The 8th Annual Steamie Awards (Part One)
The First Two of My Annual Food Awards
Welcome to the Eighth Annual Steamie Awards, a celebration of all the wonderful (and awful) things I ate this year. Two awards per post will intermittently grace your inbox over the next week or so. Without further ado…
FAST FOOD ITEM OF THE YEAR
WINNER: McDonald’s Buffalo Ranch Snackwrap
The Snackwrap made a triumphant return this year, and this pretty simple but luscious version featuring a chicken strip, lettuce, cheese, and Buffalo Ranch sauce had me captivated. The price was decent too. I dislike the term “craveable” but this was.
RUNNER-UP: Taco Bell’s Steak & Poblano Rolled Quesadilla
I love LOVE LOVE poblano peppers so this was probably a shoo-in from the get go. Lots of creamy melty cheese AND spicy ranch sauce sealed the deal. Also (ick) “craveable”.
RUNNER-UP: Jack in the Box Stuffed Jalapenos
Another pepper & cheese concoction. These aren’t new, unlike the first two, but they were new to me this year. Quite a few fast food places offer this dish, but none is consistently excellent as Jack in the Box. This chain is unrivaled in the “sides” game; they have the best onion rings in all of fast food.
CHEESE OF THE YEAR (New Category!)
WINNER: PRAIRIE BREEZE CHEDDAR CHEESE
It is fair to say I gravitate to one type of cheese, which is a strong, sweetish cheddar with those crunchy little crystals in it. I finally found my favorite — this one — at Portland’s Wellspent Market. It’s described as “aged white cheddar known for its unique sweet, nutty flavor with hints of pineapple and a crumbly, yet creamy texture”. I simply can’t get enough of this one.
RUNNER-UP: RUBY ROUGE GOUDA
Not incredibly dissimilar from the above, this one’s a Gouda. It’s described as “rich, buttery, nutty, a slightly sweet flavor, with a dense, fudge-like texture and delightful crunchy crystals”. Picked this one up at Portland awesome Cowbell Cheese Shop.
RUNNER-UP: CLAWSON CARIBBEAN BLAZER
Here we go again with that irresistible combo of cheese and peppers. In this case, creamy cheddar and scotch bonnet peppers. This is hard to find in the USA but I sampled it at the Fancy Food Show in January and the purveyors gave me a huge slab of it to take home because they didn’t want to lug it back to England. Sincerely hoping they will be at the 2026 Fancy Food Show so I can get some more!
CHECK YOUR INBOX for more Steamie Awards coming in a day or two!
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