Synnful Ratings

Taco Bell New Steak Flat Bread Review

2011-08-22T23:45:00.002-04:00

Sometimes life is real strange. I hate Taco Bell, yes word is hate. The beef despite what they now claim, is a FDA in the US stated, not beef. But on a recent outing, having a girlfriend that needed a washroom, drew me in since they were the closest option. First off was a horrid Nachos supreme, not much bigger than the Wendy's new menu item and $1 more, at $2.89. What can I say, horrible chips, gross beef topping and just plain awful..definitely in my top 3 worst fast food items ever, maybe even in top ten worst food items. So I was so beyond cynical,even for me. I also bought the new steak flat bread for $1.99+ taxes, and was expecting the worst. I WAS WRONG. Admittingly, I added both hot sauce and mild sauce but this item was awesome. Oddly cheesy, and the steak was not prime grade, but was not as chewy and hard as I imagined. Finally they have an item that redeems them. Decent value and great taste, I was floored, before was only the unlimited refills of Brisk and Dr Pepper to draw me in but this is a great item, hope they keep it.

RATING: 4.5 OUT OF FIVE
even ignoring it came from Taco Hell, a great item. But considering that..this is best they can do, especially value wise.

The NEW Cheddar Baconator Review

2011-08-07T15:02:00.002-04:00

Wendy's has been a personal favorite for awhile, Maybe it's because of the square shaped patties- Melissa will not eat burgers from Wendy's, she has a fear of the shape- or maybe it's the made fresh hype. The baconator is definitely my 3rd favorite menu item, the first goes to the amazing Triple bacon deluxe and 2nd is definitely the side caesar salad. So you can imagine my excitement when presented with the prospect of a variation with real Cheddar cheese. So two days later I was off and purchased 2 of these bad boys, at $6.99 + taxes each- so around $8 with tax each. I also got some chili cheese nachos, a new $1.89 menu item.

This variation promises also a savoury steak house sauce, A1 or HP came to my mind, but I was sadly wrong, the steakhouse sauce on the 1st burger was barely there, maybe it wasn't even. The cheddar was not really strong enough to compete with the amazingly greasy patties, in fact for once the patties grease even overwhelmed the bacon. The 2nd sandwich was a polar opposite. It was way less greasy and loaded with the steak house sauce, which to me tasted like a vile kinda sour cream and ranch dressing blend. I was so wishing I had bought the regular variety instead. The ketchup and mayo combo is far greater than this hideous goopy mess. This was the second time ever I had to force down a baconator, 1st being of course a very condiment dense/skimpy triple version years ago that was also overwhelmingly greasy - again tho oddly i had tried the triple version later on and was total opposite as well.

This new baconator is bland, unimaginative and unnecessary- I all fairness I almost chose the new Ringer whopper at Bk , which I am pretty sure is a reg whopper with onion rings and i hate BK's rings.
The new baconator is at best a 2.5 out of FIVE.

Side note - the chili cheese nachos. At first the staff forgot them and if I did not double check would not have noticed. The nachos taste wise were very good but at $1.89 should be more than the salad side chips with a single scoop of chili and processed liquid cheese. 7-11 for a few cents more has similar nachos, 5 times the size and with you choice of loading up on chili, cheese and condiments.

Rating 2.5 out of Five
Good taste, horrid value

PC World of Flavours Jamaican Jerk Chicken Potato Chips

2011-07-16T15:38:00.002-04:00

A few months back I fell in love with jerk chicken, well wings at least. I had never tried them before, was kinda unnerved by the name - sadly immature there - and buy a fear of a curry-esque flavor. I despise curry. Pizza Pizza had came out with a carribean jerk fully sauced wings and it was instant love, but sadly Pizza Pizza has recently discontinued the jerk wings sauce. Fortunately I found a new Jerk fix- PC's World of Flavours chip line this year released Jamaican Jerk chicken and it was a definite hit for me.

This line in the past has had some winners, the now discontinued Italian herbs and chicken, the buffalo wings and blue cheese are both great and the odd but wvery good greek flavor was a pleasant surprise. However the General Taos, and hotdog varieties were just bad. So I had a little aprehension. It was tough to get these chips. They are almost always sold out. They are about medium heat wise but have a great tanginess to them and are extremely addictive. Another great item but hopefully it sticks around, running out of jerk options.

RATING: **** / FIVE

Doritos Second Degree and Third Degree Review

2011-07-16T15:13:00.005-04:00

Doritos have always been a favorite since my childhood, and as an adult they always hook me in with a variety of limited edition flavors, that I always have to buy. So when I heard that finally we are getting the 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burn flavours, I had to act on them and track them down. Sadly only gas stations around here have them and only in very limited quantities and in small bags.

So off to Esso I went a few weeks ago, I had heard a story from a friend, about how one of their co-workers had eaten an entire bag of 3rd degree burn for lunch and had to go home sick and to a hospital from severe burns in the mouth. This really intrigued me. But to my dismay, this day was not meant to be a blazing habanero day...as they only had 2nd degree in stock. But Blazing Buffalo, is definitely a flavour that attracts me so I bought them up. Man $1.49 now + taxes for the originally 99 cent bag of chips is insane- yeah the pic above is the American release not here. These chips definitely pack some heat, but the buffalo flavor was so tangy and had an amazing bite, I hope these stick around I thoroughly enjoyed them, they are defintely now in my top doritos releases ever. With the second degree rating I was only expecting a medium at best but man, have a few of these and the burn is pretty intense.
Rating ***** / Five. Perfection thy name is Blazing Buffalo
*************************************************************************

Now, 2 weeks had past and still no luck on the 3rd degree. Maybe I was being saved from the rumoured burnt mouth injuries. Finally however, I went to the local Husky station and they had a full stock. I noticed right away what I had long expected..
This was merely a re-release/re package of the Habenaro Heat from a couple years back..I was instantly disappointed, I had tried these before and was not so impressed. But in the interest of fairness, decided to give them another shot. They again were not so hot, in fact Melissa, a spice wimp was able to eat about half a bag of these with no issue, whilst she could only handle about 10 blazing buffalos. It seems as if they have the heat levels mixed up here. Sure the 3rd degree are decent taste wise but the heat is pretty low. All in all the 2nd degree is both hotter and more palatable. Of course this has to mean the aforementioned rumor was not true or a real lame excuse to leave work early.

RATING: *** / FIVE A complete misnomer, by no means a bad flavor but just alright.

My other net places

2011-07-11T16:47:00.003-04:00

http://violencevisceravixens.wordpress.com
http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/7369/
http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/5171/
http://www.retrojunk.com/details_articles/4689/
http://hazer772.wordpress.com/

My sites...for my love of grindhouse and shitty Hamilton Restos...

New items and things to come

2011-07-02T16:34:00.003-04:00

A lot of cool new items are coming out or out currently, here is a list of a few that caught my eye.

3rd degree burn doritos- I went to get some but was none in stock, so settled for 2nd
degree - will review later. I think the 3rd degree is just a repackage of habenero heat tho.

Pizza Pizza- a couple new items, a new chipotle wing sauce variation, new chipotle BBQ marinaded steak strips, chicken and pulled pork pizzas and toppings. 4 new Italian style sandwiches.

A&W - return of the excellent spicy momma burger, a winner from last year, but not liking the $2.79 price, was 1.99 last time around.

KFC- Wicked Stix...a few months ago I swear I saw a tv spot for these but they never came out til now...being released on July 18, these give me the impression of white meat popcorn chicken with the spicy breading.

Mcdonalds- for me this is a must - the Arctic orange chill shake...will have 1 in next week or so..definite review coming.

President's Choice - a new loaded seasoning chip line, Chipotle ranch chips- they were ok, and a new fav Jamaican Jerk chicken chips.

Some old Friends return- McRib!!!

2011-07-02T16:19:00.002-04:00

I really love the direction Mcdonalds is going this year. First was the return of the always awesome and elusive Shamrock Shake, I had 4 in the limited release time and it was as awesome as ever, But now two other elusive items have been re-released, the often sought after, almost legendary McRib and the equally elusive Arctic Orange shake. So on my way to the Ti-cats home opener, a very strange 57-20 annihilation of the Als, I had to get my 1st Mcrib in easily 5+years. Melissa strangely had never had one. I always go with no onions, and although it has been a very long time, I fell back in love with the bbqy, pickley greatness. The $3.99 price is a little much for what it is but I found myself drawn back a week later.

I had envisioned a new hybrid sandwich, as I had also discovered the return of the improved double down, apparently with less sodium. So my devious mind had dreamed up the heart attack of horrors item..the Mcribble down. So, 1 week after my reunion with the ribby awesomeness, I was running some errands- ummm ok honestly a booze run and figured the double down deserved another shot. This time was a 1000 percent better. I did not notice the lower salt content, but the 2 filets in this incarnation were crispy and very good size, unlike the 3 I had tried during the original release. But still was not very filling for this guy, so I made my way home...I live in 2 miles of pretty much everything we need to survive and thrive with, so walking is always the mode of choice. I stopped in at the Walmart at Eastgate and noticed they are also carrying the mcRib. So I had to indulge. If only I had saved my double down...the possibilities. Maybe 1 day Mcribble down will make it's ugly debut...next Friday is pay day and all.

McRib Rating: 4.5 out of 5

New Improved Double Down Rating: 4 out of 5.

Mcribble down potential- infinitesimal

Palm Bay: Key Lime Cherry Spritz

2011-05-18T12:38:00.002-04:00

Key lime, cherry, and new, Three words that automatically catch my attention. So on my trip to the LCBO today, once I made eye contact with the new offering from Palm Bay, I was drawn. I have never tried Palm Bay before now.

15 minutes ago, I opened my first can, Melissa, ever my guinea pig, tried the first sip and was repulsed. So I bravely poured it into a coke glass and chugged. My word this is a very drinkable cooler. The key lime and cherry combo is very light and refreshing and highly addictive. In the past 15 minutes I have killed 5 of the 6 I bought. Not too much in the way of buzz tho, it is a mere and boring 5 percent alcohol and all. But taste wise this is something I can really get into. Maybe even a replacement for my beloved, late Labatt Twist Shandy- May she rest in peace. The $10.95 a six pack is a little bit of a turn off. But all in all this is a great drink, very like, drinkable, sweet but not too sweet and very satisfying. A perfect summer drink for sure.

Rating 4.75 out of Five

Only issue is low alcohol content and price.

2 new prod reviews - A Pepsico double feature

2011-02-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

Ever wonder why all things ending in 'itos are bad for you? I do sometimes. Doritos again has unleashed their annual- well at least it seems - after new years New flavor promotion, this year has a twist- two choices. Onion rings and Ketchup versus the already been done, Ranch and Buffalo wings. I opted to try the onion rings and ketchup as this combo is a drunken guilty pleasure of mine. I figured loving the combo of onion rings and ketchup coupled with being a life long Doritos fan that I would be in for my version of flavor ecstasy. Was I ever wrong. Bored was more like it. I did not detect much onion ring flavor at all, nor ketchup. These were like a boring, bland generic rip off of Doritos more than anything. I have not tried the other variety but am certain that it is better than this flavor or lack there of. Run far far away.
Rating : 1 out of Five.

I love limited time products, but especially the pop variety. For years I had heard American bloggers brag about Pepsi throwback and even Mountain Dew throwback, but until now we could not get Pepsi - there are a few variety stores in downtown Hamilton that carry basically any American pop, thus I had tried Mountain Dew throwback already and was not so impressed- but they never had Pepsi. I found a 12 pack at Walmart at $5.49 + taxes mark up and was not too impressed. But man did the can appearance alone bring back memories. Even more so was the crisper, smoother taste, definitely the added vanilla shines thru. I absolutely adored this pop. I love the way the 80's retro products seem to be the new trend and hope to see more soon.

Rating : 5 out Of Five.

Almost made me forget I am a Coke man all the way

Mary Browns : Hot chicken Sandwich Review

2011-01-30T19:58:00.002-05:00

The new MAry Brown's flyer came out this week, and what a great bunch of coupons it includes, several $4+ items for $1.99, among those was the hot chicken sandwich, which had intrigued me since I first laid eyes on their menu. Now hot chicken can be done bad, very bad- see KFC's now defunct homestyle snacker, but it is something that every know and then I find myself craving and is hard to find nowadays. One can argue that I could always make my own and all..but well lazy. So I redeemed the coupon last night in the middle of my beer run and excitedly rushed home with my new find.
When I first opened the white stryofoam container I was slightly disappointed with the little amount of gravy that I saw on the bread, there was a lot of dry white bread, but I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised by the good amount of chicken and gravy inside. The bread was excellent, as far as white bread goes and the warm gravy and nicely shredded chicken were the perfect comfort food combination. I really wished there was more of this sandwich. In fact right now I am debating the trek back again. Just a perfect winter comfort food. Too bad about the regular price tho, $4.99+ taxes is too steep for this.

Rating 4.5 out of 5

Pizza Pizza Fully Sauced Wings Again: A new Flavor arises

2011-01-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

So it turns out Pizza Pizza has taken their fully sauced wings promo from being merely a test item in the Hamilton area to a full time addition to their menu. And I for one shockingly am a big fan. As you may have read below I really enjoy these wings and at the 50 cents a piece special, have really over indulged. Yeah kinda forgot about the diet there. Not only are they now chain wide but to celebrate they also rolled out a new flavor as well, Amarillo Chipotle. Not sure what makes the flavor so specific to Amarillo but having a love for Chipotle in general, they were a must try. Again of course I went with well done- this is really the key with these. I also went with 10 cinnfully hot again, which were strangely really hot this time, although I am still pretty sure it's just franks Xtra hot...I am a spice wimp after all. The chipotle flavor was kind of on the bland side, like a store brand bbq sauce and nothing really stood out about it. In fact of the new sauces, now that I am very well versed in them, this has to be the weakest. It's not by any means a horrible sauce and all but it is just bland really. In the future I will definitely stick with either the 40 Creek BBQ, which has grown to be my favorite, or the Jerk, which was a very pleasant surprise.

Rating: 2.5 Out of 5
Dull sauce, decent wings

Virtual Console Review: Orge Battle 64

2010-12-15T19:55:00.001-05:00

Tactics games, have always been a draw for me, Final Fantasy Tactics was my favorite game. Was is the optimal word, a few months back I had extra wii points and had found a game on the virtual console that not only clearly laid foundation for the tactics genre but also created the story line for FF tactics. I knew nothing of Ogre Battle and it's series, but after this title, not only understood the influence it has on all the following titles, but fell for it's battle system. Much like FF tactics, it is about a noble man, whom grows up and questions his place in the world, and realizes, that his status and the churches, are being manipulated by darker, outside forces. Again much like FF tactics, which clearly stole from this game. The theme of religion corrupting the world and ignoring the plights of the common man. So within your quest, you choose the path of the revolution...but SPOILER ALERT- your original answers, at the game start, determine your ending..no matter what their alignment was. I beat the game with a dark alignment..and thus so, became lost in time...But I will so replay and prove otherwise.

Rating: 5 out of 5 a perfect port of a great game..my new fav game of all time..move over FF Tactics..this is way better

Mcdonalds Crannberry Mc Nugget sauce

2010-12-15T19:43:00.003-05:00

I love chicken Mcnuggets...I love their ads, especially at Hallowe'en. I love Mc BBQ sauce, so when McNuggets, for the 2nd time this year, had new dipping sauces, last time was the dreadful schezwan, which tasted like bad soy sauce, and mango, which was sickly sweet...I had given up on the special flavors. Honestly since they changed to pure white meat..only BBQ sauce appealed to me, before was sweet & sour and the wife loves the plain honey, which I find as too sweet for the meat. So for the holidays, in Ontario Canada, we have been granted, 2 more sauces, the 1st cranberry, which I recently tried and tasted too much of sweet and cinnamon and a radioactive looking sour apple, that I can not bring myself to try. The cinnamon was very overpowering and did not really work - at least for me- with the mcnugget taste- altho admittingly this batch was really dominated by the dirty corn oil taste, so much so I almost sent them back., but again this was a Walmart location, so it's expected to be lower grade.

Pizza Pizza Test Market: Fully sauced Breaded Wings

2010-12-15T19:02:00.004-05:00

I really don't like Pizza Pizza wings..especially the gross soggy classic style.So when I noticed Pizza Pizza is test marketing wings in the Hamilton area at 50 cents a piece, I was reluctant but intrigued. And with some minor adjustments was very pleased. My first encounter was the day they were released..and of course it was predictably bad...soggy and barely sauced. But I gave it another try..I always order online, as Pizza Pizza outsources to Bangladesh, so phone orders come out really wonky. I requested well done wings, in the special instructions of my delivery order, - note to Pizza Pizza- why is not well done a choice for wings.- So as of last night, I have finally tried all the Fully Sauced flavors- from our test market, so I feel I can comment on their quality.

#1 best of the best : but for all flavors this is a vital comment, well done is a must, otherwise it is a soggy mushy mess. But for me of the new flavors, note they do not allow their awesome mild sauce as a choice- The best of the fully sauced flavours- btw I have yet to get the fully sauced, but understand complaining for credit on not fully sauced is pathetic and will result in equally lame credit- but I digress...#1 was by far the sesame, teriyaki. A nice blend of sweet and tangy...works well with the breading, #2 was Sweet chili thai, a sweet and spicy blend, sure a lot of places carry this but Pizza Pizza has perfected it. #3 was 40 creek Barbecue, a lot like Jack Daniels BBQ, except it worked with wings..where Jack's was more Rib suited. #4 was a shock to me, Jamaican Jerk- an awesome blend of spice and citrus and definitely addictive to those who don't mind the medium spice, having never tried jerk before, I was pleasantly surprised. The honey garlic was the orange hued variety not black, and my wife sweared by it, I found it a decent try and my 5th place of the 6, it was just alright....ok admittingly I don't like sweet wings. The final flavor was a miss spelled cinfully hot....okay, let be honest, it's regular Franks red hot...and as per such..was boring. So in closing,

I hope these wings do stay around and at the 50 cents a piece in this test market, as long as the franchisees are not cheap and follow the fully sauced promotion..btw.. in this review period over 1 month...the fully sauced metric was meant only 30 percent of the time- again this is cheap franchisees in my area- But a must to order is well done...it makes for a great taste..if not...well be prepared for soggy, slimy underdone food.

Oh Pizza Pizza, we have a connection, in both that you used to make the party sized pies in the '80's that made me fall in love with pizza, but are now a joke... but you have made great secondary products, like these wings and the even better chicken bites. and for other reasons I cannot disclose here......We will definately add Mr Overs to our prayers...he passed in March and was a visionary in his creation of a great company, with many innovations, but I have to note, that Pizza Pizza has been outsourcing to 3rd world countries, in the last few months, so for good orders, much like anywhere else..order online.

Fully sauced wings, if you make it every where, and well done ...you have earned a rating of 4.87 out of 5.

A doubled down disappointment

2010-10-31T20:53:00.002-04:00

Brock Lesnar and KFC Canada, normally no comparison, Brock is an athlete and
in perfect conditioning. So why, oh why would I make the comparison.
They are both all hype. Last Night we saw Brock's mythos come to an end, and last Monday
for me ended the double down mythos. I love KFC, -read my previous posts-,
so when I read Double down was coming here, a countdown started and I was elated.
Too bad it was countered with a small, sloppy, undersized opponent.

First off, having spoken to several people whom had swore by, and loved the American
counter part, but had tried the Canadian version, I realized, this was under sized.
My 3 double downs were very much like the 3 bears mythos, small, smaller and
smallest. In the US these were $4.99, A little pricey, but here at a whopping
$6.99 each, were a sad, greedy disaster, I had bought 3. For same money, for a family of
4, on their own coupons was a 15 piece meal, with all the fixings- 3 large
salads, xlarge fries and family gravy. Much better than the double down.
But size wise, was 2 very small filets, think either boxmaster or fresh sandwich,
either cut in half or the smallest filets that never met the grade, with some
sub par bacon- very close to the Maple leaf reheated variety- some oddly
unmelted cheese- pepper jack apparently- and a zesty 1000 island dressing.

It was very badly made and very soggy and greasy, too bad too, if you want a good sandwich stick with the fresh sandwich- also reviewed here. It is a good size, less soggy and the pepper mayo goes far better than the Colonel's secret sauce.

Rating : 1 out of 5
* note this was written several weeks ago

A creation: The Royal Gangbang Sandwich

2010-08-12T13:48:00.002-04:00

If you have read back I loved the Mcgangbang, a sandwich created seemingly on the internet combining a double cheese burger and Mcchicken. But I became curious if the Burger King version would be any good. So feeling a need to clog my arteries a little more and undo the 90 minutes a day I have been putting in at the gym, I found myself in Burger King on Sunday around 10pm.

Since it was double whopper junior day-$1.99, I decided to go with this as the burger part, for the chicken, I went with a value item, the Spicy Chicken Crisp -$2.39, which I had tried before but had found bland. I omitted tomatos as usual from the whopper junior. and decided again to remove the bottom buns and throw the sandwiches together.

This thing was huge...much bigger- and pricier- then the Mcgangbang, but i was still able to maneuver around it. And it was very good, shockingly. A little heavy on the salt but otherwise was a very good combination. I think I actually prefer this to the Mcdonalds version shockingly.

Rating 5 out of Five
Heart stoppingly good...literally

Another Energy Drink review: Amp Energy Juice

2010-08-12T13:35:00.002-04:00

Nos was the first energy juice I can recall, at least here in Ontario, and admittingly I am a big fan. The Amp line and me also have a bit of history, I have tried several flavors and admittingly disliked them all, the citrus one, that I had hoped would be a clone of Dew fuel, was one of the worst energy drinks I have ever had...Franks would be the worst. So I was torn, loved the blend of juice and caffeine/taurine of Nos and it's like but hated the Amp brand. So on a recent trip to Walmart I decided to give it a go. I went with the mixed berry variety, $2.99+ taxes- for 355ml!!!!, same cost as a 500ml bottle of Nos. I opened it and immediately became concerned that it was strawberry- which I am allergic too- but reluctantly I gulped it down...more like forced it down. The consistency was much like regular orange juice with pulp still in- which I like- however the taste was like brushing your teeth and then drinking some bad berry blend right after. It had a horrible bitterness to it with a hint of sweet. It was awful. It didn't even have much of an energy kick.

Rating: 1 out of Five

Bad, just bad, and the price and lack of kick make this unforgiveable.

Rockstar Punched Tropical Punch

2010-08-12T13:23:00.002-04:00

Since you left, I have often thought of you, sometimes I even yearn for your pinkish color, your strong fizzy bite and sweet, sweet taste. It's been so long....

Of course, in the creepy above anecdote, I was referring to my beloved but very missed and very much deceased Tahiti Treat, my favorite of all pops, hell maybe even one of my favorite drinks ever. I never thought I would taste one again until about a month ago, when I read in a blog that Rockstar's new product in the PUNCHED line was exactly the same taste wise. So I knew I had to seek out this new, more attractive love.

I found the Tropical punch PUNCHED at a local Esso station for $3.99+ taxes for a 695ml, without a second thought I bought it and excitedly left the station with my new love in tow. As soon as I was out that door it was open and I was chugging it back. Immediately my tongue made love to an old mistress, but it was not quite the same. But was it ever close. It was a little less sweet than Tahiti Treat but definitely was from same ingredients/flavor blends. This may also be slightly off with the addition of caffeine, which was a nice change.

This will never fully replace my old love but it is still a good place holder, until the one day she comes back.

Rating: 5 out of Five

A new classic is born

NewfoundLand Screech Review

2010-07-19T17:14:00.003-04:00

So following on the current theme of the perfect Friday-Payday-day off- of last few posts, before I ventured to my experience at Mary Brown's, I stopped off at the LCBO, in search of a better, cheaper tequila. Tequila is really one of my favorite all time beverages, and when ever I am having a day of self-indulgence, it is my number one choice, number 2 being Bacardi's amazing 151. But I was really cynical on spending $30 on a 26er, so I searched out a cheaper alternative.

Many, many times I have passed Screech in the LC and it always stands out, I guess the label really works but I have never even considered it, despite various blue noser and Newfie friends swearing by it and exchanging stories of quote Being Screeched In. So I decided to give it a try rather reluctantly, basically because the 26er was $23.95.

Now I was not sure as to what to expect, and the few expectations I had were very low, but surprisingly I really enjoyed the first - well shot, well chug out of a 1/2 litre beer mug, more like quadruple at the least. It had the nicely sweet, rum flavor that is infused in the home made rum balls, it was not nearly as light taste wise as Captain Morgans or Bacardi. And it had a great kick to it. Sadly I finished the bottle in one sitting, but mind you, I still found myself wanting something a little more after.

Screech is now going to be one of my rotations for my self indulgence days, I definitely recommend you try it, if you have not already.

Rating: 5 out of Five

Mary Brown's Pub Style Wings Review

2010-07-19T16:59:00.003-04:00

A few months ago our local Fast Eddies had gone into a quote renovation stage, but a month after that sign was posted it was revealed that it was no longer going to be a Fast Eddies-BOOOOO- but a Mary Brown's. We have never had a Mary Brown's in Hamilton area and I had only had it once in my life time- i think I was about 8, I was more than a little curious. After a mediocre experience on the opening day, I decided I had to return again, the pub style wings really caught my attention.

So, being the same Friday mentioned in the previous post, and likely the one that will follow this sadly, and being a little hungry still after KFC, since Mary Brown's is on our walk home, we stopped by and picked up some ummm..apres lunch.

I ordered the 10 piece Pub style wings, 7.99+ taxes, about the standard pricing for fast food or pizza joint wings, I had went for the hot variety. I love hot wings but I am still kind of a light weight when it comes to heat tolerance but was hoping for something between 2nd and 3rd degree burn. - Hey I admit it I am no wing expert, if you want to read a great blog about wings check out the Wing King at
http://lordofthewings.blogspot.com/ a very entertaining and insightful wing blog-
So since our Mary Brown's has no seating we walked home, it takes around 7 minutes. I opened my bag at home and first noticed the wings were in one of those black plastic containers with the clear tops, kinda like Swiss Chalet uses, I have no idea why companies use them, they trap moisture on the top and it leaks back down into the food. Along side was some carrots and celery, as well as 2 white mystery dips...which turned out to be ranch. I hate ranch dressing, it would have been nice to have some alternative. The wings themselves were very soggy, which no doubt was slightly caused by the poor packaging choice. The hot sauce was barely a mild tang, had more of a citrus kind of tart to it, with a hint of sweet. By no means was the sauce horrible, but it was definitely misnamed. The wings themselves are clearly frozen- no surprise- and the meat was very bland and texture was very unappealing. Melissa had a bite of one only and that was all for her.

By no means are they the worst wings I have ever had, and that is a sad statement, but they are not pub style, soggy and reminded me a lot of the baked wings from Double Double Pizza Chicken.

Rating : 1.5 out Five

KFC: Boxmaster Review

2010-07-19T16:04:00.002-04:00

Ahh..KFC, my version of ambrosia, my favorite all time fast food place, that also carries 3 of my favorite fast food items of all time. A month ago, we received a flyer with some random coupons and in the bottom corner was a slightly unclear pic of a new item, from the clarity I appeared to be my must try double down, but in a pita...man was I ever wrong. 2 weeks ago I was booked off on a Friday..a very rare occurance indeed, made even more rare by being payday, And since it had been a long time since I had something that wasn't either homemade or pizza, I made KFC my first destination. I was so happy to see the new mystery item was available, but was a little forlorn that it was not a modified double down, but a chicken filet and a hashbrown. I still went ahead and bought two $5.99+taxes each, and of course a 20 piece chicken fries. It took about ten minutes to make but my first surprise was how large this thing is, it comes sealed in a box-thus the name- which btw has a very pornographic sound to it- the chicken filet was very large and the hashbrown was the standard grocery store premade variety. I was less then impressed, also included was tomatos-which i removed- some cheddar cheese, lettuce and the very awesome pepper mayo. But looks were definitely deceiving, this was an amazing wrap, the filet was perfectly crispy and definitely went well with the pepper mayo and surprisingly the hashbrown was a nice little touch. Only thing that seemed a little off was the cheese, it was very salty and didn't really work for me. What can I say I love this wrap and definitely will make it a regular item for as long as it is around. Melissa was not impressed by it at all, she found it kinda bland but hey what does she know.

Another great new item, hope it sticks around.
Rating 4.75 out of Five

Top 3's: my list of various items

2010-06-28T14:56:00.002-04:00

So I decided as a change of pace and to give you a gauge of my ratings to do a top 3:

Fast Food Burger:

1. Wendys: The baconator, not so much the triple, it was kinda over kill but in it's original format

2. Mcdonalds: The big Mac- if arch deluxe was still running, it would have this place, but regardless I still get Big Mac attacks frequently

3. Burger King: The Big king: Monday's special, a cheaper big mac version, but still very good and very satisfying.

Honorable mention: The now deceased Fast Eddies triple classic, 3 patties, mayo, pickles and ketchup with lettuce..will never forget me and my brother's contest on the way to Niagara with 6 of these and they were $1.49+ tax each

Chain Pizza:
this is an over all

1. Ginos...yes Gino's, I'm shocked too, but in my area, order a bacon, ground beef and cheddar pie and be ready for heaven. Besides that they are the most consistent chain on this list

2. Pizza Nova... again this goes by my current area, never had a bad pie, has some great different toppings- asiagao, and chorizo, and always been a good alternative, despite being a little pricey

3. Sadly.. Pizza Pizza...in My area the dominos is bad, Boston pizza delivery is unforgiveably bad and Pizza hut is alright. Pizza Pizza in this case is best of the worst, although watch out for hair from the Queenston location and really bad service.

Honorable mention: Dominos but only if it's the downtown Main and John location, great food and service but don't deliver here...way too far.

Wings:
again over all

1. The Fool and Flagon: what with 64 flavours, most in town, excellently crispy and decent price....bar none best in town

2. Leghorns: Honey hot wings, regular not breaded, awesome wings, well made and decent price but a bad location...still haven't tried Leghorn style- covered in fresh garlic

3. Red Rockets: only decent delivery wings in this area, they need an eat in place, all varieties I have tried were great, but breading succumbs to the sauces. Still some great wings, but a little over priced

Honorable Mention: The Crazy Clover: great wings, now 12 variations but inconsistent depending on whom made them

Subs:

1. Pane Del Sole Italian Bakery: sure not in my area anymore, but from assorted, to pizza to meatball absolute perfection in every bite and awesome value...almost the cheapest in the city.

2. The Crazy Clover: Great BLT subs, best ever, decent assorted, great selection, pizza sub is very similar to #3's but they never seem to have pepperoni to make pizza subs, again great prices.

3. Super Sub: In Dundas, where I grew up, owners have changed but last trip was still the same,best Pizza sub ever besides, Subway or Mr Sub- well before Mr Sub stopped serving pineapple- again a great price and be sure to try the kebabs...heaven on a stick.

honorable mention: Subway but only at centennial and Barton, bad service, real bad and slow but great pizza subs.

Eat In Casual Dining:

1. would be Caseys at Limeridge but closed so: Swiss Chalet at queenston: good service, good food, good price but bad seating, it was made for short and thin people

2. The Fool and Flagon: quick service, great wings, bad fries, but awesome decor and very good prices

3. Fox and the fiddle at limeridge: Massive portions- especially nachos, was enough for a team of sorts, good service and decent mains, price wise was pretty good too.

Honorable Mention: Crabby Joes at Centennial, had it not been for 1 visit no service at all after 30 mins during the 8'o clock hour, and a time when I ordered fire and ice wings and got hot...might be in top 3....love the fire and ice wings

Best chicken by product:

1. KFC chicken fries, dip these in their honey mustard and you have found heaven, So glad they came back

2. Mcdonalds: Chicken Mcnuggets, before the change to real meat, I had always loved the sweet and sour sauce with bbq being a close 2nd. New blend BBQ rules all, unless you are Melissa then it's straight honey.

3. Pizza Pizza: Chicken bites, wow what can I say, they found a winner, me and Melissa are torn on the best dip, I go for mild, it's more of a medium sauce, she loves chili thai.

Honorable Mention: apparently popeyes, altho never tried the nuggets, I have to go with Limeridge malls KFC the best ever, it carries not only the amazing kentucky nuggets, but chicken littles and zesty melts and several other discontinued KFC items and even sells the Colonel Banks

Best Premium Fast Food burger:

1. A surprise: and this is me and Melissa agreeing: A & W : the uncle burger with bacon and cheese, we had a coupon, only reason we would have tried this...and it was to die for, the sirloin not angus like most others, was very succulent and it was perfectly garnished, but price point is a little high

2. BK the steakhouse burger: I bought the lower grade one without the A1 sauce and this is a damn good burger but wayyyyyyyyyyy over priced

3. Mcdonalds Angus: with real cheddar and bacon, man a great try but way too much price wise

Best New Food item PERIOD:

1. Fortinos: yes, Fortino's our local grocery store run by PC, which is way over priced, but their $5.25 chicken Caesar wrap, took the title easily from the now dead Chester fried as best Caesar wrap ever, and also takes my #1 as my best new find.

2. Popeye's: Delta Mini, the Popeye's on Queenston is bad for over charging and here and again quality but every time the Delta mini, in it's spicy big mcsauce inspired glory is always a great choice...a great sandwich and good value.

3. KFC: the Fresh Sandwich: well now our launch of a new KFC sandwich, that looks a lot like a double down in a wrap sans bacon may end up stealing this spot, but the fresh sandwich, with its peppery mayo goodness and fresh condiments was definitely a hit.

Honorable Mention: Wendy's: the triple baconator, one was meh, the other one, awesome, 3 patties, 3 cheese slices- hear that BK, and 9 slices bacon, a perfect bit of heart attack.

Beer : Best way to get F'ed up quickly and cheaply:

1. Faxe 10...a few years back would be the deceased Lucky Max 10 or Black Bull
but MAD had their way ....still if you are going for the simple fact to get f'ed up faxe 10 at 10% per 500ml and $3.05 at beer store and $3.15 at the LC is the way to go

2. Colt 45, Max Ice, Red Bull or Old English or the returning Bull Max: Only for their volume, altho Colt 45 will always have a special place in my heart, at between 7.0 to 7.1 these are a good choice for a quick and cheap buzz

3. Molson XXX: sure at $20.50 is a little higher than the rest but taste wise is far better and the 7.3 % alcohol gives a nice kick

NOTE: ALCOHOL IS TO BE CONSUMED RESPONSIBLY: WE AT SYNNFUL RATINGS DO NOT PROMOTE NOR ADVISE IN THE IRRESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION OF ABOVE SAID BEVERAGES NOR ANY OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES. THIS IS AN ADULT CHOICE AND BE SO WHEN DECIDING TO CONSUME AND NEVER EVER OPERATE A MECHANICAL VEHICLE ONCE UNDER THE INFLUENCE, IT'S NOT COOL AND YOU WILL END UP DEAD OR IN JAIL SHOULD YOU EVER CHOOSE TOO.

Subway Pizza Sub review

2010-06-22T21:46:00.003-04:00

Ever since Subway came to Ontario, I believe it was 1987, I have always ordered this sub, it for me is the quintessential pizza sub, maybe even the best sub I have ever had, definitely from a chain at least. So today I had finally gotten my free $5 subway gift card from the Frito Lay chip trip promotion, it took nearly 3 months and all. So being burnt out from some pretty hardcore partying I needed something substantial and satisfying and since said card arrived I got the dog ready and motivated Melissa and off we were.

Now my local Subway at Centennial and Barton, always has fresh bread and food wise is always very good, however the service leaves a lot to be desired. It is always slow and often very rude. So of course the server although very pleasant, took a very long time to greet me and take my order, like 5+minutes. I ordered the pizza sub and had an inspirational moment and decided to get the chipolte sauce as well as pizza sauce. I absolutely am enamored with the subway chipotle sauce, I really want to buy a bottle so i could put it on everything. I also added hot peppers, green peppers, green and black olives and pickles, with the Italian herb and cheese bread. Not shockingly this was a great mix. I love the way the chipotle mixed with the pizza sauce and pepperoni, Subway by far has the best pepperoni of all time. Even Melissa whom was a doubter fell completely in love with this wonderous creation. From now on this is how I will always order it. I can't believe that you could actually improve something so amazing to start.

Rating: 5++++++ out of Five
Beyond perfection

Popeyes' Wicked Chicken Review

2010-06-22T21:33:00.003-04:00

A lot of food bloggers have reviewed the wicked chicken lately and raved about its awesomeness, so on a hot Monday morning after Melissa's meeting, we had found ourselves in the area of Eastgate so I had to stop in.

My first issue was the price, at $6.99+ taxes I was less than impressed. But remember it comes with that cool mini tobasco bottle right?? Yeah about that, I wasn't expecting anything epic in size and all but the damn thing was maybe an inch and a 1/2 tall and was barely a dash of sauce in it. I tried the ranch side dip as well and it was absolutely horrible, keep in mind tho I despise anything ranch or ranch related besides cool ranch doritos. The chicken itself was also a big let down, although there was a lot more of it than I had anticipated. But it was bland, greasy and very disappointing.....For the same money I could have gotten the 20 pieces of chicken fries at KFC which are far better, but in all fairness the KFC chicken fries are my all time favorite fast food item ever.

So Popeyes wicked chicken? wickedly disappointing...the fries were okay and the biscuit was excellent as always.

Rating: 2 out of Five.

Go with the delta sandwich or chicken meal instead...or better yet KFC for chicken fries.

Ginger Ale Kit Kat

2010-06-03T23:29:00.004-04:00

The Japanese have a strange sort obsession with the Kit Kat bar. No other culture in the world has more varieties and stranger varieties then Japan. I have read a lot about these over the years but never had the chance to try them until recently when a Japanese candy store opened in Jackson Square.

I noticed, much to my chagrin, they only had 3 kinds in stock, Royal Milk Tea, which I purchased- I may review later - Strawberry - which I am possibly allergic to - and ginger ale, which sounded pretty gross. But I decided what the hell, and bought the ginger ale flavor as well. Price wise, these were pretty brutal, $2.59+ taxes each. And also to my surprise, within the fair sized box was only two small, single packaged bars, not like we have here, more like the Hallowe'en sized packs.

Up until this point I was severely disappointed, that is until I opened the little pack, inside was two sticks, formed together in the regular Kit Kat fashion, but was white chocolate...I love white chocolate. These gave off a nice smell of lemon and a hint of ginger. Now after trying them, I have to say I have found a new love. The ginger ale taste is a big underplayed but a very nice and kind of sweet lemon / lime accent, and the bar strangely has a fizzy texture. I really loved this bar, So did Melissa, in fact since then, whenever we have gone back to Jackson, we always find ourselves picking these up.

Rating 4.98 out 5
My only issue is price with these. At first it seemed like a kind of novelty item, but this is definitely something I will crave and eat for as long as I can get them. A very different and very tasty alternative.

Bring These Back Already : A List Of Dead or Discontinued Products.

2010-06-02T14:04:00.002-04:00

So after the last posting I found myself missing and yearning for a few of the items lost to time or that are no longer available in my market, So here's hoping that this list and countless other blogs and facebook groups may succeed and bring these back or at least to Ontario.

Cherry Coke or Cherry Coke Zero- we have so little diet pop options, come on already.

Vanilla Coke or Vanilla Coke Zero - Another of my top 3 pops ever and yep discontinued.

Diet Mountain Dew- Again we need more Diet Options

Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper- the best of the flavored Dr Peppers IMO

Berries and Cream Dr Pepper- another excellent variety

Code Red Mountain Dew - I miss the cherry goodness, loved the bite

Diet Barqs- again with the diet products

Barqs Cream Soda - best cream soda ever

Carribean Cool Brisk Iced Tea - Best Iced Tea ever- PERIOD

Tahiti Treat - my all time favorite pop

Cheerwine - Cheapies used to sell it but not anymore...

Cherry 7-up or diet cherry 7-up - been a very long time

Canada Dry Lemon - the 3rd best ginger ale ever

Schweppes Raspberry Ginger ale : 2nd best ginger ale ever

PC Candy Cane Egg Nog - the best nog ever, sadly only lasted 1 season

KFC buttermilk bread
- was always given to you steaming hot, was so amazing with a bit of KFC gravy

McDonalds XLT - a Walmart exclusive burger, was basically the MCDLT revived.

McDonalds Arch Deluxe - just a great burger

McRib - a limited time item that never seems to come back here

Shamrock Shake - We lucked out in the mid 2000's and had this for a whole Spring season...but sadly has never been seen again

McPizza - I fell in love with this a few weeks before it was discontinued

A & W Cream Soda - was so amazing on tap- almost made A&W worthwhile

Boo Berry and Yummy Mummy - again its been years...

Count Chocula - Newly delisted in Ontario, at least my region...

Seagrams Lemon Whiskey - has been delisted since I was 19, always loved it when underage drinking

Lays Caesar Salad Chips - another limited time item I got hooked on

Fast Eddies - The last one in Hamilton is now being made into a Mary Browns

The Empress of China - was bought out and made into Chan's a by far inferior buffet

King's Buffet Medium Buffalo Chicken - a great item that vanished a few months back, I would go to Kings just to have it.

Gatorgum - Gatorade flavored gum, loved both Orange and Lemon lime varieties

Orbitz - I actually loved the vanilla and orange flavor, I miss those little flavor balls

O'Gradys - they came in 2 varieties - Sour cream and onion and Sour cream and bacon, perfect potato chips

Doritos La Salsa - one of the best flavors ever

Will make a second part in near future, suffering from mild writers block.

PC Thick Cut Ballpark Hot Dog Flavour Rippled Potato Chips

2010-06-02T13:45:00.002-04:00

I always look forward to the Presidents Choice Insider report, In the past it has brought some amazing items such as the Candy cane egg nog(R.I.P.), the amazing red pepper and pepperoni calzones(see review in my archives), and the decadent cream cheese and salsa dip. So when I was absolutely elated when I received the Summer 2010 edition in my inbox. I quickly scanned thru it and noticed a new item that brought back a lot of memories. In the 1990's, Humpty Dumpty chips were experimenting with a variety of new and very different flavors, The best of which were the cheeseburger- which tasted exactly like a big mac-, the Pizza Pizza flavor, and the hot dog. Sadly they were all limited time flavors- I hate when companies do this- and have never had re-release. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the above. So being a Sunday morning and having to work at 1pm, I got Gal- our dog- and Melissa ready and walked to our local Fortinos.

When I arrived at Fortinos- this was the May 24 weekend keep in mind- all the chips were badly picked over and at first I could not find any Hotdog. But after an exhausting search- kay I exaggerate- I came upon the last bag. $1.89 + tax. So we hurridly rushed home, so I could make it to my PC- I work remotely- and so I could have a form of lunch beforehand. These chips are supposed to combine the tastes of hotdogs, mustard and dill pickle relish. However the only real flavor to stand out for me was imitation smoke of the hot dog. The more of these I ate, the more I grew to dislike them. I didn't pick up any trace of mustard or relish at all. Strangely though, Melissa, whom said the whole idea was wrong and sounded gross, really enjoyed these.

RATING 2.5 OUT OF 5
I hope someone gets the idea to bring back Caesar Salad chips from the '90's that Lays put out.

Wendys Chipotle Boneless wings

2010-06-02T13:33:00.002-04:00

Lately there seems to be a big buzz in the world of food bloggers about the newest flavor of boneless wings at Wendy's, so after noticing a lack of Canadian input and having a love of chipotle and a love of trying new things, off to Wendy's I went. I ordered the wings a la carte, $5.99 + taxes. First thing I noticed was they were nearly identical to the honey bbq variety I had tried awhile back, there was a hint of heat to the smell but was mainly a generic bbq sauce aroma. Now of course as you are very likely aware, these are not wings at all but more like a rib or breast meat chicken nugget, the meat was very good and the breading held up well under the sauce. Now the highlight here is supposed to be the chipotle sauce, correct? Well the sauce was barely a medium heat wise and was sadly just a generic sweet bbq sauce with a touch of chipotle powder. By no means were they horrible, but however they weren't good either. Average definitely comes to mind. There are so many better and cheaper options out there.

Rating 2.9 out of Five.

An Update

2010-05-22T17:20:00.002-04:00

Be sure to check in frequently, I am going to be investing more time into this very soon, some reviews to come are Vex on the Beach, Wendy's spicy chipotle wings, and 2 lays flavors. As well don't forget to check out my sister blog at hazer772.wordpress.com, i have recently updated and will be doing so more frequently soon. Thanks for all your readership.

Woody's Saparilla Review

2010-04-21T17:42:00.003-04:00

On my Monday trip to the LCBO, I stumbled upon two new products from Woody's. Woody's and I, and well most coolers in general, have a very bad love - hate relationship, but the two new types really seemed appealing, 1st was the sasparilla and the other one appears to be cream soda, in appearance and packaging, however there was no flavor listed strangely. So I picked up a single 330ml ($2.50). I was less than enthralled at the price to start. But still I knew I had to try this. Damn compulsions.

So after leaving it in the freezer a couple of hours and adding it to a glass of ice, I was very pleasantly surprised by the strong old time root beer flavor, with just a touch of alcohol in the background. It reminds me a lot of the old rootbeer schnappes that Dr Miligilicuttys used to make in the 90s but with way less booze bite. At only 5 percent alcohol, there is little to minimal buzz for myself but I really enjoyed this cooler. I don't think I would buy it too often tho, altho a 4 pack for $9.95 is pretty much standard, there are better value drinks that have a better kick. But still as a hot summer day indulgence, this is a good fit.

Rating 4 Out Of Five

Now I have to try to cream soda

McGang Bang Review

2010-04-21T16:17:00.002-04:00

The Mcgangbang is one of those supposed secret menu items that are thrown around the internet, and I was definitely intrigued by the concept. It is comprised of a double cheese burger and a mcchicken thrown together. Now the concept seemed a little vile but I so had to try this.

So on a recent trip to walmart, Melissa and I had finally gone for it, well a variation. We got mcdoubles, the $1.39 variation of the double cheeseburger and the $1.39 jr chicken. I also removed the bottom buns from both sandwiches, and stuck the meat together. 1st thought was how thick the sandwich was, it was surprisingly very tall, but still no match for my huge mouth. I have to say, our variation was extremely good, so good that we each bought another one directly after. The double burger matches very nicely with the chicken patty, and the mayo and burger condiments are a perfect match. My only issue was the after taste was pure salt, which made me seriously wonder as to how much sodium I had just ingested. Melissa on the other hand, being back to chain smoking felt the need to add a pack of salt to it. This is a very good sandwich, almost too good, but the unhealthiness of it is completely horrifying.

Rating: 4.95 Out of 5

Definitely a new favorite and I so recommend trying...but a heart attack waiting to happen. The other small issue was the debate of what to do with two bottom halves of buns.

Canada Dry : White Tea Ginger ale with Raspberry

2010-04-17T03:48:00.002-04:00

I really love Canada Dry's Green Tea ginger ale, It definitely ranks in my top 10 beverages of all time. So I was extremely excited when I came upon the new White Tea ginger ale cases at my local food basics. One small question I have to ask tho, why are the tea flavored ginger ales in 10 packs not 12, or in 1.5 litres instead of 2?

Well odd packaging aside, I purchased the 10 pack, sadly it was $5.29 plus tax, but my love of new products always defeats my sense of frugality. When you first open a can of this drink, the smell of raspberry is very dominating, I was very much envisioning this to be exactly like the long deceased Schewepes Rasberry, which I had absolutely adored. But instead was pleasantly surprised by a very sweet raspberry taste with a bit of tea and ginger mix, a very nicely blended flavor. I find with the green tea version, the ginger seems to be a little weak in contrast. This is definitely another very good product. Altho it is not as good as green tea ginger ale, I can see this doing very well as well...Now if they only made it in diet.

Rating 4.5 out of Five
A great new effort...hope it stays around.

Kool Aid review : watermelon Cherry Twist

2010-03-23T21:20:00.004-04:00

Originally this was released as Pink Swimmingo

One of the lesser popular of the animal themed Kool Aid Characters from the late 80's.
Now available in the US only as Twists: Watermelon Cherry.

I love kool aid, It brings me back to a better, simpler time in my life. When all that mattered was morning and afternoon cartoons, and having the most fun you could in a day. And often as I watched those cartoons, I would have my kool aid there with me, or would marvel and the newest Kool aid varieties and their awesome commercials. So naturally, i try to track down as much of them as I can. In Canada, well Ontario, we only have the boring regular flavors, grape, orange, cherry, lemon lime, tropical punch. So I use ebay to try to track down some more exotic. I have found the aquas fresca, sharkle berry fin re-issue, kool teas, and even lemonade. So i decided I would go with cherry watermelon twist, I like cherry and most watermelon things, so why not.
Was I ever missing something. This is possibly the greatest kool aid flavor of all time, a nice blend of both watermelon and cherry, which shockingly go very well together. I am so buying more of these, I can see buying this flavor for a long time to come. This is nearly as good as purplesaurus rex, which can apparently be made by combining grape and yellow lemonade, that is a definite must try.

Rating 5 Out Five.

Kool aid goodness at its best.
Now bring back mountain berry punch already

KFC : Fresh Sandwich review

2010-03-23T21:10:00.002-04:00

During the summer, KFC introduced the boneless fillets, which altho over priced, were still pretty good. Well the fresh sandwich, is an offshoot of those fillets. Essentially a fillet on a bakery style roll, with lettuce and the colonels special mayo- the pepper mayo variety- it is available for a fairly costly $4.99 for the sandwich alone. I really liked the pepper mayo, and it went excellently with the crispy, well seasoned fillet. This is a much better sandwich the the colonels classic and is 1000 time better than the big crunch. The chicken is very moist, the breading stayed very crispy and the bun was a nice touch. Definitely would recommend.

Rating: 4.5 Out Of Five

Another nice new option from KFC, but the pricing is a little overwhelming.

Franks red Hot sauce: Sweet heat BBQ

2010-03-23T21:00:00.002-04:00

I love Franks, especially the Buffalo wing variety, on a recent trip to Fortinos, I had noticed a new flavor- Sweet Heat BBQ. I knew I had to try it. This sauce is not so much hot but rather a very nicely sweet, medium heat, it goes excellent on KFC left overs, hell basically anything I can put it on. I haven't went a day without using it on something since I got it. It is very addictive, I even went as far as pouring some on a slice of 12 grain bread. I even had to fight myself from drinking it.
I hope this is here to stay. My only complaint being the price($4.59) and that it is not in larger formats. I hope this is not a limited time item.

RATING:5 Out of Five
It is hard to find a better sauce. Highly addictive.

Thai McMini review

2010-03-23T20:52:00.003-04:00

On March 30, there is going to be widespread release of the new mc mini sandwiches in Canada. However on my trip to Walmart at the Eastgate square, I noted they are available already. So i decided to go with the thai version, in place of the pesto, with the crispy chicken. It was 1.99 each, and my 1st reaction was as to how small these really are, They are a little bigger than a cafeteria style pizza roll, it essentially a single chicken strip, on a tiny baguette looking bun, with chili thai sauce on the top and a strong garlic mayo on the bottom. I liked both the sauces, on an individual level, however i really don't feel they mixed together well, the kind of even clashed a bit. As well the chicken was very bland and taste less and was no where even near crispy.

Rating: 2 out of 5

This is a very disappointing item and the value is extremely poor, the wraps, are much bigger and the same price.

New site is up

2010-03-13T18:15:00.001-05:00

I created a new Hamilton based restaurant review site, check it out
at hazer772.wordpress.com.

Synnful Gourmet: Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce

2009-05-18T12:55:00.003-04:00

I have noticed at alot of midscale restaurants lately a trend, of Jack Daniels bbq sauce as a premium item to be added to chicken or ribs or even steak, at a mark up. Or sometimes it is the focal point of a meal. So with this apparent hype, there is no way it cannot live up to it right? So I found the bbq sauce is now for sale basically anywhere, I got mine at Giant Tiger, for $3.99. A little much price wise. So I also had bought a brand new charcoal bbq and being the long weekend, fired it up and grilled some ballpark style hot dogs, basted in the apparent holy grail of bbq sauces. And how did it fare?? Well this is the original flavour, whatever that means, since it is the only one you can currently get here. So I noticed right away that this sauce is by no means anything special, it is a sweet, molases esscenced sauce, very similar to anyother brand of chicken and ribs sauce out there. Hell it was like bullseye, for almost double the price, with a strong pseudo alcohol like sweetness thrown in. It is not terrible I suppose, but being one whom does not care for molasses, it does not appeal to me. Bottom line is this is really no different from even most store brands and the mark up is purely for the brand name not taste or quality.

RATING ** / 5

Synnful Gourmet: KFC ribs

2009-05-18T12:44:00.003-04:00

Lately, in the last few years, KFC has always brought in summer with it's readdition of ribs to their menu, only for the course of the summer mind you. And every year they seem to be very different quality wise then the year before. Now remember, until this last year, I did not care for ribs, well except for my ex's moms, and the KFC summer offerings. So I went to KFC and had to try them. First off is price, 8 pieces for $9 is awful, way over priced. They are also selling the sauce the ribs were coated in for $3.99 for a mid sized bottle, a little pricey as well. So I picked up the 4 piece ribs, hoping they were the same as last years, which were very meaty and excellent, the previous year's were very small, but were pretty damn good. I was at least hoping they were as good as Pizza Hut's now discontinued offering, a guilty pleasure. But alas, KFC has a tendancy to be hit and miss and this year is definitely a miss. These ribs are tiny to say the least, and at $6 for 4, they border on criminal. There is hardly any meat and only 1 of 4 had a full bone in it. The sauce was pretty good and I debated on picking some up but decided otherwise for the next rated item. All in all, avoid these ribs, hell go to tony romas, it is a better value. I almost wonder what animal these come from...

RATING: ** / 5

The Synnful Gourmet: Beaver buzz Canadian Cola

2009-04-29T15:16:00.002-04:00

I love cola in almost all forms, even bad store brands are normally pretty good. But when I read the ingrediants in this Canadian cola, maple syrup... struck a nerve in me. I hate maple syrup, but since I had paid $1.50 for it, it should not go to waste. And I am glad I got past my jaded nature, this is one damn good cola. Has an very nice cola taste with a slight vanilla edge, reminded me a lot of my beloved vanilla coke. This needs a better format I.e. be sold by the case and lets face it, it has an energy drink price for a can of pop. But product wise this is as good as it gets, I hope it stays around.

Rating: ***** / 5

Synnful Buzzes: Mike-arita & Vex Bananatini

2009-04-29T14:38:00.002-04:00

Having been my birthday this week, I figured why not indulge a little, throw off the diet for this week and have a few drinks..fuck a few drinks get fucking loaded. So off to the good ol LCBO I went and noticed 2 new items. I love tequila straight but margaritas are not so much my thing, not sure why. But I love Mike's hard Cranberry lemonade so I thought the mike-arita was worth a shot. First off a 473ml can was $2.95 alone, so a bit pricey, but regardless I tried it. Bad is not the word to describe this, horrendous more like it. Similar to a bad lime aid with a cheap, bitter strong tequila, more a mezcal taste. There are so many better margaritas out there, just avoid this at all cost.

Rating: * / 5

Next up was the new vex lemonade offering, Bananatini. Now to me banana and lemonade
is just a vile concept but too Melissa, this was appealing. So I tried it, and damn what a shock. A nice blend of light vodka taste and banana popsicle, very good. Surprisingly good, and at 10.95 a sixer not too bad cost wise. A good new product, to a decent line.

Rating: **** / 5
Maybe vex should try their hand at margaritas

The Synnful Gourmet: Panormous Pizza from PIzza hut

2009-04-29T14:31:00.002-04:00

Pizzahut is really expanding their menu lately, hell next week we finally get the other 2 pastas, I will definitely try and review it soon. So first up was the release of the panormous pizza, that was supposed to be so big, well I figured I would give it a shot. I am a fan of alb pizzas, however that is slab pizzas that have middle slices and this one yet again does not. First things first, the only thing big about this pizza is the price at 14.99 + taxes and delivery it was over $21. FOR A SINGLE TOPPING. When it arrived I opened the box and there to my dismay is 2 MEDIUM PIZZAS...what a damn rip off. As far as quality / taste goes it is a regular pizzahut pan pizza, stingy on cheese and pepperoni and greasy as hell. Nothing new or special and way too expensive. Hopefully the lasanga coming out next week will be less disappointing.

Rating: ** / 5

Synnful Gourmet: a Double Pop review

2009-04-19T13:44:00.004-04:00

This is a dual review of 2 new products I have tried this week, found while shopping in the industrial area at Barton and Nash.

First up was the above pictured, Jones tribute to Obama, The cheesily named, Orange you glad for a change cola. I like cola and am in a love / hate relationship with orange flavored anything, so I was less than enthused to try this. I like Jones for the most part, I like their use of pure cane sugar, so it seemed worth a try. Surprisingly this was a pretty good mix. The light orange flavor blended well with a nice light tasting cola, and the carbonation was perfect not overkill like say pepsi and coke can be. This is a fairly decent product, hell normally fruit flavored colas are vile, but this one is a pleasant surprise. It's too bad it's only a limited time offering.
Rating: **** / 5

I love discount stores, you know the ones, the ones that buy up liquidated items and turn them over for a fraction of their worth. You can find some very rare items there and Adam's warehouse used to be one of the best. Hell there were 5 locations in this city, but now they are reduced to one small location in the middle of industrial area hell. I didn't even know it existed. I had only heard about schwepes cream soda on the bevnet site, thru some casual browsing. See we don't carry this brand in Canada. So when I saw cans for only 50 cents, I just had to have it. So me and Melissa each bought one. BIG MISTAKE. First off we checked the dates and they were good for about a year, so seemed fine- always do this everywhere you go, you would not believe how many times I have bought expired shit from regular
stores, hell 6 months ago I bought a diet rockstar from our store downstairs that had expired in 2006...after I drank it I checked the bottom, after noticing odd consistency.- I was so excited at the prospect of this being a white cream soda, see white cream soda is not available in Ontario anymore, hasn't been for years. Then came the first disappointment. Opening the can first thing I saw was the color piss yellow and I mean piss yellow is the best way to describe it. So bravely moving forward I chugged some back, and gagged. This was not like cream soda at all but seemed more like gingerale mixed with cream soda, not even gingerale, I would more explain it as an expired can of diet vernors that sat in the sun. I quickly finished it since I was mega dehydrated and to my extreme displeasure Melissa had an even worse look on her face after the first sip and quickly passed it to me. So not one to waste things I chugged it back, to the dismay of my stomach and palate. This is easily one of the worst pops I have ever had, even worse then my hated Pepsi Blue, hell this may be as bad as it gets. Avoid at all costs. A bear ass raping you wearing a sand paper condom is less torture then having to endure 2 cans of this pop
Rating: 0 / 5

Synnful Games: Left 4 Dead

2009-04-16T18:55:00.003-04:00

I love the zombie movie genre and aside from Zombies ate my neighbours and The resident evil series, there is not a lot of good zombie themed games. Dead Rising was a decent looking game, with a good story line but was far too difficult and I am still stuck on one of the earlier cases. And don't get me started on the House of the dead series, again a great looking series and decent story but I totally suck and gun based games. So I was reluctant to get Left 4 Dead, especially since I dislike 1st person shooters. Left 4 Dead is a survival horror, you have a choice of 4 characters, but sadly none has any distinct advantage, and you maneuver them thru some movie themed levels. The graphics are great, as is the sound and I really liked the team element of the game, mind you I have not tried it on X box live. The enemies are kind of repetitive, there are Boomers, fat zombies that puke on you and explode when you shoot them, regular zombies, hunters- zombies with long claws in hoodies that pounce on you-, Tanks- giant zombies with a ton of strength that take a lot to bring them down-, and the worst of all, the witch- a crying woman, whom sits cross legged head down, weeping, unless you disturb her..you don't want to disturb her...witches are brutally fast and strong and have killed me more than any other zombie, thankfully tho teammates generally are quick to revive you and take her out.
Apparently on Xbox live you can even play as the zombie characters. I really enjoyed the violence and level design in this game but on the bad side it is fairly repetitive.

Rating: **** / 5

Synnful Gourmet: Peppercorn Ranch Sunchips

2009-04-16T18:38:00.003-04:00

Sunchips are among my favorite chips of all. Hell I could even honestly say they are in my top snacks of all time. I just love the multigrain goodness. The cheddar and french onion variety are classics, and the newer, bbq and salsa variety were great new additions. I was less then thrilled when I saw the new flavor was ranch, you see I hate ranch dressing and the only ranch thing I have ever liked is cool ranch doritos. So in the interest of trying something new I bought them. The taste, thankfully is nearly identical to that of cool ranch doritos, which was a pleasant surprise. With the lower calorie and fibre content, this makes them even better. An excellent new addition, I think sunchips are one of the most consistent product lines ever.

Rating: ****1/2 / 5

Synnful Gourmet: KFC Wrapstar

2009-04-16T18:29:00.002-04:00

I love wraps, and I love KFC, so the new wrapstar to me seemed like a perfect fit, a brilliant new addition to their line and a dangerous new addiction, threatening my diet. But damn I was wrong, on some levels thankfully. The wrapstar is brand new to KFC Canada, but apparently has been around in the US and UK for a couple years. This particular incantation has 2 crispy chicken strips, some salsa, pepper mayo, lettuce between two crunchy tortillas and wrapped up in a soft tortilla. First issue I had was price, 4.99+ taxes is far too much. Surprisingly though, the wrap is a good size, and the chicken fills the wrap nicely. The pepper mayo- a favorite KFC condiment for me- was excellent as always, a nice contrast of slightly hot pepper and light mayo taste. But the salsa, damn. I really like salsa, it is one of the few condiments that no one has ever screwed up, that is until now. The salsa is just vile, it has a bland, cheap, tomato dominated taste...would have done better as just tomatos not whatever else they blended into it. And it's too bad, when there was no salsa in bites, it was very good. On a side note, Melissa really enjoyed the wrapstar, but she also liked the new hot & spicy.

Rating: ** / 5

Synnful Films: Inside

2009-04-03T00:42:00.002-04:00

The term extreme is thrown around way too much nowadays and often it is more of a marketing tool than a reality. When I heard of the 2 new extreme release lines, Ghost House Extreme and Dimension Extreme, I was definitely under mixed impressions. The Ghost house trailers looked pretty damn good and got me hyped but less so the Dimension ones. See I have a bad relationship with dimension films, they are way too inconsistant. Their releases are either damn good or bottom of the barrel, not too many that lay in between. That being said, this is the 1st release of the line I have seen, I will try to review a few other titles later on.

Inside is about a woman whom had survived a fatal car accident, but her boyfriend did not, however she was pregnant. The night before the baby is due, someone is harassing her and stalking about her house. This leads into a battle with an unknown person whom is bent on killing her unborn baby.

This movie really dragged for the first 30 minutes, almost to unbearable levels, however once things got going, they really went all out. There is a lot of great looking violent scenes in this film, some great gore and some genuinely tense moments. I will not spoil any of this, but it is worth the wait. Another well made, french horror movie. As far as being extreme..I think I would say so, this is one of those that would disturb most people, I for one thoroughly enjoyed it. I can only hope the rest of the releases are at least this good

Rating: ****1/4 / 5

Synnful Films: Donkey Punch

2009-03-25T21:57:00.001-04:00

I had heard about this movie on various horror sites awhile back, but have been very apprehensive in seeing it. First off the idea of British horror to me is very lame, although, I was proven wrong with Mum and Dad recently, and secondly the plot seemed kind of weak. Today being a rainy day, and after the disappointment of the Last House remake, I was hoping to watch a little so called extreme cinema, as this was led to be. Was it ever wrong.

Now with that said, if you are expecting non stop violence or action, this movie is not for you, it definitely suffers from a timing stand point, there is a lot of parts that are just bickering and petty fights in the middle. However the end 30 mins or so were pretty good. This movie follows 2 slutty girls and their chaste friend, on a trip on a yacht, with some guys they just met. Drinking and then meth turn this party into an orgy, and the two slutty girls go to work... The hotter blonder one deciding to take on 2 guys while being filmed. In the heat of the drug fueled moment, the nerdy guy that was invited into this all, at the urging of his friend, decides to get a little rough, at first it is fine but gets out of hand by giving the blond the movies namesake. Needless to say killing her. The rest of the movie involves the breakdown of the surviving people, whom at first try to cover it up, then turn on each other with violent results. The violence is not as graphic as the movie is made out to be, but I found it satisfying and the ending, while predictable was a good fit.

Rating: *** / 5

Synnful Gaming: Mortal Kombat vs DC universe

2009-03-24T22:51:00.003-04:00

I had been waiting on this game since I saw the trailer on XBOX live, it looked so violent and the freefall fighting system looked really cool. I am not a huge Mortal Kombat fan, nor DC comics but really wanted to play this. So I picked it up at EB games for $30, and after a day of putting it off- and getting blitz out of my head- I threw it in. The graphics look damn good, it has some great sound, and the freefalling fight sequences are pretty cool, but there is somethings that I found lacking. First off I was expecting more character selection, and given the limited selection, found myself questioning the characters that were involved. Why is Catwoman in this, they mention Martian ManHunter in the DC story mode but he is not here, and what the fuck is with the MK selection. Another thing that bothered me is the controls, there is no jump button!!! You have to do a combination of buttons to use jump based attacks and they vary from character to character. Another complaint is the uneven AI...Sometimes they never attack back the whole round and sometimes they are beyond cheap..especially Darkseid and Deathstroke. I have not completed the story mode yet but the DC universe one so far, I am on chapter 9 is fairly good, although I did not like the Joker level, the Joker is a really weak character and the batman rematch was annoying. But this is a decent fighter, which for me is rare especially since I dislike the fighting game genre in general as I feel it is too repetitive. A good waste of time and story mode is kind of addictive. Superman is definitely the best all around character I have used in this game.
Rating: *** / 5

Synnful Gourmet: Double New Chips Review

2009-03-24T22:36:00.003-04:00

There is a sad shortage of baked chips in Ontario, and even sadder is the range of flavors, there is bbq, regular or the horrible sour cream and cheddar back ruffles.
I love baked chips, and they are a better choice for my diet / training, so I was elated when I saw the above bag in the variety store that is built into my front lobby of this apartment building. I have a love hate relationship with dill flavored things, much like chips themselves and the old dutch line is really hit and miss. The chips have a very strong vinegary, dill taste and are very well seasoned and frankly the best damn chips I have had in recent times. - The caesar salad lays from the 90's and the big mac flavoured hamburger Humpty chips being the best ever- These chips are beautifully crispy and crunchy and the creamy dill flavor is absolutely perfect. I can't wait to try the new addition to the baked line, salt and vinegar.
Taste ***** / 5

The Herr's line of chips is relatively new to my area. I have already tried the Heinz Ketchup and Baby Back Rib varieties, both of which were very good in small portions, so scanning through the other types at a local grocer I came upon the Pizza flavor and had to try them. Pizza is really not the flavor these give off, it is grease, various Italian spices and a hint of cheese. These are not inedible, but were very disappointing, tasting like generic pizza spice flavored snack. Why can't anyone get pizza chips or even pizza nachos right?

Taste * / 5

Synnful Gourmet: Reese's Whoppers

2009-03-24T22:23:00.003-04:00

I am not big on whoppers, but I love Reeses products. So seeing the new combination sparked my curiosity, but a sense of dread was slightly looming upon me. Really how good can these be. Well, instead of the traditional whoppers, chocolate covering with that strange, crunchy, cookie like centre, these had the faux peanut butter brownish beige covering with a dark cookiesque centre. Having nothing but bad expectations, I jadedly bit into the first one and...was extremely impressed. A perfect fusion of the fake peanut butter flavor and the dark chocolate crispy centre. A perfect match. This is definitely one of the best new candy items in a long time and I pray they are going to be a permanent addition to the Reese line.

Taste **** 1/2 / 5

Synnful Gourmet: KFC chicken Chili

2009-03-24T22:15:00.001-04:00

We all know I love KFC, that's a given but their new and limited time products and me have mixed relationships- the cheesy chicken fries and the cheddar filled chicken nuggets were among the most disgusting things I have ever paid for and eaten- so I was very reluctant to try the chicken chili and have put it off for quite awhile. But Melissa and I needed brunch so we went to KFC and I took the plunge. First off I have to comment on the value, $2.99 for a way larger portion than I anticipated was the 1st surprise, it's actually very cheap, a roll on the side would have been a nice touch though. Well getting down to it, there was a good amount of sliced chicken, a very thick sauce loaded with beans, onions, green peppers and red peppers. I was pleasantly surprised by the rich, simple chili taste, the chicken did not in anyway put off the taste but was well blended in and carried the seasoning nicely. It was very good, mild spicyness and a very good light lunch. For a change I definitely recommend it especially for chili lovers.

Taste **** / 5

Synnful Films : The Last House On The Left remake

2009-03-24T22:04:00.002-04:00

I knew this movie would be shitty, just had no idea it would be as dull as it was. I was expecting a disappointment similar to the one I suffered at the Hostel series movies, long drawn out. pointless development with a failed attempt to shock me, or move me. But this film did not even bother on character development, just rushed into the rape scene and murder, which was way more tame then the original. Krug was not built up in anyway, like he was in the original, David Hess was genuinely dispicable. But this incarnation was a the murder victim so perfectly put it, pathetic. Hell it goes for the whole movie. I kept wanting a pay off but it never really comes. The revenge part is far more brutal then the murder/rape scene, which for me ruins the point a little. And the Justin character and his ending was just pure fucking lame. Only good point about this was the hammer scene and the ending scene was kind of cool. Badly filmed, over dark and no payout..thank god I watched this online. Yet another bad remake.

Rating * 1/2 / 5

Synnful Gourmet: Mac snack wrap

2009-03-23T16:53:00.003-04:00

So, I found out, Canada is the test market for Mac snack wraps, a big mac, 1 patty in a wrap with mac sauce, cheese, pickles and onions.. My thoughts after 3.. A great new product, a little greasy from the 1/2 patty but a great taste. There is little cheese taste but a lot of sauce... the pickles and the sauce dominate the palate, but the taste is very big mac...definitely recommend.

Taste **** / 5

An update

2009-03-17T14:43:00.001-04:00

Well been busy lately, but there will be new additions shortly, likely in the next few hours. I have actually gotten my Synnful Memories article published at retrojunk.com and have gotten some very positive feedback, so will likely work on a 2nd volume at some point to be posted both here and there. Just added a links gadget, see below, and check out some of these amazing sites. Thanks for your continual support, it is greatly appreciated and I hope you'll enjoy the new posts coming soon.

Synnful Films: Halloween 666 aka Halloween 6 Producer's cut

2009-03-05T17:02:00.002-05:00

Halloween 6 for me debuted randomly during a horror movie special on a random Saturday afternoon on what was still Fox 29. Well the trailer did anyways. I was so excited, it promised to reveal the secret behind Micheal Myers finally. And it was coming soon. So move forward nearly a year and finally it is released. I was very unsatisfied with the movie and many parts from the trailer were not in the movie. Then I discovered something..It was a re shoot, there was a better version. I got Halloween 666- The producer's cut on Ioffer. After watching this, I realized that some of the other film was also in this one, the 666 version was way less violent but had a better story and ending. The druid cult in 6 was kind of silly and the ending was a cop out. But this one was better ending by far, minus the runestones defeating Micheal was silly but the way it ended involving Loomis and the better tying up of the storyline, a demonic force made a deal with druids to stop harming everyone as long as 1 family will be sacrificed and then pass the curse on to another child, made more sense, but it still had it weak points. The way Jamie is killed for example was pretty lame but was a great scene in the 6 version. All and all better than the released I liked the flashback scene to Halloween 5 it made more sense of the ending.

RATING:
** 1/2 / 5

I would give the released cut a 2 at best.

Synnful Gourmet: Burger Shots

2009-03-05T16:48:00.002-05:00

So after years of waiting the burger buddies are back, under a new name of burger shots..pornographic images appear in my head every time I say that. BURGER SHOTS!!!hahahahaha. Well for 1.99 you get a 2 pack of regular burger shots and they are pretty damn good. Still the same flame broiled patty and mustard, ketchup and a pickle..you can add cheese but it costs more. Strangely tho I remember them being better and smaller and the biggest disappointment for both Melissa and I was that they no longer come in a box but a wrap. The 1st time we had them they were off, mind you on of mine even had lettuce and mayo- stupid fucking Centennial Burger king- but the 2nd trip was spot on. Welcome back burger buddies, hope you're here to stay. One other complaint is price and the fact that you can only buy 2 at one price but that may change...they need a 6 pack special.

RATING:
**** / 5

Synnful Films: Embodiment of Evil

2009-03-05T12:51:00.002-05:00

I am a Coffin Joe fan, first and foremost, so this maybe be biased slightly. This is the long awaited follow up- damn been 40 years- to the surreal This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse. This movie continues the same plot of Joe trying to find the perfect woman to make him the perfect son, It begins with Joe being released from prison due to rising costs of keeping him there and he restarts his mission. This movie has some great graphic violence, eyes are gouged out, there's impalements, cut throats and even a scene where a woman has her ass cheek cut off and she then begins to savagely devour it. Good stuff, but as well is some sexuality, hell a sex scene takes place in a river of blood, necrophilia, and hallucinations, hell and a lot of atheism. The one major complaint I have is about the dvd's subtitles appear to have been edited by a chimp, there is a lot of miss spelled words, everything the word the is used, it replaces the t for a r, and some nonsensical translations. This is definitely not for everyone but with a good amount of toplessness, violence, an intriguing story line and a satisfying ending. It's too bad this isn't getting full release, it's time Coffin Joe joined the ranks of the other great horror icons and hopefully they will continue this series or re-release it.
RATING:
**** / 5

Synnful Beverages: Brisk Fruit Punch

2009-03-05T12:39:00.001-05:00

I WAS UNABLE TO FIND A PIC ANYWHERE, HELL EVEN INFO ON THIS PRODUCT IS SCARCE, THIS MAY VERY WELL BE THE ONLY MENTION OF THIS PRODUCT ON THE WEB.

A few weeks ago I received the regular flyer bundle that comes every Thursday. Now for most people this is not a big deal but this is one of my routines so has some importance to my week. Besides it helps me set my budgets. So in a Metro flyer something red and blue and bright caught my eye- BRISK FRUIT PUNCH. I so had to try it. So I searched the web and nowhere is there any info on it. I asked Melissa if her work had it or were getting it, and again no clue. She even seemed to doubt my sanity until I showed her the flyer. So I checked a few variety stores and Shoppers at Eastgate and nothing at all. SO I gave up....Until last weeks flyers came and now Sobeys had a pic of it. We ended up going to Zellers on Tuesday, to mostly get out so I checked Metro and of course no sign. I began to think I would never try this sweet sweet punch, that I imagined to be the reincarnation of my beloved Tahitian Treat. So arriving at Zellers I quickly checked the pop aisle after some random shopping and there she laid...Finally I can try it. So we bought a 12 pack and went home fighting both our urges to open it on the bus. Melissa ended up trying it first and proclaimed it her new god. I decided to try it cold so poured it over ice. Strong smells of cherry and pineapple were released- bad start- and to my dismay this was not tahitian treat or even anything like it...it was fucking Hawaiian punch. The same punch I had just bought of ebay in singles form. I really honestly no longer like hawaiian punch, I only like the berry blast one and was very pissed at the lackluster new product I had so been waiting for. Again the chase was better than the kill.

RATING:
** / 5
If you miss Hawaiian punch you are in for a real treat but it's not my thing.

Synnful Buzzes:Throwdown Energy Drinks

2009-03-05T12:19:00.002-05:00

Pretty sure you are more than familiar with the television ad for this product. Shot in black and white you get a full body shot of a stunning, shapely brunette, in practically nothing, suggestively touching certain of her sexier areas. Then it pans to a shot of a bed, with her hot little panties strung across a lamp while some heavy feminine moaning in the background..damn I think this is the 2nd best commercial out there, the echo one only being better. Well that is definitely attention getting to say the least so I was really elated to find throwdown drinks at the local big bear for $1.99, a very good deal. One thing about the packaging well look below, does it not remind you of certain female anatomy? It does me. So I purchased both the Regular variety and ht Rampage Jackson signature punch. First was the rampage punch, Now I really don't know how I feel about Rampage as a fighter, he always makes for a good fight and can it like a truck, but he seems like a real dick, just look at him. So 1st impression of his drink, THE COLOUR PINK!!!! Now if you know me, then you know pink things are potentially dangerous to me as they are almost always strawberry or strawberry filled, so I had Melissa taste it 1st. Once determined was not strawberry, I took a gulp. An overwhelming candy like taste, some kind of berry and maybe sweet tart like, not finding the fruit punch element. As far as energy drinks go there are far worse, but I would not drink this again..sickly sweet with a strong bad aftertaste. Damn Rampage your punch is like a bad girl drink...what the fuck are you thinking?

I like the look of the can.

RATING:
*1/2 / 5

Well moving on, the original was hopefully less unappealing, but man was I wrong, I actually found this to be worse, I even pointed out to Melissa that it tastes similar to the anatomy the logo looks like. It was a gross generic kind of taste, the way the 1st generation energy drinks all tasted, that bland kind of bad cough syrupy nastiness. As dor the energy content, it served it's purpose but of course had a mean come down. Very disappointing in general.

RATING
* / 5

If you so need to have one of these, go for the Rampage punch, but honestly, avoid both at all costs.

an update

2009-02-27T16:30:00.002-05:00

so feeling under the weather I suppose-damn viruses- so not even work today. So likely no new posts till Monday, but upcoming are, Embodiment of Evil and Halloween 666 movie reviews, a throwdown energy drink double review, a burger shot review and maybe even a few surprises next week, so check back often, if you like click some ads so I can get paid a bit for this site, and thanks for your continuing readership!!! If I get to 400 views, will likely make some kind of contest...only 330 to go. Will likely be some upgrades soon, hey I am new to this bear with me, just a newb to all this, only been 1 month.

Synnful Gourmet: Pizza Hut Tuscani pasta: Creamy Chicken Alfredo

2009-02-25T16:20:00.005-05:00

After a great experience with the initial pasta and having found $30 extra, we decided to spend it..yeah not going to break even so lets bury ourselves- So ordered the Creamy Chicken Alfredo from Pizza Hut. Again a great looking product, actual browning of the cheese on top and plentiful chicken. But it's all downhill from there....There is a strong hell overwhelming amount of black pepper in the sauce and the chicken was to over processed for my liking. I still prefer this to most over restaurant pastas- I prefer homemade - but this was definitely not to my expectations. Well it would be if I had not tried the other Tuscani flavour. Melissa found it absolutely disgusting but considering it is store made and Pizza Hut made in particular, it is a passable effort. Stick with the meaty marinara. Not rating value as is same price as previous pasta dish.

Rating:
taste: ** 3/4 / 5
Appearance: **** / 5

Synnful Gourmet: PC panzerottis

2009-02-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

Now I really had a bad ass craving for panzerottis and had been engaging in a battle with myself for a few days over it a couple weeks back, see Pizza Pizza makes them but a little pricey and were not delivering them at this point, Pizza Hut's Pzones are good but again pricey and well really bad calorie wise. So I gave up, until I noticed the Red Peppers and Pepperoni PC panzerottis. They were on sale too $5.99 for a 2 pack was down from 6.99..still very cheap considering the alternatives. But I was so fearful of a gross faking tasting gooey mess. DAMN was I wrong, 17 minutes in the oven and outcame a beautifully baked panzerotti- NOTE: I normally dislike baked panzerottis..go deep fried- Then came the moment of truth. There was a great amount of deli style pepperoni, adequate cheese and sauce and some great tasting pieces of roasted red pepper- I so love roasted red peppers-. All in all this was a great item, I actually find these to be superior to any panzerotti I have ever had.

RATING:
Taste: ***** / 5
Value: 6.99 reg price / comparatively **** / 5
cooking difficulty * / 5 simple to make

Synnful Health

2009-02-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

I just love the packaging of these vitamins, the whole sterile, steel look to it. All that said and most importantly do they work? Well after 1 month of daily use, 3 pills a day, I can definitely feel a slight difference in energy levels and a better sense of well being. I have still got a cold here and there but they definitely helped deteriorate the effects to being very mild..trust me I get really sick normally. As well was a very unexpected bonus- WARNING YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ ON..I WARNED YOU... they make you hard on's jackhammer hard..It's to levels you can't even fathom. That is likely caused by the Siberian ginseng no doubt. I totally recommend these for all guys, only issue is price is a little high but these were on sale this week for 12.99..not bad considering are normally around $17.

RATING:
**** / 5

Synnful Films: Friday the 13th Remake

2009-02-24T13:56:00.000-05:00

I was always a fan of the 1st 8 Friday the 13th's, I despised Jason X and tolerated the silliness of Jason goes to Hell. Was not a fan of Freddy VS Jason, so I was kind of nervous to see this remake. God bless file sharing!!! So I watched it free on the net. The title sequence was very long to a comical part and I really was pissed at the lack of visible violence in that segment. Then came the title, finally, around 25 minutes into the movie. The real movie starts with very obnoxious characters going on a weekend getaway to the spoiled rich kid's cabin. Then you are introduced to one of the seemingly victims of the pre title story brother whom is searching for her. From there it becomes a typical slasher movie, a great topless water skiing scene with Willa Ford -damn she has a great body...sexy as hell too- some cool gore and violence but strangely nothing new or creative, altho the kill on the boat was great. Then it digresses into a typical Friday the 13th style, some screwing, killing and then the face off with Jason. A lot of people rip on this movie for being cliched and having a typical ending but what do you expect. As far as horror remakes go-which if you know me I hate in general- this was one of the better, worth a watch if you like this sort of thing but don't expect anything you haven't seen before.

RATING:
** 1/2 / 5

Synnful Films: Lunch Meat

2009-02-16T19:17:00.000-05:00

It was in the mid '90's, when Blockbuster video had reigned supreme in Ontario, days when VHS was still the best video format, a few years prior to DVD's. Jumbo Video was a Canadian owned and operated chain and had been pretty much brought to it's knees by Blockbuster's invasion, and had closed the majority of it's outlets. So in the newspaper me and my dad saw an add for the closing sale of the Jumbo at Centennial and Barton- where oddly I now live behind- and began the 30 mins drive into Hamilton. Armed with only $50 and determination to expand my blossoming horror video collection- awww those were the days- I picked and grabbed thru and fought over a few franchise horrors, a few heavy metal band videos and some random b Horrors. Thats when I first beheld her in all her glory...The movie that would stick in my mind for years as a regret for not buying, that no book or magazine had ever any mention...Lunch Meat. But due to my budget being exhausted I had to place her back down and would be haunted by the big box images forever..well at least til I was 30. I had to find her, own her. incidentally the above pic, from a vhs copy is not the one I saw. Then one day I was looking thru a listing on ioffer...aw sweet ioffer, a haven for great lost movies... and asked a dealer I frequent if he could get it and send me a roipped copy...Oddly enough he himself had just purchased it. So finally I would get to see her....And it was so worht the wait. The plot is similar to that of texas chainsaw massacre but a little more graphic scenes...more likeable characters, and a great fast pace. My only issue was that the chubby goth type girl was the 1st to die. By no means a graphic movie but a great watch.

Rating: **** 1/2 / 5

Synnful Gourmet: Urban Detox prickly pear cactus

2009-02-16T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well glad that is over. Now on to a positive review. The Urban detox line of drinks has apparently been scientifically engineered to help cope with both everyday pollutants and vices, like alcohol, and smoking. It claims that drinking a half bottle at a time will help cleanse lungs and ever cure hang overs, due to it's high vitamin and nutrient content. Is it a wonder cure? Not sure. Does it kill hangovers? Again don't know. But I do know I love the prickly pear cactus and citrusy goodness in that bottle. And maybe it's just placebo but I have felt better both times I have had this amazing little beverage. And is made locally so how can you go wrong. It just left me with one puzzling thought? Is there such a thing as a ?less then awesome cactus flavored or produced beverage?
Cactus is damn consistant... I'll give it that.

Rating:
Taste: ***** / 5
Appearance: *** / 5
Value: *** 1/5 / 5 $1.99 for 591 ml..not too bad

Synnful Gourmet: New Product Weekend #3

2009-02-16T18:56:00.000-05:00

DISCLAIMER: I am not big on chocolate, and dislike Snickers regular bars.

So after a weekend of 2 disappointing new additions to fast food and junk food choices, I was at the Variety store built into my apartment building....There was a few potential items, new 3 musketeers, chocolate skittles, Snickers almond..then my eyes locked on something I thought would be an instant new favorite...Rocky Road Snickers.... I was a huge fan of the s'mores bars but they sadly were put to rest along while ago and was praying this would be exactly the same, to fill that void. AND DAMN WAS I WRONG. My first impression was dark chocolate, which I prefer, especially with the Mars Dark. OKAY good start. Then came the bad....The marshmallow, actually imitation, powered and compressed whatever the hell it really is, had more of a chalk taste then marshmallow, and that taste completely domintaed the entire rest of the bar. The chocolate coating was good but the filling..overpoweringly processed crap.

RATING:Again only taste as these bars are all the same ol'
Taste: * 1/2 / 5

I hope this weekend is not the beginning of a trend.....

Synnful Gourmet: New Product Weekend #2

2009-02-16T18:45:00.001-05:00

Doritos has released a new mystery flavour and there is a contest to both name it and create and tv spot / ad for it to win $25,000 + one percent of the products overall sales for it's lifetime. Sounds good right?? Always excited for new doritos, and forgetting the disappointments of past new flavours- I am looking at you lime and chili cheese- I begged Melissa to get me a bag from her work. We got home and I immediately tore the bag open in anticipation, my 1st meal after working a 12 hour shift, hell 1st meal of the day.... I had been informed that the new flavor was like a very cheesy pizza- how wrong was that. The 1st thing that came to mind as I bit down was, wow original nacho flavor...boring wtf. Then came the hint of something, almost like tobasco sauce. I had a very hard time finishing this bag, these chips are so bland, like a nacho covered in dollar store low grade imitation watered down made in China Louisiana sauce. Honestly they are not terrible, by no means disgusting but just are unappealing, dull. My suggestion for a name, Bland Bullshit. No wonder they are giving away 1% of sales for these, these will not last even 6 months. No pics by the way are currently on line and well my camera is broke

Rating: only rating on taste as value and appearance are standard to all the brand

Taste: ** / 5

What is with this weekend..Letdown after letdown...

Synnful Gourmet: New Product weekend #1

2009-02-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

So this weekend due to it's hecticness, hell I worked 2 back to back 12 hour shifts was an apparent new product week as no time for groceries and no time to cook so here is some quick reviews of some new products recently sampled:

KFC Hot & Spicy Chicken Returns!!!

NOOOOOOO IT'S EXTRA CRISPY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited this had came back. I loved the original Hot & Spicy from 2 summers back, It was basically original recipe with a hot sauce infusion. So I rushed into KFC on Friday afternoon and blindly ordered a 3 piece. My only problem with the 1st launch was it was always sold out, so when I easily got the 3 piece meal, I was elated. UNTIL IT WAS BROUGHT TO ME.......
The 1st thing I laid my eyes on was an old nemesis of mine....EXTRA CRISPY BREADING!!!!
In the 90's KFC had introduced this and my parents loved it do to the lower grease factor, however I despised the styrofoamesque taste it had. So needless to say every time they went to KFC no original recipe for us. Thankfully it was vanquished at least here in the mid 90's likely due to large quanties of trans fat. So I begrudgedly began to eat it and surprise !!! remembered why I hate it all over again. There is no hot and spiciness to this at all, it is more bland than the spicy popeye's, which it is very similar too except has more of an over whelming flour taste to it.
This is a huge disappointment ...
Rating:
Taste: * / 5
Appearance: *** / 5
Value: 8.99 for 3 piece meal ** / 5

Shame on KFC if I wanted Popeye's I would go there...

My view on current MMA / K-1 happenings

2009-02-11T23:49:00.000-05:00

Well the last few weeks in MMA, have been hugely eventful. The GSP / Penn 2, Afflictions sophomore PPV, The seeming resurrection of elite XC in it's buy out by Strike Force, The dull UFC 93 and an alright ultimate fight night 17.

First my thoughts on Elite XC / Strike Force deal. For the most part I found XC to be very entertaining and even the Kimbo Slice bullshit had some merit to me. I was sad to see it go, I loved watching Gina Carano, she's damn good looking, built nicely and can throw one hell of a kick, that and I love stand up fighters, she is like a meld of my fav things, a good kick boxer and a sexy as fuck woman. There was a lot of questionable fighters, Ninja Rua, and decisions the Kimbo - Thompson stoppage but they made a great looking free product. I hope the merger with strikeforce works, it is good for the industry, bust honestly, strikeforce is kind of dull, and they are negotiating with Kimbo again..omfg.

Well I have yet to see the 4th round of GSP/Penn 2..damn youtube had the 1st 3 but the 4th was removed from all videos due to copy right issues..blah blah blah. BJ is being his bitchy self, making excuses about vaseline and what not. Sorry but the vaseline was not the reason he was lying there taking shots over and over again. Plain and simply he was outsized and outclassed. And he now is seeming like he is going to retire and being a whiny little bitch, just like a little kid whom lost some game, now he will back up and go away. Now there is rumours of GSP / Silva, god I hope not, it will be the same again, lets face it that's why they brought in weight classes, size does matter in MMA.

I am kind of sick of Dana White overhyping these boring main events, it's like every fight in the last 2 years was one of biblical proportion, okay maybe that is good promotion but come on quit lying to the fans. Henderson and Franklin for me is like a mid card fight at best and of course went to my dreaded enemy - the decision- I hate decisions so much, sometimes i yearn for the old ufc which was knock out or submission only, no rounds, weight classes, or gloves and less watered down. And less BJJ hugging on the ground. This is why I love K-1 rules or other kick boxing fights- no hugging. Sure you lose the grappling throws, but the action rarely stops and is less decisions.

I was so psyched for the Arvloski and Fedor fight. I actually doubted the man Fedor. But he came through for us rather quickly in one sweet perfect, knock out shot. In some ways I was saddend as well now Arvloski is moving on to pro boxing, but it was great to see Fedor eat another former UFC champion, in the 1st round. Josh Barnett is next and well that should be a great fight, but hey he is Fedor and he will win. I was saddened as well to see Matt Lindland go down so fast... I guess that is probably it for him now and thats sad.

Well hopefully soon, we will get to see Mir destroy Lesnar again, then maybe he can go where he belongs, in a gimicky mid card fight with Bobby Lashley. But the future looks pretty good for now, can't wait to see Carano fight again, the Ken Shamrock show is live on the weekend on sherdog, hey Tank is back lol, and Hughes and Serra should be great. I wish UFC return to montreal was in the summer, then I could go but not enough time now to raise the cash.

Gotta Love Gina Carano, beauty, brains and can smash your face in..mmmm..

Synnful Films: Ichi The Killer

2009-02-11T23:02:00.000-05:00

I was never a fan of J horror or even other countries movies- well with the exception of italian horrors- until I saw this movie and so began my love affair with the over the top Asian cinema. Honestly, I find ghost movies dull and was under the impression that was all J horror was. Until I took a chance on this, okay while not in the true sense horror, the over the top violence is not for the squeamish. Ichi The Killer is essentially the build up to a meeting of two forces of nature, the abused and battered, perverse and oddly wimpy Ichi, whom has been brainwashed into thinking he was bullied severely as a child and even watched his childhood sweet heart get raped without doing a thing, and Kakahari, a sadomaschistic mobster, whom is for the pleasures of life and death. Kakahari is so over the top i think I would put him in the top badass villians of all time and the final showdown between him and Ichi is not as epic as you would think, but was so his style. This movie has over the top violence and gore, including a scene involving a cart wheel into a room of gangsters, in a suit covered in blades... Messy ugly fun. Throw in some odd s&m scenes and some odd dubbing-Kakahari has a distinct British accent- and this is a fun, gore filled thrill ride. There is both a prequel and a magna style prequel but anime is ot my thing, I definitely am going to pick up the live action prequel soon.

Kakahari's Version of interigation

Gotta love the piercings holding his mouth together.

The final showdown begins!!

Rating: **** 1/2 / 5

Synnful gourmet

2009-02-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

There items that some times despite being so insignificant to the world, a mere limited time that they exist that they live on for ever in our memories...be it memories of a better time and place or a rare family peaceful moment this item has always consumed my memories and I have missed it since i was a mere child. A memory of a baby shower, in the mid '80's, a now closed franchise, a distant relationship between father and son that for a few moments was less distant, a distance that resumed for the next 20 some odd years now. I give you below the awesomeness of :

the pic is from the American relaunch and rumour has it, this spring they make their return. I had only had them twice but they have always made and impact on my sad little existance. Now if this is only true and then the return of tahitian treat, shamrock shakes, black bull malt liquor, and a truly good greasy pizza chain and of course cheery 7up, then maybe this world can be a better place...for a few select moments.

Rating:
Appearance: **** / 5
Taste: ***** / 5
Value: Unknown..it was 1987..i was nine alright.

Synnful Films: 976 Evil

2009-02-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

I was always told on various forums this was a must see '80's horror. Directed by Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, this movies started out pretty damn good, a religious freak mother, a sheltered, abused son, a stereotypical greaser type cousin, a biblical type event. It started raining fucking fish. This then degrades to a highschool revenge movie when the sheltered cousin becomes obsessed with calling a Horrorscope line, no not a typo. The line at 1st gives candid but truthful predictions and then the phone line begins to poesess him and grant him satanic(?) powers to get revenge. So we get bad monster effects, some turned away cameras whenever violence happens and a predictable ending. I really enjoyed the first half of this movie, it was well paced and the characters were likeable but the 2nd half turned into a crappy demon poesession movie, it reminded me alot of the Gate 2. The female lead was stunning and had great topless scenes but was killed off too early.

RATING: ** 1/2 / 5

Synnful Films : The Nightmare

2009-02-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

Still not given a dvd release, this review is not the Welcome to My Nightmare concert, which we all know and love but is of a bootleg of the original 1975 The Nightmare TV special that began the tour and album. Featuring Vincent Price as the narrator / Spirit of the Nightmare, whom guides Steven thru the nightmarish worlds, featuring monsters, spiders, dancing skeletons. A well made blend of cheesy horror scenarios and some classic Cooper hits make this an absolute pleasure to watch. The soundtrack is the majority of the Welcome to my nightmare album, but also has The Ballad of Dwight Frye added to the mix, this is perhaps my favorite song and one of the best moments in the movie for me. Blending Vincent Price and Alice Cooper, two of my favorite entertainers of all time, my rating will come as no shock. My only complaint was that it was only just a touch over an hour..I so wanted more. I really wish they would put this to dvd, mind you the rip I got was excellent for the source's age.

Rating: ***** / 5

Synnful Films: Amusement

2009-02-05T22:36:00.000-05:00

Three women are stalked by a killer with a grudge that extends back to the girls' childhoods.

As you likely know I am a huge fan of ultra violent movies, this looked like a Hostel or Saw kind of rip off, the good ol' torture porn genre. But instead was a weak, dull, low budget waste of time, that was filmed beautifully. It feels like at first an anthology, but then ties all the scenarios together in a rushed and unsatisfying way. There was very little violence, which was shocking since the beginning minutes had a great sledgehammer kill. This movie feels rushed, as if they ran out of money, disappointing and uninspired. The lead actress was the only real stand out, Katheryn Winnick was absolutely stunning.

Rating: ** / 5

Synnful Memories Moment

2009-02-05T19:18:00.001-05:00

I always loved this commercial as a child and hell still do. I always looked forward to the Halloween season, one of my favorites, for this to be on. For me this was the beginning of the long month leading up to the greatest day of the year.

Some Missed Products...

2009-02-05T18:41:00.000-05:00

I have decided for partly nostalgic and partly in the hopes of success, that I would create this post
of products that I miss that have been discontinued, so read on and if you agree let's try to get these back and if I have missed any please comment...and so it begins....

Cherry Coke:

Yes it is available in the states, even in a zero format..but it has been years since I have had a real one and shipping is too expensive. I miss the burny cherry goodness.

Orbitz:

I absolutely adored the orange cream one. In 2005 I lived on John N and the variety store there had a large stock of them that I quickly bought out. Sadly misunderstood and marketed badly, those slimy flavor balls were amazing.

Tahitian Treat:

My favorite pop of all time, was altered by adding a horrible fruit juice a few years back but is now discontinued in Ontario. Again can buy in the USA but shipping is too much. The orange and cherry loveliness is now but a memory.

Sprite Ice:

At 1st I did not like sprite ice, however in it's final months, it was on sale at liquidation world for 25 cents a 2 litre so being cheap i bought a ton of it. I grew to love the mint and sprite blend and sadly within a few weeks, it was gone for ever.

McPizza:

I had mcpizza only made thrice ever. The idea to me seemed obscene. But I tried it on a whim and fell in love. It was so perfectly greasy and crispy, like a great pizza should be, hey that greasiness is a guilty pleasure and most of the reason I like valentinos. But of course as I like something it always has to disappear. There are quite a few websites and petitions on line to bring this back.

Vanilla Coke:

Vanilla coke came out a few weeks after Harvest Burger started making there own. And it was not quite as good. Still a great product, a blend of 2 of my favorite flavours, coke and vanilla..almost had a marshmallow like taste to it. This as well is availabe still in the USA.

Hooper's Hooch:

This was brewed at lakeport and was a stronger better version of twist shandy. It claims on this bottle only 4.7 percent alcohol but I remember it being stronger. It was the perfect blend of lemon and a cheap strong beer. Nicely sweet with a hint of bitter. Not sure why it is gone but it sure is here.

Well there is many more so I will at some point do a part 2, so keep watch for it soon.

Arch Deluxe Receipe

2009-01-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

I found this doing a search on the arch deluxe, Not sure how it turns out, never made it but good luck to anyone whom wants to, and hey let me know.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard (French's "Hearty Deli" is good)
1 sesame seed hamburger bun
1/4 pound ground beef
1 slice American cheese
1 to 2 tomato slices
1 to 2 lettuce leaves, chopped
1/2 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons chopped onion

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and the brown mustard. Set aside.
Grill the face of each of the buns on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
Roll the ground beef into a ball and pat it out until it's approximately the same diameter as the bun.
Cook meat on hot griddle or frying pan for about 5 minutes per side or until done. Be sure to lightly salt and pepper each side of the patty.
Build the burger in the following order, from the bottom up:

On Bottom Bun

beef patty
American cheese slice
1 to 2 tomato slices
lettuce

On Top Bun

mayo/mustard
ketchup
onions

Slap the top onto the bottom and serve hot.

Makes one burger.

The add above shows the composition

Synnful Gourmet: Arch Deluxe

2009-01-29T22:06:00.000-05:00

The arch deluxe was a sandwich released by Mcdonalds, apparently created for adult consumption was a quarter pounder with a dijon mayonaise sauce, peppered bacon strips, cheese, pickles, lettuce, ketchup and so on. I remember swiss cheese or monteray jack. This unfortunately was a huge and costly flop and was soon discontinued. So why am I reviewing this, maybe in effort to have it revived like the Mcrib or just being Nostalgic and fat. When this first came out, Me, Tom and Ryan had went to a party but were kicked out and I was bombed on gin and labatt Blue, and we went to Mcdonalds. I was only 230 back then and with my build that is a good weight, alittle chub but not fat. So being drunk I bought 2 arch deluxes and 20 nuggets, big mac. But this was the time when there was instant win coupons on burger boxes and I kept winning, and being drunk did not understand you do not have to cash them in right away. So i kept winning and eating Arch deluxes...hell Tom figured I went thru about $180 worth between winners and buying. It was a great burger..so sad to see it go. Please come back. Top secret receipes has the receipe to make them apparently exactly the same but I can't cook...need to find someone whom can.

Taste ***** / 5
Value Unknown / 5- I forget
Appearance *** / 5

Spread the word BRING BACK THE ARCH DELUXE lol

Below behold it in it's gloriosity

Synnful Gourmet: McRib

2009-01-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

Since I was young the mcrib was like the holy grail of sandwiches in its rarity, it was a here today gone tomorrow item, a tangy blend of bbq sauce and pickles with no onions of course..damn I hate onions. So last year it came back in the fall ..I was so elated, so did the much loved Shamrock shake, but of course just when i get hooked gone again. There is a rumor it will be back this spring, as it already is in some states. So does it live up to it's legendary hype, Not really and at nearly $4 each is not good value wise, but for novelty factor it is priceless. It is still unknown exactly what the meat is .....

Taste: *** / 5
Appearance **** / 5
Value *1/2 / 5

Mcrib breakdown

Survey thing from facebook

2009-01-29T20:48:00.000-05:00

Relationship Status] -11 years on and off
[Parents still together] - yes
[Siblings] - 1 younger sister
[pets] - 2 dogs, Oreo a black pug and Galaxie a Sharmation, 5 cats, Molson, Maple, Whisper, Misfit and Deja vu

FAVORITES
[Color] - crimson
[Number] - 7
[Animal] - Dogue de Brodeaux
[Book] - hmm not sure
[Flower] - snapdragons

DO YOU
[Have tattoos?] - Yes 1 on my right bicep, says Hellbilly in german gothic script
[Cheat on tests?] - yes
[Like roller coasters?] - Yes
[Wish you could live somewhere else?] - sure almost anywhere else
[Like cleaning?] - Not really
[Own a cell phone?] - not anymore

CURRENT
[Current hair] - Brown with natural red highlights, am going to dye black blue soon
[currently playing] - Nothing at all
[Last movie you saw] - Battle Royale for the 3rd time
[last thing you ate] - an ensure protein shake
[Believe there is life on other planets?] - yes
[Hate yourself?] - sometimes
[Collect anything?] - count chocula shit, horror movies, House of 1000 corpses shit, colt 45 things
[Like your handwriting?] - meh

LOVE…
[First crush] - June at 5 years old but in my teens, Tanya
[you believe in love at first sight?] -maybe but not for me
[you believe in "the one?"] - sure why not lol

ARE YOU
[Sarcastic] - yes
[shy] - can be
[Talkative] - can be

WOULD YOU RATHER…
[Pierce your nose or belly button?] - my nose, my god I am fat
[Be serious or funny?] - depends

ARE YOU…
[Simple or complicated?] -Really a bit of both

ABOUT YOU..
[What time is it]- 856pm
[Name] - Jason Wayne Riddell

WHAT DO YOU WANT…
[Where do you want to live] - Not sure, maybe Greensville
[How many kids do you want] - none omg no
[What kind of job do you want] - I would love to fight in K-1 and am trying to get there
[Do you want to get married] - I dunno

UNIQUE..
[Are you double jointed] - No
[Can you raise one eyebrow] - No
[Can you cross your eyes] - Yes
[Do you make your bed daily] - never

CLOTHES, ETC…
[Which shoe goes on first] - right
[Ever thrown one at someone] - yes
[How Much money do you carry in your wallet]-depends

IN THE PAST 24 HOURS HAVE YOU…
[Bought something] - Pizzahut for lunch
[Gotten sick] - still have a head cold
[Sang] - no
[Felt stupid] - no
[Missed someone] - no
[Gotten drunk] - last night yeah, had a mickey of seagrams and equivalent of 6 malt liquors
[Gotten high] - no
[Danced crazy] - no
[Gotten your hair cut] - No did on the weekend
[Watched cartoons] - no
[Lied to someone] - maybe not sure .. i was drunk last night

IN THE LAST FEW DAYS WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON THAT…
[Slept in your bed] - Melissa, Oreo and Galaxie
[Saw you cry] - Melissa..gotta love drunken emotions
[Saw a movie with you] - Melissa

HAVE YOU EVER…
[Been to California] - No
[Been to Europe] - No wouldn't want to
[Wished you were the opposite sex] - no glad I am male

HONESTLY…
1. [Honestly, what color is your underwear?] - black and white
2. [Honestly, whats on your mind right now?] - ooh new Hell's Kitchen is on
3. [Honestly, what are you doing right now?] - typing and checking the tv out now and then
4. [Honestly, do you think you are attractive?] - if I wasn't fat yeah
5. [Honestly, have you done something bad Today?] - no
6. [Honestly, do you watch disney channel?] - fuck no I hate Disney
7. [Honestly, are you jealous of someone right now?] - No
8. [Honestly, what makes you happy most of the time?] - freedom, money
9. [Honestly, do you bite your nails?] - yes
10.[Honestly, what is your mood right now?] - alright
11.[Honestly, who do you want to see at this very moment?] - meh I am okay alone right now
12.[Honestly, do you have a deep dark secret?] - Not that would be scandalous
13.[Honestly, do you hate someone right now?] - yes a few people
15.[Honestly, do you like someone?] - yes
16.[Honestly, does anyone like you?] - I think so

EVERYONE’S CONFESSIONS
[ X] I still watch cartoons on Saturdays.
[] I eat Froot Loops.
[ ] I go trick or treating.
[X}Ive taken a bubble bath in the last month.
[ ] I have water balloon fights with my friends
[ ] I still believe in Santa
[] Mommy’s still the coolest person ever
[X] sleep till noon.
[ ] I still pass out little Valentines day cards on Valentines Day.
[ ] The boy/girl that sits next to me is cute.
[X] I still drink apple juice.
[ ] There are monsters in my closet.
[ ] I can’t sleep with the lights off
[X] I can’t sleep with the lights on.
[] I still like piggy back rides.
[ ] Boys/girls still have cooties

A - AVAILABLE : No
B - BEST FRIENDS : Tom, Melissa and Krystal
C- Cute: Oreo
D - DADS NAME : Wayne Francis Riddell
E - LAST PERSON OF OPPOSITE SEX YOU TALKED TO : Melissa
F - FAVORITE BAND/ARTIST: The Ramones
G - GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS : worms
H - HOMETOWN : Greensville,ON
I - INSTRUMENT : tried to play electric guitar but outgrew it
K - KIDS : Never
L - LONGEST CAR RIDE: To Meaford or Port Elgin
M - MILK FLAVOR : Chocolate
N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS : 1
O - ONE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF : I can learn anything quickly and well
Q - FAVORITE QUOTE : The More things Change, the more they stay the same.
R - REASON TO SMILE : many things
S - SONG YOU LAST HEARD : it was from Repo not sure what it is called
T - TIME YOU WOKE UP : 10am
U - UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: I was not always fat
W - WORST HABITS :swearing

****Everyone has their firsts…****

First real best friend: Tom or Ray Faust
First Cellphone: big nokia
First pet:nero the doberman
First piercing/tattoo: tongue / tattoo on my bicep
First flight: never flown

****Everyone has their lasts…****

Last person you hugged: Melissa
Last time you cried : last night
Last thing you touched: the mouse
Last time at the mall: Sunday night
Last person you saw: Melissa
Last thing you drank: orange kool aid- sugar free
Last time you have been truly happy:damn I dunno

Synnful Memories 1

2009-01-29T20:06:00.000-05:00

I was born in 1978, so I grew up in the '80's, it's strange that at the time all you wanted was to grow up, for the bright future. But now you find yourself longing for the past, not that the present is so horrible but it just seemed so much brighter, happier and better time to live in. This is my first part of the nostalgia part of this blog, maybe some of you will remember these things or identify with them or maybe they may answer questions as to who I really am and how I got here. I hope you really enjoy this, well here I go.

Growing up in a small mountain town, there was not all the amenities of the cities, we had no cable, that did not come to Greensville til the '90's, we had no bus service, and only one store in the whole town...George's store it was known as or the real name Greensville Variety. George's store was up the road for me, up a fair sized hill at the crossroads before Greensville school. So my life really revolved around walking everywhere. Ahh George's store, with it's huge mark ups, expired products and ever changing prices....the 3 arcade machines when you walk in, only 2 that work and one that was rumored to be a hiding spot for a large stash of cocaine...to this day I am really not sure how true that is. I used to love to go up there and play Golden Axe for hours on end, buy the usual Tahiti treat and cool ranch doritos or other kid fare, like bonkers. Damn I miss tahiti treat. So from there after loading up on sugar and our obsenity filled dialogue getting us kicked out it would be off to the survey on bikes or swimming at Crooks Hollow Or Websters Falls.... Keep in mind I had a kick ass pool, but a pool cannot compare to the currents of a waterfall or nature made waterslides.

Tahiti Treat

And the other famous combo mate for me

Cool Ranch Doritos

Golden axe intro screen

Good ol' Webster's Falls

Another thing I always remember is the excitement of the weekends... Saturday morning cartoons on NBC or Fox( well was just WUTV then). Muppet babies, Captain N, Alvin and the chipmunks, Masters of the Universe, hell I could go on and on. But then would come one of the great loves of my life, The Monster's cereal commercials. Count Chocula was always my favorite both as character and cereal, but any commercial with BooBerry, Frankenberry or Yummy Mummy was fine with me. I never tried Yummy mummy sadly and was too young to have had Frute Brute, but recently got reacquianted to the blueberry infused yumminess of Booberry, I bought 6 boxes on ebay for $35. I could never eat Frankenberry though as my strawberry allergy prevented that. Sometimes I think the commercials were more of a draw point than the shows and it's sad that they are not as prominent any more..for better or worse they were an important part of my childhood and now are in demand for my nostalgia..god bless youtube.

Another missed memory is arcades, from the malls to Chuck E cheese to the Games Room in Dundas in my teens, these always will have a spot in my mind. I'll never forget all the birthdays at Chuck E Cheese, the skeeball I always sucked at, the shitty prizes, dirty ball pit, 2 token games, crappy animatronic shows and bad pizza. But man back then was a piece of heaven. Hell I first played Star Wars the arcade, Pac Man, Ghosts & Goblins and many more there, then came TMNT the arcade and we all fell in love. Hell me, Ray and Kyle must have spent over $40 in tokens on that game in one outing, much to my dad's dismay. I'll never forget Kyle, yelling I hate you fucky Cheese and kicking the costumed guy in the balls..great times. The games room was some local christians in my early to mid teens, created a business to give kids something to do in Dundas. A very well intentioned idea, however as we all know that's the way to hell.
The games room had all the newest arcades, it was there I first saw and then played mortal Kombat, it also had a huge cd jukebox full of metal, rap and grunge cds, pool tables and air hockey. Eventually it became a hang out for people to smoke out front and then became like a place to promote your street fight and then take the crowd to the arena for the big event. So needless to say it was shutdown. I will never forget the nights there, the 45 mins walk it took to get home, the booze, the fights, the games especially X-men the arcade. And yes I myself went to the Arena to do battle and happily kicked someone twice my sizes ass. Well i will continue this later hope you enjoyed.

Synnful Buzzes: Molson XXX

2009-01-29T19:47:00.000-05:00

I love Molson XXX, if I could only drink one brand of beer for the rest of my life, here it is. The only downfall now, well other than ridiculous price point($20 for a 12 pack) is that it is now only available in bottles...WTF. The old XXX cans were very attractive, silver and black, and still the very memory of them brings a smile to my face....AHHH the long weekends of my teen years, In the back of a shitbox, jacked up, rotting pile of shit black ford pick up, on the way to the beer store to buy beer for a ggod chunk of the school, the XXX cans brought so much promise, excitement, assurance of a decent weekend. Everything seems so much better back then.... This is another beer not for the weak stomach or lightweights, and some people find the alcohol dominated taste vile but for me this is like home. And at 7.3% has a great kick. I normally finish the 12 pack and am still good to go and feel great the next day.

Taste **** / 5
Buzz ****1/2 / 5
Value * / 5
20.50 for 12 pack is a sin..fucking government

Synnful Films: Random Viewings 1

2009-01-29T19:05:00.000-05:00

Some reviews from random movies, will post some randomly together here and there, I have an archive of 1000's of reviews to be added. I'll keep these brief, but future reviews will be either this format or long form if, well I so choose all right

REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA
Rating: **** / 5

Another victim of new lionsgate management not backing anything horror related that is not Saw. And it's too bad, this movie looked great, and had a good sound to it. Some very catchy songs...fuck
another muscial I like..hmmmmmmmm....

MUM & DAD
Rating **** / 5

Some might find it sick and maybe a touch twisted, but I really enjoyed this movie. It had a grainy, dirty kind of feel to the photography like the Saw series and Hostel, which really added to it for me. Not as violent as I had hoped, but still a great watch.

THE WRESTLER
Rating ****1/2 / 5

A very likeable movie, very fast paced, you hardly notice the length. It was very endearing, I can identify with this a lot getting up there in age and falling apart. One of the best non horror movies(hey really that is the only genre l actually enjoy) I have ever seen. I was not big on the ending, but it was a perfect fit, i just personally didn't like it.

RELIGULOUS
Rating **** / 5

1st off I am a fan of Bill Maher and 2ndly a rabid atheist, so I enjoyed this movie alot, it had some very funny bits but also a lot of sad and scary truths. At times is kind of self serving, but all in all a satisfying documentary.

MY NAME IS BRUCE
Rating ***1/2 / 5

Many references to Evil Dead series, Bruce Campbell is great as a drunken has been version of himself, having to be enlisted to fight a real demon despite being unaware that it is in fact reality not some bad movie as he believes. Some great moments but kind of falls apart at the end.

DAY OF THE DEAD -REMAKE
Rating **1/2 / 5

An alright remake but feels more like a bad rip off, some very bad CGI scenes..fuck i hate CGI- again steals the functional zombie concept created in Nightmare City-that's right not 28 days later kiddies-and i despised the zombies that can run on the ceiling but had some alright moments. A weak movie but not the worst I've seen.

REST STOP
Rating *** / 5

A wtf movie, but held my attention, which is relatively hard to do especially since it is not very violent, an intriguing ending left open for an obvious sequel, which i am looking forward to seeing, to maybe sort this out better. A lot of people are ripping on this movie but it is 5 times better than the Americanized bullshit versions of shit Japanese horror, the bad remakes, pg 13 shit, the bad sequels and the quote re-imaginings of last few years. This was all in all, a worthwhile movie.

RITUALS
Rating ** / 5

I caught this on Scream Channel and was hoping it lived up to the hype. It had beautiful cinematography of northern Ontario, but really dragged...in fact was a complete bore until the last 25 minutes or so, but even then never really paid out.

THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN
Rating ***1/2 / 5

The title has a bad porn feel to it, and I was put off as I find Clive Barker works to be inconsistent. There is some pacing issues, but the ending more than makes up for it. This is another of the rare good modern horror that will likely go unnoticed since it's not PG13 and Big studio made .

Synnful Buzzes: Colt 45

2009-01-29T18:57:00.001-05:00

To me colt 45 is some great memories, either the start of a great night, or the beginning of a concussion from a chair shot to the head contest or a self inflicted stab wound to the stomach, in a I am more hardcore than you contest. Either way, colt has been there thru some great times and never let me down...always a great, quick cheap, buzz and never once has made me puke. 3 colt 40's, yeah love the 40's and happy times. At 1st colt is kind of bitter, harsh and hard to down, the strong alcohol taste is the dominant flavour, but after awhile it is very likeable. Hell man it's a 40, its for chugging not savouring so chug away. Only side effect is a bad ass headache when you come down but it's so worth it. COLT 45, WORKS EVERY TIME. Gotta Love Billy Dee Williams.

Taste ** / 5 but for malt liquor sakes more like ***1/2 / 5
Buzz - for me 3 40's and **** / 5
Value 5.25 for a 40 *** / 5

Synnful Games: Fable 2* SPOILER*

2009-01-29T18:06:00.000-05:00

It was early spring 2008 and it was announced, much to my extreme excitement that on August 15th 2008 would be the sequel to one of my favorite games of the next gen systems( I am more of a retro gamer) Fable 2 would be out. I loved the Lost Levels version of Fable and spent many cold days slaughtering away innocent towns folk, merchants and town guards. I could hardly contain myself. So August comes and goes and no Fable 2, it was pushed back to Sept 29, but a download on XBOX live, Fable Pub games was out, where you could earn gold and transfer to the game once it was out. Well pub games was shit, boring repetitive and confusing and did little more than piss me off. So October arrives and still no Fable 2 until the end of the month, and well due to poor budgeting / bad spending and holidays, no money. So i finally got Fable 2 collectors edition for christmas. I was like a child for a few mins, wide eyed with excitement as the screen loaded..but that excitement began to sour once the beginning cut scene began from a point of few a bird that shits on the main character. AWW DAMN NO. Then began the child stage, a necessary evil of this series, but this one was better than the original, and thank god did not have a long drawn out training levels. So I of course took the same path as the original game- EVIL- as can be..even taking several wives to the Temple of Shadows - heheheh
Too bad there isn't any in real life, BYE BYE Megissa. I just find that the evil path is easier to build a character of great power very quickly. I enjoyed most of this game but have a few complaints. First off, there is no boss character at the end, hell the end leaves you feeling so ripped off, secondly this game was too short, I beat it in under 12 hours total, hell lost levels took me well over 40. You could go thru this game doing maybe only 3 side quests. The game play was basically the same, and I enjoyed the battle system alot, but what almost ended the game for me is the stupid child level you have to complete before the ending..it is so stupid, and really began the downfall for me. This was not worth the wait although it is not as broken as another rush game- I am accusing you FORCE UNLEASHED- at least it works.

Graphics **** 1/2 / 5
sound ***** / 5
game play *** / 5
story line ** / 5

Fable 3 better be worth it, I hope it's not in modern time like the rumors.

Synnful Gourmet: KFC Chicken Fries

2009-01-29T17:53:00.001-05:00

Now growing up in Greensville there was nothing better to do than walk into Dundas for some kind of excitement or even a decent place to eat. So very often me and Tom or even Tanya more frequently would make the walk from my place to the Dundas KFC, a mere hour walk down the Escapment to the very edge of Dundas. Looking back it seemed like alot but was so worth once my love affair with the deep fried golden crispy beauty of KFC's chicken fries. Well all things come to ends and they were sadly discontinued and remained only a happy memory or point of this fat guys rants randomly to whomever the fuck would listen for years until about 2 years ago, when i walked into the KFC on Sherman and low and behold..THE REBIRTH OF CHICKEN FRIES. I almost got a hard on in excitement-damn thats's a picture for you- and raced to the counter and ordered 60..yep fat guy here lol. No but seriously, I was feeding 3 other people. To me there is no better combination in this world than the sweet/tart honey mustard sauce and the well cooked chicken fry in all it's deep friedy, artery clogging, heart attack inducing trans fatty goodness. I am so greatful they are back and now if KFC would bring back the buttermilk bread, I'd convert to the church of Colonel Sanders, hell I'd create it.

Taste ***** / 5
Appearance ***** / 5
Value $6.99 for 20 pcs - *** / 5

If only they would deliver...

Synnful Gourmet ! : PIzza Hut Tuscani Pasta

2009-01-29T17:38:00.000-05:00

After a deluge of very effective advertising I cheated on my diet today and ordered the new
Meaty Marinara Tuscani pasta from pizza hut. Advertised as 3lbs of fresh oven baked pasta, I was my normal skeptical self and anticipated some starchy greasy processed soggy pile from hell but was pleasantly surprised by some well baked, cheese coated, nicely cooked pasta, with get this
REAL GROUND BEEF!!! From pizza fuckin hut!!! Actual real ingredients. All in all a very nicely spiced and well balanced meal. Would be good for about 3 people or so.

Taste: **** / 5
Appearance ***** / 5
Value 15.99 + taxes and 3.50 delivery- *** 1/2 / 5

Will definitely try the Creamy Chicken Alfredo, this was a nice surprise, but was a little costly
and was estimated delivery for 1202pm but showed up at 1220pm.