Category: Product Reviews (Page 14 of 19)

      Product review: Brisk iced green tea with mango dragonfruit

      July 22, 2011 /

      Chef JimIn conjunction with the movie The Green Lantern, which hit theaters on June 17, Brisk Iced Tea has developed a new flavor of tea which they are calling a “new flavor-forward product,” and that flavor is Mango Dragonfruit Green Tea.

      I don’t exactly drink a lot of iced tea, but new products like this always intrigue me. And this one is extremely refreshing, particularly as I drink some on the seventh straight day of 90+ degree heat in Wisconsin. Admittedly, the flavor is a bit different. Mango is different to begin with, and you throw in the green aspect and you’ve got something quite unique. And the more you drink, the more it grows on you. The bottle also features art from The Green Lantern.

      Brisk is also running a promotion at www.anyonecanbechosen.com for the film in conjunction with parent company Frito-Lay in which consumers can enter a game code from specially marked Brisk and also bags of Doritos, Cheetos and Ruffles to win prizes. The promotion continues through July 31.

      Grocery stores, Healthy, Product Reviews

      Michael Symon’s B Spot

      July 5, 2011 /

      Chef JimI’m not going to profess being a restaurant critic, nor even a trendy food blogger. What I am is an average Joe with a food blog who knows good food when he eats it. And two Fridays ago when I had lunch with a buddy and business associate in Cleveland, we ate at Michael Symon’s B Spot and as you might expect, the burger I had was phenomenal.

      I lived in Cleveland for 11 years, but I never went to Symon’s famed Lola Bistro in the Tremont section of town. Symon, of course, had his career blow up when he became a Food Network Iron Chef, and regular contributor to the network on shows such as “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.” And I had the opportunity to chat with him for Bullz-Eye last year.

      Anyway my buddy Jason is a vegetarian, but he told me to order the Symon Says burger, which one of his co-workers said was awesome. And it was…..a burger with a thick slab of fried bologna, some cole slaw, American cheese and whip sauce (a nifty blend of…wait for it…mayo and mustard). Everything about this burger was delicious….everything separately and everything together in harmondy. And the fries were thin and crispy with just a touch of salt and rosemary (and my wife will attest that I don’t like rosemary!). Washed down with a pilsner at lunch time, you can’t get any better than an Iron Chef-recipe burger and fries and beer. And next time we get to Cleveland, I plan on trying more of the burgers (they also specialize in bratwurst, bologna sandwiches, bar snacks, big salads and “badass” shakes–hence all the B’s)!

      Chefs and Restaurants, Food TV, On the Grille, Product Reviews

      Product review: Sheets Energy Strips

      June 29, 2011 /

      How many energy products are on the market today? 50, 200, a million? Seriously….we’ve evolved from coffee and tea and iced versions of those to Red Bull and other energy beverages to 5-Hour Energy to countless other items. But convenience in today’s now-now-now society and workplace is increasingly important. That’s why those 5-Hour Energy thingies come in tiny bottles. But now there is a product that is even more convenient than that–Sheets Energy Strips. I’m talking stupid convenience here–a flat package about the size of a baseball card with four serving strips in it.

      But while many energy products are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners, this one will not set you back calorie-wise or give you that rush and crash thing that sweet products do. Instead it is a neat little breath-strip-like product that is chock full of B- and E-vitamins. Of course, it also has 100 milligrams of caffeine, something they don’t boast about in the press materials, but something that no doubt has significance here. That’s also about the same amount of caffeine as there is in a cup of regular coffee, but without the risk of spilling it on your lap or having to drink a hot beverage in the middle of summer.

      Sheets also claims no crash like there is with sweetened products, and they are correct. But not only is there no crash, I took this after that inevitable post-lunch sedation that happens, especially after eating two chili dogs today like I did. And I had almost instant energy to continue my afternoon. Yes, Sheets Energy Strips are not only convenient–they also work as they claim to. And you can’t say that about every pick-me-up on the market. Oh, and one more thing….I don’t know how many flavors there are, but I tried the Berry Blast version, and this stuff actually tastes pretty good too. So if you need an afternoon pick-up, or a burst of energy before a night out on the town, give Sheets a try.

      Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Emerald Breakfast on the Go!

      June 16, 2011 /

      I didn’t quite get the robot analogy that came with a package from the PR firm who sent samples of the new Emerald Nuts Breakfast on the Go! Nut & Granola mixes. Their message was that robots can turn out ordinary granola bars, but these Emerald “deconstructed” granola packets “humanize your morning.” Um, okay. But we’re not here to poke holes in the PR campaign. No, we are here to test out the food and let you know how it is. And in this case, the food is really good. They sent a sample of all three flavors, so let’s go over each one, shall we?

      Berry Nut Blend–this one has granola clusters, glazed walnuts, yogurt raisins, peanuts, and of course–dried berries. It’s a nice, sweet blend without being overtly sweet, and the glazed walnuts take it up a notch.

      Breakfast Nut Blend–very similar to the Berry Nut Blend, but with dried apples instead of dried berries. It also has the awesome glazed walnuts, but I will say that I like the dried berries better than the hard-to-chew dried apples.

      S’mores Nut Blend–A bit different than the other two, this one features cocoa roasted almonds and has bits of dark chocolate, tiny graham cracker cookies, and also dried marshmallows to created the s’mores effect. Nuts and berries are good, but let’s face it, chocolate anything is better. This was easily my favorite of the three.

      The only drawback to these bagged snacks is that they are a tad more difficult to eat than a granola bar, at least if you are driving or doing something else at the time. But it sure is a nice alternative. That was probably the message all along, but robots? I still don’t get it. Anyway, give these a try and let me know how you liked them.

      Healthy, Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      17 hours in Vestal NY

      June 14, 2011 /

      Well, 17 hours plus 6 more waiting in the Binghamton airport. But that’s for a story on another blog. So let’s talk about my whirlwind on Sunday as I flew back with my mom, who visited us in Wisconsin. As with most families, my family gathers for and rallies around (and consumes happily) food. Not that I’m complaining, of course…I mean, I have a food blog, right?

      Anyway, here were the three highlights from Sunday….

      Chef JimMy sister made a lunch of chicken spiedies on the grill. These are marinated chunks of meat that are popular only in the central part of New York State for some reason. I mean, kebabs are everywhere, but only in this region are they called spiedies. And man, they are delicious. They are served on bread, often with sauteed hot peppers–this is especially awesome during the summer when my sister and brother-in-law grow the peppers and garlic in their garden. Yum. Oh, and don’t use whole wheat bread. As my brother-in-law says, who wants to put spiedies on “sawdust?” Sorry, Ellie Krieger.

      Chef JimFor dinner, we ate at the place that, in my opinion, has the best pizza in the free world — Bud’s Place in Appalachin, New York. It’s thin, crispy, and has a cheese and sauce blend that is about as close to food nirvana as there is. Seriously…..if I could have Bud’s ship me frozen pies, I would be happy. We just don’t have good pizza in Madison, despite the fact that cheese is what we do here. Or at least, I haven’t found good pizza yet. I’m from Long Island, so I’m partial to NY pizza, but still, no one does it like Bud’s–it’s truly one of a kind.

      Chef JimFinally, we stopped for ice cream at The Big Dipper. I was so full from pizza that I could only stomach the “lite” stuff called Dole Whip. Now, I wish I would have had the custard instead, but the pineapple whip wasn’t too bad. Still, we do have good custard places in Madison such as Culver’s and Michael’s.

      Oh, and even though I got stuck in Binghamton’s airport for far too long, Bud’s pizza survived in plastic wrap at room temperature, well enough for my wife and I to have it for dinner when I got home. Man, that pizza is amazing. If you’re ever in that area, make sure you check it out.

      Healthy, Ingredients, On the Grille, Product Reviews

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