Tantalizing your taste buds

I'm sure by now most people have seen the commercial with Eva Longoria losing her mind over which of three potato chip flavors are her "new favorite" and then after she says she can't decide pitchman Chef Michael Symon tells us we will decide which one is America's favorite by voting by May 5th.

Now, we're not talking about deciding between mundane things like Barbeque, Sea Salt or Plain. Competing to break into the Lay's Potato Chip line up are Sriracha, Cheesy Garlic Bread and Chicken & Waffles!!

These three flavors were the top finalists in a contest held late last year where people could submit their own flavor ideas, and then vote on submissions. (I submitted Spicy Shawarma, a Middle Eastern treat!!).

If any of those three finalists sound odd to you, consider these mouthwatering options: Marshmallow, Watermelon, Bubble Gum, Mint Chocolate Chip. I kid you not. When I was going through voting I saw those among the options we could vote on.

One of the biggest problems has actually been getting my hands on a bag of any of the finalists so I could make an educated choice. Not sure if it was a case of under estimating demand, or an intentional scarcity to bump up popularity.

In either case, with the exception of the first week they went on sale, they have been scarcer than Hen's teeth, to the point that people were selling bags on Amazon.com for $25!! And to think I cringed at the $4.29 MSRP.

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Here are my thoughts after having been able to sample the chips.

SRIRACHA – This was my pre-sample favorite. I love chili and hot spicy foods. For those that don't know it, Sriracha is that bright red chili paste sauce you may have seen at your favorite Asian restaurant. It comes in a tall plastic bottle with a neon green cap, and usually has a rooster or tiger on the label.

Sadly, this flavor just didn't hold up well when compared to foods that I've drenched with copious amounts of the spicy sweet goodness of Sriracha, and never stood up and said, "HEY THERE DUDE!! IT'S SRIRACHA TIME!!"

CHICKEN & WAFFLES – Of the three flavors, this one has probably generated the most Internet chatter. People seem to either be intrigued by the idea, or repulsed by it.

For those that can't figure the combo out, it's a traditional late night, after the bars close, menu item that originated in Harlem, New York (despite all the non-Southerners trying to claim it's a Southern thing).

With an open mind, I finally got the chance to try this most sought after flavor just last Sunday.

It starts off with a syrupy sweetness which reminded me of Mrs. Butterworth's Butter Flavored Pancake Syrup. Then the back of your tongue kicks in and delivers a flavor reminiscent, not so much of chicken itself, but of the golden fried batter you get on the outside of a properly crispy crunchy piece of fried chicken.

As much as I did find the Chicken & Waffles flavor tasty, it wasn't to the point where I'd want to buy a big bag and wolf it down in one or two sittings. Admittedly never a good idea, but a sign of a good flavor.

CHEESY GARLIC BREAD – This was actually the first flavor I was able to get a hold of, and the one I originally thought I'd be least likely to vote for. It just sounded too normal compared to the more exotic offerings.

As I was eating this flavor, it honestly tasted like I was eating a piece of French Bread, crispy from the oven, with that garlic and parmesan butter, spread you can buy, slathered all over it. The garlic was just right.

So in the end, the flavor I thought I'd be least likely to vote for earned by vote. Now, will just have to wait to see which one earns a place next to other Lay's flavors such as Dill Pickle Chip, BLT and Honey Mesquite Barbeque.

Great Game, As for the Commercials??

You'd have to be stuck somewhere in the Back Woods not to know that last Sunday was the Super Bowl; the end of the National Football League's season, and the beginning of a wasteland for those that watch nothing but football.

Most people are probably watching it for the game. But, there are plenty who watch for the commercials, using the play clock to make trips to the kitchen.

In last year's Super Bowl blog I wrote that the game was one of the most boring I'd ever watched. However, I had really enjoyed many of the commercials. This year's rendition was reverse.

Of course, it probably helped a lot that the San Francisco 49ers were involved for the first time in 18 years. I'm normally a Raiders' fan. However, I'm perfectly happy to cheer on the 49ers if they're the only Bay Area team involved.

Unfortunately, the commercials were not up to par. In fact, they were pretty disappointing when considered collectively. Considering they cost $3.8 Million per 30 second spot, you'd have expected to have your socks knocked off with amazing creativity.

I was also surprised at the amount of promos for CBS programming and the NFLEVOLUTION.COM. I have to wonder if these were fill-ins used because some spots went unsold due to to the outrageous price tag.

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Here are some of my dislikes and likes from this year's crop:

DISLIKES

GO DADDY "PERFECT MATCH" – In the past, Go Daddy has run a campaign of showing us commercials that teased sexy subjects, and then said to go to the Go Daddy website to see the unrated versions.

Now I wish they'd kept it up. This year's commercial featured Israeli super model Bar Rafaeli kissing a pudgy wild haired computer nerd, named Walter, and how Go Daddy is the perfect match (presumably symbolized by this couple).

Perhaps kissing was too mild a description. They were full blown making out, including slurpy sounds that reminded me of the Carl's Junior $6 hamburger ads where people got all sorts of sloppy stuff on their faces. I'm sure that the FCC and CBS had plenty of hate calls over this one.

CALVIN KLEIN "FOR WOMEN ONLY" – This ad had no business being on during the Super Bowl, when it's a given that plenty of young children will be watching. I'm no prude, but this was way over the top. A female friend suggested it was finely time the NFL recognized they had women watching. While I understand the sentiment, I just think it was no more appropriate, for that time of day, than if there'd been women wreathing around in bikini briefs and underwire bras.

SUBWAY "CONGRATS JARED" – First off congrats to Jared Fogle for keeping the weight off for 15 years. I've been involved in a constant battle with the waistline so can really appreciate this amazing feat. With that said, it got monotonous hearing "Congrats Jared" over and over and over again.

To add insult to injury, this commercial, along with the Bud Light "Lucky Chair" commercial ran in two back-to-back commercial breaks. Not sure if the power outage had something to with it.

DODGE "FARMER" – I'm probably going to get flak for this one. This one was voted the best commercial by several polls. It's easy to understand. That wonderful haunting voice of Paul Harvey singing the praises of the American Farmer.

Why didn't I like it? First off, it was way too long. Secondly, it wasn't readily obvious what was actually being sold till the very very end, when we got a brief glimpse of a RAM Truck; almost an after thought. Had they had some work trucks out in the fields, or inside the barns, it would have probably made my Likes list.

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LIKES

OREOS "WHISPER FIGHT" – Lord I hope most of that was done in only one take because they pretty much destroyed the set! It reminded me of one of those Rube Goldberg machines where you trigger one item, which starts a chain reaction of other odd chain reactions until some simple task is completed. I will say the idea borrowed liberally from the Miller Lite Great Taste, Less Filling campaign of the 1970s and 1980s.

TIDE "MIRACLE STAIN" – A well done parody on all the incidents of people seeing Jesus in their toast, spaghetti, screen doors, etc. Then at the end his empire comes crashing down as his wife, a Ravens' fan, obliterates the lucky stain by using Tide!

BUDWEISER "BROTHERHOOD" – It wouldn't be a Super Bowl with a visit from the Clydesdales. Here baby horsey leaves the nest to join the team. His trainer sees him in a parade, but is sad because the horse doesn't recognize him. All is not lost though. He hears a horse apparently getting away and helps capture it. He then realizes the horse is his long lost friend coming to say, "Hi" with a big nuzzle. Sweet ending!

WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT – A very worthwhile program (taking care of our Vets), and I hope they got lots of donations from people. Thankfully, CBS donated the airtime as a Public Service Announcement. If they hadn't this would have probably been a financial disaster.

DORITOS – Doritos decided to hold a contest where the people voted for their favorite out of eight finalist videos. Brilliant idea. Most of them were pretty funny, and the two chosen were amongst the best. I would have loved to have seen the Noah commercial. But, they purchased only two spots.

KIA SORENTO "SPACE BABIES" – This was probably my favorite. Sure, it didn't really sell the car. But, it had me laughing from beginning to end. The punch line at the end when they interrupt the kid telling his friend where babies really come from was awesome.

Kia has been criticized that their ads really didn't tell us about their cars. Unfair because pretty much all the car commercials told nothing about the actual products.

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If you missed any of the spots, or you just want to relive them, there's a wonderful collection of commercials from days gone by, including this year's spots, at
http://www.superbowl-commercials.org

Monday morning commercial quarterbacking

Get the particulars out of the way. That had to be one of the most boring Super Bowls I've ever watched. For sure in a long time. For party food I had onion dip, blue corn chips, salami, cheese and to wash it down Russian River Pliny the Elder IPA. Good stuff.

Now how about the really important stuff from yesterday….the commercials!! (comments below are from first impression notes I made while watching the Super Bowl)

If you missed any, or just want to relive what I was talking about, you can do so at superbowl-commercials.org. They also have an archive of previous seasons as well. Has it really been over 12 years since we were introduced to Subway's Jared?

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Hyundai "Rocky" commercial – UGH! Sure hope they didn't pay full price for that one. Wouldn't been cuter if they had stuck Sylvester Stallone or Burt Young in there somehow. But that would've taken the commercial in a different direction.

Budweiser platinum – The commercial was over even before I realized what it was and it did nothing for me. WHY do I want it?

Audi Vampire commercial – Pretty funny, but I wasn't completely sure where they were going till the end when they mentioned Daylight. That's going to be wasted on a lot of people who have no idea about color temperature of different types of light.

Pepsi King -  Ehh, yet another Pepsi is the people's drink commercial. I drink Pepsi and this did nothing for me. BTW: Who was the woman, Beyoncé?

Hyundai Cheetah – OK. So I get your car is fast. Such a short commercial I didn't see much of the car. Not sure why I'd want to buy it. Better than the Rocky commercial.

bud light feeling good – eh. Another strange commercial for Platinum that totally absolutely nothing about the beer.

M&M Naked – Made me chuckle, and I had the first reaction everyone else seemed to. Are they making M&M's without a shell now? They have had brown before. Haven't they? It's not like it's a new color.

Best Buy  We Create – Are they saying they're just as important as people like Ray Kurtsweil and Phillipe Kahn? You're a retail store for Christ's sake!!!

Coke Polar bear 1 - Getting long in the tooth IMHO. The graphics didn't even look as crisp as they have in the past.

Mayan Apocalypse – Going to make me run out and get one…NOT. Love the Twinkies reference. Not sure Hostess should.

missed something here !!!

GoDaddy dot.co – Body paint. I'm getting REALLY tired of GoDaddy showing us some skin ad, and then telling us to go to their website to see "more." Trust me, I've went to their website and really haven't seen anything like what they were hinting at. If you want me to go to your website how about give me a coupon that I have to use?

Lexus change – teaser.

Battleship movie – All right. The movie commercials finally make their appearance. Kept me interested through the whole thing. Thought maybe it was a sequel to Independence Day.  Hopefully, it's not a dog like Battle: Los Angeles apparently was last year.

Bud Prohibition commercial – Glad to see the Clydesdales are back. I though I'd heard they had been banished to the barn.

Doritos – Cute, but not nearly as good as last year's Doritos pug commercial.

Chevy stolen car – They actually started airing last week. Love the ending where the guy drives away in the car. One of the better ones so far.

GE turbines – Pretty boring till they said beer!

John Carter movie – Been airing this for some time now. Looks good. Looks like Star Wars'' pod racing graphics to me.

TaxAct – kind of nasty, but kept me watching. That famous fountain in Europe recently FROZE due to the bad weather.

VW double commercial – A commercial within a commercial? Been done before, but I still liked it. Wonder if that's the same dude who got wacked in the Star Wars cantina way back in the 1970s. Sure looks like him.

Howard Stern – American's got talent. Thanks for the warning. One more reason not to watch the show, as if I needed another.

Bodywear Bechkam – OK ladies a little eye candy for you amongst all the cheese cake. Man, that guys has a LOT of tattoos.

Coke polar bear 2 – They had several cases. Why were they worried about one bottle?

Chevy Sonic – Why show us stunts that are obviously done with a non-stock car and tell us not to try them? First music video? Is that supposed to impress me?

Star Wars saga 3D – YES!! So it's obviously not a 3D commercial, but it still sent chills down my spine. Been seeing commercials for this for a couple of weeks now, but they only made it sound like it was just Phantom Menace. This commercial alluded to all six films being done in 3D. Just make sure you don't eat a heavy lunch before going. Some of those battle scenes might make you queasy on a full stomach.

Marvel Universe – Putting all their eggs in one basket.

Teleflora – Plays on your imagination. Could be really interesting depending on how warped you are, and nobody else has to see it.

Mr. Quigley – Awesome job Sketchers! When he stopped before the finish line I was thinking of Yusen Bolt, only to have him Moonwalk across the line.

X-box – Was this a commercial or a Public Service Announcement?

Cars.com – How could they possibly afford the $2million for that spot? If they go the way of Pets.com, after their Super Bowl commercial, it won't surprise me at all.

Doritos nag – Creative, funny

eTrade nursery – Not sure why,  I actually pay attention to the eTrade baby commercials. Not going to make me buy their services, but I watch.

GI Joe – Could've sworn I saw Electra in there somewhere. Is there a crossover for us? Judging from these commercials looks like this is going to be a season of nothing but explosions, special effects and fighting.

Halftime

Party like a millionaire – NFL fantasy. Why is the NFL spending $2m on an add where they give away  $1m? You've already got me watching? Hope they didn't have to pay for that.

Citibank breakfast – Been airing this one already. Not a Citibank customer, and not likely to switch just to just my cell phone to send money.

Xfinity fast house – Creative commercial. Monster truck houses are rad.

Roundtable 3 pep pizza – Lots of pretty pizza shots.

beverages – smaller sizes, labels, options Who ran this?

Citibank yard work – Better than the breakfast commercial, but still didn't do anything for me.

Camry effect

Hulu – Continuing on a great campaign from previous years. Wish Alec Baldwin was still here.

Bridgestone/Bud light -  Huh?

Leno – Nice intro to Madonna. Talk about awkward for someone in Leno's shoes.

Wasn't planning to watch Madonna, but the whole Trojan/Greek think hooked me big time. Loved the dancing covers of Vogue on the field. And as for the Lip-sync, or no lip-sync debate? I say LIPSYNC!!

The Voice – Jakey started barking as soon as Christina started singing. What does that say? I love you Betty White. We should all be active like you when we're that age.

Detroit – Eastwood. Almost sounded like a freaky' political commercial at the beginning, but I'm still not sure WHAT they were advertising had they not had a Dodge logo at the end.

3rd Quarter

NBC – Smash nothing new. Been airing this for awhile now

Fiat 500 – I got to brush up on my Italian!! Grin!!

Pepsi by Cola – I feel so sorry for the Coke guy. He's always being caught drinking the other guy's drink.

Camry Invention – Pretty cool.

Coke Polar Bear 3 – Someone needs to explain that one to me.

Oikos yogurt – Now who hasn't wanted to head butt john Staimos.

Century 21 – Eh, Move along. Nothing to see here.

Seinfeld Acura – Damn you Lenoooo! Ha-Ha!

GE fridge – Another building America type of commercial Just not understanding this campaign.

Bud Prohibition – The rap music to totally out of place in this one. Advertising that they've been with us since prohibition.

Bridgestone – basketball  better than the football one, I guess.

4th Quarter

NFL – Canton ad. Another self serving NFL I just see as a waste.

EBAY Blue Jeans – Retread. Nothing special

Jack in the Box: Marrying bacon – Nice hook. I'm getting married, but it's not a woman. Heh!? Someone is going to complain I bet.

Ferris Buehler – Oh yeah!! For those that remember Ferris, this is awesome. For those that don't they're scratching their head.

Act of Valor movie – With real life soldiers. Oh Boy. Haven't we seen enough shots of real life soldiers already?

Cartoon MetLife – This was pretty neat. Speaks to everyone with all the different characters.

Smash – Ehhh. Odd NBC series that is a one year wonder.

Hyundai – heart attack. Cute I suppose.

Budweiser – adopted dog – What an ugly mutt. But sure was funny. Like the tie in at the end for helping rescue dogs. Wonder if Wigo was a real rescue dog. Sure talented if he was.

Motley Crue – What a hodge podge dream sequence

Monkeys – CareerBuilder.com a retreat of an old idea. snooze.

Samsung Galaxy – Take that iPhone!! But a stylus? You really get excited over that? First thing I did with mine was throw it in a drawer.

Cadillac ATX – Green Hell. Oh, I'm impressed. eh.

GoDaddy cloud – Another taunting to go there.

Awake – This looks like an interesting series. Which is the real reality? What a quandary to have.

NBC Sports –

Carl's Junior – Miss Turkey Funny, cause I bet they couldn't air that in Turkey. Been aired for quite some time.

Chevy Sonic instruments – This is really really stupid!!

Act of Valor  2 – Really hyping that real soldier tie in

GEICO pig – This guy is awesome!!!

Chevy Sonic bugs – Why did they wait to air this after the game when people may have turned off? Hands down beat the two other Sonic commercials with lots of time to spare.

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My three personal favorites were:

1 – VW "Dog training/Star Wars Cantina"

2 – Sketchers "Mr. Quiggly"

3 – Honda "Ferris Bueller"

H/M – Xfinity Race Houses, Budweiser Rescue Dog and Audi "Vampire Party

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Sorry for the rambling length here. Tomorrow will return to the normal format.