Posts Tagged ‘review’
04/23/2017
April 23, 2017
A fruity aroma escaped the bottle on first opening which quickly disappeared for good. This is a mildly dry and earthy Malbec from Argentina similar to the other two Malbecs (Gestos, Amancay) recently reviewed. Red wines generally need a few years to reach their peaks. As a 2016 vintage, this is a red wine which has most likely not peaked. But as a $5 wine, does anyone much care?
For me, this is an everyday table wine meant to be consumed with food. The wine has a fairly strong flavor profile making paring with; red meats, strong cheeses, hearty sauces and of course pizza, obvious choices. A burrito Jalisco and Jimmy John’s #5 worked well for me on separate days.
Alone, this is still a drinkable wine with sometimes a bit of a bad aftertaste that may make one wish they had spent another dollar or two for a better wine. But still, this is not bad for the price and I’ve easily had worse. Price $4.99
Tags:2016, aldi, argentina, malbec, price, review, reviews, sayanca, wine
Posted in ALDI, Wine | Leave a Comment »
04/15/2017
April 15, 2017
Of the cheddars reviewed here, this one is the best cheddar yet at Trader Joe’s, if you like an American-style cheddar. Aged “over” 18 months, the cheese is just starting to get crumbly. Over that time the flavor has matured into a nice tasting cheddar. Compared to a Kraft sharp cheddar, this one is a bit tastier and definitely not as creamy. Both those things are good if you’re looking for an aged cheese. While tastier, the flavor is not overwhelming as the name might imply. Calories – 110 per oz (28g). Price $5.99 per pound.
Tags:calories, cheese, extra-sharp-cheddar, food, new york, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 6 Comments »
04/15/2017
April 15, 2017
Sriracha Sauce has had its 15 minutes of fame. Like many other “instant” successes, Sriracha is still around even if not as prominent. Many companies have gotten on the Sriracha bandwagon over the last few years with their own Sriracha labeled product variants. Unfortunately many times these variants lose something in the translation. This chip is one product where much of the label has made its way into the product.
If you’re familiar with Red Hot Riplets chips, this compares in a tamer way. Instead of “dumbing down” the Sriracha flavor and heat to meet the lowest common denominator of the purchasing public, this chip retains a unique flavor and a heat which is above average for a chip. While spicier than most chips, the heat here is still in the mild to medium range. The lattice cut also adds a nice firm crunchy texture to the chip. Price $2.29 – 7 ounce bag Calories 150/ounce (28g) (about 13 chips)
click images to enlarge
Tags:calories, chips, food, potato chips, price, review, snacks, sriracha, trader joe
Posted in Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 2 Comments »
04/15/2017
April 15, 2017
This is a bitter, almost very bitter, ale. If that’s not a problem for you, this one is a nice IPA. Aside for the bitterness, this is a smooth drinking ale. There are no bad tastes and as you progress through the bottle even the bitterness becomes less noticeable. This ale has a creamier mouthfeel than a beer. For a bottled IPA, the experience here is similar to a draft IPA. Alcohol is 6.9% by volume. That’s about twice the alcohol level of the weakest beer and about 35% more than even a strong beer. Overall, this is a nice IPA. Price $6.99 – 6 pack
Tags:aldi, ale, beer, food, india pale ale, price, review, wild range IPA
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 3 Comments »
04/09/2017
April 9, 2017
Literally, this melts in the mouth. And for my money that’s the best way to eat it – if you can control yourself.
This is a nicely seasoned salami with casing removed and cut into chunky bite-sized pieces perfect for popping into the mouth straight from the package. Once in the mouth, the fat in the salami will literally melt over a few minutes releasing a very nice salami flavor and freeing up the bits of meat interspersed with the fat. There’s barely a chew needed before the meat can be swallowed.
Here’s a quick word on the industrial strength packaging. This is the first packaging that I’ve seen that’s labeled as “trash only”. Second, don’t stick your nose in the plastic bag. It’s not the most pleasant aroma. Fortunately the bag does not seem to affect the flavor of this very good salami. Calories 100 per ounce Price $3.49 per 8 ounce package
Tags:aldi, appleton farms, bite sized dry salami, calories, food, price, review
Posted in ALDI, Recipes, food, cooking and related items | 19 Comments »
04/09/2017
April 9, 2017
The gimmick for this wine is the grapes grown at two different altitudes. That’s how it gets its name and label. The wine consists of 50% grapes grown at 1100 meters and 50% grapes grown at 700 meters. The idea is that each altitude (and environment) adds different characteristics to the grapes and ultimately the wine. And how does that work?
This wine is very similar to the Amancay Malbec reviewed last week. Both come from the Mendoza region of Argentina. The aroma is strong and earthy in the glass. The wine is dry and earthy in the mouth. The color is deep purple. There may be a bit more body and a bit less dryness than the Amancay. This would be a more interesting wine than the Amancay if not for a somewhat harsh aftertaste. Price $8.99.
Tags:2014, argentina, malbec, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 1 Comment »
03/31/2017
March 31, 2017
This Malbec from the Uco Valley of Argentina has a deep purple color in the glass with a mild fruity aroma. On the first glass there’s a bit of alcohol burn in the nose and the back of the throat. In the mouth there’s a dry watery feel. The dryness is not overpowering, but definitely there on the roof of the mouth. For those who don’t mind a dry red wine, this is a reasonably good wine for the price. The simple but elegant label is a bonus. Price $6.99.
Tags:2014, argentina, malbec, price, red wine, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wine
Posted in Trader Joe's, Wine | 3 Comments »
03/31/2017
March 31, 2017
This is a domestic (US) extra sharp cheddar from Wisconsin. While it’s a nice cheese, especially considering the only $4.99 per pound price, it’s not what I’d call an extra sharp cheddar. So just as a reality check, I went out and purchased an extra sharp cheddar from Kraft. The Kraft cheese is “sharper” but not as sharp as I remember it. Still however, the Kraft has more of the cheddar flavor I was expecting. As would be expected, both have more flavor when allowed to warm to room temperature. As a comparison, the Kraft came in at around $7 per pound slightly on sale at a regular super market. The texture was similar for both cheeses, solid but soft. For those wanting more flavor in their American-style cheeses, the TJ extra sharp cheddar will give you that at a reasonable price. For those wanting a still more flavorful cheese, look elsewhere.
Calories – 120 per ounce. Price $4.99 per pound. Coming up next week is a TJ X-tra X-tra Sharp New York Cheddar. We’ll see. As an aside, I nicely paired both of the cheeses above with some Amancay Malbec.
Tags:calories, cheese, extra-sharp-cheddar, food, price, review, reviews, tj, tj's, trader joe's, wisconsin
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 1 Comment »
03/27/2017
March 27, 2017
This Cab hails from Yecla, Spain. Briefly it’s an earthy, strong Cab that’s not very smooth bordering on rough. Along with the earthy mouth feel is a little heat on the tongue and back of the throat. Although I haven’t had any recently, this reminds me of a good two buck Chuck. In the glass the wine is a watery medium-dark red. This wine can easily overpower some foods. Other than the style, which some people may not like, there aren’t really any overpowering negatives. This is drinkable and not bad for a $5 wine as long as you like your wine and women (or men) strong and rough. One final thing, the wine is labeled as Kosher. Price $4.99.
Tags:2015, cabernet sauvignon, inexpensive wines, kosher, red wine, review, Spain, table wine, Terrenal, trader joe's, wine review
Posted in food, Trader Joe's, Wine | Leave a Comment »
03/27/2017
March 27, 2017
The star here is the corn masa. The dough (masa) retains a nice taste and texture, neither too dry and certainly not wet, in its trip from freezer to microwave. Although there’s not much of it, the cheese is chewy and stringy. Green chilies are randomly placed throughout the cheese, but otherwise not very noticeable. The heat level is mild unless you get a big piece of chile, then it’s a medium heat. By far the cheese filling is a minor player. The tamales come wrapped in nicely trimmed corn husks.
Calories 280 per 1 tamale (140g)
Price ??? (lost receipt) – 2 tamales in package
click images to enlarge
Tags:calories, cheese green chile tamale, food, nutrition, price, review, tj, tj's, trader joe's
Posted in food, Recipes, food, cooking and related items, Trader Joe's | 4 Comments »
April 23, 2017
Ain't Found A Good Title Blog 