Philly Cheesesteak Bao Buns

One of the more interesting-sounding things to arrive in the Trader Joe's freezer case last fall (and still available today) was a box of Philly cheesesteak bao buns ($3.49 for 4 buns). They looked just like the bao you'd get at dim sum, but they were filled with shredded beef, American cheese, onions, and bell peppers in an attempt to replicate the flavors you'd get if you were eating a cheesesteak.

We were excited to try these, and following the microwave instructions (they also provide steamer instructions), they were done in a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, cutting open the bao, it didn't look anything like the one in the photo. Instead of shredded meat and vegetables, it was kind of just some sort of meat mush. As far as flavor, it tasted like beef and peppers, but without the words on the box, neither of us would have ever thought "cheesesteak" when describing it. The taste was okay, but nothing special.

Buy again? Probably not. Glad they're taking a chance on some more unique items, but this one didn't work for us.