Lay's Gyro Chips

I took a few days off from finishing the four Lay's chip flavors that are circulating right now looking for votes.  It wasn't to keep you hanging but more because I found some other items that piqued my interest better at the time.  If you were patiently waiting, I'm sorry and here it is!

Gyro... I love these things.  The meat, the tzatziki sauce,...onion, lettuce and tomato (which I usually flick off) and that yummy pita...I'm drooling!  Obviously this sandwich is far better than the cb&j I had for lunch.  That's a cashew butter and jelly, in case you thought that was a typo.  Still, I didn't have high hopes fore this chip because as I stated before...meat flavored chips just don't sound appealing!

I opened that bag and true to form I bend over to get that whiff of aromas that fly up out of the bag once opened.  OH DEAR GOD!  What the hell is that smell?!?!  *insert 2 year old yucky face here*.  I try again... OH MAN!  It's worse the second time around.  BUT, they were bought and they were opened and now I need to try them.  I.DON'T.WANNA!  Okay, quick like a band aid... I pick off the smallest chip on the top and pop it in my mouth.  Okay, so to me the smell was far worse than the taste but the taste wasn't exactly the best thing in the world.  I don't get gyro out of it.  We collectively decided it smells like dog food and tastes what we would assume is the same since none of us make it a habit of eating dog food.  I don't know how to describe it any other way.  Revolting, maybe?  Okay, that's a bit harsh.  This bag was quickly toss off to the side of the table where no one could see it or be reminded of it ever again.

We purposely left the bag out hanging in a tree to feed the raccoon that scared the boogers out of me the night prior when he crept up and sat next to me outside.  We didn't necessarily want to waste them and the good news is the raccoon all but licked the bag clean he/she liked it so much.

Final rating * One star because you can't give negative numbers.

 

Lays New York Reuben

Two down...two to go.

Let's talk about Reubens.  Have you all had one?  I hope so!  I have to admit I like them, but it's not my "go to" sandwich by any means.  And, then, there's that whole pastrami vs. corned beef debate.  Personally I like both but would pick pastrami over corned beef for this sandwich.  If you are unfamiliar with a Reuben, it is a sandwich made with either thinly (hopefully) sliced pastrami or corned beef, Russian dressing, sauerkraut and swiss cheese grilled on rye bread.  In many cases, the meat to mouth ratio is about four to one, so you better hope you don't dislocate your jaw trying to eat the darn thing.

When all four flavors came out, this flavor intrigued me the most even though it sort of disgusted me at the same time.  I've had chicken flavored chips and let's just say those shouldn't exist.  So, I didn't really think pastrami chips would go over too well, but that morbid curiosity really clouded my judgement when I debated whether or not to try them.  Of course I tried them who was I trying to kid?

So, per usual, I opened the bag and took a nice deep breath of chip air.  You know that face that kids make when you ask them if they want broccoli?  Yeah, I made the same face.  All I smelled was sauerkraut.  That's it...nothing else.  The vinegary smell literally burned my nose and I had to turn away.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love vinegar but this wasn't appealing at all!  I actually didn't even really want to try them, but I did.

It is my theory that it takes at minimum two tries but ideally three tries to make your final decision on whether you like it or not.  Sometimes the initial flavor shock is a huge turn off but you learn to like it as you try it again.  This was not the case for me.  I was turned off from the get go and continued all the way to the third and final chip.  I did not get "Reuben" going to my brain.  I got "freshly opened can of sauerkraut" to my brain and nothing else.  I like sauerkraut but not as a chip and I really felt the pastrami, cheese, dressing and rye aspect was missing or if it was there it was just being over powered.  One of my friends, however, was delighted by these chips and said they tasted just like a Reuben to her.  Maybe my taste buds aren't equipped to handle something so sour and get the undertones at the same time.

Final score: * one star for originality but I wouldn't buy these again.

Please note:  This is not my photo, just a general one found on google.

West Coast Truffle Fries

Good tasty morning!  I figured I would continue with the Lays potato chip flavors that are out now and looking for your votes.  There are four in total, and yes I've tried them all!

Today brings you to my second favorite of this particular bunch...the West Coast Truffle Fries flavor.  Have you ever had truffle fries?  If not, you need to find them.  Now!  Go ahead, I'll wait...

Like routine, I started off with shoving my head in the opened bag to take a whiff before diving in to try these beauties.  The scent is enough to entice you to try them, for sure.  These chips have a unique flavor and one that those of us who have had the pleasure of eating actual truffle fries will recognize.  Although, while I think the flavor of these is unique, I also think that the flavor is light.  Meaning it's not a huge, bold flavor like the biscuits and gravy.  Let's see how many more times I can say flavor...flavor flavor flavor.  Anyway, I immediately get hit of truffle oil when I eat these.  Then that mixture of light cheese and garlic yumminess follows.  Like I said, these are a light chip so don't expect a firework display in your mouth, but sit back and savor the goodness that is truffle fries!

I enjoyed these very much and it is my opinion that these are a great chip to pair with something more on the bolder side OR a chip that you would be okay layering with other flavors such as a dip of some sort.  I actually dipped these straight into plain sour cream last night and enjoyed them that way.  I would definitely buy these again if they won and were available going forward.  I actually might even like these better if they were on a baked chip vs. the waffle chips.  Blasphemy, I know!

Final rating: *** Three stars - only because I think they could have coated the chip a little more to give it a little more flavor instead of just a hint of it.

Biscuits and Gravy Lays Potato Chips

I thought I would start off with something currently on the market (and currently shoving in my face hole) before I hit some of the products I've tried over the recent years.  At first glance, I made that icky face all 2 year olds know how to do so well.  BUT, as addicted as I am to LTO (limited time only) flavors, of course, I had to try them.

Let me preface by saying that I generally do love biscuits and gravy which is odd because I don't like sausage.  But, for whatever reason, the combo of flavors with the gravy and the buttermilk biscuits and the poached eggs I just need to have on top of it works for me.  Knowing that, and being picky about the gravy, I didn't have very high hopes for this chip.  So I opened the bag and did what any other sane person would do...shove my entire head in the bag to take a deep sniff.  Smell is very important!  It is one of the main reasons why we taste things the way we do.  At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised with the smell.  It actually smelled like how it was supposed to.  So I got all giddy and proceeded to try one.  Holy cow!  Not only does it smell like how it's supposed to, it actually tasted like biscuits and gravy!  Go figure!  I'm so used to seasonal flavors falling short of what they are supposed to taste like, I was genuinely shocked!  I proceeded to eat several more and enjoyed them more and more as I was eating them.  One happy girl right here!

So, what does it taste like?  What it's supposed to taste like!  For those of you who have never had biscuits and gravy for breakfast, fresh buttermilk biscuits drowning in a white sausage gravy and by sausage I mean of the breakfast kind not of the sweet kind.  You don't get the buttery, flaky biscuit taste with the chips, but you do get that creamy, black pepper, fennel flavor you do with the real thing.  There is a bit of a spunk to these because of the black pepper, but I wouldn't say they were hot (for those of my friends who can't tolerate spice).  It doesn't engulf your mouth in flames but you will get a bit of a tingle in the back of your throat.

Final rating:  **** 4 stars