Portillo's salted caramel spice shake is better than the cake

The vegetarian is conducting a Portillo's taste test.

Yes, but: It's for a salted caramel spice cake and shake.

Dig in: I love sweets, and salted caramel has my heart, with a little space carved out for fall flavors, like pumpkin and ginger spice.

The cake: As is the case with Portillo's other cakes, the texture was moist, but lacking density. The spice comes through, but so does the aroma of other Portillo's foods and hot dog cake just isn't my fave.

• I needed more frosting and more salt. I like to see the salt crystals.

The shake: Skip the straw because this is a thick mound of creamy, caramel ice cream, and unlike the cake, spice was a bit of an afterthought.

• At the very bottom is about a quarter of an inch layer of cake.
• It's perfect for chilly fall days.

The verdict: Go for the shake and if you're craving cake, do a slice of chocolate. Or see if they have any lemon in the back.

One more thing: A fellow customer at the kiosk tapped me on the shoulder, "Excuse me, would you suggest a Polish sausage or Chicago hot dog?"

Tell us: How would YOU respond? Take our poll!