Review: The Coffee Bean - Ultimate Caramel Ice Blended

The Coffee Bean's Ultimate Caramel Ice Blended is new to The Coffee Bean menu this summer and features buttery caramel, blended with coffee, non-fat milk, and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Yes, in Coffee Bean speak, "Ultimate" means chocolate-covered espresso beans. A 16-ounce "regular" cup will set you back $3.95.

News: Hardee's - New Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders

Hardee's Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders are the newest item to hit the Hardee's menu and feature fresh, all-white meat chicken tenders (short for "tenderloin"), hand-dipped in egg and buttermilk and lightly breaded with seasoned flour (by hand of course!).  The Chicken Tenders are served with your choice of honey mustard, buffalo, or buttermilk ranch sauce.

Apparently, Hardee's is doing a staggered rollout of the Chicken Tenders; some restaurants are already serving them while others will have them by the end of June.

Hardee's Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders are available in 3-piece and 5-piece orders, retail-priced at $2.99 and $4.49 respectively.

Nutritional Info after the jump

The Asia Trip: McDonald's Hong Kong - McCafe Cappuccino

The McCafe at the McDonald's I went to in Hong Kong had a separate more cafe-like counter from the rest of the McDonald's. And, as I found out late one night, it keeps different hours than the McDonald's (which stayed open 24 hours like Denny's or IHOP).

Review: Chick-fil-A - Spicy Chicken Sandwich

After much ado and free sandwiches (by reservation only!), Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Sandwich has finally landed on the Chick-fil-A's menu. Of course, since they were test-marketed in southern California, I've tried several of them before the official launch.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Blue Raspberry Coolatta

Today, Dunkin' Donuts introduced their newest Coolatta frozen slush drink for this summer, the Blue Raspberry Coolatta.  Dunkin' is also bringing back the Watermelon Coolatta citing popular demand.  The suggested retail on a "small"16-ounce Coolatta is $2.29.

You might be thinking, "But raspberries aren't blue!"  That's right.  Raspberries are not blue.  So why the blue color?  It's food coloring, so you don't confuse it with the more common cherry and strawberry flavors.

Nutritional info after the jump.

News: McDonald's - New Snack Size McFlurry

I stopped by McDonald's today and saw a poster advertising a new "snack size" McFlurry for $1.79 (in southern California; price varies with geography) available mixed with Oreos, M&M's, and Reese's (mix-ins probably vary with location).  The Snack Size McFlurry comes in an 8-ounce cup which is slightly larger than Dairy Queen's "mini" size coming this August.

Nutritional Info After the Jump.

Review: Burger King - Ham Omelet Sandwich

Part of Burger King's BK Breakfast Value Menu, the Ham Omelet Sandwich features an egg omelet, a slice of cheese, thin-sliced deli ham, and honey butter sauce on a sesame hamburger bun for $1.

Sunday Funny: Jack in the Box - "No Coffee"

Jack makes a persuasive argument for orange juice for breakfast over coffee.

Review: Dairy Queen - Oreo and Snickers Blizzard

There aren't any fast food serving Dairy Queens in the southern California area as far as I know. However, there are Dairy Queens at the malls that only serve their frozen Treats including their trademark Blizzard of which I tried the Snickers Blizzard and Oreo Blizzard pictured above.

Review: Porto's Bakery - Carrot Muffin

I'm a big fan of carrot cake, so it's not surprising that I tried the Carrot Muffin from Porto's Bakery in Burbank.  I think a big reason for Porto's popularity beyond the Cheese Rolls, is the relative affordability of their baked goods and the huge selection. Items that would normally cost $2 to $4 dollars at other comparable bakeries or cafe cost $1 to $2 at Porto's. Also, the make a great cup of coffee, especially their Dulce De Leche Latte.

News: Wienerschnitzel - New Double Chili Cheeseburgers

Der Wienerschnitzel (which does not serve is eponymous dish, but instead specializes in hot dogs) is serving up two new items this summer: the Double Chili Cheeseburger and the Ultimate Double Chili Cheeseburger.  The Double Chili Cheeseburger just doubles up on the regular Chili Cheeseburger by adding a patty and another slice of cheese while the Ultimate Double Chili Cheeseburger adds to that tomatoes, pickles, chopped onions, and mustard (sounds like Tommy's to me).

The pricing on the Double Chili Cheeseburger is a retail of $2.29 while the Ultimate Double Chili Cheeseburger is 30 cents more at $2.59.

Nutritional info after the jump ("Yikes!" on the sodium, but not really surprising).

Review: Wendy's - BBQ Bacon Double Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe

The small burger with the really long-winded name, Wendy's new BBQ Bacon Double Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe features two hamburger patties, onions, pickles, honey BBQ sauce, two slices of bacon, and a slice of American cheese on a toasted hamburger bun. I'm told by a reader (PulledPorker) that the chicken version sandwich by itself costs $1.69, so I'm assuming the double cheeseburger version costs the same.