I know, I know, it isn't quite fair of me to review products that you can't seek out yourselves, but, chances are also high that you may encounter some of Kabob's frozen appetizers in your lifetime, you may just not realize it.
"Kabobs... the appetizers and hors d'oeuvres specialists."
Kebob's is a foodservice distributor, of frozen appetizers, served at buffets and receptions nationwide.
"Harmonious sweet and savory pairings of smooth, rich brie cheese with Caramelized Pear and Almonds, wrapped in a light buttery phyllo beggar's purse."
I liked these.
The phyllo was crispy and held the fillings in nicely.
The filling wasn't distinct chunks of brie, pear, or almonds, but rather filled with something that reminded me a bit of ricotta, I think from the ground almonds? The flavors were good, and although the texture was strange, it worked.
Update: Until I had another. The next time, I still liked the wrapper, but I didn't like the filling. It *almost* tasted good, but reminded me a bit of ... puke? It was really strange, it tasted good at first, and then really struck me as awful a moment later.
"Crisp vegetables mixed with Oriental seasoned duck combined with classic Hoisin sauce wrapped in a delicate springroll wrapper."
These weren't good.
The wrapper wasn't "delicate", it was just a standard crispy spring roll. Which is fine I guess, just not notable.
The filling however was the part where it really fell down. I was looking forward to duck, hoisin, and great things, but instead it was just ... mush. It had some flavor, but mostly was just mush.
Did not like.
"Traditional Italian pizza sauce in four delicious varieties: Sausage, Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Cheese."
The deep dish pizzas all looked identical, except for the mushroom ones, which had a tiny little slice of mushroom on top.
All had a strange oily tart shell that wasn't very good, certainly not pizza dough. On top, mediocre melted cheese.
And inside? All were stuffed with tomato sauce, thick tomato sauce, more like tomato paste, really. it was seasoned, but, eh. Way way too much sauce for the other ingredients.
This was sausage, but I never found any sausage in mine.
"A sweet balance of peaches, paired with rich mascarpone cheese, wrapped in a light mini turnover." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
"Peaches, paired with smooth custard like flavors of mascarpone cheese, wrapped in a masa-style mini pastry turnover. A sweet balance of peaches, paired with the smooth, rich flavors of mascarpone cheese, wrapped in a light mini turnover pastry. Kabobs’ Peaches n’ Crème Mini Turnovers create a welcome addition to breakfast, mid-morning breaks, and mini desserts." -- Kebobs'
The manufacturer recommends these as a very versatile product - you can bake them or fry them, serve for breakfast or a mid-morning break, or, as we had, as a dessert offering. For a dessert serving, they recommend pairing with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel, tossing in cinnamon sugar, or drizzling with honey and serving with creme. We had whipped cream on the side.
They were not good. At all.
The masa crust was a savory, standard empanada style. I somehow still thought they would be more pastry-like, more dessert appropriate, even though I read the description.
And inside, just a tiny bit of peach slime. I didn't taste mascarpone.
We won't be getting these again. No one was a fan.
"Sweet potato combined with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecan, folded in a puff pastry." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
"The warm buttery favors of sweet potato combined with a heavenly blend of brown sugar,
cinnamon, nutmeg and crushed pecans, delicately folded in mouth-watering puff pastry and
dusted with a decadent praline crumble. " -- Kabobs
The pastry element of this was good, buttery, flaky.
The filling was very holiday appropriate, but I expected it to be more of a savory appetizer, and it really was too sweet for that. Sweet potato plus brown sugar makes for a very very sweet bite. Which is good, just, not quite what I wanted.
I also expected a smooth filling, not cubes of potato, but I guess I don't know why I expected that.
They didn't really seem to have praline crumble on top.
"A savory piece of beef tenderloin enrobed with duxelle and puff pastry." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
"A savory piece of beef tenderloin accented with mushroom duxelle wrapped in a French-style puff pastry." -- Kabobs
These again had excellent pastry, and sounded very promising.
However, the mushroom duxelle was more like a mushroom gravy, it seemed saucy in a strange way. And the beef tenderloin? Chewy gray-ish meat.
So, great pastry, not so great filling. My least favorite.
"All beef frankfurters wrapped in a blanket of puff pastry." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
"Miniature beef frankfurters wrapped in a blanket of puff pastry." -- Kabobs'
I love hot dogs. I love puff pastry. I adore pigs in a blanket.
But these pigs? Not good. The hot dogs (beef) inside were a strange mushy texture, and I hated the taste. Horrible hot dogs.
The pastry? Eh. Fine, but not particularly buttery nor good.
"A velvety blend of sweet corn, rich heavy cream and fresh eggs. Perfect as a side, breakfast or dessert." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor
"Kabobs’ Sweet Corn Souffle provides infinite possibilities as a sweet and savory culinary canvass to create upon. With a cylindrical shaped base, Kabobs’ culinary team paired a blend of shoe peg and sweet corn, with rich heavy cream and whole eggs, to create a velvety smooth center. The soufflé is a great platform for a shared appetizer plate, or side item with fire roasted shrimp or pork tenderloin. For an equally impressive option, pair with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and drizzle with dulce de leche for a gluten-free dessert." -- Kabobs'
I was pretty intrigued by this. A dessert, a side, or a breakfast?! That is a pretty expansive space.
Ours were served as dessert, but cold, and unadorned. The manufacturer recommends serving warm with ice cream and a drizzle of dulce de leche.
It was ... ok. The texture was quite light and fluffy, studded with corn kernels for some interest. The flavor was both sweet and savory, so, I do see what they mean by going either way. But served cold, and as "dessert", it didn't quite work.
I had another cold as past of my breakfast the next day. This really did work, very brunch-like, almost a quiche, but less egg forward. Dense, since chilled.
The absolute best was when I had a third one warm the next day. It got incredibly light and fluffy (seriously, how did they transform it so!), the flavor brightened up, and it was a complete delight to eat. I can imagine it served warm alongside all sorts of dishes, just like they say.
After the success of the warm one, I can certainly imagine it warm and jazzed up with sauces and ice cream for dessert, but alas, I only had three.
"Kabobs is dedicated to creating superior quality products and delivering unparalleled service in the premium hors d'oeuvre market, every piece, every time.
The perfect fit for big, buttoned-up black tie events, or small, informal gatherings of friends, Kabobs is the go-to hors d'oeuvre and entrée source for five star chefs, restaurant chains, and professional caterers.
Kabobs prides itself in utilizing only the freshest, premium ingredients available in creating our extensive line of gourmet, handcrafted appetizers and entrees."
They certainly talk themselves up to be a premium offering, but, at the end of the day, these are still frozen appetizers, ready to be heated and served on demand.
"Layered, stacked, wrapped, rolled, filled, folded, stuffed or skewered; Kabobs' handcrafted hors d'oeuvres, entrees, and components are made with imagination creativity, and the freshest, finest, hand-selected ingredients readily available."
Contrary to what the name implies, while Kebobs does have a few skewered kabob items ... most are other types of small bites, and they also offer some entrees, although I never tried though.
Phyllo Hors d'oeuvres
I adore phyllo pastries, so, I was pleased to see Kabobs offers a large variety of fairly interesting options, in differing shapes and sizes, with both sweet and savory fillings.
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| Brie, Pear, & Almond Beggar's Purse. |
I liked these.
The phyllo was crispy and held the fillings in nicely.
 | |
| Brie, Pear, & Almond Beggar's Purse: Inside. |
Update: Until I had another. The next time, I still liked the wrapper, but I didn't like the filling. It *almost* tasted good, but reminded me a bit of ... puke? It was really strange, it tasted good at first, and then really struck me as awful a moment later.
Asian
No appetizer line would be complete without a bunch of generic asian spring rolls, dumplings, and buns, an of course Kebobs meets these needs too.
 |
| Peking Duck Roll. |
These weren't good.
The wrapper wasn't "delicate", it was just a standard crispy spring roll. Which is fine I guess, just not notable.
The filling however was the part where it really fell down. I was looking forward to duck, hoisin, and great things, but instead it was just ... mush. It had some flavor, but mostly was just mush.
Did not like.
Tarts, Quiches & Pizzas
To really cover all bases, Kebobs has a slew of bite sized little tart like things, tiny bite sized pizzas, and little quiches. I can't say these were successful.
 | ||
| Deep Dish Pizza Assortment. |
The deep dish pizzas all looked identical, except for the mushroom ones, which had a tiny little slice of mushroom on top.
All had a strange oily tart shell that wasn't very good, certainly not pizza dough. On top, mediocre melted cheese.
 |
| Sausage Deep Dish Pizza: Inside. |
This was sausage, but I never found any sausage in mine.
Pastry Hors d'oeuvres
Of course I was drawn to the pastry encased offerings, particularly the sweet ones ... but the mini beef wellington (!) and pastry covered mini hot dogs were certainly appealing.
 |
| Peach Pie Empanada. |
"Peaches, paired with smooth custard like flavors of mascarpone cheese, wrapped in a masa-style mini pastry turnover. A sweet balance of peaches, paired with the smooth, rich flavors of mascarpone cheese, wrapped in a light mini turnover pastry. Kabobs’ Peaches n’ Crème Mini Turnovers create a welcome addition to breakfast, mid-morning breaks, and mini desserts." -- Kebobs'
The manufacturer recommends these as a very versatile product - you can bake them or fry them, serve for breakfast or a mid-morning break, or, as we had, as a dessert offering. For a dessert serving, they recommend pairing with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel, tossing in cinnamon sugar, or drizzling with honey and serving with creme. We had whipped cream on the side.
They were not good. At all.
The masa crust was a savory, standard empanada style. I somehow still thought they would be more pastry-like, more dessert appropriate, even though I read the description.
And inside, just a tiny bit of peach slime. I didn't taste mascarpone.
We won't be getting these again. No one was a fan.
 |
| Cinnamon Sweet Potato Puff. |
"The warm buttery favors of sweet potato combined with a heavenly blend of brown sugar,
cinnamon, nutmeg and crushed pecans, delicately folded in mouth-watering puff pastry and
dusted with a decadent praline crumble. " -- Kabobs
The pastry element of this was good, buttery, flaky.
 |
| Cinnamon Sweet Potato Puff: Inside. |
I also expected a smooth filling, not cubes of potato, but I guess I don't know why I expected that.
They didn't really seem to have praline crumble on top.
 |
| Mini Beef Wellington. |
"A savory piece of beef tenderloin accented with mushroom duxelle wrapped in a French-style puff pastry." -- Kabobs
These again had excellent pastry, and sounded very promising.
 |
| Mini Beef Wellington: Inside. |
So, great pastry, not so great filling. My least favorite.
 |
| Frank and Blanket. |
"Miniature beef frankfurters wrapped in a blanket of puff pastry." -- Kabobs'
I love hot dogs. I love puff pastry. I adore pigs in a blanket.
But these pigs? Not good. The hot dogs (beef) inside were a strange mushy texture, and I hated the taste. Horrible hot dogs.
The pastry? Eh. Fine, but not particularly buttery nor good.
Other
 |
| Sweet Corn Souffle. |
"Kabobs’ Sweet Corn Souffle provides infinite possibilities as a sweet and savory culinary canvass to create upon. With a cylindrical shaped base, Kabobs’ culinary team paired a blend of shoe peg and sweet corn, with rich heavy cream and whole eggs, to create a velvety smooth center. The soufflé is a great platform for a shared appetizer plate, or side item with fire roasted shrimp or pork tenderloin. For an equally impressive option, pair with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and drizzle with dulce de leche for a gluten-free dessert." -- Kabobs'
I was pretty intrigued by this. A dessert, a side, or a breakfast?! That is a pretty expansive space.
Ours were served as dessert, but cold, and unadorned. The manufacturer recommends serving warm with ice cream and a drizzle of dulce de leche.
It was ... ok. The texture was quite light and fluffy, studded with corn kernels for some interest. The flavor was both sweet and savory, so, I do see what they mean by going either way. But served cold, and as "dessert", it didn't quite work.
I had another cold as past of my breakfast the next day. This really did work, very brunch-like, almost a quiche, but less egg forward. Dense, since chilled.
The absolute best was when I had a third one warm the next day. It got incredibly light and fluffy (seriously, how did they transform it so!), the flavor brightened up, and it was a complete delight to eat. I can imagine it served warm alongside all sorts of dishes, just like they say.
After the success of the warm one, I can certainly imagine it warm and jazzed up with sauces and ice cream for dessert, but alas, I only had three.
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