News: Election Day: Free Food and Drink

Today, November 4th, 2008, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, and Ben & Jerry's are offering free food or drink as an incentive to vote.

Starbucks is giving away a free tall-sized (12 oz.) brewed coffee to anyone who says they voted. (At participating locations only. Limit one drink per customer.)

Krispy Kreme is offering one free star-shaped doughnut with red, white and blue sprinkles to each customer wearing an "I Voted" sticker. (At participating locations only. Limit ne doughnut per customer. Select stores may be offering yeast-raised doughnuts in the standard circle shape, but decorated with red, white and blue sprinkles.)

Ben & Jerry's is giving away a free scoop of ice cream per visitor today from 5-8pm. (At participating locations only. Limit one scoop per customer.)

Review: Yardhouse - Southern Fried Chicken Breast

Interesting presentation: a very sizable boneless, skinless chicken breast served atop a mound of spinach, corn mashed potatoes in a lake of creamy gravy. About 16 dollars.

I would suggest getting the gravy on the side as the chicken loses some of its crispness otherwise.  Still, it wasn't soggy from all the gravy on top and was quite enjoyable.  The mashed potatoes were particularly interesting and I mean that in a good way; you could taste the corn and spinach in a bit of a vegetable medley.

News: Jack in the Box Introduces Breakfast Bowls

Starting today, Jack in the Box is offering new Breakfast Bowls in two varieties:

The Denver Breakfast Bowl which features scrambled eggs, hash brown sticks, sliced ham, and red and green bell peppers topped with a white cheddar cheese sauce and shredded cheddar cheese...
... and the Hearty Breakfast Bowl which features scrambled eggs, hash brown sticks, bacon, and sausage topped with a white cheddar cheese sauce and shredded cheddar cheese.

The suggested price for a Breakfast Bowl, excluding tax, is $2.99 at all participating Jack in the Box restaurants. Prices may vary.

Photos courtesy of Jack in the Box. I don't have a photo studio, a fancy camera, or spotlight to take pictures like these...

Review: McDonald's - Premium Crispy Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich

McDonald's Premium Crispy Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich is a fairly simple burger with leaf lettuce, tomato, bacon, ranch, and a crispy chicken filet on a premium bun.

I liked this sandwich a lot better than McDonald's Premium Crispy Chicken Club, the blend of reasonably crunchy bacon, ranch, and the lack of cheese really makes for a tasty combination.

Review: Wendy's - Egg and Cheese Biscuit

You really can't screw up an Egg and Cheese Biscuit... well, unless the Wendy's you went to for some odd reason ran out of biscuits but not half-baked frescuits.
I would rather they just toasted me some bread...

Wendy's
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Review: Wendy's - Custom Bean Coffee

Wendy's Custom Bean Coffee is part of their ongoing breakfast test and features a Folger's roast that was actually pretty decent. I like it better than the McDonald's Premium Blend Coffee that I tried.

Photos: McDonald's - McChicken vs. Southern Style Chicken Sandwich

You get a more chicken and a lot less mayo.  Before you ask, no I did not eat them both.  Sharing is caring!

Review: KFC - Biscuits

My favorite fast food biscuit and currently only two for a buck in the Los Angeles area. KFC's Biscuits have a nice crust on the outside...

Review: Wendy's - Hash Browns

You really can't screw up Hash Browns unless you somehow make them soggy. Wendy's Hash Browns come in coin shapes and are deep fried to a crisp. They are pretty much your average run of the mill hash browns. No surprises.

Wendy's
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Local Review: Porta Via Italian Food - Italian Sub and Jones Coffee Roasters - Cappuccino

Porto Via is a modern take on the Italian deli offering a quick meal to have at one of the small tables or counter inside the deli or in the patio out back. Before I arrived at Porta Via, I made a stop at nearby (just around the block) Jones Coffee Roasters which offers an excellent cappuccino at a reasonable price ($2.05 for an 8 oz. cup, $2.65 for a 12 oz. cup). Besides the Italian sub, I also got an Orange Volcano Cake for $3.50 and is filled with a cream cheese "eruption."
Porta Via Italian Sub for $7.50 is a good size typical Italian sub made with fresh ingredients and served on a nice crusty Italian roll. I tried a couple of their other sandwiches and they have all been pretty good. They also offer full on dinner and lunch meals that you can take home and heat up. It's definitely worth a try if you're in the neighborhood.

Porta Via Italian Foods
1 W California Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91105
Phone 626-793-9000
Summer Hours:
Monday through Friday 10am-7pm
Saturday10am-6pm
Sunday11am-4pm
http://portaviafoods.com/

Jones Coffee Roasters
537 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
Phone 626-564-9291
Monday - Friday 7:30 AM to 9:00 PM
Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
http://www.thebestcoffee.com/

Review: Wendy's - Coffee Cake

Not much to say about this one... It tastes like a store-bought coffee cake (like Hostess) that you heat up in a toaster oven which is very likely how it was prepared. I doubt Wendy's bakes these from scratch or from a mix.

Wendy's

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Review: Wendy's - Chicken Biscuit

So I went to Wendy's because they started serving breakfast not too long ago at certain franchises. Let's just say that they still need work.