Review: Jack In The Box - Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Jack in the Box's Grilled Cheese sandwich features two slices of melted American cheese between two rounded pieces of grilled sourdough bread. It's for late night munchies and when you're feeling too lazy to take the minute or so to make your own. Fortunately, it's a very affordable $1.29.

Review: Sonic - Hazelnut Java Chiller

Sonic's Hazelnut Java Chiller features a shot of espresso and hazelnut syrup blended into vanilla ice cream. A regular costs $2.49.

Around the World: KFC Phillipines - California Maki Twister

KFC Philippines offers something called a California Maki Twister. I guess the "maki" is as in sushi? I've never heard of sushi with mayo, but I guess that explains the cucumbers. Like a California roll I suppose.

The California Maki Twister features a crispy-fried chicken filet with bits of mango, cucumber spears, and Japanese mayo dressing, wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Here's a video of it in action:

Review: Subway - Subway Club

The Subway Club sandwich features slices of turkey breast, roast beef, and Black Forest ham as a base with your choice of vegetables, condiments, and bread. It's falls into Subways Select Sub and goes for about $6.75 in my neighborhood.

Depending on how you build it and if you eat a 6-inch or a Footlong in one sitting, it is one of Subway's Fresh Fit subs with under 6 grams of fat.

Frozen Friday: Claim Jumper - Chicken Marsala

Claim Jumper's Chicken Marsala frozen dinner features roasted white meat chicken in a marsala sauce over rigatoni pasta with baby bell mushrooms. It's normally around $4 but I usually get them on sale for somewhere between $1.50 and $2.

Review: Burger King - Seattle's Best Iced Mocha Coffee

Burger King's Seattle's Best Iced Mocha Coffee is part of their new breakfast menu. It's brewed Seattle's Best coffee with a flavor shot of chocolate syrup over ice. The suggested retail is $1.89, but my local Burger King was charging $2.49 for a regular (They also charge 30 cents extra for an extra flavor shot and for whip cream) which comes in a narrow but tall cup.

Review: Burger King - BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter

The new BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter from Burger King is analogous to McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast but with a little more hyperbole. The BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter comes complete with scrambled eggs, hash browns, a sausage patty, a biscuit, and three pancakes with syrup for $4.29.

Review: Burger King - BK Breakfast Ciabatta Club Sandwich

The parade of new items on the Burger King breakfast menu into my mouth continues with the BK Breakfast Ciabatta Club Sandwich. The BK Breakfast Ciabatta Club features a whole grain Ciabatta bun filled with thin-sliced ham, bacon, tomatoes, melted cheese, an plain egg omelet, and a smoky tomato sauce" It costs $2.89.

Review: Burger King - Mini Blueberry Biscuits

New to Burger King's breakfast value menu and part of Burger King's new breakfast expansion/push, Mini Blueberry Biscuits are slightly bigger than bite-sized biscuits with blueberries baked in. They're served in a set of four with a side of icing and retail for $1.

Sunday Funny: McDonald's - "Chicken Legend"

McDonald's fancy chicken sandwich across the pond. "What did you get again?"

Review: Sonic - Butterfinger Sonic Blast

Sonic's Butterfinger Sonic Blast is simply their vanilla ice cream blended with crushed pieces of Butterfinger candy. A 14-ounce "regular" cost me $2.99. Besides blending in crushed pieces, they also provide a sprinkle of pieces on top; a nice aesthetic touch.

News: The Coffee Bean - Free Ice Blended or Latte on September 14th

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is kicking off their fall seasonal drinks by hosting an open house on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 offering a free 12-ounce Cinnamon Toast or Classic Pumpkin Latte or Ice Blended to visitors.

When: Tuesday, September 14th, 2010, from 4pm to 7pm.
Where: Participating Coffee Bean locations in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas.
Why: Free 12-ounce Cinnamon Toast or Classic Pumpkin Latte or Ice Blended (One per person).

Details: "Only valid at participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® store locations in AZ, CA, NV, TX. Excludes all Ralphs stores, military base, casinos, campus or airport locations. Valid only on September 14, 2010, from 4pm to 7pm. Offer applies to 12oz. Cinnamon French Toast or Classic Pumpkin latte or Ice Blended® drinks. No substitutions. Limit one complimentary drink per customer. Cannot be combined with other offers."

News: Jack in the Box Testing Focaccia Sandwiches

Looks like Jack in the Box is testing more premium sandwiches. This time though, instead of being grilled on artisan bread, Jack is testing Focaccia sandwiches (they're already used Ciabatta bread so why not?) in two varieties: Bruschetta Chicken and the Deli Deluxe.

Both sandwiches are being tested in out in Austin. The Bruschetta Chicken features bruschetta (duh), a chicken breast, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and mayo on toasted Focaccia bread. The Deli Deluxe appears to contain a trio of deli meats (ham, turkey, salami), cheese, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, and creamy Italian sauce on toasted Focaccia bread.

Nutritional info not available for test items at Jack in the Box.

Frozen Friday: Stouffer's - Baked Chicken Dinner

For those preferring something slightly healthier than the normal frozen dinner, there's Stouffer's Baked Chicken Dinner which features a boneless baked chicken breast with gravy and mashed potatoes topped with paprika. I usually find it on sale for between $1.50 and $2.00.

News: Jamba Juice - New Organic Coffee and Hot Blends

Jamba Juice is boosting its breakfast offerings with new coffee drinks in the form of Organic Coffee and Coffee Hot Blends.

The Organic House Blend Coffee is brewed fresh by the cup and features a blend of Central and South American arabica coffee beans. It is also available in decaf. Prices are $1.80 for 12 ounces and $1.95 for 16 ounces.

The Coffee Hot Blends come in two flavors: Mocha Marvel and Vanilla Coffee Whirl. Mocha Marvel features organic cocoa, organic vanilla, organic cane sugar and organic milk powder (soy, nonfat, or 2%) blended with organic coffee. Vanilla Coffee Whirl is the same sans the cocoa. Pricing stands at $2.80 for 12 ounces and $3.40 for 16 ounces.

Nutritional info after the jump.

Review: McDonald's - Mushroom & Swiss Angus Snack Wrap

McDonald's Mushroom & Swiss Angus Snack Wrap features half a third pound Angus beef patty, sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese and mayonnaise wrapped in a flour tortilla for $1.99.

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).