"Rewind ... is a where ice cream meets cereal to create cereal infused ice cream. During our childhood, we would spend most of our Saturday mornings watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal for breakfast. As we grew older, our time in front of the TV steadily declined and so too did our consumption of cereal... Our guests are able to drill their favorite childhood cereals such as Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Oreos mixed together with super premium 16% butter fat ice cream and topped off with graham cracker crumbs, gummy bears, chocolate or caramel drizzle and teddy grahams among others!" according to their website.

I ordered Rewind to be delivered when I was staying in Arizona with a friend. I ordered a vanilla milkshake with cookie dough, Oreos, and marshmallow. I almost wish I would've done a chocolate base, just out of curiosity. But the milkshake I made was pretty delicious. There's always that point when the cookie pieces are a little bit too big and they kind of get mushy but they were fairly small so it all just blended well together. A pretty good milkshake overall - no complaints.

Grade: B

I am casually on a journey to try all of the Sam's Hot Dogs locations in West Virginia. I am not as determined as my Tudor's and Gino's adventures, but as I see them, I'm trying to check them off. So I went to the Elkview gas station, which had a Sam's hotdog location inside and wanted to check it out. However, I've had a lot of Sam's Hot Dogs at this point, and I saw that this location had some other items - like the spicy chicken sandwich - I got this with mayo. Now, this is a gas station, so there isn't much to be said for the ambience, seating or service, but I was pleasantly surprised with the sandwich. It's totally simple, but it was pretty good. The bread was grilled. The chicken was crispy and moist, and the mayo was standard, but gave it that creamy element and, I think, above all else, it was better than I had expected. It was better than I could make it home. And I wouldn't hesitate to order it again.



Grade: B

Cross Lanes is home to a Husson's Pizza location, and I stopped by recently to see how it stacks up to the other locations. I placed my order online, as per usual, and it was ready as soon as I arrived. But they do have some seating if you choose to dine in. I took mine to go and opened up my box as soon as I got in the car.



I actually went for a pizza with all the toppings this time. Olives, mushrooms, banana, peppers, pepperoni, sausage, onions, and green peppers. The works. There really is something delicious with all these toppings combined. I can see why my parents ordered pizzas like this for so many years. I like changing it up and enjoying new flavors. It's fresh, but hearty and crunchy but gooey. My biggest qualm is that the pizza was not cut well, so sometimes the pieces would drag off toppings of other slices, and it became quite a chore to eat without utensils. and, of course, when some slices have toppings, and some don't, it changes the flavor.



Grade:B

I made a nice little trip out to Sissonville to try the Husson's location there.



No, I don't think there is all the much different from one location to another. But do I love checking off a list? Yes. And, considering Husson's Pizza is a local pizza franchise in the Metro Valley area, it's a small list, and they're all relatively close.



I did, however, change it up from pizza or cheese sticks and went with a meatball sub this time. It's one of my favorite comfort foods, and I wanted to see how Husson's stacked up.



I was pleasantly surprised! If you're a weirdo like me who doesn't really want your bread toasted - just warmed - the key here is to ask for "lite bake," which gets it just how I want it. Warm, melty cheese - but not a crunchy bread. The meatballs are decent, and the sauce is decent. I think I may add even more cheese next time, but it's a solid meal to satisfy that meatball sub craving.



Grade: B

Fired Pie is a "fast, casual, rich in flavor customizable pizzas and salads made from scratch using fresh ingredients, just the way you like it" and found in 16 locations in Arizona.



The menu starts with two options: pizza or salad. Then, do you want a specialty type or custom. First is your crust, select sauce, then choose cheese, move onto meats, pick your veggies and finally garnish with fresh herbs. I went with a regular crust, tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, mushroom, garlic and artichokes. I love all these ingredients separately, but maybe not the best together. I think a sweetness would round out the flavors, and it was a bit mushy - maybe because of the ingredients I chose. Not bad enough to stop me from devouring it.



Grade: B

Regional chains are always fascinating to me because they often have a loyal fanbase. Sometimes while traveling, you're on a tight time crunch. But I refuse to get something I can get back at home. So regional fast food chains kinda fill that gap.

    

Blake's Lotaburger claims "The Original Green Chili Cheese Burger," which uses their exclusive variety green chile that is 100% grown, harvested and flame-roasted in Hatch, New Mexico.

     

"When WWII Navy Veteran, Blake Chanslor, flipped the first LOTA Burger in 1952 he gave birth to a New Mexico Tradition. Seventy years later, Blake’s LOTABURGER® has become a cultural icon in the Land of Enchantment. Our Signature “New Mexico Style - The best ingredients, always cooked fresh, have made Blake’s a favorite for locals & a must-stop for visitors to the Southwest. Our signature “New Mexico Style” LOTA Burger is made with two large, fresh premium beef patties, melted cheese and our exclusive, flame-roasted Hatch Green Chile."
    

I went there for breakfast, so I opted for that green chile in a breakfast burrito. Sausage, eggs, cheese, potatoes and some heat. I like my burritos oozing with cheese, where it becomes a sauce. And that acts as a foil to some of the hotness for me. This would be more preferable for someone who wants to feel those chiles. Decent flavor, yes, overall meal - okay.
     

Grade: B

"Wienerschnitzel is an American fast food chain founded in 1961 that specializes in hot dogs. Despite the name, the company does not sell Wiener schnitzel, only selling it once as a promotional item ... The chain is recognizable by the A-frame-style roofs of its older restaurants. Structures that have been converted from Wienerschnitzels into other restaurants often retain the distinctive architecture. The chain's advertising mascot is an anthropomorphized hot dog known as The Delicious One, who runs from people who want to eat him."



This building was just so interesting; it was like you were driving through the middle of a building. It caught my eye, and I was interested to check it out.



I went with one of their specialty hot dogs, The Kansas City dog, which had bacon, beer mustard, grilled onions, and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. This is just one of their specialty dogs that include everything from chili and cheese to sport peppers and tomato slices.



It was a decent hot dog. A lil bit on the mooshy side, even though it was a new, fun flavor combo. The texture could use a bit of improvement. But I'd be curious if somee of their hot dogs that didn't have so many toppings might be different.



Grade: B

"As we say in Spanish, “my house is your house” and we are pleased that you are paying us this visit. The history of this famous Mexican restaurant a stone’s throw from Las Cruces, NM is long and colorful. This is the original La Posta. For more than a century and a half, these adobe walls have withstood the attack of elements and man, sheltering such personalities as Billy the Kid, Kit Carson, General Douglas MacArthur and Pancho Villa. A roaring Wild West town during the late 1800’s, Mesilla was the largest town in the Southwest between San Diego, California and San Antonio, Texas. During this period, La Posta served as the Corn Exchange Hotel, a favorite stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Line. Many years later a young, vivacious and colorful Katy Griggs Camuñez started La Posta de Mesilla Restaurant and Cantina with four tables, dirt floors and no running water! La Posta’s authentic dishes are made from century-old recipes handed down to us from the Fountain, Chavez and Griggs Families. Now one of the oldest and most recognized Mexican restaurants in the Southwest, La Posta de Mesilla still offers its traditional hospitality, fine food and spirits to all who wander here…just the way Katy would have wanted it!"



I ordered: Enchilada Plate, which consisted of rolled enchiladas - one red chile cheese, one green chile cheese and one meat with cheese (I went with red carne, which is made with achiote peppers). These were saucy and spicy. But there was a depth of flavor here that I really enjoyed.



I also ordered chile con queso, which I thought would be thick and cheesy, but this was a much thinner and heavier on spice than dairy. Really good flavor, though. It was less of a dip and more of a soup. A hearty, hot, rich soup.



Grade: B

I'm working my way through the Husson's locations, which is a Charleston area pizza chain that boasts the largest pie in town.



There's something delicious about a plain cheese pizza. You can really take in the flavors of the crust, the sauce, the cheese and the marriage of all three. The Pinch location shares a building with others, and the exterior seems like it has seen better days. Inside, though, it was clean, and my order was ready to go. The pizza was good. I really enjoyed being able to taste the unadulterated version of a pizza, even though I usually get more toppings. I noticed the sauce is much sweeter than usual, and the crust was not as crisp, but overall I enjoyed this pizza.



Grade: B

"Hotel El Capitan was built in 1930 by the Gateway Hotel Chain, led by Charles Bassett, at the crossroads of the forthcoming Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe and Big Bend National Parks." And that's exactly how I found myself in Van Horn, Texas.
     

After traveling through three national parks, I needed a place to fill my belly and rest my head. That's what brought me to Hotel El Capitan.



"House favorites include the Pistachio Fried Steak, Pecan Salmon and 14oz Hand-cut Ribeye. Our homemade Pecan Pie features local pecans, which you can also purchase in our gift shop. We offer a full bar with creative cocktails, Texas wines and craft brews. Don’t miss our historic vault located behind the bar. Our beautiful oasis courtyard is available for dining. Pets are also allowed to dine with you in the courtyard area."



The courtyard space was neat - it was almost indoor/outdoor, but thankfully indoor was super air conditioned. They were kinda busy, but I sidled up to the bar to place an order: the pistacho fried steak, which is an 8 oz. cutlet, in-house pistacho breading, jalapeno gravy, house potatoes and grilled asparagus.



I'm not sure how much a role the pistachio plays into the flavor, but I did enjoy it overall. I liked the crisp breading, the gravy and the potatoes. I wouldn't have minded something acidic here - like a pickled onion or even just a lemon wedge to brighten it all up because as it was, it was fairly heavy and kinda dense. I think the heat really played into my overall feelings, too, because I just felt weighed down - both from the heat and within my belly. My tastebuds weren't mad at it though.



Grade: B