Thankfully, after doing a little research I found that a 7-11 in DC was participating in this limited release, which was great luck because there were only a few stores on the entire east coast!
Once I found the location I did what EVERY dedicated husband/snack food enthusiast would do... I made a Valentine's Day reservation at a restaurant in Washington DC 1.5 miles away from the 7-11 in order to grab these rare snack items and sample them first hand.
Well dressed, and overly enthused, I walked into the 7-11 ready to sample this strange, new snack. I was elated when I found that these hidden gems lived in the same warmers that store the wings, pizza, and hot dogs. I immediately knew that I was in for a treat.
The woman who was working behind the counter plucked my intriguing treats from the enclosure and packaged them in the above referenced cardboard vessel. I was anxious to dig in, but stopped to capture the moment with my phone first. In a hilarious exchange, the woman helping me decided to ask why every time she served this item to someone, they always stopped to take a picture? I briefly explained as best I could that this was a limited edition item, and very few people even know about it's existence. It was apparent that she had NO idea that her store was carrying this special item. It made me even happier that I played a part in educating this employee about the revolutionary snack food gracing her establishment.
When you initially grab a loaded Dorito from the container, it mimics the feel of a mozzarella stick. It has a hearty feel to it; firm and fried. The difference is that the texture is a little more rigid because I think they used flecks of Doritos in the "breading". There's definitely some peppering of light herbs, but nothing fragrant or overwhelming. The real magic happens when you bite into this warm, cheesy snack. The cheese filling is a nice, spicy nacho flavor that doesn't mirror the Dorito exactly, but certainly offers a tip of the cap to the best chip on the market. Yes, Fat Mike LOVES Doritos. I'm an enthusiast for the chip isle in general, but my "deserted island" chip would definitely be Doritos (of any flavor). Don't expect to take a bite and have the cheese ooze out of the loaded Dorito. This is more of a dense cheese that is RICH with spicy nacho flavor, like one of those Laughing Cow cheeses. Long story short, I support this snack wholeheartedly. I was happy to have been able to try it, and was very happy with the execution overall. I don't know if these are still available, or whether Frito-Lay has decided to proceed with a full release of this revolutionary snack, but if you're wandering past a 7-11 and see a promotional poster in the window definitely swing in and drop a couple bucks to try it out. You'll be better for it.
This was a great experience, and I would be an idiot if I didn't specifically thank my very patient and forgiving wife for allowing me to take this short detour on the way to our Valentine's Day dinner. You're the best.
