The Asia Trip: Liberte - France in Japan

While I was in Kyoto, one of my fellow travelers recommended we try a French bakery and cafe called Liberte which I have to say tried to be very authentic, which I say having never been to France, but you'll see why in a bit.

News: Subway - New Turkey Jalapeno Melt

Part of Subway's Fiery Footlong Frenzy promotion (along with the Buffalo Chicken) where you can enter game codes from various Subway products in hopes of winning Playstation games and gear, the new Turkey Jalapeno Melt (Check out my review here) features a base of sliced turkey, melted Monterey Jack cheese, a chipotle southwest sauce, and jalapenos with your choice of bread and veggies. Personally, I would like to see nacho cheese... mmm...

The Fiery Footlongs are purported by Subway to be "So hot they’ll burn the wimp right outta ya."

Also new, and exclusive to Subway, are Monterey Jack and Sun Dried Tomato Sun Chips.

Nutritional info after the jump.

Review: Sonic - Strawberry Limeade

Sonic is well-known for their wide selection of drinks and drinkable desserts. They even offer a Half-Price Happy Hour for their drinks and slushes between 2pm and 4pm. One of their most popular drinks are their Signature Limeades (which Taco Bell aped a little with their sub-par Limeade Sparklers) which are available in Cherry, Strawberry, Lime, and Cranberry flavors. Prices range from $1.89 for a small to $2.59 for a "Route 44" i.e. 44-ounce drink. For 70 cents more, can you guess which size I went with? (In my defense, I was sharing with three people.)

Review: Jack in the Box - Mini Funnel Cake

Jack in the Box's Mini Funnel Cake features a cake-like batter, deep-fried and dusted with powdered sugar. A little piece of fair food can be had at your local Jack in the Box for an easy $1.

News: Carl's Jr. - New Philly Cheesesteak Burger

Basically combining a Philly Cheesesteak with a Carl's Jr Burger, Carl’s Jr. has unveiled its new Philly Cheesesteak Burger. The Philly Cheesesteak Burger features thinly-sliced steak on top of a charbroiled burger patty, peppers, onions, Swiss and American cheeses, and mayo on a sesame seed bun.

The Philly Cheesesteak Burger is available at Carl’s Jr. for $3.49, or as a combo with small fries and a small drink for $5.99. Prices may vary by location.

A Philadelphia-themed ad campaign with one TV spot and three viral short films featuring Legos (or imitation Legos) are airing to support the burger.

Nutritional info and videos after the jump.

News: Who's on Top: Zagat's Fast Food Survey

Survey company Zagat revealed the results of its 2010 Fast-Food Survey, which covered 97 major fast food chains and 39 full service chains and polled 6,518 zagat.com diners who ate at chain outlets (6.1 times at fast food chains) on average 10.7 times per month.

The survey results divided the chains into four categories: Large (up to 5,000 U.S. outlets), Mega (over 5,000), Full-Service (with table service), and Quick-Refreshment (focusing on beverages, ice cream and the like).

A couple notable winners in this year's survey include Five Guys Burger and Fries (look it rhymes!) for Best Burger (which is likely to be declared a travesty by In-N-Out Burger fans everywhere, including my brother and the Sister-in-Law who didn't care for Five Guys when they ate it without me), McDonald's for Best Fries (you know it!), and Dairy Queen for Best Milkshakes. With all the chains adding coffee to the menu, Starbucks still came out on top with Best Coffee.

The full survey results are available at www.zagat.com/fastfood.

There are also an "Outtakes" section for the snarkiest survey comments which I've quoted below:

Review: Wendy's Original Chocolate Frosty

Wendy's Original Chocolate Frosty used to be just Wendy's Frosty, but expansion efforts towards more Frosty offerings lead to Vanilla as another Frosty flavor and a base for other Frosty desserts. While McDonald's is pushing $1 Sweet Tea, and Burger King is pushing $1 Icees, Wendy's is pushing 99-cent 12-ounce Frosties this summer. Unfortunately, my local Wendy's is not participating in said promotion and my "small" 12-ounce Frosty came out to $1.29. I cried a little while paying that extra 30 cents.

Sunday Funny: Nando's - "I Eat the Chicken"

Another Nando's advert (that's what they call them in England no?) because, quite frankly, I don't live in South Africa so I've never seen these. See if you get the punchline. If not, check after the jump for an explanation (or just watch it again ;P).

Review: Wienerschnitzel - Corn Dog

Wienerschnitzel's 79-cent Corn Dog provides an exceptional value for your hungry stomach. As a refresher/primer, a corn dog is a simple hot dog on a stick, covered in corn meal, and deep-fried. The result is the stuff of fairs, cheap eats, and fairly clean eating.

Review: Popeyes - Louisiana Tenders

Popeyes' Louisiana Tenders, like their chicken, are available spicy or mild. I typically go with the spicy version, which is like mild in flavor but with a some heat, but nothing uncomfortable. As with most fast food fried chicken joints, Popeyes' Louisiana Tenders is their name for breaded, deep-fried chicken breast tenders.

Review: Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich is like the Homestyle Chicken Fillet Sandwich but spicy. It sells for the same $3.99 and has the same lettuce, mayo, and tomatoes on a kaiser bun.

The Asia Trip: Udon in Kyoto

While in Kyoto we stopped by this udon joint for some cheap eats. Udon is a fairly thick wheat-flour noodle that is typically served hot in a soupy soy sauce broth. This particular place was found on the main thoroughfare in Kyoto.

News: McDonald's Angus Snack Wraps Roll Out Nationally

Today, Angus Snack Wraps are officially a menu item at McDonald's restaurants across the nation.  The national roll out features Angus Snack Wraps in three varieties, mirroring the Angus Third Pounders: Deluxe, Mushroom & Swiss, and Bacon & Cheese. The price per Wrap is $1.99.

Each of the three Angus Snack Wraps share the same base: half an Angus third-pound patty wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. From there, the three choices differ:

Deluxe contains red tomato, green leaf lettuce, red onions, crinkle cut pickles, American cheese, mayonnaise, and yellow mustard.

Bacon & Cheese brings red ring onions, crinkle cut pickles, a strip of bacon, American cheese, ketchup, and yellow mustard

Finally, Mushroom & Swiss goes simple with sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise.

Nutritional info after the jump.

Review: Sonic - Onion Rings

Sonic's Onion Rings are hand-breaded and deep-fried which means they're made completely in house and are advertised as "made fresh daily." A medium will run you $2.19 while a large goes for $2.99.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Guacamole Grilled Chicken Sandwich

The other sandwich to El Pollo Loco's Grilled Chicken Sandwich duo, the Guacamole Grilled Chicken Sandwich differs from the Jalapeno version in that it substitutes a glop of guacamole instead of jalapenos, Southwest sauce, and a slice of cheese. The price remains the same at $4.29 per.

Brand Eating Giveaway Drawing: Sonic Ice Cream Social and Lunch Boxes!

Happy August! In order to help you (well, three of you anyway) beat the heat, Sonic Drive-In was once again kind enough to sponsor Brand Eating's latest giveaway drawing. The prizes this time around are:

- One Grand Prize: an ice cream social at Sonic for you and your friends and family (up to 10 people) - basically they'll send you a $50 MySonic card to fund the social.

- Two Second Prizes: A Sonic Lunch Box(!) filled with a "Keep it Real" ice cream t-shirt, a $5 MySonic card, and some other goodies. That's right! You can be the envy of all your friends with a nifty Sonic Lunch Box!

Sunday Funny: Nando's - "Last Minutes of Ramadan"

Nando's is a Portuguese-style chicken chain originating from South Africa, but with locations in 34 countries, including a couple in the U.S. Ramandan is the Islamic month of fasting.

Review: Burger King - Tacos

Burger King's Tacos seem to be an "at-participating-locations-only" item and doesn't appear on the Burger King website.  At two for $1.49, they're 50 cents more than Jack in the Box's Taco for basically the same item.

News: McDonald's Testing Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

McDonald's is testing Frozen Strawberry Lemonade as a possible McCafe offering. According to Advertising Age, the frozen drink is being tested in a few markets here and there, including Michigan and Austin, TX.

Seemingly most similar to Taco Bell's Frutista Freeze, the drink appears to be an icy slush of lemonade with a swirl of strawberry sauce or syrup. Frozen Strawberry Lemonade are made with the same machines as Smoothies and Frappes and, my guess is they might be priced the same as well. That would be $2.29 for a 12-ounce small, $2.79 for a 16-ounce medium, and $3.29 for a 22-ounce large.

Review: Chick-fil-A - Chick-n-Strips

Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips feature tender chicken breast strips marinated and lightly hand breaded before deep-fried in peanut oil. They typically come in 3- or 4-piece boxes, but are also available in 1- or 2-piece sizes in Kid's Meals. A three-piece box like the one I bought runs for $3.55 in these parts.