Trader Joe's Falafel Wrap & Trader Joe's Buffalo Style Chicken Breast Wrap with Blue Cheese Dressing

Happy Monday y'all! I'm pleased to present all my readers with a 2 for 1 special. Two product reviews in one convenient blogpost. Kind of like how now that I'm married, A and I come in a two for one package deal. Not much has changed. :P 

Two weeks ago (seems like such  long time ago. Oh working life), we took a trip to San Francisco, where in addition to all the typical touristy activities, we went to not one but TWO Trader Joe's stores. Typical, very typical. 

(Totally took a sneaky pick above the dairy case, because no photography is allowed. They can't be giving away their market secrets, but I just admire how TJ tries to make the otherwise same Hawaiian general store decor customized to each city).

Apart from going to TJ's in another city for thrills (yes I get a kick out of going to TJ's even when I don't/can't buy anything), we went for lunch options for a day trip to Muir Woods, which by the way prohibits picnicking except for limited designated areas. My local TJ's doesn't have nearly as many wrap options as the SF one, but then again it could be because my local TJ's also doesn't carry liquor. Bigger stores = more products? 

We walked out the falafel wrap and the buffalo chicken wrap (you can guess who picked what, also very typical choices) after narrowing the choices to anything without mayo (I haven't gotten food poisoning from any TJ's food yet but considering this sandwich would be hanging around for a couple hours unrefrigerated, I didn't want to take any chances). 

Vegan. No I'm not vegan. I happen to like falafel. 

Notice this lunch contains 2 servings for about $4.49 or so. From a price standpoint, this is already a pretty darn good deal. If you only eat half of the wrap, that's only a little more than two bucks! And if  you require both servings, that's still really cheap for lunch. New Yorkers and other city folk, take heed!

I really liked the tahini sauce mostly because it fits my flavor profile. Although the sauce was more watery than creamy, it still had the usual nice sesame taste with a hint of sour. The sauce definitely saved this wrap though, kind of like how Dellavedova came off the bench and "saved" Game 3 for the Cavs. Yes, Delly played a huge role in Game 3, and this tahini salvaged this wrap; but can Delly upstage the MVP? I don't think so! The fact that the tahini made this wrap edible does not cut it! This is a falafel wrap! Not a tahini wrap! This wrap was SO DRY. The falafel itself was quite crumbly and had no moisture in it whatsoever. I haven't tried the TJ's falafel in the frozen section yet, but I'll bet it doesn't taste like this! Texturally it was like eating stale cornbread, which is disappointing to say the least. The flavor? Nothing memorable. The veggies were crunchy and moderately herby, which was nice, but failed to compensate for the dry falafel. If the tahini were complementing the Lebron James of falafel, then this wrap would be ridiculously awesome. I have yet to find the King Falafel (although it claims to live at a local Middle Eastern restaurant named King Falafel, which I have not tried). 

I should say also, I probably would have enjoyed this wrap more if it wasn't so freezing and windy. I guess that's why some Bay area folks were still wearing Uniqlo down jackets and scarves on June 1st. *shrug*

As for the buffalo chicken wrap, this is the only picture I have of the actual food, because someone enjoys food not by taking pictures of it and sharing it with everyone but by putting it in his belly where he alone enjoys it.  So selfish, I know. :P 

Again, the same deal with the two servings in one box - except this wrap was under $4 so it's even cheaper than the falafel wrap. 

Super long ingredient list! Wow! But most things are pronounceable, so that's good. 

For what this wrap is worth, it's pretty good and comparable to most casual dining places for a fraction of the cost. The chicken actually tasted like real chicken, which is great news for a prepackaged wrap, and was decently flavorful. It wasn't particularly spicy, which is good for A because he "can't eat spicy." :P The wrap tasted just fine without the blue cheese dressing, but I suppose that would add a nice touch if you're into blue cheese. The only thing missing from this wrap would be the celery sticks, considering most places serve buffalo wings with celery, but A didn't seem to mind like a typical man. Nothing too mind-blowingly good, but a solid choice for a picnic. If I'm continuing with the basketball metaphors, this buffalo chicken wrap could pass for just about every bench player on Golden State. Probably not on the starting line-up, but you put them in every now and then because they get the job done. 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Falafel Wrap. SO DRY NEEDS MORE MOISTURE PLEASE. 5 out of 10. 

TL;DR: Trader Joe's Buffalo Style Chicken Breast Wrap with Blue Cheese Dressing. Husband-approved. A nice bench player for your lunch roster. 7 out of 10.