News: Panda Express - Free Honey Walnut Shrimp on March 10, 2010

In order to promote and launch their new Honey Walnut Shrimp, Panda Express is taking to Facebook to offer this coupon for a free Honey Walnut Shrimp Entree good only on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at participating locations.

Panda Express's Honey Walnut Shrimp features tempura shrimp, honey sauce, and glazed walnuts tossed together in a hot wok.  The regular price of a single entree of Honey Walnut Shrimp is $3.90.  The entree will be available starting on the same Wednesday, March 10, 2010.


Panda Express Store Locator

News: Taco Bell - New Pacific Shrimp Taco

Taco Bell announced today, a Friday during Lent (coincidence? I think not!), their Pacific Shrimp Taco featuring a flour tortilla folded around exactly six marinated shrimp, shredded lettuce, Fiesta Salsa (a blend of diced white onions, tomatoes, and cilantro) and avocado ranch sauce.

The Pacific Shrimp Taco clocks in at a reasonable 180 calories and sells for $2.79.  It will be available until April 11th.

Taco Bell Store Locator

Review: Pizza Hut - Pepperoni Pan Pizza

Pizza Hut's Pan Pizza is the signature dish for the world's largest pizza chain.  It features a thick-crust pizza cooked in a metal tin which gives it a crispy, greasy shell.  I got a $5.99 Large Pepperoni Pan Pizza as a carryout special because the sister-in-law was feeling nostalgic and hadn't eaten it in a long time.  Though, under the current big promotion, you can get any size, any toppings, any crust pizza for $10.

Review: KFC - Boneless Filet

A new item on KFC's menu, the new Boneless Filet is a boneless chicken breast and comes in Grilled or Original Recipe (update: looks like they are delaying the Grilled version for a later date... well, unless the Boneless Filet does badly anyway).  It's served in a french-fry-holder-like sleeve so can keep your hands clean and is currently available in the new Boneless Filet Box for $5 but not individually (update: they are available at most locations individually at a suggested price of $1.99. I checked with another local KFC and they are selling it for $2.39.).

News: Starbucks Testing 31-ounce "Trenta"

Move over Venti!  Looks like Starbucks is experimenting with sizes normally reserved for "super-sized" meals and your local AM-PM.  Starbucks is test marketing a 31-ounce drink sized dubbed the "Trenta" in Phoenix and Tampa.

Trenta is Italian for "thirty" which doesn't explain why the drink size is 31 ounces.  Then again, an iced Venti (Italian for "twenty") is 24 ounces (although a hot Venti is 20 ounces.).

The Asia Trip: Lotteria - Green Tea Red Bean Pie

A new, limited-time item at the time, Lotteria's Green Tea Red Bean (Azuki) Pie (disclaimer: the name's a guess on my part) caught the eye of my cousin's wife so we tried one for 150 yen (~$1.70 US).

News: Fast Food News Around the World

A quick list of links to interesting recent fast food news from around the world:

• Afghanistan: No fast food for our troops in Afghanistan?  The top military commander in Afghanistan is shuttering fast food restaurants on U.S. military bases throughout the country (link to CBS Evening News).
  
  
• France: Politicians in France are condemning a fast food chains decision to serve only halal food at certain locations as "discrimination" against non-Muslims. (link to BBC News)  Isn't that a bit like saying a seafood restaurant is discriminating against non-seafood eaters?  Actually, scratch that.  Isn't it more like saying a kosher deli is discriminating against non-Jews?
  

News: Ben & Jerry's - $1 Scoop of Maple Blonde Tomorrow Only!

In a celebratory move, after one of their featured Olympic athletes won a silver medal, Ben & Jerry's is celebrating tomorrow, Wednesday, March 3, 2010, by offering a $1 scoop of snowboarder Hannah Teter's Maple Blonde to anyone who comes into one of their participating scoop shops and says, "Way to Go Hannah!"  It's not free but it's an interesting promotion.

Hannah Teter's Maple Blonde is Maple Ice Cream with a Maple Caramel Swirl and Blonde Brownie Chunks.  All in all, it sounds very sweet!

Review: Wendy's Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Wendy was a late comer to the value-priced chicken sandwich arena; I think Carl's Jr, Jack in the Box, Burger King, and McDonald's all had it in some form or another before them.  It's funny because Wendy's Super Value Menu is the first $1 value menu I remember.

The generically but descriptively named Crispy Chicken Sandwich features a fairly sizable breaded chicken patty made of mechanically separated white meat, one leaf of iceburge lettuce, and a bit of  mayo for 99 cents.  

Review: McDonald's - Sweet Tea

A current Dollar Menu promotion here in southern California, McDonald's Sweet Tea was first tested in these parts about the same time as the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich.  It features sweetened fresh-brewed black tea in a plastic 32-ounce cup for $1.

Review: KFC - Crispy Twister

KFC's Crispy Twister features two of their Extra Crispy Chicken Strips along with shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and pepper mayo sauce - all wrapped together in a flour tortilla. I consider it to be the original brand name fast food wrap before it became all the rage.

Review: Starbucks - Hot Chocolate

Starbucks' Hot Chocolate features steamed milk with mocha syrup, vanilla syrup, and whipped cream.  I guess Starbucks did away with their Signature Hot Chocolate, though now that I think about it, I probably should have asked.  So instead of getting the Signature Hot Chocolate, I got a Tall Hot Chocolate.