Review: Starbucks - Green Tea Frappuccino

Most people know it at Starbucks as the Green Tea Frappuccino, but the full name is the Tazo Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Creme. It features a blend of sweetened matcha green tea, milk, and ice.

It can be topped with whipped cream but I tried this one without and with 2% milk. I don't normally order a Venti anything at Starbucks but I bought this one during the recent Happy Hour promo, so it was only half the normal $4.75

News: New Klondike Varieties This Summer

Klondike has three forms of frozen goodness for you to try this summer. There's two new Choco Tacos in Chocolate and Peanut Butter flavors. And, there's a new ice cream sandwich with a chocolate ice cream filling rather than vanilla (in fact, the tagline on the new Chocolate Sandwich is "It's not Vanilla.").

Review: IHOP - Red Velvet Pancakes

IHOP's Red Velvet Pancakes are something IHOP is testing out in some areas including my local restaurant. They're drizzled with a cream cheese icing before being dusted with powdered sugar and finished with a dollop of whipped topping.

A stack of 4 pancakes was selling for $4.99 but I shared a combo which came with 2 pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, and hashed browns for $8.69.

News: Mountain Dew - New Dark Berry Flavor

Mountain Dew is doing a Dark Knight Rises movie promotion with their latest new drink, Mountain Dew Dark Berry.

The new drink features a mixed berry flavor and an appropriately Batman-ish deep blue color. It will only be available for 8 weeks staring mid-June.

In addition to the new flavor, Mountain Dew will be sporting limited-edition 16-ounce cans with a special color changing bat symbol that turns green when the can is chilled. The cans will also debut mid-June.

There will also be product codes on specially marked Mountain Dew drinks/cans/packs that can be redeemed for gear or sweepstakes entries. (Details at DEWGothamCity.com)

News: 7-Eleven - Slurpees Now Available Sugar-Free

For those watching their calories or sugar consumption, 7-Eleven aims to please this summer with the new, limited-time Fanta Sugar-Free Mango Slurpee Lite.

The new drink is 7-Eleven's first Slurpee-branded, sugar-free drink and is available at 7-Eleven stores nationwide. The drinks are sweetened with Splenda. Slurpee Lites have about half the calories of regular Slurpees.

7-Eleven also put out a calendar of limited-time Slurpee flavors for this summer:

Around the World: The Biggest McMenu, Part Four

Time for Part Four of the Biggest McMenu, highlighting various "Mc-" items from McDonald's restaurants all over the world! We'll start this week with the McBean. No, it's not a single-bean like the name suggest but a vegetarian burger option at McDonald's in Sweden. The breaded patty is made of beans plus veggies.

Review: Doritos - Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Chips

Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili seems to be inspired by Thai sweet chili sauce offering a blend of savory spiciness with sweet in a crunchy Doritos chip.

A bag retails at my local supermarket for $4.29 but I bought this one on sale for $2.50

Around the World: Burger King Hong Kong Serves Up Black Truffles

Following the heels of Wendy's foie-gras-and-truffle burger in Japan, Burger King gets in on the fancy party with a limited-time Black Truffle Angus XT burger in Hong Kong. But while Wendy's burger was about $16 in Japan, Burger King's burger seems a relative bargain at 38 Hong Kong Dollars or about $4.89 here in the U.S.

Why so cheap? The burger seems to embrace more proletarian affordability by keeping cost down with black truffle mayo. Also fancy is the use of curly endive. The rest of the burger is pretty standard with an Angus beef patty, tomatoes, bacon, and cheese.

News: Super Pretzel - New Sweet Cinnamon Flavor

Super Pretzels brand soft pretzels now come in a new Sweet Cinnamon flavor. The frozen pretzel brand mixed in some cinnamon into their soft and sweet pretzels and included cinnamon-sugar packets to coat the pretzels after their heated.

They come six fully baked pretzels to a 13-ounce box in the frozen food aisle. To eat, you just microwave and sprinkle the packet on.

Review: Starbucks - Java Chip Frappuccino Ice Cream

Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Ice Cream offers the taste of a Java Chip Frappuccino in ice cream form. Of course they could have just called it Java Chip Ice Cream because it's just coffee ice cream with dark chocolaty chunks.

A pint normally sells for $4.99 at my local supermarket but I picked this one up on sale for $2.50.

Frozen Friday: Stouffer's - Swedish Meatballs

Stouffer's Swedish Meatballs is one of their Signature Classic frozen dinner and is pretty much a frozen food staple. Stoffer's version comes with noodles and parsley in a sour cream sauce.

A 11.5-ounce box retails for around $3.69 but I bought this particular box on sale for $2.

News: Quiznos - Over 25 New Menu Items

Looks like Quiznos is re-doing their image and food with a menu overhaul and brand makeover. Best known for their toasted subs, the chain is angling to emphasize their better ingredients (like all-natural chicken, Angus beef, and better turkey) and unique flavors.

The featured new menu item to show the new direction of Quiznos is the Chicken Milano Sub, an under-500 calorie sub sandwich that aims directly at Subway's Fresh Fit Choices while highlighting the new flavors of Quiznos. The sandwich is filled with all-natural chicken, all-natural mozzarella, an Italian 3-cheese blend, a seasonal lettuce blend, tomatoes, and smoky sundried tomato and basil pestos. Sounds pretty fancy, no? It's served on your choice of Artisan Breads (Whole Grain Flatbread, White, Wheat, Rosemary Parmesan or Chipotle Jack).