News: Starbucks - New Vegetarian Bistro Box

Starbucks has a new vegetarian-friendly Bistro Box out: the Goat Cheese & Garden Veggies Bistro Box which features a vegetable medley, goat cheese, tzatziki dip, and cranberry almond crackers.

The vegetable medley includes cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, and bell peppers.

Depending on how strict a vegetarian you are, you may want to avoid the tzatziki dip as it contains gelatin. The goat cheese, on the other hand, is made with vegetal rennet.

Top Five McDonald's Menu Failures... in Videos!

McDonald's has come out with a lot of menu items over the years; some good, some not so good. Today, we'll look at the top five menu items from McDonald's that, for whatever reasons, just didn't catch on... with video footage! Thank you YouTube!

In no particular order (queue the '80s music!):

My Starbucks is Not This Swanky: Vigo Street Starbucks in London

In terms of look and feel Starbucks stores are generally pretty nice and cozy, which makes sense since more than coffee (which is often fairly average), Starbucks sells service and the idea of affordable luxury. I've read that in a survey of customers in China, a majority preferred the taste of competitors, but still went to Starbucks for the service.

There are some Starbucks locations that are more than just "pretty nice and cozy" though. That make you step back and think "This is Starbucks?!" Take this Starbucks location on Vigo Street in the West End of London:

Review: Hamakua Plantations - Spam Flavored Macadamia Nuts

For one reason or another Spam is all the rage in Hawaii. It should come as little surprise then that Spam Flavored Macadamia Nuts are available and produced by the folks at Hamakua Plantations.

You can actually buy these online for $3.85 for a 4.5-ounce can. My friend brought this back for me from Hawaii.

Review: Magnum Mint Ice Cream Bars

Magnum Mint Ice Cream Bars are a new flavor of the premium ice cream brand and features mint ice cream dipped in Belgian milk chocolate and specks of caramelized sugar crunch.

Similar to rival Häagen-Dazs bars, they come three bars to a box for $4.99. These were on sale for $2.99 though. The bars are 3.38 fl oz each which is just slightly more than a Häagen-Dazs.

Neat! Starbucks Asia - Red Bean & Green Tea and Hojicha Frappuccinos

Starbucks stores in quite a few countries across Asia are running an interesting, limited-time promotion this summer. They've got two new Frappuccinos on tap: the Hojicha + Tea Jelly Frappuccino and the Red Bean + Green Tea Frappuccino.

Hojicha is a gently roasted (the drink is a light brown) Japanese green tea so The Hojicha + Tea Jelly Frappuccino is a bit like the Green Tea latte they have here in the States, but it's paired with Earl Grey Tea Jelly. The flavor is described as a mix of the "toasty and creaminess of Hojicha" with the "refreshing, floral, and aromatic" of Earl Grey.

Frozen Friday: Red Baron - Classic Crust Special Deluxe Pizza

Red Baron's Classic Crust Special Deluxe Pizza is their tried-and-true frozen pizza crust topped with two cheese, sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, black olives, green and red peppers, and onions.

I scored a 22.95-ounce pizza on sale for $2.99; they're normally $6.99.

Review: Wendy's - Vanilla Iced Coffee

My local Wendy's has started serving new Iced Coffee. The iced coffee is actually separate from their brewed coffee and comes out of a dispenser. Both are made with 100% Arabica beans which is pretty much the norm these days. They add milk after and a shot of syrup (Vanilla, Sugar-Free Vanilla, Mocha, or Caramel) can be had for an extra 25 cents.

I paid $1.29 for a value-sized cup (12 ounces) plus 25 cents extra for Vanilla flavor.

Review: Jack in the Box - Mini Corn Dogs

Jack in the Box's new, limited-time Mini Corn Dogs are pretty self explanatory but just in case, they're bite-sized hot dogs with a deep-fried corn meal batter coating.

This review comes courtesy of The Sister who says she picked up an order of these at five for $1.49.

News: McDonald's Testing Mighty Wings in Atlanta

Mighty Wings: the Return? Maybe. According to Burger Business, McDonald's is currently testing a fried chicken wings product similar to KFC's Hot Wings in the Atlanta area.

Don't get your hopes up though. The Huffington Post reports that there are "no plans to roll [Mighty Wings] out nationally."

What's on the Menu: Burger King Argentina

Argentina is known for its love of beef and grilled barbecue in particular are very popular. But how does that translate to the Burger King menu? This edition of What's on the Menu looks at Burger King Argentina to see how they do it way down south.

The most Argentine Burger King interpretation has to be the Traditional Churrasquito or "grilled beef sandwich." In Argentina, a churrasco is any long thin cut of beef (usually steak) grilled over hot coals or on a very hot skillet or other similar method.

Review: Quiznos - Chicken Milano Sub

Quiznos new Chicken Milano Sub is the centerpiece to their recent menu revamp and offers all-natural chicken, all-natural mozzarella, an Italian 3-cheese blend, a seasonal lettuce blend, tomatoes, and smoky sundried tomato and basil pestos on a toasted artisan bread of your choice (I went with the Rosemary Parmesan bread).

It's under 500 calories if you go with a small size, but I got a regular size; it's comparable to a Subway Footlong in size and is enough for two people. The price on a regular was $6.39, but I received mine for free courtesy of Quiznos.