The Asia Trip: Udon in Kyoto

While in Kyoto we stopped by this udon joint for some cheap eats. Udon is a fairly thick wheat-flour noodle that is typically served hot in a soupy soy sauce broth. This particular place was found on the main thoroughfare in Kyoto.

News: McDonald's Angus Snack Wraps Roll Out Nationally

Today, Angus Snack Wraps are officially a menu item at McDonald's restaurants across the nation.  The national roll out features Angus Snack Wraps in three varieties, mirroring the Angus Third Pounders: Deluxe, Mushroom & Swiss, and Bacon & Cheese. The price per Wrap is $1.99.

Each of the three Angus Snack Wraps share the same base: half an Angus third-pound patty wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. From there, the three choices differ:

Deluxe contains red tomato, green leaf lettuce, red onions, crinkle cut pickles, American cheese, mayonnaise, and yellow mustard.

Bacon & Cheese brings red ring onions, crinkle cut pickles, a strip of bacon, American cheese, ketchup, and yellow mustard

Finally, Mushroom & Swiss goes simple with sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise.

Nutritional info after the jump.

Review: Sonic - Onion Rings

Sonic's Onion Rings are hand-breaded and deep-fried which means they're made completely in house and are advertised as "made fresh daily." A medium will run you $2.19 while a large goes for $2.99.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Guacamole Grilled Chicken Sandwich

The other sandwich to El Pollo Loco's Grilled Chicken Sandwich duo, the Guacamole Grilled Chicken Sandwich differs from the Jalapeno version in that it substitutes a glop of guacamole instead of jalapenos, Southwest sauce, and a slice of cheese. The price remains the same at $4.29 per.

Brand Eating Giveaway Drawing: Sonic Ice Cream Social and Lunch Boxes!

Happy August! In order to help you (well, three of you anyway) beat the heat, Sonic Drive-In was once again kind enough to sponsor Brand Eating's latest giveaway drawing. The prizes this time around are:

- One Grand Prize: an ice cream social at Sonic for you and your friends and family (up to 10 people) - basically they'll send you a $50 MySonic card to fund the social.

- Two Second Prizes: A Sonic Lunch Box(!) filled with a "Keep it Real" ice cream t-shirt, a $5 MySonic card, and some other goodies. That's right! You can be the envy of all your friends with a nifty Sonic Lunch Box!

Sunday Funny: Nando's - "Last Minutes of Ramadan"

Nando's is a Portuguese-style chicken chain originating from South Africa, but with locations in 34 countries, including a couple in the U.S. Ramandan is the Islamic month of fasting.

Review: Burger King - Tacos

Burger King's Tacos seem to be an "at-participating-locations-only" item and doesn't appear on the Burger King website.  At two for $1.49, they're 50 cents more than Jack in the Box's Taco for basically the same item.

News: McDonald's Testing Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

McDonald's is testing Frozen Strawberry Lemonade as a possible McCafe offering. According to Advertising Age, the frozen drink is being tested in a few markets here and there, including Michigan and Austin, TX.

Seemingly most similar to Taco Bell's Frutista Freeze, the drink appears to be an icy slush of lemonade with a swirl of strawberry sauce or syrup. Frozen Strawberry Lemonade are made with the same machines as Smoothies and Frappes and, my guess is they might be priced the same as well. That would be $2.29 for a 12-ounce small, $2.79 for a 16-ounce medium, and $3.29 for a 22-ounce large.

Review: Chick-fil-A - Chick-n-Strips

Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips feature tender chicken breast strips marinated and lightly hand breaded before deep-fried in peanut oil. They typically come in 3- or 4-piece boxes, but are also available in 1- or 2-piece sizes in Kid's Meals. A three-piece box like the one I bought runs for $3.55 in these parts.

Review: McDonald's - Chipotle BBQ Bacon Angus Snack Wrap

Since they've already wrapped their trademark sandwich in a tortilla, McDonald's has now moved on to wrapping their premium line of burgers in the same fashion. While they're not slated to roll out nationally until August 10th, McDonald's Angus Snack Wraps are already available at some McDonald's restaurants, including, as I found out when I stopped for fries, mine.

The foil wrapper might say "Bacon & Cheese" but that's only because the Chipotle BBQ isn't a regular menu item.

The Asia Trip: Kyoto Mochi Shop

Quite the morning crowd, no? They're all waiting to buy different types of mochi, a Japanese dessert made with glutenous rice pounded into paste and formed into a shape, usually a ball with different sweet fillings, usually some type of bean, especially red bean.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Jalapeno Grilled Chicken Sandwich

El Pollo Loco's Jalapeño Grilled Chicken Sandwich features a marinated boneless chicken breast, pepper jack cheese, sliced jalapeño peppers, a shredded blend of Romaine and iceberg lettuce, pico de gallo salsa, and a spicy Southwest sauce served on a soft, dense, grilled Telera roll. The Jalapeño Grilled Chicken Sandwich carries a premium price tag of $4.29.