Review: McDonald's - McCafé Chocolate Chip Frappé

McDonald's Chocolate Chip Frappé is new to the McDonald's menu and similar to Starbuck's Java Chip Frappuccino. It's here for a limited-time this summer.

What's it made of? It's McDonald's Caramel Coffee Frappé base plus Mocha Coffee Frappé base with ice and chocolate chips thrown in a blender before being topped with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel syrup, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

It cost me $2.29 for a small 12-ounce cup (the medium was selling for $2.79 and the large for $3.29).

Feature: Taco Bell's Cantina Bell Preview

Taco Bell recently invited me to a dinner previewing their upcoming Cantina Bell menu (debuting nationally on July 5) as well as to meet with celebrity chef Lorena Garcia (competing this summer on Top Chef Masters; no, she wouldn't say who won, but hopes you will cheer for her) who they partnered with to develop the recipes behind the new menu.

News: Popeyes - New Zatarain's Butterfly Shrimp

Popeyes kicks it up a notch by partnering with New Orleans-style food company Zatarain's to come up with new Zatarain's Butterfly Shrimp. The new dish combines Zatarain's seasoning and signature cornmeal breading with Popeye's Butterfly Shrimp.

Zatrarain's Butterfly Shrimp are only available at participating Popeyes restaurants through July 29. You can pick up 8 pieces of shrimp, Cajun fries, a biscuit, and Lemon Garlic dipping sauce for $4.99.

News: Del Taco - New Grande Scrambler and Breakfast Promos

Del Taco takes a kitchen sink approach with their latest menu item, the new Grande Scrambler. Wrapped inside a flour tortilla is a laundry list of ingredients including: your choice of bacon or sausage, scrambled eggs, hashbrown sticks, cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, and red sauce.

They've also added Minute Maid brand Orange Juice to the menu.

News: Church's Chicken - Two New Dipping Sauces

Church's Chicken is out with two new dipping sauces for their Chicken Strips: Smoky Honey Mustard and Purple Pepper. Smoky Honey Mustard is a blend of honey mustard and barbecue sauce to supply the "smoky" bit. Purple Pepper promises a "perfect blend of heat and sweet." I'm guessing the purple pepper means purple bell pepper, but they could also be purple hot peppers like these.

The sauces join Church's existing sauce line up which consists of Creamy Jalapeno, BBQ, Honey Mustard, and Ranch.

Review: Mauna Loa - Maui Onion & Garlic Macadamia Nuts

Another weekend, another can of macadamia nuts. This time I'm eating Mauna Loa Maui Onion & Garlic Macadamias from the great state of Hawaii (okay, so they're all from Hawaii).

As a souvenir brought back from Hawaii by my brother, it cost me nothing. But the taste of the island does not come cheap here on the mainland. You're looking at around $5 bucks a pop (4.5 ounce can) in sunny California.

Around the World: Subway Japan - Duck Pastrami!

Subway Japan is currently doing a French-themed promotion that includes a Duck Pastrami and Orange Sauce sandwich with an orange sauce.

Sounds pretty fancy no? Duck isn't exactly a common ingredient at a fast food joint. The rest of the sandwich is fairly standard Subway with your choice of bread and veggies. The Duck Pastrami and Orange Sauce sandwich costs 450 yen for a 6-inch (about $5.59 at the time of this writing).

Review: Costco - Combination Pizza

For those of you who don't know, most Costco warehouse stores sport a food court and one of the best sellers is pizzas offered in your choice of cheese, pepperoni, or combination for $9.95.

I picked up a Combination Pizza, sometimes called a "supreme' at other pizzerias, which is topped with a fairly standard mix of pepperoni, bell peppers, onions, olives, sausage, and mushrooms.

Frozen Friday: Healthy Choice - Turkey and Sweet Potatoes

Part of Healthy Choice's Top Chef inspired line of frozen dinners, Honey-Glazed Turkey and Sweet Potatoes features turkey medallions, roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, wild rice, and onions with a honey pepper glaze.

These are normally $4.29 at a local supermarket, but I nabbed it on sale for $2. The box highlights 9g of whole grain, 14g of protein, and 250 calories.

Around the World: Burger King Taiwan Goes with Tortilla Chips on Burger

Burger King Taiwan's latest promotion touts the taste of the American Southwest which apparently means corn tortilla chips in their long burgers and chicken sandwiches for that added crunch.

Available with either grilled beef patties or grilled chicken, the sandwiches also include the aforementioned corn tortilla chips, onions, BBQ sauce and mayo..

Review: McDonald's - Spicy Chicken McBites

Spicy Chicken McBites are a limited-time menu item at McDonald's this summer, and are the follow up to the Chicken McBites they were selling at the beginning of the year. They promise battered and deep-fried bite-sized chicken breast pieces with a spicy kick.

I picked up a 3-ounce "snack" box for $1.99. They also come in a 4.5-ounce "regular" ($2.99) and a 10-ounce "shareable" box($4.99).

News: McDonald's - New McCafe Frappé Chocolate Chip for a Limited Time

I don't know why McDonald's calls it the Frappé Chocolate Chip and not the Chocolate Chip Frappé, but it's at participating McDonald's restaurants for a limited-time.

It offers the flavor of mocha, caramel, and coffee plus chocolate chips blended with ice. To finish, there's whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate and, for good measure, a drizzle of caramel as well. So it's basically a Caramel Mocha Frappé (not on the menu) with the most distinguishing feature being the little bits of chocolate chips as you sip.