News: Rita's Italian Ice - Free Italian Ice on March 20th

Rita's will be offering free servings of Italian ice for their 22nd Annual First Day of Spring Free Ice Giveaway on Thursday, March 20, 2014.

News: Starbucks Adds Digital Tipping to iPhone App

Starting March 19, Starbucks' iPhone App will, among other things, be updated to include the ability to tip your Starbucks barista.

Tips can be made for 50 cents, $1, or $2.

Along with the new app update, a "shake to pay" option has been added to allow app users to quickly bring up their payment barcode rather than having to navigate through the app buttons.

Digital tipping has been a top suggestion on MyStarbucksIdea.com, an online suggestion box for the company where visitors can submit their ideas as well as upvote the ideas of others.

Review: McDonald's - Bacon Clubhouse Burger

McDonald's Bacon Clubhouse Burger gives a new look to their Big Mac special sauce by setting it up in a brioche-like bun along with a quarter pound beef patty, thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon, caramelized grilled onions, a slice of processed white cheddar, and leaf lettuce.

I bought one for $4.69 (a chicken version was also available for $4.89)

News: Jamba Juice - New Kale Orange Power Fresh Juice Blend

Jamba Juice expands their line up of Fresh Juice Blends with new Kale Orange Power, which is fresh orange juice blended with chopped whole leaf kale and bananas.

If that's not enough kale for you, Jamba also offers new Kale Whole Food Boost (i.e they'll blend kale into whatever drink you like).

News: Wingstop - New Chili Lime Wings

Wingstop's latest newest wing flavor is Chili Lime. Like it sound the name suggests, it combines the taste of spicy chilies with tangy lime.

According to the company, the new flavor scored better during tastes tests than their previous limited-time flavor, Mango Habernero.

Review: Bruegger's Bagels - The Big Easy Breakfast Sandwich

Bruegger's Bagels' The Big Easy breakfast sandwich features egg, andouille sausage, spicy sriracha mustard, a slice of cheddar cheese, and green peppers on a plain bagel.

I had one for lunch for $4.69.

News: Ben & Jerry's - Free Cone Day 2014 on April 8

Ben & Jerry's will be celebrating Free Cone Day this year on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at participating Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops all around the world.

During the event, visitors can grab a free scoop (or more, if they're willing to brave the line again) of any available ice cream flavor of choice. 

News: Einstein Bros. - Green Bagels Back for St. Patrick's Day

Einstein Bros. and Noah's Bagels are once again offering Green Bagels for St. Patrick's Day. 

If you're wondering, they're plain bagels with the addition of green food coloring (maybe you can hold one and avoid getting pinched).

You can buy them individually or in a St. Paddy's Green Bagel Box, which contains 13 green bagels and two tubs of schmear (AKA whipped cream cheese). Individual bagels go for a little more than a buck, while the box is $14.99 (may vary).

News: Sonic - Half-Price Cheeseburgers on St. Patrick's Day

Sonic will be offering their Cheeseburgers for half-price for St. Patrick's Day this upcoming Monday, March 17, 2014.

Around the World: KFC China Uses Egg as their Newest Wraps

KFC China takes a cue from local street food with their new Egg Pancake Wraps as a breakfast option. Rather than being made with mostly flour, the egg pancake shares more in common with an omelette and looks to be made with mostly egg, some green onions, water, and flour.

Review: Sonic - Sweet Potato Tots

Sonic's Sweet Potato Tots are little sweet potato versions of the chain's signature Tots.

A small serving goes for $2.50 but I received this courtesy of Sonic.

News: Wendy's - New Asian Cashew and BBQ Ranch Chicken Salads

Wendy's adds two new permanent salads to the menu with the introduction of the Asian Cashew Chicken Salad and the BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad.

The company has also revamped their Garden Side Salad.

News: Einstein Bros. / Noah's - New Honey Smoked Salmon Sandwich

Einstein Bros. and Noah's Bagels are featuring the new Honey Smoked Salmon sandwich as Lenten season kicks into gear, as well as a "buy one, get one free" offer to get you to try it.

News: Del Taco - New Epic Surf and Turf Burrito

Del Taco adds shrimp to their Epic Burritos with the new Epic Surf & Turf Burrito.

Available for a limited time, the Epic Surf & Turf Burrito features crispy-fried shrimp, grilled carne asada steak, lime rice, cabbage, creamy ancho sauce, pico de gallo salsa, and Del Taco's secret sauce wrapped up in a large flour tortilla.

Review: McDonald's - Raspberry and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Petite Pastries

McDonald's is testing mini fresh-baked pastries they're calling "Petite Pastries" out in San Diego County. They come in two varieties: Raspberry and Cinnamon Cream Cheese.

I got a box of two pastries for $1.99 (one of each variety).

Local News: Blaze Pizza - $3.14 Pizzas on Pi Day

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza will be offering all pizzas for just $3.14 each this Friday, March 14 in honor of National Pi Day (since 3.14 is the first 3 digits of pi).

The deal is good on any in-restaurant order of any custom-built pizza at any Blaze location from open to close on Friday, March 14, 2014.

News: Au Bon Pain - New CroisBun

Because hybrid dessert are in vogue right now, Au Bon Pain has come up with the new CroisBun, available starting today through May, 4, 2014.

In case you haven't guess it, the new bakery item is a cross between a flaky croissant and a sweet buttery bun. It's available filled with either sweet cream or a combination of strawberry and sweet cheese, and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar. The buns are designed to easily split into three pieces for sharing.

Around the World: Starbucks Canada - New Maple Macchiato

While we in the US get the recently introduced Vanilla Macchiato, up north in Canada, Starbucks is offering the new Maple Macchiato as a nod to the country's maple production (and fixation).

Review: Nabisco - Mint Chocolate Chip Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies

Mint Chocolate Chip Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies are one of four new Ice Cream Creations flavors for the popular chocolate chip cookie brand. It features a chewy chocolate cookie with chocolate chips and mint-flavored chunks.

A 9.5-ounce package was $2.50 on sale.

News: McDonald's Testing New Petite Pastries

McDonald's is testing new Petite Pastries at participating locations in San Diego County as part of their McCafe line.

The new pastries are available all day and come in two varieties: raspberry and cinnamon cream cheese. They're made with real butter and feature a layered, flaky pastry dough. Apparently, they're freshly baked through the day in each restaurant.