News: Panera Bread - 2012 Seasonal Fall Menu

Panera Bread has quite a lot going on this fall with the number of new and returning items on their seasonal fall menu including a Pumpkin Pie Bagel and a Roasted Turkey and Cranberry Panini.

Let's start with what's new:

New Steel Cut Oatmeal topped with Dried Cherries, Apple Chips & Almonds - Cooked organic steel cut oats, topped with Panera's signature cinnamon crunch topping, dried cherries, apple chips, and almonds.

Review: Burger King - Popcorn Chicken

Burger King's Popcorn Chicken is part of their autumn chicken-centered menu and features bite-size, battered and fried pieces of chicken breast. They look a lot like McDonald's Chicken McBites which were available earlier this year and I'm sure that's the intent with Burger King's recent McDonald's-like menu expansion.

A small order cost me $1.99.

News: Papa John's - New Meatball and Pepperoni Pizza

Papa John's is baking up the new Meatball and Pepperoni Pizza, their latest limited-time pizza. The new pizza, unsurprisingly, is topped with meatballs, pepperoni, a blend of cheeses, and sprinkled with Italian herb seasoning and a large is offered for $11.

The price is a buck more than the typical $10 they try to offer their limited-time pizzas. Of course, if you order under their "Early Week Mania," which runs Monday through Wednesday, it's only $9.99.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Bacon Bacon Biscuit

Carl's Jr.'s Bacon Bacon Biscuit is your standard bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, but with the addition of a slice of Canadian bacon

It's $2.29 per sandwich which is a pretty average price as far as these things go. It is a little bigger than other breakfast sandwiches since Carl's Jr.'s biscuit is hamburger-bun-sized.

News: Domino's - New Handmade Pan Pizza

Starting tomorrow, Domino's goes straight at rival Pizza Hut with a new Handmade Pan Pizza crust option. Why the "Handmade" prefix? The new pizza crust will be made from fresh dough in-stores. Apparently, according to USA Today, some Pizza Hut locations use frozen dough for their pan pizzas, so Domino's will be playing up that angle.

Around the World: KFC Japan - New Bacon Potato Fritters

For a limited-time, KFC Japan is offering an homage to the chain's southern roots and the brand's founder with the Colonel's Bacon Potato Fritters.

The mashed potatoes are mixed with bits of bacon, herbs, and sour cream before being battered and fried.

I have to say, I know it's just a promo shot, but it looks and sounds really tasty! It's not too different from the potato croquettes that are popular in Japan which are similar, but tend to be breaded with panko bread crumbs instead of just battered.

The price on these is 170 yen each (~$2.17 U.S.).

Neat! You Can Get Personal Drip Coffee in U.S.

So it looks like you can get single-use personal drip coffee here in the U.S. though you can't get Starbucks brand Origami coffee (as far as I know). I spotted these boxes at a Mitsuwa Japanese supermarket. They're imported from Japan and available from Key Coffee and UCC respectively, which are two of the major players in the home coffee market in Japan.

Review: Starbucks - Morning Bun

Starbucks' Morning Bun features a croissant-like bun rolled up like a cinnamon roll and dusted with cinnamon and sugar.

The price is pretty standard as far as morning buns go at $1.95.

Around the World: Pizza Hut Middle East - Cone Crust Pizza

They must really like their novelty crusts out in the Middle East. Following up the Crown Crust Pizza (where they had mini burgers baked into the crust), Pizza Hut Middle East's latest menu addition is the new Cone Crust Pizza.

The Cone Crust is a crust option on any pizza where the crust is folded into little cones filled with either cream cheese or honey mustard chicken or an alternating combination of both before baking.

What's on the Menu: Wendy's Malaysia

I ran across the Wendy's Malaysia menu recently and thought you guys might want to have a look. Highlights include sour cream with fries and pasta!

Frozen Friday: Fresh & Easy - Beef Tamale

Fresh & Easy's Beef Tamale with Tomatillo Chili Sauce caught my eye as a lesser chosen frozen meal with an easy price. It features a corn tamale filled with seasoned beef, covered in a green tomatillo sauce and cheddar cheese and served with a side of Mexican-style seasoned rice.

All of Fresh & Easy's individual-serving frozen entrees are $1.99 each.

News: Krispy Kreme - Free Coffee on National Coffee Day

To celebrate National Coffee Day, Krispy Kreme is offering free coffee in stores and a chance to win free coffee for a year online.

No purchase is necessary to claim your free 12-ounce cup of coffee on National Coffee Day, Saturday, September 29, 2012, but you will have to make sure the location you frequent is participating in the promotion. The promotion is valid in the U.S. and Canada only.