Rochester Food Truck Rodeo!

I'm taking a quick detour away from my usual product reviews to blog about another passion of mine: food!  Food trucks have become incredibly trendy as of late, and I'm so glad that they have because I love them.  There's something about walking up and getting something amazing out of a truck--it seems like the two things should be mutually exclusive, but they most definitely are not!  This past week I went to the monthly Food Truck Rodeo that my city (Rochester) holds and I sampled an old favorite along with a few new fares.

I have been to the rodeo twice, and Le Petit Poutine is by far the most popular truck there.  Their line is always the longest, and everyone I've ever talked to has always raved about their food.  If you're unfamiliar with poutine, it's an amazing concoction consisting of a french fries base, gravy, and cheese curds.  It's a Canadian thing, and living so close to the Ontario border, I'm glad it's one that's made its way over to the States!  Above is a photo of the ladies who run it inside of their beacon  to foodies that is the green poutine truck.

And here's the poutine!  This was my second experience with Le Petit Poutine; I had previously tried their food at a different festival.  My friend Linze is the one who introduced me to them, and I had high hopes because I knew how much she loved it.  My first experience was great--the poutine was delicious and the service was fast, despite it being busy.  This time was not so wonderful.  I ordered the Bacon poutine, and as you can see in the photo above, there is no bacon.  I honestly wouldn't have even minded, except for the fact that I was charged $3 more for the bacon ($8 total for the cup, plus a $1 tip).  I went back up to the truck and explained what had happened, and was met with less-than-stellar customer service.  I ended up getting the bacon, but I was a little disappointed with how the situation was handled.  For now I'll chalk it up to just being busy (even though I'm sure they're always busy, so that isn't really an excuse).

But what about the poutine itself?!  I can't say it was as great as the first time I tried it.  It still was yummy and had great flavor, but the fries were soggy.  I really need crunchy fries to balance out the smoothness of the gravy.  I also wish that the cheese curds were a bit smaller and more spaced out instead of just on top of the fries.  It doesn't melt as well and the chunks are too big.  I want a good cheese to fries ratio without having to work for it, since I'm eating out of a takeout carton.  I'm not giving up on Le Petit Poutine after this, though, because they really do make a good product.  They have some other reviews on yelp that echo the sentiments I've expressed, so hopefully they are able to continue to improve!

Next up is this heavenly dish from Macarollin'.  I LOVE macaroni and cheese (who doesn't?!), so I was eager to try out this truck.  I had passed on them at the August rodeo because their prices seemed steep and there were others I wanted to try more, but I'm so glad I gave them the benefit of the doubt this time around!  This mac was so. damn. good!  I got the Classic mac for $9, and as I was waiting for my order I couldn't help but think, "for $9 this mac had better be life changing!"  I was not disappointed in the least.  There was no one in line besides me so the service was fast, but according to their yelp reviews they are always pretty quick at churning out orders.  I waited only as long as it took me to think out the aforementioned thought.  The first thing I noticed was how heavy the order was!  It was served in a large takeout box and I swear it was at least a full pound of macaroni (maybe more?).  Once I actually took a bite, I was transported to a very happy place.  It had four cheeses, regrettably I do not remember what they were, and breadcrumb topping.  There was also a strong pepper taste.  The noodles were just the right texture, the cheese was amazing, and overall this was just fantastic and well worth the price tag!  I will be ordering from them again for sure.

I had $1 left after the poutine, mac and cheese, and a can of soda I picked up at Macarollin', so I used it to get an Apple Cider donut from Duke's Donuts.  Their stand was across from the table I ate at, and the whole time the aroma was wafting over and filling me with longing.  I had also read rave reviews for their donuts and was surprised at how reasonably priced they were, so of course I had to get one.  This was not a bad decision.  This was the best donut I have EVER had!  It had raised sugar and a good apple cider taste.  The texture was what really got me, though--so perfectly crunchy on the outside, while being melt-in-your-mouth buttery smooth on the inside.  My boyfriend was with me and he had a little more cash left over, so I'm regretting the fact that we didn't take a dozen to go!

I love you, donut.  Just look at that sugar!  I looked up Duke's immediately when I got home and found out that they don't have a shop and are from Buffalo (about an hour away from Rochester), so I don't think I'll be able to treat myself to their buttery goodness as often as I'd like to.  But there's going to be one final rodeo of the season in October, and come rain, shine, or snow (yes, it is 100% possible that we will have snow here in October), I will be there with plenty of money to devote solely to donuts!

Bottom Line: Food Truck Rodeos are always a good time, and even if you're never going to be anywhere near Rochester, New York, I bet there are some great trucks in your area.  Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of your local trucks, and what kind of food they serve!

Superfood Snacks Review and Giveaway! [CLOSED]

I had a surprise waiting for me when I got home from work today: my bag of Superfood Snacks! I was really excited to try them because I was very intrigued by the flavor, "Brazilian Chocolate Ecstasy." I mean, come on--unless you don't like chocolate, how can you resist something that sounds so scrumptious?



I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but I do try to live a green lifestyle. I'm not the crunchiest person out there, but the more I can learn about eco-friendly companies, the better! That's why I'm so happy to be able to share Superfood Snacks with all of you. There's a lot to love about this company.

First, their snacks are certified USDA organic, gluten-free, vegan, and handcrafted from raw materials. The packaging is even biodegradable! These "Exotic Meal Replacement" snacks contain raw cacao, Brazil nuts, mango, coconut, vanilla, and more to "energize and activate your body, mind, and soul." The mango ingredient is what really caught my eye, since it's my favorite flavor of everything in the whole world.



Superfood Snacks was created to utilize ancient superfoods, such as raw cacao, that indigenous peoples across the world have prized for centuries. They wanted to understand why such ingredients were so valued, and put them to use for modern day snackers. The result--yummy treats that will help keep you feeling energized, and that I'm sure everyone will enjoy!



As you can see from the photo above, the snacks look like little cookie dough balls. I quickly bit into one after taking a minute to look at the package and ingredients list. They're soft and chewy; the texture reminded me of some other organic food bars that I've tried before. There's a little bit of crunch from the Brazil nuts, and my favorite part--of course--was the pieces of mango. The hint of chocolate combined with the nuts and fruity zing of the mango makes for one delicious snack. I would definitely take a bag of these to keep in my desk at work, since it's a lot better for me to snack on than my usual bag of chips. One serving size of two nuggets has 110 calories, 30 fat cals, 3 grams of fat, and 18 grams of carbohydrates.

The awesome folks at Superfood Snacks were kind enough to offer two free bags of Superfood Snacks in Brazilian Chocolate Ecstasy to one lucky reader! To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below (click "Read More"). IMPORTANT: You must complete all of the mandatory entries in order for your entries to count (I will check).

• Visit Superfood Snacks
• Connect with them on Facebook and Twitter

*Disclaimer: I was provided with one free bag of Superfood Snacks from the Superfood Snacks company to try and review, and two free bags are being provided by them for this giveaway. I was not monetarily reimbursed for this review, and these honest opinions are entirely my own.

Food Interlude: Candy!

All of you Birchbox-ers out there will be familiar with at least one of the products in this food interlude: the Chuao Chocolatier Firecracker bar; I'll start this candy-centric review out with that!



I was kind of jealous of the people who received a Chuao Firecracker ChocoPod in their Birchbox for November because I love chocolate! My "treat" were the Two Paper Dolls coasters...they're cute, but I can't eat them. The Firecracker bar sounded so amazingly delicious, too: as you can tell from in the photo above, it's a "Dark chocolate bar with chipotle, salt, and popping candy." That might sound disgusting to some, but oh goodness--they are absolutely delicious! I am usually not a dark chocolate fan, but the chipotle and the popping candy balance out the bitter taste of the chocolate. The popping candies are so fun, and you get a nice chipotle flavor when you swallow the chocolate. It's definitely not a bar I could eat all at once, though, since the chipotle does get a bit strong (at least, for my tastes). I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes spicy-ish foods, or candies that are a bit out of the ordinary!



The second bar, the one under the Chuao, is the Willy Wonka Triple Dazzle Caramel Bar. I bought them both at Wegmans, which is a nirvana of all grocery stores here in the Western New York area (they've expanded a bit along the east coast down to Virginia, too). I grabbed the Wonka bar because I figured that if I didn't like the Chuao, I would at least have a caramel bar to satisfy my chocolate craving. I'm glad I bought both, because they were both delicious. The Wonka bar is a pretty standard milk chocolate and caramel mixture, but its simplicity is what makes it wonderful. This is definitely the bar for the less-adventurous chocolate types.

The Wonka bar cost me $1.79, and the Chuao was $4.49 (they're $6 in the Birchbox shop, with free shipping for November). If you don't feel like waiting to have chocolate shipped to you but want to try the Chuao bar, I'd suggest checking out your local grocery store first. Or perhaps a store with higher-end foods.



Last but not least are these little cuties: Milkita Strawberry Milk Candy. I also bought these at Wegmans, but on a different shopping trip. I wanted to save the review until I had more foods to bundle with it. The whole bag (3.2 oz) only cost me something like $1.25 for 30 candies. The company is from Indonesia, I believe, and I picked these up in the International Foods section. I usually like Asian candies because they have cute packaging (each individual candy has the cow doing a different pose) and yummy sweets. These are no different! They basically taste like a strawberry creamsicle, or one of those Lifesavers Creamsavers. Don't let the "milk" part freak you out (unless you don't like the flavor of/are allergic to milk), because the combination totally works.

Bottom Lines:

• Chuao Chocolatier Firecracker: Delicious! Spicy! A little pricier, but definitely worth the indulgence once in a while. I don't recommend it to people who are more sensitive to spicy foods, though.
• Willy Wonka Triple Dazzle Caramel Bar: A milk chocolate bar filled with caramel, for simplistic chocolate lovers. Inexpensive and yummy.
• Milkita Strawberry Milk Candy: Adorable packaging, affordable, and great flavor!

Time For a Food Interlude!

From time to time I’m going to post about food on this blog, because one of the few things I love more than shopping is eating a good meal. So expect restaurant reviews and other food-related reviews, which will be titled Food Interludes.



What’s this bad boy? Well, it’s supposed to be a Breakfast Casserole. Tomorrow we’re having a production department breakfast party at work, and I volunteered to make a dish to pass. I’m not a huge cook, but I figured this would be something fun to bring. The recipe was super easy, you can view it behind the “read more” cut.

So how does it taste? I’m not sure yet! I’ll have to let you know tomorrow after work. Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks (I loooove bacon). I hope it looks good to you, too :)

Here's the recipe:

• 1/4 c. butter, melted
• 2 c. unseasoned croutons
• 2 c. onion and garlic croutons
• 2 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 2 c. milk
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
• 12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Coat a 9 x 1 x 13 inch casserole dish with vegetable spray. Place croutons in casserole dish and pour butter over croutons. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Mix milk, eggs, and mustard and pour over cheese mixture. Sprinkle bacon crumbs on top.

Bake at 325°F for about 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Serves about 8.

Recipe found on Cooks.com.