Chester's Snacks

Everyone's favorite orange cat, Chester (you know, the Cheetos mascot) has ventured out on his own.  He has his own line of products now, entirely devoid of Cheetos branding.  As a lover of all snack foods, I obviously had to try some of these, even though I don't actually like Cheetos chips (or their branded mac & cheese ...).  His product line includes "fries" and "puffcorn", the later of which I tried. 

Puffcorn

Puffcorn is not popcorn (although the Cheetos brand carries a version of that that I've reviewed before too). It is however corn (meal) based.   Puffcorn comes in several flavors, such as butter flavored (not cheesy at all!), a classic orange signature cheese flavor, and of course, a Flamin' Hot variety - he may be acting as an independent icon, but he is part of the same franchise after all, and Flamin' Hot is, well, their trendy range these days.

CHESTER'S® Cheese Flavored Puffcorn.

"When CHESTER CHEETAH puts his name on a snack, you can count on a bold and cheesy flavor like you’ve never tasted. CHESTER’S® snacks are made with a special blend of real cheese seasoning to give each bite the perfect pop and zing."

I went for the classic neon orange "cheese" flavor.  The pieces really did look like just kinda blown up Cheetos, although again, there is no Cheetos branding on this product.

I took my first bite, and wasn't sure how I felt about them.  I took another.  Same thing.  I really didn't know how I felt about them, even as I devoured half the bag in no time flat.

The product is pretty hard to classify - it really isn't like chips, and it isn't like popcorn, it is somewhere in the middle ... uh, I guess calling it "puffcorn" will suffice after all.  I really did like the form factor - it was airy, it was crispy, it was very munchable.  If you are familiar with Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, it reminded me a lot of that.  So, form factor?  Definitely a success for me, although I did grow a bit sick of the pieces being so soft, I missed the extra crunch that popcorn hulls provide.

The flavor is the part I wasn't as into.  Yes, they were savory and cheesy, but definitely in a fake cheese sense, and just not something I gravitate towards.  When I go for fake cheese, I prefer white cheddar.  They did still leave an orange hue on my fingers, although not as bad as traditional Cheetos.  

Overall, an interesting product, but, I'd rather eat Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, or white cheddar popcorn, instead.  3.5/5 for novelty, but probably more like 3/5 for me really.

Fries

And then there are the "fries".  Which are obviously not actually fries, they are a packaged snack food found in the chip aisle. These come in a variety of flavors, including chili cheese, bacon cheddar, carolina style bbq, and of course, Flamin Hot'.

Flamin' Hot Fries.

"Get ready for a sizzle of flavor that will set your mouth on fire. Dive into a red hot blaze of fiery crunch with Chester's brand hot fries."

These confused my brain.

I knew they were Chester's brand.  I knew that meant they'd be cheesy. And corn puff based.  And yet, with the bold red color and shoestring fries shape, my brain still didn't expect them to taste like (lightly spicy) corn based cheese puffs.  You may recall that I don't actually really care for Cheetos or adjacent snacks.  These fared a bit better, but not much.

The form factor was unique and kinda novel.  Airy and crispy, fun familiar fries shape, just unexpected as a snack food.  Not bad.  The base flavor was generic corn puff, which I don't love though.  That base was masked entirely by all the cheese powders, and, um, the red.  They were a bit spicy, but certainly not "fiery" nor about to "set my mouth on fire".  They tasted like Cheetos puffs, just, in a different shape.

Not really my thing, but, fun to try. 3/5 if I'm not taking my own preferences into account.

Read More...

Tall Poppy, NYC

New York City is a wonderland for eating.  No matter what you crave, a very high quality version of it exists nearby.  For baked goods lovers like myself, it is hard to keep up with all the incredible new bakery openings in Manhattan.  Some are new outposts of well known bakeries out in the further boroughs (I can't wait to try the new Somedays location!), others are niche single-item viral spots (hello, cinnamon rolls from Spirals, Benji's, or, the ones I tried, Sunday Morning), some are the latest ventures of established bakers (e.g. Dominique Ansel's latest, Papa D'Amour - review coming soon!),  and others, like Tall Poppy, are just new, but immediately started popping up in all the foodie groups.

"Tall Poppy is a small-batch bakery, serving up bloody good croissants and other baked goods.  All our products are freshly baked down under (in the basement) and are updated seasonally, making the most of produce when it’s at its best. Everything is handmade from scratch, in multiple batches throughout the morning, so you can enjoy it all at its absolute best (the way it should be)."

Tall Poppy opened in September 2024, and just over a year in, they are well established and well regarded for the consistent high quality.

"Tall Poppy is a New York based bakery producing fresh, seasonal pastries that combine classic French pastry techniques with strong, complex flavor profiles."

In a city full of phenomenal cinnamon rolls and laminated pastries, theirs get a lot of mentions on "best of" lists, particularly those (usually filled) croissants.  Laminated pastries available include regular, prosciutto & gruyere, or chocolate croissants, several seasonal croissants (currently Jaffa or Sugar Cookie Almond), plus their signature Hangover egg croissant and Everything Cruffin.   They also produce a few cookies, a slice of cake, and the aforementioned buns in several flavors.  Flavors change seasonal, to match the holidays or the seasonal produce.  

They aren't available through any delivery platforms, although you can pre-order for pickup online.  I did not visit in person, so I can't comment on the bakery setting nor lines, but instead, got treated to some goodies at my office that someone else picked up.  

Sugar Cookie Almond Croissant. $9.
Dec 2025 Seasonal.

I grabbed this seasonal croissant, mostly just seeing the little sprinkles and getting excited.  I didn't know what kind it was until I looked up their Instagram later to find it was a current special: sugar cookie.

I'll cut right to the chase.  This was exceptional.  Flawless.  Stunning.  One of the best pastries I've ever had, and quite unique.

The croissant itself had perfect lamination.  Such great layers, beautifully crispy exterior, and deep rich buttery flavor.  After having this, I'm sure all their laminated pastries are top notch.  I want to try more, ASAP!  No edits on the pedigree of the pastry itself.

But what made this hit another plane of excellence all together is the filling and topping.  Even knowing it was "sugar cookie almond" I didn't quite know what that would mean.  Wow, wow, wow.

First, on top - a crunchy, sweet, yes, sugar cookie crown.  It was fun, festive, sweet, and great texture contrast.

Sugar Cookie Almond Croissant: Inside.

But it kept on giving.  Inside was stuffed full of filling.  Sweet, slightly gooey, sugar cookie infused almond frangipane.  Zomg.  Think all the greatness of a twice baked almond croissant filling married with the greatness of slightly raw sugar cookie dough.  Sweet, gooey, subtle almond, crunchy sprinkles ... ZOMG.  I love, love, love, loved the filling.

And put it all together?  I have nothing at all I can possibly nitpick at.  It was perfect.  And really quite different from anything I've ever had before.  Perfect 5/5, and again, really, one of the best pastries I've ever had.

"But wait, Julie, didn't you have a sugar cookie cruffin last year, in December, from Supermoon Bakehouse, also in NY?"  Well, yes, I did.  I reviewed it then.  For me, this is everything I wanted that one to be but it wasn't.  Similar concept of holiday sugar cookie merged with a trendy laminated pastry, with eye catching topping, but, this was just another league above that one.  Exceptional.

Cinnamon Buns. $9 each.

"Filled with cinnamon butter & iced with cream cheese frosting."

After the flawless sugar cookie almond croissant from Tall Poppy, I wanted to try something else, this time going for a cinnamon roll (as 2025 seems to be the year of the cinnamon roll after all).  They make theirs with leftover croissant scraps, so it is a laminated dough, not your classic yeasted.  

Tall Poppy always has the regular bun, plus two seasonal offerings.  The day we got our goodies the holiday specials were pumpkin spice and coquito.  I think the ones pictured here were the regular ones.  I didn't try these, and instead went for one of the specials, although I have remorse that I didn't opt for these classics instead.

Coquito Bun. $9.

"Filled with caramelized coconut & topped with coconut nog frosting."

I went for the other one, not knowing what it was, with frosting that looked less pure white.  When I later looked up the specials, I knew this meant I had likely grabbed the pumpkin spice (with spiced cream cheese frosting) or the coquito (with coconut nog frosting).

And the verdict was ... I think the coquito?  But really, this is a vague "I think", not certainty.  It wasn't strong in the coconut flavors, and I didn't taste any nog.  There did seem to be a tiny bit of the caramelized coconut though.

But anyway, it was a decent cinnamon roll.  Soft style, reasonably well rolled with filling, fairly moist and fresh tasting, nice ratio of frosting.  It was just a good cinnamon roll though, one I could imagine a talented home baker friend pulling off, not one I'd put on any list of things to necessarily seek out.  I enjoyed it, it was good, but nothing really out of the ordinary (not like Sunday Morning ...).  In a city full of cinnamon rolls, I'd skip it and go elsewhere for those cravings, particularly as their laminated pastries just *are* top tier, and where you should focus your consumption if stopping at Tall Poppy.  4/5.

Read More...