Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Review: Maple Bacon Long John

Specialty doughnuts are all over Chicago, and if you haven't tried a Maple Bacon Long John you must try one of these ASAP for breakfast, dessert, or a mid-day snack. I ate this Maple Bacon Long John at Glazed and Infused in Chicago, but I know there are multiple doughnut spots in Chicago (and most likely in other cities) that sell Maple Bacon doughnuts. This one takes the cake (literally). I felt like I was eating breakfast within a doughnut. One of my favorite things to do at breakfast is dip my bacon in the maple syrup I use for pancakes or waffles. This is a way for me to eat my bacon and maple syrup without the sticky mess - and the cake-y part of the doughnut reminded me of the inside of a cake or waffle. So while this doughnut is unique, it definitely won't cure your chocolate or vanilla frosting craving - so save room for a second doughnut if you need to take care of your sweet tooth!


Takeaways:

  • If you like pancakes, syrup, and bacon, and typically eat those items on the same plate during breakfast, then you will love the bacon-y, syrup-y combination of the Maple Bacon Long John.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Review: Sluggo's Pizzeria + Captain Sundae in Holland, Michigan

I was in Holland, Michigan, with friends for the Tulip Time festival in May (there were so many tulips when I was there!) and we ate at two places that excited my taste buds so much that I'd go back to Holland JUST to eat at Sluggo's Pizzeria and Captain Sundae! And the great news is - these places are right next door to one another so you can grab Sluggo's for lunch or dinner, and then get a sundae for dessert at Captain Sundae!

Let's start with Sluggo's, a small pizza joint located in a Holland strip mall. It is very simple inside, nothing fancy except for the counter, soda fountain, and a few booths and tables for patrons to sit at. You go up to the counter, place your order with the individual behind the register, and then you sit down and they bring your food out to you all hot and fresh!


They have a variety of daily specials, one of which I'm really excited to share with you all - you get a 2 topping, seven inch pizza, breadsticks covered in Italian dressing, your choice of dipping sauces for the breadsticks (I chose ranch and marinara), and a fountain drink all for the low price of $6.63 (that's WITH tax). Maybe that's an average price for the area, but after coming in from Chicago that is a STEAL! And the quality was unreal. The cheese tasted very fresh (I can't even tell you what kind of mozzarella they used but it tasted better than the cheese I've had at a Dominos or Pizza Hut) and the Italian dressing on the breadsticks was genius. I don't think I can have breadsticks again without Italian dressing!

To top it off, we walked to Captain Sundae after our pizza to try a delicious ice cream sundae. I'd actually been talking about this place before we even went to Michigan, since I saw pictures of the ice cream sundaes online and they looked all custard-y, vanilla-y, and covered in toppings.


I chose the Tommy Turtle sundae, which is a traditional turtle sundae made with vanilla soft serve. But the warm hot fudge and caramel made it a real treat. Apparently George W. Bush made a stop here before and tried a Tommy Turtle. And I don't blame him.

Takeaways:
  • If you find yourself in the Holland, Michigan area, definitely stop by Sluggo's Pizzeria for lunch/dinner, and Captain Sundae after for an amazing soft serve dessert!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Review: McDonald's Happy Meal Mascot

It's no secret that I enjoy eating McDonald's in certain situations - like when I'm starving, or after a night at the bars with my friends. I think it's the Big Mac Sauce that really hits it home with me. I decided to get a McDonald's Happy Meal since I wanted Taco Bell in addition to McDonald's one night (no joke) and YIKES! This picture from the Happy Meal box is probably the scariest thing I've seen in my life:


What is wrong with the Happy Meal box? The new Happy Meal mascot "Happy" has these bulging googly eyes that look so fake and WIDE OPEN (and why are his eyelids at the bottom of his eyes instead of at the top?) and he has this gigantic smile with these HUGE crazy straight teeth and you can see the slight shadow of a tongue in the back of his mouth that's really pink and strangely real looking.

If you don't already think the new Happy Meal mascot looks scary, just look at what he does when you hold the Happy Meal box in your arms! He looks like a biter:


Takeaways:
  • As an adult, the new McDonald's mascot potentially looks like he's about to eat me, as well as haunt me in my dreams
  • If anyone reading this review has kids - what does your child think about this new mascot?