Sonic Drive-In

I can honestly say I’ve seen commercials for Sonic, “your ultimate drink stop” for a solid 5 years now. My sister and I would watch, practically salivating and complaining about how all we wanted was one of their slushes or delicious breakfast burritos. Living in Central New Jersey, we were never lucky enough to have one of our own… until now.

Recently, a Sonic Drive-In opened in North Brunswick, and another is being built in Greenbrook. There are already a few out there, one in north west Jersey, another in Waretown, and one in Forked River. For the most part the already opened locations were too far a drive to justify for a drive-in fast food joint. The newest member to the Sonic family, however, oozes convenience. So much so, that I’ve gone two days in a row.

The first time I went was in Pennsylvania with some friends. I was overwhelmed by the menu, and stuck to a cherry slush and chicken wrap with tots, of course. The next time I went, I tried the breakfast burrito, which was AWESOME. I then tried the bacon cheeseburger on Texas toast, which was amazing when I first ate it, but not so great a few hours later.

Yesterday, I tried the California burger and a blue coconut slush. These were both delicious though I could have gone for more Thousand Island dressing on my burger. Instead of the regular tots, my boyfriend and I split the chili cheese tots; best decision ever. Today, after watching the Travel Channel’s “Hot Dog Paradise” I went for the chili cheese dog with regular tots, and a cherry limeade with a shot of vanilla. SO GOOD!

The food really is so much better than your average fast food joint. Throw in ordering from your car and having them deliver it to you on roller skates, I can’t think of a better scenario. I can honestly say I don’t think there is a single thing on the menu I wouldn’t try. Just their drinks alone are mind blowing.

This is absolutely a place you need to find, and eat at. Most of them don’t have indoor seating (though I think a few do), and some have outdoor seating. They have quite a few drive-ins, and most also have a drive-thru. Even if you just hit it up for something more than your 7-11 Slurpee, (between 2 and 4 every single day is happy hour, with half priced drinks!) you’ll be glad you did. I can’t help but think of Napoleon Dynamite every time I order tots, but I’m more than okay with that.

So keep ’em coming Sonic, us New Jerseyans have seen your commercials for years, and we’re hungry for the deliciousness!

Holiday Spirits in Coffee Form!

Since we’re mid-way through December, I’m really starting to get into the Holiday spirit. That being said, I wanted to share my thoughts on the infamous Holiday Season coffee drinks currently being offered.

I know during the fall I had mentioned Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte as being the reason for my trips during that particular season. Similarly, their delicious winter-time offerings keep me coming back for more! I’ve only had a few so far; the Espresso Truffle, Gingerbread Latte, and a few sips of the Eggnog Latte. They have a new favorite this time around called the Caramel Brulee which sounds delicious!

I found the Gingerbread Latte to have just the right amount of spice so as it wasn’t too overpowering. The Eggnog, however, was not something I’d have again. Being this my second poor experience with an eggnog flavored coffee, I’m starting to think I don’t like eggnog. The Espresso Truffle is also really good. It has a nice hint of rich chocolate to the bitter tasting espresso. It has a somewhat thick consistency, made out of the beans in the best coffee grinders, which makes it much more of a slow drink.

To be fair, Starbucks also has some type of mocha peppermint latte. Unfortunately, I refuse to drink it. I absolutely hate the taste of chocolate and peppermint together. I know that sounds completely ridiculous to a lot of people, but I just can’t do it. So that unfortunately is something I’ll never give my opinion on.

I haven’t really seen too many other places offering winter season drinks. I decided to check on Dunkin’ Donuts website since I haven’t been there in about two weeks (total blasphemy, but I’m trying to save as much money as I can for Christmas gifts!). They have a new peppermint mocha latte and donut, but as I previously mentioned, that will not be getting my attention.

So, as we really start to get deep into the winter and Holiday season, I’m going to be on the prowl for more Holiday drinks. The gingerbread latte I had last week really sparked my interest. Come on snow, I’m ready for you!!

Who Doesn’t Like a Product Review?

A few weeks ago while reading Serious Eats, I came across a review of
a pumpkin soup mix from Maggie and Mary. The review was positive, and since I respect Serious Eats’ opinions and was also on a pumpkin kick, I ordered it.

While on the site I stumbled upon some other interesting mixes, and
also picked up a pomegranate smoothie mix.

To be fair, I haven’t had the pumpkin soup yet. I did finally have the
smoothie last night, though. I really only have one thing to say about
it; meh. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful either. I don’t think
it’s something I would go out of my way to have again.

I think part of my problem was that it called for milk. Being that it
was super fruity, the milk gave it a weird after taste. The powder was
also a little too processed tasting for me, but I don’t think I
expected anything different on that front.

They did offer an alternate recipe to include soda (I would probably
go with something similar to Sprite) and also the option to add rum or
another spirit. I definitely think it would be a great mixed drink,
but it’s just mediocre as a smoothie.

I would be willing to try some of their other mixes; they have different soup, beverage, cheese ball (yum!), and dip offerings as well.

Perhaps I’ll serve the pumpkin soup on Thanksgiving. Which reminds me, I’ll have quite an elaborate entry post-Thanksgiving, as we bravely decided to host this year (what were we thinking?!)

Until next time, happy nomz!