The Nerd Lunch Podcast - Episode 338

So, yeah, it's kind of been a stupid busy week. I've been home late pretty much every day, so instead of posting this at the beginning of the week, it's now Friday.... so sorry about that.

The fun plot of this episode is that we do the fictional version of a fantasy football draft. I think I researched more for this episode than I ever have for any other episode of Nerd Lunch. See, I came up with a strategy and somehow it worked out. I don't want to ruin the marvelous surprise, but I'm pretty proud of it.

Give it a listen and I'll have another review up soon enough.

Nerd Lunch Sweet 16 of Ice Cream Flavors

Officially I'm still in retired podcaster mode, but when the Nerd Lunch guys ask if I am available, I always say yes. With them winding down their primary show, and promoting 4th Chair Army Invasion to once a month, that leaves the occasional 5th Tuesday spot to fill with something. Recently, they've been filling it with their Sweet 16 format show. In 2017, I was on the episode about the best cartoon dog and in 2018 I was on the one with my old bud Junk Food Guy and we covered the best pizza toppings. This time we talk best ice cream flavors. I knew a lot of the great classic flavors would be brought up so I did my best to make my three choices more recent developments. How did it work out? Well, you'll have to listen to find out.

Now I wasn't literally on the sweet 16 episode that talked about the best arcade games, but CT had asked for suggestions and he mentioned several of mine on the show (Thanks CT!). I've always been  jealous of how the nerd lunch crew and 4th chair army have been able to track down those giant arcades full of old games. Well, a co-worker told me about a place in Providence that had a bunch of old games that are all set to free play, you just have to pay the $5 cover charge. Well, I then told my buddy who said we need to go, so, without further ado, here is my adventure at Freeplay Arcade.

Down the Rabbit Hole

I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that Down the Rabbit Hole is ending. The good news is that I got to be on the second to last episode of it. Now the idea of the show is looking up one thing on wikipedia, and then another, and then another until you are very very far away from the thing you meant to look up in the first place. It can get pretty silly. Besides the guest, the show consists of CT and Pax from Nerd Lunch as well as @sommerjam (also from Talkin' Chopp).

The focus of this episode is supposed to be Halloween candy but the discussion quickly goes from my beloved Good & Plenty all the way down to some odd references to Winnie the Pooh. You'll have to listen to understand how that happens and hopefully you'll laugh with us along the way.

Many thanks to these guys for not just this episode, but for all of them. It's been fun.

Pizza! Pizza! with Nerd Lunch and Junk Food Guy!

That's right Nosh Show Listeners, Nerd Lunch has convinced our old bud Eric the Junk Food Guy to (briefly?) step out of podcasting retirement and have some sweet sixteen inspired pizza talk. Woohoo for the return of your friendly neighborhood JFG. I know the very adorable junk food baby keeps him busy, but it was nice to hang out again, even if only for an hour and a half.

Marvel Defenders and The Nerd Lunch Episode 285

Bad news: new ice cream is still very hard to come by. Good news: I got the late call to come be part of the latest Nerd Lunch discussion. While I do love ice cream, it is nice to talk about other things too. In this particular episode, we talk about every season of the Netflix Marvel Defenders universe. As you might expect, there will be several spoilers on the show.

Alright, back on Thursday with a review of a fairly new treat, and then next week there will be a brandy new flavor on the blog, but I can't tell you what it is, 'cuz it's a secret!

Vanillite and the Nerd Lunch Episode 274

Hello Nosh Show Listeners! Wait, I mean Nerd Lunch Listeners! Big apologies for no new Nosh Show last week, but I did get to hang with my internet pals the Nerd Lunch for their 274th Episode. So it was me, CT, Jeeg, Pax, and also Charlton_Hero to figure who is the best cartoon dog.

I know this is an ice cream blog but think about a couple of your favorite cartoon dogs from your childhood and then give the show a listen. I'll give it a tease by saying that one of my pics makes it to the final round! Man I love talking about cartoons. I should do it more often (but not here).

If I can, I like to bring up some kind of nerdy/frozen crossover product when I post about Nerd Lunch. So, what's this crazy pokemon card infront of you? This is Vanillite and he is an icy snow Pokemon. This is his basic form where he is an adorable cake cone filled with vanilla softserve. My son adores Pokemon and wanted to get me a few packs as part of my Father's day presents and this was in one of those packs. Vanillite evolves in to Vanillish which is basically a sugar cone, and then Vanillish evolves in to Vanilluxe which is basically one of those crazy twin scoop ice cream cones. I'm sorry, but I find that highly amusing.

If you are curious, most of the pokemon cards will go in to my son's collection. He is "guarding" them for me. That's it for now, have a great week everyone!

Food Mascot Families & the Nerd Lunch Episode 246

Hey everybody, it's time for me to make another appearance on the Nerd Lunch podcast! I'm always happy to hang with our pals CT, Jeeg, and Pax and today's food themed topic is talking about the families of food mascots. I don't believe food mascots are as prevalent as they once were, but before listening to the show, try to think up a couple of mascot families from your childhood and see if they get mentioned in the show.

Nerd Lunch Episode 216

Hello again! Need another podcast to listen to this week? Well, besides recording Episode 71 of the Nosh Show last week, I also hopped aboard the Nerd Lunch podcast to talk movies. Yes, I am able to talk about something other than ice cream despite the limited evidence to the contrary. Wait, did I even say that right?

The basic scenario is coming up with a list of movies you would be willing to watch over and over again. Strangely enough, pretty much everything we picked was from our earlier years which helps explain why Hollywood is now addicted to remakes (even if they don't understand why it worked in the first place). To think I used to complain about too many sequels and now it's all about the remake [That reminds me, I still need to see SW:TFA, Creed, Kung Fu Panda 3, Ip Man 3...]

Alrighty, back to the reviews tomorrow, I promise!

Taco Bell Starburst Cherry Freeze and the Nerd Lunch Podcast Ep203

Good morning podcast listeners! I say podcast because their is no new Nosh Show this week, but I did get a chance to hang out with the Nerd Lunch Crew and Nick from Dude Foods for episode 203 : Fast Food Breakfast Draft. We try to come up with a list of five awesome items from the top ten fast food joints, and what I should have done was visit a different place every day to prep, but instead I only went to Taco Bell to try the new freeze and the CAP'N CRUNCH delights.

Taco Bell Starburst Cherry Freeze

also available on iTunes, Stitcher, and MP3

Star Wars Lightsaber Ice Pop Maker and Nerd Lunch Episode 162

Hello Nosh Show listeners! Hehehehe, just kidding, there's no new Nosh show this week but I did get to hang out with our podcasting buds CT, Pax, and Jeeg for their annual Nerdstradamus episode. We made 2015 predictions for TV, fast food / junk food, celebrities, and then we mix things up by doing some under/overs on Star Wars VII.

Speaking of Star Wars, I told the guys I would be reviewing the Star Wars Lightsaber Ice Pop Maker as part of my Nerd To-Dos. What? It was a Christmas present!

Nick and Nerd Lunch Episode 146

[By Nick] Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you're all enjoying Nick Week so far. Today we're going to take a break from reviewing in favor of having some lunch with some nerds. You remember CT, Pax, and Jeeg from Nerd Lunch, right? Well, they invited me onto their show and I graciously accepted. I mean I've yet to be on a podcast while Dubba's voice has been all over the internet. On the menu for the podcast was Pop Culture Food Stuffs in which each of us took turns creating our own food /drink lines based on you guessed it, pop culture references. Of course there's a twist though. While we were able to decide on what pop culture property and line of products we wanted to create, our fates were decided by one another in the later rounds.

or download the MP3 here

So get out your lunch boxes and give the show a listen. When you're all done, give me some feedback! How did you like my product lines? What would you have created? Is my voice as dreamy as Eric's of Junk Food Guy? Did I bash Dubba too much or not enough? Leave me a comment about anything! Who knows, maybe this will spark my appearance on other podcasts. *cough* The Nosh Show *cough*

Podcast Doubleheader with Nerd Lunch

Good morning ladies and gentlemen! How are you doing on this beautiful Monday morning? Last week the Nosh Show was joined by our Nerd Lunch buds CT, Jeeg, and Pax and we recorded not one, but two podcasts! The biggest question today is: which do you listen to first??

Click to discover my fantasy fast food meal line up

(all images courtesy of their fast food ownership)

Magnum Infinity Chocolate & Caramel Ice Cream Bar plus the DHAP Show - Episode 223

[New for 2014, Exclusive to Target] So who wants to hear me butcher the word "Flan" and several other words that I should have mastered long, long ago? That's right, I spoke with Dennis of the DHAP Show to talk about some of the highlights for the 2014 ice cream season. Well, maybe not so much highlights as the more talked about products of 2014. You can listen online here or download from itunes here. Now one of my goals was to try the last of the new magnum infinity bars before the show so I could tell him which of the three new infinity bars was the best.

Magnum Infinity Chocolate & Caramel Ice Cream Bar

Chocolate ice cream with a sea salt caramel swirl 

dipped in dark chocolate and cocoa bean nibs

"Seven Treats of Summer" with Dennis Has a Podcast

It has been way too long since we talked with our buddy Dennis from Dennis Has a Podcast. If you think about it, the two shows I did with him last year are what encouraged me to give the Nosh Show a try and you know I've been enjoying that.

Ok, go here to listen to the show.

What we did is create a list of new products that everyone should try this summer. In fact, I'm going to put you all on the spot. Give yourself 1 point for each new product you've already tried on the list below, and then post your points in the comments below. Let's see who has the most... I have an unfair 16 points, who can best me? (honor system in effect!)

Taking the 4th chair on Nerd Lunch

First I made a two appearances on the mighty "Dennis Has A Podcast" show, then Marvo invited me to take part in the Nosh Show, and now, I have followed in the footsteps of the mighty Steve from foodjunk to make a guest appearance on Nerd Lunch.

Alright, go listen to the show here.

After I started the show with a horrendous Gary Busey joke, the show had no place to go but up... if you just ignore my use of my old microphone (sorry guys!!). It was a ton of fun as I talked about On Second Scoop and the awesomeness that is the Nosh Show before we dug into the main course and finished up with some nerd to-dos. Every episode has a different core topic, and our topic was condominiums condiments. There was also talk of smurfs. And Gojo. And Wesley Snipes. Don't worry, it'll all make sense when you listen.

It's always a little nerve-racking for me to talk to new people, but they were gracious hosts and made it easy for me to jump in and do my best to keep up. Hopefully you'll enjoy the show. Please feel free to leave any comments, tip, suggestions, etc like "please throw away that stupid old mic already". But seriously, it's all about bringing the love of ice cream to a bigger audience. They even gave me a few ideas for breakfast sundaes.

Oh yeah, I've been debating bringing some cereal to the breakfast sundae project, and though I did't have any Crunch Berries on hand, I do have Cap'n Crunch. Mmmmm, I added some whip cream, berry topping, and sprinkles for good measure. Oh I love ice cream... and cereal... and big breakfasts.

Thanks again for the invite guys, it was a ton of fun. Keep scoopin!

Dennis has a (Minty) Podcast

So we just wrapped up a very special minty version of Dennis has a Podcast. It seems like everyone is rocking the holiday treats this year, so we did our best to cover the very large selection of what is available. Here is a recap of what we covered.

Fast Food Options:
Sonic Chocolate Mint Holiday Shake
December DQ Blizzard of the Month: Candy Cane Chill
McDonald's Holiday Mint McFlurry
Burger King Gingerbread Sundae
Burger King Gingerbread Shake Short Story

Home Options:
Haagen-dazs Peppermint Bark
Graeters Eggnog and Cinnamon Ice Creams
Perry's White Christmas and Peppermint Stick Ice Creams
Stone Ridge Creamery Cinnamon Snickerdoodle
Edy's Holiday Flavors

Additional Info:
Graeter's on Broadway (the world's best ice cream?)
Wegman's Grocery Stores (in search of Perry's)
Supervalu Grocery Stores (in search of Stone Ridge Creamery)
Ice Cream Source (ordering Haagen-Dazs and others online)

You can hear the podcast here or connect to it through itunes here. Big thanks to Dennis for letting me be a part of his show. It was a lot of fun and hopefully we'll bring you a fresh episode in the spring once the 2013 ice cream season swings into full effect.

Ok, thanks in advance for listening, enjoy, and feel free to let me no what you think!

Dubba's Personal Note: If you get a chance, check out Dennis' charity work here. He's done a great job trying to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer and Huntington's Disease support. He's even got a ton of prizes, so the more you give, the better your odds of winning. Hey, maybe we can help get him to his goal!

It's a brave new world

Wow, 2012 certainly has been a time of change for the blog hasn't it? First I finally join Facebook. Then, I actually trust someone to be a writer on the site and now I've gone ahead and let myself be a guest on a podcast. See what happens when you don't sleep? You do all kinds of crazy things.... I'm teasing, I'm teasing.

All these changes are good things I think, but I am looking for your feedback and constructive criticism. Please leave a comment and be honest about what you think, as long as you don't hurt my feelings, then I'll just be sad.

A treat mentioned in the podcast

photo courtesty of Awesome HQ

Ok. A big thanks to Dennis of Dennis Has a Podcast for inviting me to be a guest on his show. You can grab the MP3 from his site or download the show from iTunes. Just think, you can listen to ice cream talk while going to work, walking, riding a bike, cooking dinner, anything. It's a whole new way to get involved with the wonderful world of frozen treats.

Rough Weekend

I'm not 100% sure I'm going to get to a review today, so incase I don't, why not check out some various treats from the U.K. via Foodstuff Finds. Have a good Sunday everybody.

It's gonna be a crazy day!

Hmmm, I've never tried taking notes on the go, I guess I could go old school and bring a small pad and a pencil... hey everybody, it's going to be a crazy day for me today, but before I head off into the wild blue yonder, I need to mention three things.

photo courtesy of Rodzilla Reviews

Rodzilla has a review up of the brandy new (not even totally released yet) Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack. I had linked to red velvet, but forgot to link (and not just retweet) this new review. If his description doesn't make you want to try it, I don't know what will. I know I can't wait!!

photo courtesy of the Impulsive Buy

The Impulsive Buy has got a review up of yet another new Haagen-Dazs flavor - Check out Caramel Apple Pie! I need to pick up a pint for myself and compare it to the respectable Ben & Jerry's American Apple Pie.

When I was trying to find the new B&J flavors myself, I noticed that Breyers has re-branded the OVERLOAD! flavors. It looks like they filed to trademark a new name back in November and the results are finally here: Breyers BLASTS! I should have snagged a picture, but they're going with some co-branding here. Like the waffle cone flavor is now coated with Hershey's, the brownie flavors uses Mrs. Fields brownies, etc. The flavors look similar, but better than before -- well, new packaging can do that for a flavor. Stay tuned!

Time to get ready and go!!

State of the Freezer

I know, I know, over two weeks late for my quarterly state of the freezer address. I've been  a big ball of who knows what lately, but I just read something totally shocking.... and then I just realized I didn't read closely enough. I got scared when I saw that Gifford's ice cream was having trouble with it's handful of retail stores. Thing is, the trouble is for Gifford's of Maryland, not my local Gifford's of Maine. Weird coincidence... no no, wait, not a total coincidence. Hey, if you've got ten minutes, check out this lengthy Washington Post article about Gifford's (of Maryland) which happens to mention a trademark battle with Gifford's (of Maine) among other things. It's a shocking read really because this guy that stuck it to Gifford's is also the guy who bought a bunch of Brigham's ice cream shops in Boston, and then drove them all into the ground. The saddest part is Gifford's knew this guy was trouble, but went through with the deal anyway. Man, what ever happened to common sense? ...ok, if you want to get really ironic, how's this: The bad guy in our story, the man who broke Brigham's stores, well, he was selling Hood ice cream instead of Gifford's. Hood bought Brigham's ice cream lines almost 3 years ago. Wait, I don't think I said that with enough irony.

Ok, enough about that, what else do we have? Well, I've been trying hard not to overload the freezer with too many choices, but now we have another problem. You see, when I go to the grocery store, I pace back and forth several times and I have the worst trouble trying to pick something new. Now spring is approaching so we should have some new products on the market soon. I also have some ideas in my heads about how to kind of fill in the missing review holes 'til then. I won't get into it too much detail incase my vague plans don't go well and I change my mind.

I made a rubber ball band today....

Oh, I'd like to take a minute to apologize to my fellow bloggers. Blogging is very much an interactive activity and I've spent way too much time off in la la land to keep track of my fellow foodies. Watching other sites also helps fill in the gaps of all the places I can't (or won't) visit. With that said, that young whipper snapper Rodzilla has bested me to the latest Ben & Jerry's flavor yet again!! Make sure you go check out the first shots of Clusterfluff, Late Night Snack, and Red Velvet Cake, plus a review of Red Velvet cake. Hmmm, I wonder if he knows that soon there will be pints of Bonaroo Buzz? You do realize all this Ben & Jerry's talk makes me like I need to stop for ice cream on the way home now right? What else do we have out there? Well, GrubGrade has a review slamming of the new "triple thick" strawberry shake and the Impulsive Buy just posted a review of new Häagen-Dazs Limited Edition Blueberry Crumble.

Ben & Jerry's 2011 new pints (so far)

Red Velvet Cake: red velvet cake batter ice cream with red velvet cake pieces cream cheese frosting swirl
Late Night Snack: Vanilla bean ice cream with a salt caramel swirl & fudge covered potato chip clusters
Clusterfluff: Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Cluster Pieces, Peanut Butter & Marshmallow Swirls
Bonaroo Buzz: Coffee & Malt Ice Creams with Toffee Chunks & a Whiskey Caramel Swirl

What else? Oh yeah, if you go into draft.blogger.com, you can turn on a mobile theme! I was flipping through food junk and grubgrade with my blackberry at lunch when I discovered they had installed mobile themes, so I went digging and sure enough I found the option in blogger. It works pretty well on my wife's iPod, but not so much on my blackberry. I'll have to have someone with an android phone test it too. I don't get a ton of mobile traffic, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Oh, I can't forget to talk about the Poll results (and get a new poll up there). The question I asked was "What's the best seasonal flavor?" and quickly a heated battle started up between Peppermint and Pumpkin! With 346 votes total, and a neck and neck race for well over half the race, I now declare Pumpkin the surprising winner here!

Pumpkin 127 (36%)
Peppermint 98 (28%)
Egg Nog 51 (14%)
Ginger (Snap - Bread) 38 (10%)
Bring on Spring! 22 (6%)
Other 10 (2%)

Ok, geez, I hope that's it for the moment. Be well all, and go have a scoop of ice cream!