REVIEW: Herr’s – Chickie’s & Pete’s Famous Crabfries seasoned Potato Chips with White Creamy Cheese Sauce flavoring

Rating: ©©©©-1/4 chips (lip-smacking)

Have you ever heard of Chickie’s & Pete’s?   Oh, you have?  Well, before Herr’s Foods sent us these new potato chips, we’ll admit that we…..had not.  But, as we looked into who this Chickie and this Pete were, and what a exactly a Crabfry was, we began to realize that maybe we were the odd ones out.

If you are like us, and are looking for the entire Chickie’s & Pete’s back story you can find that right here, but basically the long story short is: smaller time Philadelphia family owned taproom eventually grows into…”8 locations across Philadelphia and New Jersey and was voted ESPN’s #1 Sports Bar on the East Coast.”

Well, that explains half of these Herr’s potato chips’ story, but what about Chickie’s & Pete’s Famous Crabfries seasoned Potato Chips with White Creamy Cheese Sauce flavoring half of the flavor equation?!? 

What are Crab Fries?  A staple at its restaurants since 1977, Chickie’s & Pete’s Famous crab fries are crinkle-cut French fries sprinkled with a secret blend of spices, served with its one-of-a-kind White Creamy Cheese Sauce for dipping.

Like all great inventions, CrabFries® have an illustrious history.

At the onset of Chickie’s & Pete’s in 1977, crabs were only served in the summer. Once the summer was over Pete needed something to do with all the leftover seasonings. So he started experimenting with different combinations on french fries. Pete would put the fries out on the bar and ask for the regulars’ feedback. “How’d you like the seasoning today?” Pete would ask. “Ahh, I liked them better yesterday” or “too tangy” the regulars would reply. Pete went through two winters of tweaking seasonings and a complimentary cheese sauce for dipping based on the regulars’ comments until one day in 1979, he just couldn’t get it any better. “It was just right!” Pete exclaimed. No matter what he did the regulars kept pointing to the recipe known and loved today as Crabfries.  For the rest of the story click here.  http://www.chickiesandpetes.com

It would be easy to simply call these chips another variation of everyone’s favorite crab seasoning “Old Bay”; and we would be somewhat right, but at the same time really wrong, and frankly unfair to these chips.  While these chips may include (although we cannot confirm) many of the same spices found in Old Bay such as mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, mace, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger (in other words they are extremely flavorful and heavily seasoned), but then they also include a touch of heat to spice things up, and a good dash of tangy cheese powder to smooth things out.  In other words, they improve upon the iconic East Coast seasoning!

As we enjoyed these lip-smacking, wide-rippled, Herr’s potato chips we couldn’t help but imagine enjoying some of Chickie’s & Pete’s piping hot, crinkle cut, fries with some of the same delicious seasoning!  We simply cannot imagine that this “famous” crabfry seasoning could be bad on any potato, in any form.

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think. Agree or disagree, let us know.

Chips provided to Chip Review by Herr’s Foods for review

Herr’s Foods Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Doritos – Butter Soy Sauce (Japan)

Rating: ©©©-3/4 chips  (notable)

As we taste, and review, more and more of these chips from Japan, we are beginning to wonder – more and more – if we actually have been told the correct flavor translation?!

Plain and simple, we do not know Japanese, and we are taking the eBay seller’s word for the translation of these chips.

Case in point, take a close look at the Doritos bag to the left.  The small oval picture seems to contain some grilled corn on the cob, with a pad of butter drizzled in what actually looks like caramel to us.  But, according to our eBay seller Market Tokyo this flavor is actually Butter Soy Sauce?!

So, that’s what we had to go with….

Is butter and soy sauce a common or authentic combination in Japan?  We’re not really sure about that, but it must be a delicious combination nonetheless when the New York Times dedicates an entire article to it.

As for these Doritos, well, they are pretty darn tasty.  Certainly a unique chip flavor combination that we have never tried before.

The chips sort of taste like buttered popcorn to us.  Very salty buttered popcorn.

Frankly, we expected a lot more prominent soy flavors, but really all we taste is salt and butter, combined with Doritos corn tortilla chips.

Well, there you have it.  Anyone else out there tried them yet?  Thoughts?  As always we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree.  Let us know.

Chips purchased from market_tokyo on ebay.

Frito Lay – Doritos Japan Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: Utz – Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

These are solid potato chips.

Looking back through our records, we noticed that we haven’t actually reviewed very many Utz chips/snacks over the years.  This has to be due to their availability in the Midwest, as Utz is an East Cost chip company.

Luckily, on a somewhat recent golfing get away, Mr. JK brought these bad boys (or should we say girls, as there is a little girl gracing the front of the bag) back with him for us here at Chip Review to taste and give our personal one-two.

Like we said, these are solid potato chips.

The cheddar & sour cream seasoning was spot on.  Tangy and salty cheddar cheese mingling with rich and creamy sour cream.  The only thing being that the seasoning was not very prominent.  To describe it as a dusting may actually be an overstatement.

However, the potato chips themselves were practically perfect.  Medium-thin cut, old school, skin-on, solid crunch, real potato chips.  Utz potato chips are fantastic.

We really hope that we are able to find more of Utz’s offering in the future.

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree, let us know.

Chips provided to Chip Review by JK for review

Utz Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Snyder’s of Hanover Sweet and Salty – S’mores Pretzel Pieces

Rating: ©©©©-1/2 chips  (lip-smacking)

Show of hands please – how many of you out there think that these new sweet & salty pretzel pieces sound good?  Or, even more importantly, how many of you out there actually believe that Snyder’s of Hanover could somehow make this pretzel-s’more combination taste delicious?  Crickets…crickets…..crickets…..

Yeah, well we can’t deny that we weren’t in the same exact boat until the first piece graced our lips and wowed our mouths!  In other words, we are beyond thrilled to inform you that Snyder’s of Hanover (SOH) has in fact somehow, some way, knocked these out of the pretzel pieces park!

To be completely honest, we couldn’t have stumbled upon SOH’s S’mores pretzel pieces at a more perfect time.  This review is coming off one of, if not, the worst SOH review (Zesty Ranch 50% Less Fat) of all-time.  Frankly, we sort of thought that Snyder’s of Hanover may have gone off the deep end and decided to pursue less fat, and poor tasting variations of their typically fantastic pretzel pieces.  Luckily SOH has pulled a complete 180 and wowed us with these odd flavored pretzels – who’d a thunk it.

Snyder’s of Hanover is no stranger to the sweet and salty game.  In fact, this is the fourth flavor from their Sweet & Salty series of pretzel pieces that we have reviewed, and we can say with certainty, that it is far and away the tastiest!

To say that these S’mores pretzel pieces really, really surprised us would be an understatement.  We’re going to tell you right off the bat that they do not necessarily taste like s’mores at all.  Nope, not at all.  So, if you are looking for some sort of truly authentic s’mores pretzel snack representation then look elsewhere.  However, if you are alright with eating some deliciously rich, sweet and salty, inauthentic s’mores flavored pretzel pieces then look no further!

What these pieces do taste like is a heavy dose of chocolaty-cocoa mingling with some rich pretzel pieces.  The marshmallow sugary-sweet aspect is pretty darn tasty.  While the experience of eating a campfire roasted marshmallow can obviously not be captured in a pretzel seasoning, we sort of do feel like we were tasting marshmallow mixed in among the chocolate.  But, two out of three main s’mores’ ingredients is all we get.  It’s very apparent that SOH has made no huge attempt at the inclusion of graham with these.  Sure, there is honey in the mix, but graham is a powerful, and very recognizable flavor – so, how the heck can you have s’mores without graham?!  In our books, you can not!  Maybe SOH was thinking that the pretzel pieces themselves were filling that void, but they just don’t quite do it for us.  Who knows, maybe if there had been some graham thrown in this flavor equation these pieces could have been “A” list perfect?!

All that being said, in the end, these are really delicious pretzel pieces.  If you like sweet and salty, and s’mores-y, than you most certainly will like these!

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree, let us know.

Discovered at Jewel Osco; Westchester, Illinois

Snyder’s of Hanover Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

BIJOU-REVIEW: The Popcorn Factory – Buffalo Ranch Popcorn

Rating: ©©©-1/2 chips  (notable)

We’re guessing that a lot of the popcorn we eat is made at a factory, but apparently this stuff is from The Popcorn Factory.

Large, fluffy, white, almost round popcorn.

Very, very, very salty seasoning.

We do get plenty of tasty, and tangy, and slightly spicy vinegar and cayenne notes from the buffalo flavor.

As for the ranch, well, we taste flavors of garlic and onion, and there is also a good layer of rich, creaminess….BUT, that apparently comes from the inclusion of cheddar cheese?!? Huh?  Apparently, we were not aware that buffalo ranch included cheddar as well.

Either way, the “buffalo ranch” seasoning is certainly not short on flavor by any means.  Maybe a bit perplexing, and definitely over-salted (and we are self proclaimed lovers of the sodium chloride), but in the end, still pretty easy to toss back and crunch.

Popcorn discovered at Jewel Osco; Westchester, Illinois

The Popcorn Factory Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Barcel – Fuego Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©© chips  (lip-smacking)

Are these chips really new?  Or, at least newer-ish?  Or, neither, and simply retain their “new” label because it intrigues consumers?

Either way, we’ve never tried them before, despite having tried a lot of Barcel’s snacks.  As far as their potato chips go, at some point in time they went from being called Papas Toreadas to just chips with a homestyle crunch.

First, and most foremost, these potato chips are ELECTRIC RED!  Not cherry red, not candy apple red.  We’re talking blindingly, deep, bright red!  We’re not exaggerating here, are you familiar with Cheetos Flamin’ Hot?  Of course you are.  They are pretty red right?  The answer to that would be NO, not when compared to these chips.  These chips blow their timid red out of the water!

As for the chips themselves they are definitely en fuego!  They are spicy – very, very spicy.  Not necessarily linger on your tongue, and throat, and slowly burn you from the inside out spicy that the hottest chile peppers will do.  But more of an instantaneous wam-bam burn, tongue zinging burn.  An acidic burn.  Somewhere far off in the flavor distance was the lightest splash of lime.  But for the most part we are simply talking about eating very spicy, bright red potato chips.

The homestyle potato chips are crispy, medium thick fried and do the crunchy trick!

Takis discovered at Walmart; Countryside, Illinois

Barcel Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list

REVIEW: Broad Ripple Chip Co. – Sweet & Spicy Potato Chips

Rating: ©©©©© chips  (“A” list)

As if we needed any more reason than the promise of a terrific brunch at Milktooth, or the deliciously spicy iconic shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s Steak House, to make a trek to Indianapolis these days…… Broad Ripple Potato Chip Co. has possibly given the greatest reason of all: some absolutely delicious, 5-chip, “A” list, Sweet & Spicy Potato Chips!

Last year around this same time we reviewed (and very much enjoyed) Broad Ripple Chip Co.’s lip-smacking Original Potato Chips.  We explained to you how the company’s name did not actually reflect the style of potato chip as we had assumed it did, but rather was chosen as a representation of the neighborhood they are from – Broad Ripple Village in Indy.  Sounds like our kind of place!

As for the chips themselves – WOW!!  Seriously, here at Chip Review we eat a lotta-lotta….LOTTA different chips, and while many of them are very good, only a fair share of them are “A” list amazing.  And these chips are just that absolutely “A” LIST!  And yet, at the same time these potato chips taste a little different than most of the others……a little more REAL!  You know what they taste like?  Like hand made potato chips.  Like something your grandmother would have made while you were growing up (only better).  Something that simply cannot be faked, or mass produced, and exemplifies the time and effort and love required to create delicious potato chips of this quality.

Broad Ripple Potato chips are made with Russet Burbank potatoes, and we’re starting to think that they may just be the perfect potato for chipping.  Thick cut, hearty crunch, fried perfectly to a golden brown, exuding a nutty, rich, POTATO-FUL flavor!  To say that we could not stop eating these chips would be the understatement of the year.

As for the Sweet & Spicy seasoning blend, well it is the perfect Yin & Yang flavor combination to compliment the robust potato chips.  The sweet half of the flavor equation almost tastes like honey, and it pairs excellently with the rich potato flavor.  We also tasted light notes of garlic, along with a good scattering of sweet onion flakes.  As for the spicy heat, well, it is certainly no joke.  Like any great spicy seasoning worth it’s weight in chiles, this one gets it’s burn from our most favorite of them all – habanero.  The orange chili pepper delivers a ample sting on the initial crunch, and a delightfully perfect slow burn on the swallow!  Overall, this Sweet & Spicy combo was flawlessly balanced.

On the back of the potato chip bag with the cute little pug on it, Broad Ripple Chip Co. says “every step of the process is done by hand: selection, slicing, seasoning and packaging.  They are made in small batches in pure, heart-healthy canola oil and delivered fresh….We think you’ll agree that these chips are pretty, pretty good.”  Well, sorry Broad Ripple Chip Co., while we certainly do believe in all of steps you take to create these chips, we just cannot agree with your understatement that these chips are pretty, pretty good.  These chips aren’t even remotely close to pretty good, they are absolutely delicious!  Plain and simple, if we taste better chips than these this year, we would be pretty, pretty surprised!!

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think.  Agree or disagree, let us know.

Chips provided to Chip Review by Broad Ripple Chip Co. for review

Broad Ripple Potato Chip Co. Official Website

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

©©©©© – “A” list