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Yay or Nay: Tastykake Limited Edition Spice Kake Krimpets

Elizabeth Malleus — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:07:00 +0000

Today, while exploring one of the corner stores near our new office in Old City, we came across Tastykake Limited Edition Spice Kake Krimpets. We were a little wary at first because we were afraid they were messing with the traditional Butterscotch Krimpet, but Spice Kake Krimpet called to us in a way we couldn’t ignore.

Spice Kake Krimpet’s packaging is brown and has a picture of cinnamon sticks on the front, instead of sporting the traditional Tastykake blue. Other than the cake being a darker shade of brown then the Butterscotch Krimpet, there was not much of a visible difference. However, the flavor was more delicious then our skeptical taste buds expected. The spongecake of the Spice Kake Krimpet was light and fluffy as we expected, but not overly spiced. With cinnamon sticks on the wrapper, we assumed that we would taste more cinnamon than anything else. But instead, it’s like a much lighter version of pumpkin bread. Topped with Tastykake’s traditional cream cheese icing, these Krimpets went down a little too easy. Still curious as to what other spices were included, we did something we shouldn’t have: We looked at the ingredients list. The only spices we could find listed were in the “Contains Two Percent Or Less Of” list, and they were “Spices” and Nutmeg (which was the next to last ingredient listed). That’s shady, Tastykake. Very shady indeed. But you know what? We don’t care.

Final Judgment: YAY

It Had To Be: The Flyers Bagel

BrianW — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:17:44 +0000

So, apparently there’s a bagel joint in Jenkintown called Fill A Bagel that is celebrating the Flyers’ entry into the Stanley Cup run with a curiously hued breakfast baked good. Behold, then, the Flyers Bagel. It’s a very, VERY orange poppy-seed bagel that supposedly doesn’t actually taste like orange – it’s just dyed. Whether we’re relieved or much more worried about that fact remains to be seen. They’re $8.99 for a baker’s dozen, likely throughout the finals. Why don’t you, dear readers, be the first to try these. No really, we’ll let you have dibs.
Via Philadelphia Magazine.

Fill a Bagel, 424 Old York Road, Jenkintown. 215-887-8577

Yay Or Nay: Tyrrell’s Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper Potato Chips

tips — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:56:30 +0000

Tyrrell’s Potato Chips hail from Herefordshire in the jolly old UK, so we suppose it might be more culturally sensitive to call them “crisps.” (However, in what is perhaps the first move ever by the English foodies to assimilate into American culture, it clearly says “potato chips” on the bag. We don’t know how to feel about this.) And where we looked a few weeks ago at Zapp’s Limited-Edition Spicy Creole Tomato Potato Chips — a zesty Creole take on the classic “BBQ” style potato chip — today we look at Tyrell’s very British take on the same subject matter. Note that both were reluctant to call themselves “BBQ,” although it’s instantly clear to the taster that a lot of the same elements are in play: A tomato and onion powder base, dotted with spicy notes, and away we go. The result? Tyrrell’s spice mixture, which includes Cayenne, Parsley, Ginger, Basil, Liquorice Powder and Star Anise is a classy (dare we say it?) variation on something that had no busy being classy in the first place, but we dig it anyway. Translation: If Zapp’s were ZZ Top, Tyrrell’s Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper Potato Chips are John Mayall’s Blues Breakers.

Final Judgment: JOLLY GOOD, or: YAY!

Yay Or Nay: Zapp’s Limited-Edition Spicy Creole Tomato Potato Chips, Spiked With Tabasco Sauce

tips — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:58:53 +0000

It’s been a while since we did a Yay Or Nay, but these babies, encountered in line for a sammich at Palm Market today, are firing on so many cylinders that we had to table whatever we were doing for a few moments, just to consider them. Around the shell of Lousiana’s beloved Zapp’s Potato Chips are two veneers: A “spicy creole tomato” dust/flavor, and around that, some good ol’ fashioned TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce to make it all pop. Hot damn. And guess what? They had it all: The Zapp’s chip was just the right thickness, kinda crunchy and very “live,” and that seasoning combo was a heavenly BBQ-type flavor that was just not to be denied, even as the heat slightly rose. Would we eat these every day? Hell no (or at least we’d deny it to our primary care provider). But when we do, does it feel great just to be alive? Sure does. Zapp’s Limited-Edition Spicy Creole Tomato Potato Chips, we are happy to have known ya.

Final Judgement: YAY.

Yay Or Nay: The Wawa Gobbler

tips — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:56:43 +0000

When we casually mentioned The Wawa Gobbler in a comment on Philebrity last week, we were instantly hit with further comments, IMs and emails, begging us to road test this sandwich as soon as possible. So today, craving a spot of rainy-day comfort, we did. The Wawa Gobbler, of course, is part of Wawa’s Thanksgiving-ramp-up lunch promotion — they’re also promoting a hot turkey sandwich and grossbowl, the latter of which we’re not getting anywhere near, just because of our general aversion to the fast-food-bowl trend. The Gobbler, however, is a comfort sandwich foodies have been slapping together for ages: hot turkey, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Think of that, at your favorite Jones-type location; now, slap it on a Shorti roll. Appetizing, or disgusting? We “experimented” with one at lunch today, and, with everything we know about “good” food to the contrary, we have to say, it hit us in a soulful place. A peaceful place. A place that ultimately wanted us to spark up a doob and take a nap. Gobble gobble.

Final Judgement: YAY.

Yay Or Nay: Recession Twinkie

CEF — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:36:05 +0000

Yes, we’re a nation of TastyFlakes from the 215, but there’s something wholly American about the Twinkie. Representing the zenith in flabby convenience and nadir of health consciousness just makes sense to us. It’s why we have a problem with this new 100 calorie Twinkie. The recession is being blamed for these little monsters, because more people are packing their lunch. We packed our lunch during grade school, and that little golden dessert brown-bagged without any discomfort. We call bullshits.

To us, there are some bastions of culinary excellence that need not be trifled with, the Twinkie being one. What’s next, Diet Pixy Sticks? We say ‘Unfuck The Twinkie’ here. You never go half-ass on junk food.

Final Judgment: Resounding Nay.

Yay Or Nay: Fleur De Lehigh

tips — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:23:44 +0000

PBC’s girliest seasonal beer makes blueberry ale look like hard stuff. This pale Belgian-style is as floral as her label suggests, bringing to mind both your spice rack and your tea caddy. Cardamom plays with ginger, lemongrass, rhubarb root, and flirts with rose hips, which is commonly used in mead, for a wispy, herbaceous blend. The light, summery Lehigh is a long and winding road. You’d have to walk her all the way home just to get anything out of her, and even then, you might require a nightcap. You’ll hit a stride eventually. This one’s worth waiting for, but she won’t stick around that long, so make your move.

VERDICT: Yay, But We Could Be Here All Night

Yay Or Nay: Wild Blue Blueberry Lager

Ruth — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:03:18 +0000

Most blueberry beers, we’re sure you all know, come in the form of a blueberry wheat, where the fruitiness is submerged to the point of being merely a gentle aftertaste. So imagine our surprise when picking up Wild Blue, a blueberry LAGER, at the Foodery and discovering how very fruity it is. It’s like chugging blueberry juice with some beer snuck in. (Enough beer to make it 8%, we might add.) This was a new and bizarre experience, to say the least. Imagine our deeper surprise when we learned that A) it’s a product of mainstream beer titan Anheuser-Busch, and B) it got fucking PANNED by Beer Advocate and its readers. Seriously. We are instructed to avoid this beer. So what to do? Well, despite the corporate ogre and the naysaying experts, Wild Blue really is a jolt of taste that our buds seem to welcome. And again, it’s quite strong. So we may feel small tinges of guilt from now on, but we’ll still reach for it every so often, especially as the weather gets warmer. Because, just like the Four Tops, we can’t help ourselves.

VERDICT: Yay, easily. They had us at blueberry lager.

Yay Or Nay: Philly Steak & Cheese Hot Pocket

Ruth — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:00:26 +0000

If Jim Gaffigan has taught us anything, it’s that Hot Pockets are endlessly dissectible. But what of the brand’s most daring venture? We speak of course of the Philly Steak & Cheese Hot Pocket. First, let’s start with some of the strange cave markings that adorn this box: Phrases like “Now Stuffed With More Steak!“; “Cooks in 2 min.“; “Cook Thoroughly“; “2 Sandwiches” [ed. These are by no humanly stretch of the imagination sandwiches]; “Beef Steak & Cheese With Sauce In A Crust” [ed. Now that's more accurate]; and best of all, “8 Essential Vitamins & Minerals” and “Hot Pockets brand is a good source of calcium.” Now that we’ve navigated the maze of contradictory sloganeering, what’s the thing taste like? Well, as you know, most Hot Pockets resemble an old shoe that’s been left sopping up pungent fat and artificial cheese for days. This variety is no different, and yet there’s something crack-like about the Philly Steak & Cheese Hot Pocket. And it’s not just that it cooks in two minutes, can be eaten in 30 seconds, provides 22% of your daily saturated fat (and 33% of your sodium) per pocket, and is a magnet for irony. No, there’s actually something subversively tasty about this quasi-astronaut food. We actually like these things, even if we’re not quite sure where or what the “sauce” is, and, well, that scares us. Not enough to retreat to the safer waters of Lean Pockets, mind you. One final thought: Yes, the cheese here may be fake and potentially toxic, but certainly no more so than your beloved Cheese Whiz, Philadelphia. And riddle us this: Have you ever looked a cheesesteak square in the eye? Suddenly Hot Pockets don’t seem so bad.

VERDICT: Yay, just barely and quite bafflingly.