News: El Pollo Loco - A Coupon a Day All September

El Pollo Loco is celebrating their 30th Anniversary by giving customers a different coupon for 30 days i.e. everyday for the month of September. Each coupon is only good for one day exactly.

Highlights include:
-A free leg or thigh plus tortillas and salsa on 9/15;
-a 30 cent churro on 9/17 and 9/22 and;
-a 30 cent chicken taquito on 9/19 and 9/28

You can see the whole calendar here: http://www.elpolloloco.com/30thAnniversary/index.html. You can view and print the coupons by clicking on the days of the calendar.

News: Burger King - Nine New Breakfast Items

As promised, Burger King expands their BK Breakfast Menu this fall with nine new breakfast items. The "nine" is a bit misleading as four of the items are Seattle's Best coffee. Breakfast at BK is served until 10:30am.

Count with me as I list the items:

1. BK Breakfast Ciabatta - featuring scrambled eggs, tomatoes, ham, bacon, American cheese, and a smoky tomato sauce for $2.89.
2. Mini Blueberry Biscuits - the item I'm most excited about: biscuits with blueberries baked in! Yum! Four mini biscuits served with a side of icing for a retail price of $1.

3. K Ultimate Breakfast Platter - mirrors McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast except with a biscuit instead of an English muffin. It contains scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, a biscuit and pancakes for a suggested retail price of $4.29. The Deluxe Breakfast sells for $3.59 in Los Angeles.
4. Pancake and Sausage Platter - pancakes and sausage for $2.89.
5. Pancake Platter - just pancakes for a suggested price of $2.29.
6. Seattle's Best Coffee (hot) - in small, medium, and large at suggested prices of $1, $1.19, and $1.39, respectively.
7. Iced Seattle's Best Coffee - available for a suggested retail of $1.89.
8. Iced Mocha Seattle's Best Coffee - ditto!
9. Iced Vanilla Seattle's Best Coffee - same!

Nutritional info not yet available.

News: Starbucks - New Reusable Cup Sleeve

If a reusuable tumbler is too much for you to lug around, but you still want to help the environment a little, Starbucks now has a Reusable Cup Sleeve you can buy! Or if you're a manly man like me, you just endure the searing heat through the paper cut because, you know, it's the manly thing to do. What about explaining the burns on your hand you say? Like refusing to ask for directions, manly men don't explain things!

If you don't mind looking like you knit a leg warmer or head band for your paper cup, the Starbucks Reusuable Cup Sleeve is made of soft, washable felt, fits all Starbucks cup sizes, and even has a pocket for money, a credit card, and perhaps a little bit of your pride. Pricing is $3.95 (Also available in Canada for $4.45).

Review: McDonald's - Sausage McMuffin

McDonald's Sausage McMuffin is a staple underpinning their Breakfast Dollar menu. It is simply a toasted English muffin, with a sausage patty, and cheese for $1. There's also a bit of liquid margarine in there somewhere (I just learned that now).

Review: Sonic - Chicken Strip Sandwich

Sonic's Chicken Strip Sandwich is basically your typical fastfood value chicken sandwich, but with two strips of battered and fried all-white meat chicken instead of a chicken patty. It's priced a little more than the normal dollar at $1.19.

Review: Taco Bell - Chicken Flatbread Sandwich

Taco Bell's latest menu item, the Chicken Flatbread Sandwich is reminiscent of the Grande Quesadilla they had about a year or so ago, except cheaper and better tasting. The Chicken Flatbread Sandwich features white meat chicken, a blend of melted Cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack cheeses, and a creamy chipotle sauce folded inside a square of pillowy flatbread for an easy 99 cents.

News: Sonic - New Sonic Loaded Burgers

For this month and the next (September and October), Sonic Drive-In is featuring new Sonic Loaded Burgers which come in two configurations, each with at least a quarter pound of beef: Western Chili and Spicy Southwest. The Western Chili features bacon, an onion ring, and chili, while the Spicy Southwest features crispy jalapeno strips, pepper jack cheese, and a creamy chipotle sauce.

Also for September and October:

• 1/2 price CreamSlushes all day.
• The Snickers Sonic Blast is now a permanent fixture on the menu.
• The new Spicy Southwest Breakfast Burrito features crispy jalapeno strips, creamy chipotle sauce, scrambled eggs, sausage, and shredded cheese wrapped in a warm flour tortilla.

Nutritional info after the jump.

Sunday Funny: Milk - "Shiny Hair"

Here's a funny "Mootopia" spot for milk. You know, the land where everything is great because of milk.

Review: Sonic - Fritos Chili Pie

Sonic is the only fast food restaurant I know of that serves Fritos Chili Pie. Normally, I only hear of people making it on TV. I guess it's just not a California thing. It's a bit like nachos but with Fritos instead of tortilla chips. Basically, it's Fritos covered in chili and cheese. A medium portion will run you about $1.99.

News: New Taco Bell Chicken Flatbread Sandwich

The newest item on Taco Bell's turnstile of a menu is Taco Bell's Chicken Flatbread Sandwich which features white meat chicken, a blend of melted Cheddar, mozzarella, and pepper jack cheeses, and a creamy chipotle sauce folded inside a square of pillowy flatbread. The price of admission is a neat 99 cents.

It is also available in the latest iteration of the $5 Buck Box which comes with a Chicken Flatbread Sandwich, a Taco Supreme, a Burrito Supreme, an order of Cinnamon Twists, and a large drink.

Nutritional info after the jump.

Frozen Friday: Claim Jumper - Chicken Pot Pie

Claim Jumper's Chicken Pot Pie frozen dinner weighs in at a hefty 18 ounces (more than enough for two people) and features a flaky pie crust filled with the typical filling of chicken, peas, carrots, celery, and potatoes. They're usually around $4, but I got this one on sale for $1.50 on a particularly cheap sale at Ralph's.

Review: Starbucks - Toffee Mocha

Starbucks' Toffee Mocha is a new seasonal fall/winter drink that recently debuted on the menu. It features espresso, steamed milk, milk chocolate toffee sauce, milk foam, and a dusting of cocoa powder. A 12-ounce Tall, hot or iced will run you $3.75 and a Frappuccino version is 20 cents more at $3.95.

Review: Arby's - Jr. Roast Beef

The Arby's Jr. Roast Beef is exactly that: a smaller version of the quintessential Arby's sandwich. Like the regular Roast Beef, it features Arby's signature thin-sliced, roast beef served on a toasted sesame seed bun. Of course, the smaller version also comes at a smaller price at $1.

News: Starbucks - Seasonal Fall 2010 Drinks

New and returning to Starbucks' fall drink lineup this fall are the Toffee Mocha and Pumpkin Spice Latte respectively. Please note that as long as they have the necessary ingredients on hand, your local Starbucks can make these drinks for you year round.

The Toffee Mocha features espresso, steamed milk, toffee sauce, milk foam, and a dusting of cocoa powder.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte features espresso, steamed milk, pumpkin, spices (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon), topped with sweetened whipped cream.

Nutritional info after the jump (not yet available for Toffee Mocha.).

News: Boston Market - Half Off Sale on Labor Day

Boston Market is having a 50% off sale on their Market Feast and Family Meals for one day this upcoming Labor Day, September 6, 2010. To take advantage of the deal, simply print out this coupon (link here).

A Market Feast is normally $23.99 and comes with: 1 whole rotisserie chicken, 3 large gourmet sides, 3 cornbread, plus your choice of a family-size soup, entree Caesar salad or family-size dessert.

The Family Meal ranges from $20.85 for the three people meal up to $34.50 for the six people people meal and comes with a corresponding number of sides, cornbread, and your choice of entree (chicken, meatloaf, or turkey).

Review: Jack in the Box - Grilled Breakfast Sandwich

Jack in the Box's Grilled Breakfast Sandwich retails for $2.99 and features a smorgasbord of breakfast items (two eggs, two slices of ham, two strips of bacon, and two slices of American cheese) sandwiched between two slices of grilled artisan bread.

News: Starbucks - Adding Flavored Via Ready Brews

Starbucks Via instant coffee will come in four more varieties this fall. Starbucks announced that they are adding four natural flavors to the line: vanilla, mocha, caramel, and cinnamon spice.

The price of Via online at the Starbucks.com starts at around $9.95 for 12 servings (~83 cents per serving) to $35.95 for 50 servings (~72 cents per serving).

I've tried these before (I got upsold while buying a latte :P) and surprisingly enough it tastes exactly like Starbuck's coffee, but with more consistency in taste (because sometimes the coffee at Starbucks has been sitting too long). Basically, if you like Starbuck's coffee, you'll like Via, and if you don't, you won't.

News: Jack in the Box - New Pastrami Grilled Sandwich

In an expansion of its grilled sandwich line, Jack in the Box added today a new Pastrami Grilled Sandwich to its menu. The sandwich features "hot pastrami, Swiss-style cheese, pickle fillets and a new deli mustard served between slices of grilled artisan bread." I wonder if Swiss cheese is a commercial designation like Scotch or Champagne because otherwise I'm really wondering how "Swiss-style" cheese is different from regular Swiss. No word on pricing but I'd expect something in the range $4 and $5.

The Pastrami Grilled Sandwich is not available in the following markets: Austin, Bakersfield, Chico/Redding, Hawaii, Houston, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Seattle. I'm going to guess those restaurants don't carry any of the Grilled Sandwiches.

Nutritional info after the jump.

Review: Pizza Hut - Big Italy Pizza

Pizza Hut's new Big Italy Pizza is an almost 2 feet long rectangular pizza with rounded edges available with up to 3 toppings for $12. Under Pizza Hut's new simplified pricing structure, you can get it as a specialty pizza for $2 more. (Update 9/8: According to Pizza Hut, the Big Italy features Italian spices baked into their signature Hand-Tossed Style crust. They are promoting the limited-time pizza with a Facebook fan giveaway of 1,000 $15 gift cards. Details here: Facebook.com/PizzaHut)

Usually, I go with pepperoni, sausage, and some vegetable or another, but this time I went with chicken, bacon, and mushrooms. It comes on a cardboard tray covered by a paper bag.

News: Burger King - Whopper Jr. Price Now $1.29

Ew. Besides raising their prices on the Double Cheeseburger and coming out with the Buck Double as a cheaper alternative, Burger King recently announced that they are raising the price of the Whopper Jr. nationwide to $1.29 after testing the price point in several markets. Whopper Jr. lovers are crying all over the place.

In other BK news, they are planning on rolling out a new breakfast menu this upcoming September. Will it be similar to the brunch menu they were testing?