News: Sonic - Cheesecake Bites Return

Sonic returns Cheesecake Bites this fall. The little desserts are small pieces of cheesecake rolled in bits of graham cracker crust and then fried and served with strawberry sauce for dipping.

It sounds like something you'd get at a country fair, no?

News: Jack in the Box - New Loaded Breakfast Sandwich

Expanding on their selection of sourdough sandwiches this month, Jack in the Box introduces the new, limited-time Loaded Breakfast Sandwich. Offered all day, the sandwich features two slices of grilled sourdough bread filled with two fried eggs, two slices of American cheese, ham, bacon, and sausage.

Featuring pretty much every pork-based breakfast meat plus eggs (maybe they should name it the "Piggy Chicken Sandwich"), the sandwich delivers 36g of protein and joins the new Sourdough Cheesesteak Melt on the limited-time menu at Jack in the Box.

Review: Papa John's - Meatball and Pepperoni Pizza

Papa John's latest limited-time offer, the new Meatball and Pepperoni Pizza, features meatballs, pepperoni, a blend of four cheeses (Asiago, Fontina, provolone, and parmesan), and a generous sprinkle of Italian herb seasoning.

It's offered for a promotional price of $11.

News: Baskin-Robbins - October 2012 Flavor of the Month

This month, Baskin-Robbins brings back their perennial October Flavor of the Month, Trick Oreo Treat. The flavor features vanilla ice cream mixed with orange-colored creme Oreo cookies, Baby Ruth, and Butterfinger pieces.

It's available at participating location nationwide during this month by the scoop (in a cup or cone), in a milkshake, or in hand-packed pints and quarts.

News: Arby's Re-brands to "Slicing Up Freshness"

Looks like "Good Mood Food" wasn't cutting it. Arby's is moving on with a new tagline: "Slicing Up Freshness." The line refers to the fact that Arby's slices up their meats every day in each restaurant and seek to point out that other sandwich chains (the biggest being Subway) do not. Apparently, not everyone knows that Arby's slices their meats in-house.

Back when I was younger (and my local Arby's hadn't yet been remodeled), I remember seeing the slicer go back and forth from the counter. Since the remodel, the slicer was relegated to the back out of plain view. I think they could have saved some money and just put the slicer where people can see it working.

News: Bojangles - New "BoJo" Coffee Blend

Chicken and biscuit chain Bojangles has revamped their coffee with a new blend they're calling "BoJo."

The new coffee with the catchy name is a medium roast blend of 100% Arabica beans purported to have a smooth and flavorful taste.

The tagline they're going with is "Bo has a new Jo." The logo reminds me a bit of the circus.

Review: Sonic - Smoked Chipotle Breakfast Burrito

Sonic's Smoked Chipotle Breakfast Burrito is a limited-time offer that consists of marinated sirloin steak, smoked chipotle sauce, jalapeños, grilled onions, golden tots, fluffy eggs and melty cheddar cheese.

I received mine courtesy of Sonic, but normally it costs $3.59.

News: Dairy Queen - October 2012 Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen's October Blizzard of the Month is a favorite of mine and quite seasonal: the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard! It features pumpkin pie (both the filling and the crust) blended with vanilla soft serve and finished with whipped topping and a dash of nutmeg.

If that's not enough for your pumpkin fix, Dairy Queen is also offering a Pumpkin Moolatte and Pumpkin Royal Shake this month.

News: Subway - October 2012 Featured $5 Footlong

Subway's Featured $5 Footlong for October is the classic (and usually $5 anyway) Meatball Marinara sub. It features Italian-style meatballs in a marinara sauce with your choice of cheese, veggies, and bread (I recommended asking for a sprinkle of parmesan).

In addition to October's Featured $5 Footlong, Subway is also offering a "$6 Footlong Special," the new Tuscan Chicken Melt which features strips of chicken tossed in a zesty herb seasoning, served with your choice of melted cheese, veggies, and bread and then finished with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Review: Kozy Shack - Rice Pudding

Kozy Shack Rice Pudding is a milk-based rice pudding dessert made with all natural ingredients.

A six-pack of 4-ounce cups retails for $4.79 at my local supermarket. Interestingly, the supermarket also sells a 22-ounce tub for the same price. You actually get more for your money with the six pack.

What's on the Menu: Starbucks Japan

While Starbucks is fairly uniform with what they offer drink-wise in countries across the world, the Japanese with their love of limited-time promotions get some drinks that may never see the light of day in other countries and have certainly never been offered here in the U.S.

Here's a list of some of the drinks that have passed through the Starbucks Japan menu and that you might wished Starbucks would bring home to the U.S. (maybe someday...):

Review: Burger King - Minibon

Burger King's Minibons are the same baked rolls offered at malls everywhere by Cinnabon, but are now available at Burger King restaurants nationally. Each mini-cinnamon roll features Makara cinnamon and cream cheese frosting.

My local Burger King is offering them for $1.99 each or two for $3.69, or four for $5.99.

Around the World: KFC Arabia - Buffalo Ranch Big Filler

If you've ever thought to yourself, "Gee, it'd be great if KFC made a sub/grinder sandwich..." Guess what... They do! ...Just not in the U.S. Looking to be almost a foot long, the Big Filler sandwich is available at KFC Arabia as well as in Pakistan. The tagline for the sandwiches is "everlasting size and taste!"

Around the World: KFC Hong Kong - Foilicious Chicken

KFC Hong Kong has a recurring limited time menu item they serve called Foilicious Chicken. It's basically seasoned chicken that's baked in foil. For this fall, they're offering a new variety of Folicious Chicken baked with soy sauce and served with radishes (pickled it looks like).

A "meal set" i.e. combo meal is offered for $39.50 HK (~$5.09 US) and comes with a leg and thigh, radish, imitation shark fin soup, rice (can be substituted for mashed potatoes), and a soft drink. A red bean egg tart(!) can be added for an additional $5 HK (~$.65 US).

Frozen Friday: Lean Cuisine - Chicken Fettuccini

Lean Cuisine's Chicken Fettuccini is simple enough and features cubed roasted white meat chicken and fettuccini pasta in an alfredo sauce.

A 9.25-ounce box regularly sells for $3.29 at one of my local supermarkets (with sales bringing it down to the $2 to $3 range).

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Pumpkin Mocha and Pumpkin White Chocolate Coffees

Dunkin' Donuts celebrates National Coffee Day tomorrow, Saturday, September 29, with two new coffee flavors and a special offer this weekend.

New on tap at Dunkin' are Pumpkin Mocha and Pumpkin White Chocolate coffees and lattes. Available hot or on ice, the new flavors will only be around for a limited-time and help make the Dunkin' fall menu more pumpkin-y.

News: Wienerschnitzel - New 99 Cent Mini Sundaes

For a limited-time, Wienerschnitzel is offering mini versions of their sundaes for 99 cents.

The Mini Sundaes look pretty basic: just vanilla soft serve with your choice of four syrups (caramel, strawberry, chocolate, and hot fudge. It's pretty much what McDonald's offers, except McDonald's supplies a tiny bag of crushed peanuts to go with.

Review: Wienerschnitzel - Der Chicken Dippers

Wienerschnitzel's new, limited-time Der Chicken Dippers are boneless white-meat chicken pieces that are lightly breaded and deep-fried to order.

They're sold by weight and somewhat pricey: $3.59 for 1/3 lb, $5.99 for 1/2 lb, and $9.99 for 1lb. I went for the 1/2 lb box for $5.99. Compare that to McDonald's Chicken McBites which were $4.99 for 10-ounces (8-ounces is 1/2 lb). That being said, you get more chicken out of Der Chicken Dippers.

News: Jack in the Box - New Sourdough Cheesesteak Melt

Jack's latest and greatest, the new Sourdough Cheesesteak Melt, lands on the Jack in the Box menu today.

Back by a promotional campaign with mullets (is that a Philly thing?! I don't think Philly when I think mullet...), the sandwich features sliced steak, grilled onions, fire-roasted red and green peppers, melted cheese, and mayo-onion sauce on sourdough bread.

News: Del Taco - Crispy Shrimp is Back

Del Taco brings back Crispy Shrimp for a limited-run this fall and adds a new spicy option. The crispy fried little shrimp are available in burrito or taco form.

The Crispy Shrimp Taco features a flour tortilla folded around crispy shrimp, cabbage, secret sauce, and pico de gallo salsa. The spicy version swaps out the secret sauce for a spicy sauce.