Review: Starbucks - Vanilla Spice Latte

Starbucks' new Vanilla Spice Latte features espresso combined with steamed milk, vanilla syrup, cardamon, and spices, topped with whipped cream, crushed vanilla bean (looks like pepper!), and sugar.

I paid $3.75 for a 12-ounce Tall.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Dark Hot Chocolate and French Toast Bagel

Dunkin' Donuts offers new Dark Hot Chocolate and French Toast Bagels at their stores nationwide to start off this year.

Dark Hot Chocolate is a permanent addition to the menu and basically adds the richer flavor of dark chocolate to Dunkin's existing Hot Chocolate.

News: Jamba Juice - New Kid's Meals

Jamba Juice now offers kid's meals for the first time, taxing their name as a prefix and calling them "Jamba Kid's Meals". The better-for-you brand touts that each meal "contains two and one-half servings of fruits and/or vegetables, a serving of whole grains, and provides an excellent source of protein."

Each kid's meal includes a 9.5-ounce smoothie paired with a child-friendly food choice. Each smoothie has no added sugar and are made from only fruit and juice except for the Berry Beet It smoothie, which also contains vegetables.

News: Jack in the Box - Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges are Back

Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges make their heralded return to Jack in the Box after being discontinued about 6 months ago. Apparently, enough fans were dismayed and took to social media to mount an effective plea to return their beloved Wedges.

Regarding the outcry after Bacon Cheddar Wedges were dismissed, Peter Tremblay, Division Vice President of Menu for Jack in the Box said, “We usually hear from a few disappointed guests, but we have never heard from so many people after a product deletion. Jack’s Facebook fans posted hundreds of comments and started an online petition."

Review: El Pollo Loco - Shredded Beef Quesadilla

El Pollo Loco's limited-time Shredded Beef Quesadilla takes shredded Jack cheese, shredded beef, chipotle cream, shredded cabbage, and avocado slices, and wraps them with a grilled flour tortilla folded into a hexagon (basically the same fold as Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme).

These were being offered at $5.49 each.

News: Starbucks - New Vanilla Spice Latte

Starbucks offers a twist on their Vanilla Latte with the new Vanilla Spice Latte. 

Taking a cue from chai tea (whose base note is cardamom), the new drink features a hint of cardamom and other spices. Specifically, the Vanilla Spice Latte is made with espresso combined with steamed milk, vanilla, cardamon, and spices, topped with whipped cream, crushed vanilla bean, and sugar.

News: Church's Chicken - New Ultimate Value Trio

Church's Chicken unveils the new, limited-time Ultimate Value Trio which offers three different version of their popular Value Chicken Sandwich.

The Value Chicken Sandwich is fairly typical with a breaded chicken patty, lettuce, and mayo, on a sesame bun.

News: The Coffee Bean Celebrates 50th Anniversary with 50 Cent Drinks This Thursday

The Coffee Bean celebrates their 50th Anniversary this Thursday, January 10th, from 2pm to 6pm, by offering a selection of 12-ounce "Heritage Beverages" for 50 cents each.

The drinks includes some of the first specialty drinks offered by the chain. You can choose from:

Review: Burger King - Cheesy Tots

Burger King's Cheesy Tots are back for a limited-time. Having never tried them, I was pretty curious to see how they taste.

They're basically breaded tater tots with some melted American cheese to go with the bits of potato inside.

I picked up a small order of 8 bites for $1.99.

News: Baskin-Robbins - January 2013 Flavor of the Month

Baskin-Robbins kicks off the new year with Berry Passionate Frozen Yogurt as January 2013's Flavor of the Month.

Berry Passionate Frozen Yogurt features passion-fruit-flavored frozen yogurt with a raspberry ribbon

The new flavor puts a healthier spin on the typical ice cream offering with 130 calories per 2.5-ounce scoop (compared to 170 calories for the same of ice cream as well as about a third of the fat), as well as live and active cultures.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich

Each new year always brings with it a parade of healthy options as people start anew with resolutions to eat better. Dunkin' Donuts joins the march with a new Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich.

The sandwich is offered as part of their DDSMART menu in select markets and features a pepper-fried egg, turkey sausage patty and a slice of reduced fat cheddar cheese, sandwiched inside a toasted English muffin.

News: Wienerschnitzel - 99 Cent Chili Dogs Return

Wienerschnitzel is once again offering their Original Chili Dogs for 99 cents, but only for a limited time. This marks the third straight year for the offer.

The Original Chili Dog features a grilled hot dog smothered in the chain's signature chili, served in a steamed hot dog bun.