News: First New Hot Dog on a Stick Drive-Thru

Hot Dog on a Stick, famed purveyor of freshly battered and fried corn dogs (and cheese sticks!), is stepping outside of its mall locations and trying out drive-thru service out in West Jordan, Utah.

If you've never been to a Hot Dog on a Stick, they're known for a simple menu of fresh-dipped-and-fried corn dogs and fresh-squeezed lemonade (they also do cheese on a stick, funnel sticks, and fries). Basically, it's like county fair food, but all-year-round.

News: Peet's Coffee - Free Medium Iced or Blended Drink Tomorrow!

Peet's Coffee is running a neat promotion tomorrow, Wednesday, August 1, to celebrate the beginning of August with free medium iced or blended beverages (with coupon).

The offer is good Wednesday, August 1, from 12pm to close only and no purchase is necessary. You will, however, need a coupon which you can print out or show from your mobile phone. You can print the coupon here.

Review: Wendy's Frosty - Chocolate vs. Vanilla

Ah, Chocolate or Vanilla... the age-old battle between number 1 and 2 in the world of ice cream popularity. And yet, Wendy's Frosty has originally always been chocolate. It wasn't until recently that Wendy's added a tap for the Vanilla frosty to expand their frozen dessert offerings (you can't really use chocolate as a base to build other flavors... well, unless those flavors also include chocolate...).

With that in mind, I thought I'd compare Wendy's Chocolate (Original) Frosty versus Wendy's Vanilla Frosty.

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.