Contest: Lay's Chile Crear Tu Sabor Finalists

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Lay's Chile ran their contest pretty quickly, it began in January and we already have 3 finalists. 3 very VERY unique finalists. "Chorrillana", "Queso Crema Soya", and "Salsa BBQ"... in layman's terms... "Chorrillana" is a typical Chilean dish, it's a plate of French Fries, covered in beef strips, eggs, fried onions and occasionally sausages. "Queso Crema & Soya" is cream cheese, soy sauce, and a hint of sesame seeds. (0_o)
Finally, "Salsa BBQ" is BBQ sauce. Strangely, this bag is not "BBQ ribs" or some other BBQ meat, it is just straight BBQ sauce.
All of these 3 flavors are full blown wacky (Im looking at you Cream Cheese and Soy Sauce!)
But, who am I to judge regional tastes?

I truly have NO preference in the outcome of this contest, I just want to see how it goes down. I've got to know if the people of Chile are really out their eating cream cheese and soy sauce and if it will win. This news made my day!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Netherlands Sensations Caramelised Onion & Balsamico

Lay's Netherlands is introducing "Caramelized Onion & Balsamic" into their Lay's Sensations line. The artwork is beautiful and the commercials are amazing (see one below). I've tried this flavor in Walker's range and it is delish! The Sensations line is always a more complex flavor and more interesting to eat, in my opinion. "Caramelised Onion & Balsamico" will join "Red Sweet Paprika", "Thai Sweet Chilli", "Japanese Teriyaki", and "American Peppers & Cream".
The hunt rages on...

Contest: Lay's Belgium Maak Je Smaak 2013 Semi-Finalists

Lay's Belgium has announced the 5 Semi-Finalists in their 2013 Maak Je Smaak: The Battle contest. As you may remember, Lay's Belgium's winner from last year; "Bicky Crisp", a popular local Hamburger, has gone on to join the permanent collection of crisps and a new "Make the Flavor" winner will be selected to take the title.
The 5 flavors up for selection this year are "Honey Glazed BBQ Ribs", "Cocktail Andaluz", "Mexican Chilli and Cheddar", "Cream Cheese Garlic and Herbs", and "New York Hotdog".
So what do you guys think? Are any of these worthy successors to "Bicky Crisp"? And does Belgium even need a "Honey Glazed BBQ Ribs" flavor when they already have "Barbecue"? Or is that one a throw away? What do you think a "New York Hotdog" chip tastes like? Cuz it sounds DELICIOUS.
AND...Most importantly... what on earth is a Cocktail Andaluz?? Is it a drink? I need to know!

I don't know if these are available for purchase or are just up for a vote, so keep your eyes peeled for info. But the winning bag will definitely be available eventually to hunt down.

UPDATE: These were just up for a vote, 2 Finalists will be produced and released in stores in Early October.

Gotta Get At This: Walkers New Packaging for 2013

 Walkers has just updated their site with gorgeous new bag designs for their crisps. I love these bags. They echo British pride and showcase the homegrown UK potatoes.
The potato depicted now has a Union Jack flag cut into it, and a Union Jack shadow emanating from the potato and crisps.They also describe the flavors in a really unique way highlighting the "Made in Britain" sensibility that has led Walkers to their high level of quality.
The range shows off flavors such as "Classically Ready Salted with Salt from Cheshire", "Scrumptiously Smoked Bacon with Pork from Norfolk", "Simply Roast Chicken with Free Range Chicken from Devon", and "Tantalizingly Tomato Ketchup with Vale of Evesham Tomatoes"; just to name a few. Feel free to click below to get a better view of the new bags or visit www.Walkers.co.uk and be prepared to squint your eyes a little bit to read it all lol.

Love the new designs and descriptions, some of them make my mouth water just thinking about them. If you hadn't tried them already, hit up your local British Grocer and track these down. They are life changing-ly good!!

Margarita Colombia La Brasa Roja Pollo Asado

I know, I know, I have been saying I was going to review these chips for awhile now. Let me explain. I found out about these because my cousin brought me some from Colombia when he came to visit. I was so excited because I hadn't heard of them yet and I love Chicken flavors. I left it for 2 weeks in the kitchen and one day it was suddenly gone. I tripped out. Everyone knows you DO NOT eat my chips, especially imports. It must have been a guest who came over and didn't know, so I can't get mad, but it sucked. A few weeks after that my Aunt came to visit and I made sure to ask her to grab some before she came. She brought me a huge 10 pack! YAY!!
So I finallyyyy got to try these after waiting for so long. So lets get to the review. The potato is, as always, perfect. No burns, perfect texture, just the right size for 2-3 bites per chip, and a rich, yummy, potato flavor. The seasoning here is "La Brasa Roja's" signature Roast Chicken. "La Brasa Roja" is a Roasted Chicken restaurant chain in Colombia. For me, the seasoning had that punch of flavor you only find in crispy yet juicy Rotisserie'd Chicken Skin. Margarita also makes a regular "Pollo" flavor that has a more delicate Chicken flavor, but this "Pollo Asado" or "Roast Chicken" has that seasoned 'roasted' taste. The seasoning is frighteningly spot-on. I have never-ever had Chicken chips that had such an authentic flavor. These are really good, (a little on the salty side, but that could be because they are made for a high altitude region, so foods require a little more salt), but otherwise, the flavor tastes like the picture and it is INSANE. Another great bag from Margarita. MMM. Track these down if you are a Chicken chip lover. Its worth it!

Guest Chip Review! Lay's USA Sriracha

"Sriracha Lay's are one of the three new releases of Lay's you can find in stores now. They are a finalist in the Lay's USA "Do Us A Flavor" contest, along with Cheesy Garlic Bread (my favorite!) and Chicken & Waffles. I was really excited to try these chips considering I love the spicy flavor of Sriracha, a Thai Chili Paste that I put on everything! And so, I figured, Sriracha flavored chips should be awesome!! Well, opening the bag you're not getting that intense familiar smell of spice. It was kind of a let down :( And so was the taste... they kind of tasted just like the lemon and chili ones you can already buy right now.  Not impressed.  I wanted more kick and just had higher expectations. The hint of lime was gross too and unexpected since I hate lime.  All in all it was a good chip, but we already have a chili and lime chip so it's nothing new. I love the Cheesy Garlic Bread chips because they are unique and unlike anything Lay's already makes in the USA.
My vote is going to Cheesy Garlic Bread all the way! #TeamCheesyGarlicBread"
-EricRox
(EricRox is a food lover who grew up working and eating in his parents Japanese restaurant. He is also a Sriracha lover and Chip fan.)

I personally love the "Chili and Lime" chips here in the States and consider them one of the best flavors we have. I have yet to have a chance to try the Sriracha flavor, but if EricRox calls them a dupe of "Chili & Lime", he may have a point. Do we really need two similar flavors in the lineup? Right now, I'm still torn, but I've felt we needed a good Chicken flavor in the USA lineup for a while, so I think I'm going to be giving my vote to Chicken & Waffles in the end. #TeamChickenAndWaffles
-GinaGina

Gotta Get At This: Lay's India French Salt & Cracked Pepper and Chile Limon

Two New Flavors!!! The lucky kids in India just got French Salt & Cracked Pepper AND Chile Limon, a double release. So Jealous. They are fairly straight forward, Chile Limon is a flavor we have here in the states and also I've seen it in a lot of middle eastern countries. Here in the States, its one of my faves, its spicy and sour but in the end it is all balanced out and tastes great on chips. Salt and Pepper is also fairly straight forward, most countries have some type of Salt and Pepper chip. We have it offered here in the States in the Kettle Cooked range. I don't love the US variety because to me it was all pepper and no salt, but I can't say that India's would have that problem. It's nice to see India is always willing to have a huge line of different products, they seem to always be expanding. Congrats India! PS, as always in India, Lay's come standard as Ruffles. They will always be Ruffle-cut unless they say otherwise. Just a tip incase you are looking to hunt these down :)