Spicy. Boysenberry. Pork. Bulgogi. You're welcome.

Hi, I’m Crystal, a Senior Editor based in Los Angeles and creator of BuzzFeed’s “That Got Dark” newsletter.

I thought I would love this. I've had sweet dessert tamales before, and they're SO good. But the tamale itself, without the sauce, lacked flavor. The sauce was creamy and sweet, so that, on top of the flavorless tamale, was... not my favorite. Maybe they could've used more boysenberries in the filling? IDK. Perhaps they were going for more savory/sweet, but if that's the case, I didn't get enough savory!

I like a good cheesecake, but this was pretty tame compared to ones I've had before. I didn't get much boysenberry or lemon flavor, TBH. I'd be curious to try it in slice form, though.

You know, I appreciate it when a theme park offers "healthier" food options (not everyone wants a corndog!), so for that reason, I give this some props. However, I actually think they could've gone a little stronger with the Boysenberry Glaze on this one because I barely tasted it! It's not the most ~exciting~ dish, but it's a decent option for those sticking to a stricter diet.

Based on presentation, this dessert looked really good. It reminded me of a strawberry roll...but with boysenberry! But, despite looking really sweet and rich, this "sushi roll" was actually pretty mild flavor-wise? Not that sweet, not a ton of boysenberry flavor. Cute and a little messy...like yours truly.

All the flavors in this are wonderful on their own — chocolate, matcha, boysenberry — but I think, altogether, it was TOO MANY flavors. The matcha mousse was airy and yummy, and the boysenberry jam was great, but they kind of overpowered the rest of the dessert. I liked it, just didn't love it.

This was, unsurprisingly, a very sweet drink. I'm a BIG lemonade fan, so I was looking forward to trying this. I think I was missing the tartness of regular lemonade, though, because this just didn't hit for me. It was a little too sweet. However, I already know I'm in the minority because people were drinking the heck out of this at the tasting event. 

I love Reubens. I love Thousand Island sauce. I did not love this. Look, I applaud the chefs for taking a leap with this idea, but the landing did not stick. The Reuben Ball itself was actually very delicious, but the Boysenberry Thousand Island sauce just did not go. It lacked the tanginess of regular Thousand Island sauce and was a little too sicky-sweet. It was like dipping lunch into dessert.

As far as salads go, this is super solid. It has goat cheese, pistachios, and dried boysenberries...what's not to like? And, of course, the vinaigrette is great. In fact, it's so popular you can literally buy bottles of it. Not the most radical dish on the menu here, and not a "ton" of boysenberry, but it's good and refreshing.

On paper, this sounds super questionable, but in reality, it was quite good! I think they really got the savory/sweet balance right with this one. The shrimp was unique, but the vegetarian Orzo was the real star. I could've eaten that just on its own and been very happy! (BTW, they offer a Boysenberry Sautéed Mushroom with Vegetarian Orzo option as well!)

This was a really solid dessert. I actually thought it was some kind of s'more at first, LOL, but wasn't disappointed when I found out it was actually a meringue! I dig it.

Between the two cheesecakes offered, I preferred this one. You definitely got more of the boysenberry flavor. Also? Very impressed that it was vegan! I wouldn't have known there's no dairy given the "cheesecake" portion was still thick and, well, cheesecake-y!

I loved this drink. There's just enough of the tangy blood orange to keep that super sweet boysenberry at bay. It's refreshing, delicious, and I liked it so much that I had a second serving...even a third. 

I was surprised by how much I liked this dish?! But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I mean, there's a reason roasted Brussels Sprouts with cranberries are a thing during the holidays. And this is BASICALLY that, just with boysenberries! Simple, but smart — how I strive to be.

I...loved this? Who knew a simple cookie could be so good? JK, so many of the best cookies are simple in design and execution, and this is one of them. The cookie itself is buttery and flaky, and the boysenberry drizzle is the right amount of sweet. 

I had high expectations of this dish because brisket with mac and cheese is a true match made in heaven. Luckily, the Knott's chefs did not disappoint with this one! The brisket was super tender, and the mac and cheese, well, cheesy! The boysenberry did not overpower the brisket and added a nice hint of sweetness, kind of like a BBQ sauce. If you're looking for a filling AND indulgent dish during the fest, this is it.

As a Korean, I have high standards when it comes to my bulgogi. So, you can imagine I went into this one pretty skeptical. However, I was very pleasantly surprised at how delicious this was! The sweetness of the boysenberry was incredibly complementary to the spicy gochujang flavor they used to make this bulgogi spicy. The pork itself was very tender, and everything came together like the perfect trifecta of sweet, spicy, and “okay…my mom would actually approve of this.”

OK. This was sooooo good. This was probably my favorite thing I ate all night, heck, even all week. The tempura batter was light and crunchy, and the sauce was DELICIOUS. I also loved how the light, refreshing crunch of the vegetables and the lettuce wrap perfectly counterbalanced the fried, gooey goodness of the chicken. No notes. Just give me more.