News: Taco Bell Testing "Take Home Taco Bar"

Taco Bell is testing a Take Home Taco Bar out in Louisville, KY according to QSRWeb.  The take home family meal features two trays with a total of six compartments containing: seasoned ground beef, refried beans, seasoned rice, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, reduced-fat sour cream and shredded cheese.  The meal also comes with salsa, tortilla chips, and 10 crunchy or soft tacos.

The price on the Take Home Taco Bar is $14.99 which is a little bit more buying 10 Taco Supremes depending on your locale.

News: McDonald's Testing McBistro Chicken Sandwich

According to the Baltimore Sun, McDonald's is testing a chicken sandwich called the McBistro in the Omaha, Albuquerque, and the Greater Baltimore area.

The McBistro is being marketed as a bit of a choose-your-own premium chicken sandwich and features your choice of crispy or grilled chicken breast, a "thick slice" of tomato, leaf lettuce, white Cheddar cheese, and your choice of sauce in buttermilk ranch, chipotle BBQ, or honey mustard (i.e. the same sauces available for McDonald's Chicken Selects) on a "bakery-style" bun.  The tag they're going with is "Choose deliciously."

The Asia Trip: KFC Taiwan - Twister

After checking out Taipei 101 while it was still the tallest building in the world, I decided to try KFC Taiwan to make up for missing out on KFC Japan.  You can see the poster above for some of the more interesting items on the menu.  Since those interesting items also happened to be seafood, I chose to go the value route...

Review: Pizza Hut - Buffalo Wings

Taking advantage of Pizza Hut's 50 Cent Wing Wednesday promotion, I tried their Boneless Buffalo Wings which, as far as I can tell, are not wings at all, but breaded breast pieces doused in buffalo sauce.  They're normally eight "wings" for $6.99 but at 50 cent a wing, it came out to $4.

News: Jack in the Box Testing Oven Bakes

Jack in the Box is testing a new item called an Oven Bake in the Austin, TX area only.  Jack in the Box's Oven Bake comes in four varieties: Philly Cheesesteak and Chicken Spinach & Cheese for later in the day and Egg, Potato, & Bacon and Italian Sausage & Egg for breakfast. All four are rolled up in a crust and baked. They seem a bit like a calzone but rolled up.

News: Quiznos - New Breakfast Items for Convenience Stores

Quiznos announced today, the rollout of their new breakfast menu for their 175 convenience store locations nationwide (I didn't even know Quiznos had convenience store locations...)  Is this a preface to regular Quiznos locations entering the breakfast market?  Maybe.  Breakfast at convenience store markets can easily serve as a test bed for a more widespread breakfast offering.

The new breakfast menu includes:

• Giant Cinnamon Roll - fresh from the oven and topped with creamy caramel icing.
• Country Sausage and Egg Biscuit - the fast food breakfast standard: sausage patty and egg on a flaky biscuit.
• Breakfast Sammies - various combinations of meats, cheeses, and eggs on Quizno's mini-flatbreads.
• Breakfast Subs - various combinations of meats, cheeses, and eggs on Quizno's trademark toasted breads.

No word on pricing that I know of yet.

Review: In-N-Out - Secret Menu - Protein Style

Another "secret" menu item at In N Out, "Protein Style" means to get a burger without carbs (i.e. the bun), instead you get a shell of iceburg lettuce around your burger.  So a Double Double "Protein Style" is two all-beef hamburger patties, two slices of American cheese, onions, tomatoes, and "spread" (In N Out's version of Thousand Island) wrapped in hand-leafed lettuce.  It will run you the same as a regular Double Double at $2.99.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Mint Chocolate Cookie

Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie is like your standard Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream but with cookies instead of chips and minus the green food coloring. My local Fresh & Easy doesn't carry it so I think it's one of the less common Ben & Jerry's flavors but occasionally I find it on sale at Ralph's or Albertson's at two for $5, otherwise I think it's close to $4.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Chunky Monkey

A standby favorite of mine, the aptly-named Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey features banana ice cream as the base and walnut pieces and fudge chunks as the finish.  My local Fresh & Easy carries it for a reasonable $2.99 but occasionally I find it on sale at Ralph's or Albertson's at two for $5.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Americone Dream

Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream features vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl and yes, I am just typing what it says on the picture above.  I get my Ben & Jerry's for $2.99 at Fresh & Easy or when it's on sale at a major supermarket for two for $5.

What's on the Menu: McDonald's France

What's on the Menu takes a look at feature items on the menu at McDonald's in other countries to see how American fast food has adapted itself to local tastes. Why McDonald's? It works for the Big Mac index and that's good enough for me.

Parlez vous francais? Yeah, me neither but that didn't stop me from plumbing the McDonald's France website to see how the country known for haute cuisine eats quickly.  First up!  Le P'tit Moutarde!

Review: KFC - Hot Wings

KFC Hot Wings feature wing sections lightly breaded in seasonings and deep-fried until crisp.  They are normally six for $3.49 but I usually use a coupon to get 20 Hot Wings for $9.99 which comes out to the same 50 cent a wing as Pizza Hut's Wing Wednesdays.  You can also get them sauced in four varieties: Honey BBQ, Fiery Buffalo, Sweet 'n Spicy, and Tangy Teriyaki.

Update 1/1/11: The current KFC promotion on Hot Wings is $3 for 5 or $10 for 20 for a limited-time only (no coupon needed)