bucks? Then you look around some more and find out that they offer the same outfit in other colors or patterns you love. Did you ever really stand a chance to not buy in? Ring me up, I'm sold...but I'll have to put it on lay-away.

Video of the Week 

"How about you get your own damn slippers, Dave?"

Yes, the folks over at Boston Dynamics are at it again, As if this robot wasn't scary enough, they have created a robot pet that can do cool/scary things like climb stairs, right itself when it falls over, and get you a beer. I'm perfectly fine to get my own beer if it means I won't wake up in the middle of the night with my throat in its jaws. These robots remind me of something...oh, I remember now.

Insomnia Cookies Oatmeal Raisin / Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

The things I must do for this blog

The Attraction

I've been hearing a lot about these cookies, so when I was finally within striking distance to try some, it was time to see if it lived up to all the hype.

The Review:
One of the many wonderful things of living in NYC is having access to all these varieties of food at a given time. Due to the large population here, it always makes us an attractive area for new and upcoming food-related companies to consider opening a new location at. This is also the case with Insomnia Cookies.

Although they have a bunch of locations here, I came across one within walking distance from my office. First I heard about how their company came to be and then I ran into a very excited women going down the elevator to pickup a order she placed. After that run-in, I thought to myself, "Can it really be that good?"

Come to daddy

When I walked into the very small storefront and placed my order after peering at the menu, the woman taking my order opened a warming drawer at the front counter and pulled my requested cookies out. Whoa...that's a nice touch. Previous to that, I had only been to a place that would warm up cookies for you, after they had been out for a bit.

I decided to go with my favorite cookie, an oatmeal raisin cookie and a "deluxe" cookie; the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup cookie, as the second course. I really planned to only get one, but I love peanut butter, so I couldn't resist. What made this cookie a "deluxe" was the size. It's about double the size of their standard cookie (also about double the cost), but both sat nice and warm in my hand as I took them back to my office to have a "private moment" with.

Mmbrrmr

I take the oatmeal raisin cookie out first and I could already tell it was going to be good; in addition to being warm, it was nice and soft. I've never really been a fan of crispy cookies, so they really had my attention now. I take a bite and it's reminds me of the type of cookie that has a homemade recipe, but executed by professionals. It's a good cookie with just the right ratio of plump raisins to cookie dough. What I love about oatmeal raisin cookies is it's simplicity. There's no flash, no fancy ingredients to take your eyes or taste buds off of. It's just you and the cookie. It doesn't overwhelm you with sweetness and doesn't take you on a flavor roller coaster. Which interestingly, is a direct contrast to my second cookie course.

Looks like a delicious chocolate growth

As simple as the oatmeal raisin cookie was, the peanut butter cup cookie was like it's bigger, brasher bolder, meth-addicted cousin. It's physically larger then the standard size cookie and it has a larger grouping of it's ingredients, in this case, peanut butter cup, in it. All of which, I assume, made it a "deluxe" cookie on Insomnias's menu. I break off a piece of the cookie and I was greeted with smooth peanut butter flavor incorporated into the dough. That on it's own was very good. Where it goes off the rails in a meth-filled frenzy is when you get to the pb cup portion.

The chunks are so big and poorly distributed that it completely wipes out the the smoothness of the peanut butter in the cookie dough and you are greeted with a raunchy intermission act between the first and second half of Shrek. It's like eating a peanut butter cookie and then picking up a peanut butter cup and then taking a bite; sounds good on paper, but the reality isn't nearly as subtle as one might think. I wish Insomnia made a plain peanut butter cookie, but be it as it may, they don't and if their oatmeal raisin cookie was Ohio, this peanut butter cup cookie was Las Vegas.

I had to take this quick before gravity
broke this cookie....again

The Sweet:
These are delivered deliciously warm from a "warming counter".

The Bitter:
Their deluxe cookies are decadent to the max.

Conclusion:
Now, decadence isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for me, I think what a makes a snack great is the ability to ride that fine line between being satisfying, yet leaving you wanting for more. If you like to leave your snack exchange without feeling like you overdid it, I would try to limit your selection to something in the standard cookie category. Having that deluxe cookie, as much as I enjoyed the peanut butter portion, it left that, I-think-I-had-too-many-Krispy-Kremes-feeling (somewhere between piggish and insulin shotville).

Keep it to the standard and you will be rewarded with a cookie that brings the great homemade fresh out of the oven feel without the mess.

Video of the Week 

They are back! (Sorta)

I'm a little late to the game, but I recently discovered this new track by Johnny Gill. As cool as Johnny is, the real draw is the reunion of New Edition with him on this single after no new material by them since 2004. If you are a fan of NE like I am, this is great news. The song is old school awesome and they still have their dance moves. Somehow I don't look as good them when I do the steps in the shower.

Lays Wasabi Ginger

Darn you, Lays, you got me again.

The Attraction

I didn't really think much of wanting to review this new flavor offering from Lays, but my snack buddy G, swore that these were tasty. Was she just trying to josh me? Let's find out.

The Review:
After going through quite a few of Lays newer flavor chip offerings, both locally and abroad ( Mac and Cheese, Greektown Gyro and Thai Spicy Crab) I was content to take a break for awhile. I also didn't see any new products of their's that really called out to be tested. After an endorsement from a trusted snacking companion, I knew it was time to get back into those Lays waters.

Upon opening the bag, the smell of wasabi was very evident. I wasn't sure if the wasabi flavor would be sinus-clearing, but that initial smell certainly raised that possibility. In addition, would the ginger be too strong? I don't always eat the gari or pickled ginger when I have sushi, so would I enjoy the flavor of it? Will one overpower the other? Did I really just buy a bag of this?

Looks like the standard fare

No more time to stall, it was time to taste. Because these were Lays Kettle Cooked line, the crunch of the chips were great, as to be expected, however the wasabi was the first flavor that greeted me. It was obvious, but not over the top and was quickly followed by the ginger chaser. Hmm...did this chip really capture the taste of eating sushi? I have another and it confirmed by first thought; Lays does an excellent job of capturing the wasabi-ginger aspect of having sushi. I still can't quite believe how accurate it taste even after several chips. They also do a great job of balancing the two sometimes unwieldly flavors to strike just the right balance to recreate the famous Japanese staple.

Didn't see that coming

The Sweet:
Surprisingly reminiscence of actually having sushi.

The Bitter:
Doesn't sound like the most obvious flavor choice

Conclusion:
It was a bit of a tough sell for me at first, but after a few chips, I was sold. I'm still amazed how accurately Lays was able to capture the wasabi-ginger flavor. It's truly astounding. Will I go on a scavenger hunt at midnight to go find the grocery store that has a bag of it? Probably not, but it will certainly be on my list of approved and surprisingly tasty snacks of 2016

Video of the Week 

No, it's not album art for a group called "Insider"

Doesn't a 4-story roller coaster sound exciting to you thrill seekers? Yes, well what if I told you it was a pedal coaster in Japan? Oh...and there weren't any guardrails....safely, shmafety. Let's go!

Bissli BBQ

What I wouldn't do for a kosher
bbq snack right now

The Attraction

Part of that bounty of snacks my pal Grace delivery last week included another product by Bissli. In this case, it's Bissli BBQ! 

The Review:
After the huge win last week of Bissli Falafel, I couldn't wait to dive into another Bissli snack that I had in my possession. I made pretty short work of that bag of Bissli Falafel, so I was eager to see if Bissli had another hit on it's hands with Bissli BBQ.

As was last week's Bissli item, these bbq bits also didn't conform to the conventional "chip" shape. These BBQ snacks are more along the lines of the dried pasta "rotini" shape. Interesting, but not really a deterrent to me since I love pasta. What I also did notice when I cracked open the bag was the smokiness of the BBQ flavor that came through. No it wasn't super strong, but it was noticeable.

I've had my fair share of crunchy, bbq snacks such as these Kettle Brand Potato Chips, so I was curious if a kosher spin would net any noticeable difference, aside from the shape.

How about some fried rotini?

As I finally bite into a rotini-shaped chip, the crunch was very serious. Bissli knows a thing or two about making seriously crunchy snacks. Flavor-wise, the smokiness comes through immediately, but as would expect most bbq flavored chips to begin to make a right turn towards Sweet Street, Bissli chose to keep going straight down Smoky Boulevard...to it's detriment. The smoky flavor seems to keep going and going...like that never ending family road trip. It all seems like a reasonable idea until you are stuck in the car with your father after he's had 2 chili cheese dogs. Its only then that you realize that this ride had gone on way too long as you are getting "smoked out".

Off-topic, I need a vacation

The Sweet:
Serious crunch and smoky flavor

The Bitter:
The not as sweet as most commercial brand bbq flavor really brings out the smokiness...too much so

Conclusion:
It's tough to follow an act of a product that you enjoyed so much. Although this snack matched the awesome crunch of it's sister product, where it fails to live up to expectation is in the flavor department. The smokiness comes through, perhaps so much so that without the sweetness to reign it in, at points it felt like I was licking an ash tray.

Maybe my palate has been trained to expect bbq snacks to have a sweeter finish, and if that's something you never enjoyed, you may have found a winner here, but for me, it's more smoke flavor than I care for in a bbq flavored anything.

Video of the Week 

Pretty Obvious, huh? Wait til level 5

I know my vision isn't perfect, as illustrated by my need to wear glasses. However, I thought my ability to see color was fine, if not perfect....well.......maybe not after taking this color test. I feel like I need to reevaluate my whole wardrobe now. Does my tie really match my slacks?