Trader Joe's Mini Filet Mignon en Croute

Ten bucks gets you ten miniature puff pastries here. Obviously there's some French culinary influence but they are not imported, in case you were wondering. That's a steep price tag in my humble opinion, so let's take a look and find out if they're worth it.

They come frozen, of course. 400°F for 25 minutes will have them piping hot and golden brown on the outside. They smell pretty decent but not particularly pungent.

What's working: the delicious buttery, flaky pastry puff breading outer shell. It's similar to the crust on countless other hors d'oeuvres we've tasted from Trader Joe's throughout the years—the Mini Brie en Croute comes to mind in particular. The overall flavor including beef, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, and salt is complex and savory. Tastes like something a legit Parisian chef might come up with.

What's not working: there's not enough filet mignon, and what little is there is unpleasantly chewy. When I see the words "filet mignon," I'm expecting something tender and soft that will melt in my mouth like butter. Even if they'd have simply called this "beef en croute," I'd have been somewhat disappointed. To call it filet mignon seems downright deceptive.

Sonia isn't as critical of the texture as I am. She's also a bit more fond of the overall flavor. She does agree that Trader Joe's Mini Filet Mignon en Croute contains a very small amount of food for ten dollars, however, and wouldn't be particularly keen to purchase it again simply for the two of us. She would, on the other hand, consider buying it to take to a large holiday party for the benefit (or detriment) of many others.

There are many other appetizers at Trader Joe's that are just as tasty as this one with a better texture and cost less money. I wouldn't buy it again. I give Trader Joe's Mini Filet Mignon en Croute six out of ten stars. Seven and a half out of ten stars from the beautiful wifey.

Sonia's score: 7.5 out of 10.

Nathan's score: 6 out of 10.

Trader Joe's English Toffee Ice Cream

It has been absolutely frigid here lately. I guess it's another "arctic blast." Fun. Have already done some snow shoveling with the beautiful wifey this year. It's always nice to duck in out of the cold, sit down by the fire, and warm up with a nice big bowl of ice cream, don't you think?

And not just any ice cream—it's Trader Joe's English Toffee Ice Cream. Finally, an English toffee product I can get behind. It's got a brown butter ice cream base, small toffee pieces covered in chocolate, almond bits, and a caramel-esque swirl. It's extremely buttery, sweet, rich, and indulgent.

Sonia and I are both happy it has a yummy toffee flavor without massive jawbreaking slabs of hard candy. It's mostly smooth, but the nuts and toffee pieces keep it interesting. It's got whispers of chocolate, but not much more than that.

We polished off the whole thing in a single day. It's one of the better holiday ice creams we've seen from Trader Joe's. English toffee is far from my go-to flavor, but it's seasonally-appropriate and this offering didn't disappoint.

$3.79 for the pint. Kosher. Would buy again next year. Eight out of ten stars from both Sonia and me for Trader Joe's English Toffee Ice Cream.

Bottom line: 8 out of 10.