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).

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?

Sunday Funny: McDonald's Israel - "Secret Service"

It's an Israeli McDonald's ad in English with Hebrew subtitles (I'm guessing). If you look carefully, you'll see that they grill their patties over charcoal instead of on a griddle. From the first 20 seconds or so, it could be a crime drama or something.

Review: Daphne's Greek Cafe - Kabob Plate

I keep calling Daphne's Greek Cafe "Daf-feens" instead of "Daf-knees" even though there's no "i" in there. It's a Southern California Greek fast casual chain. The Sister-in-Law likes it because they give free food for your birthday and it's near her workplace. She brought home a Mix & Match Two Kabob Plate one night, around the time of her birthday. It normally costs $8.79.

Frozen Friday: Hungry-Man - Chopped Beef Steak

Hungry-Man frozen dinners recently re-packaged some of their frozen dinners as "Pub Favorites" i.e. pub grub. My local Ralph's supermarket had a great deal on Hungry-Man dinners, which normally run between $3 and $4. They were selling them for only $1.49! One of the ones that I bought was the Chopped Beef Steak which features grilled beef patties in an onion beef gravy, seasoned roast potatoes, and green beans with bacon.

News: Hardee's - New Country Fried Steak 'N' Gravy Biscuit

Hardee's has taken their Country Fried Steak Biscuit and added country gravy to the mix to form the new Country Fried Steak 'N' Gravy Biscuit. As the name suggests (states, really), the breakfast sandwich consists of a country-fried (breaded) steak slathered with a fair amount of country gravy served between a Hardee's Made from Scratch buttermilk biscuit.

The price is $2.19 for the sandwich or $3.89 for a combo with coffee and Hash Rounds. As with most Hardee's (and Carl's Jr) promotions there's an online coupon for a free coffee or beverage with the purchase of a Country Fried Steak 'N' Gravy Biscuit (expires 10/23/2010).

Nutrition info after the jump.

Review: McDonald's - McChicken

McDonald's McChicken is a value menu chicken sandwich and features the standard battered, breaded and fried chicken patty with mayo and shredded lettuce on a bun. As with everything on McDonald's Dollar Menu, it is $1 (Bet you didn't see that coming).

Review: Popeyes - Biscuit

Popeyes Biscuit features a very buttery, crisp, almost flaky, crust with a nice, soft, pillowy crumb on the inside. At least in L.A., they've copped a KFC and sell them two for $1.

News: Pizza Hut - New Big Italy Pizza has Arrived

Pizza Hut has made big over-sized pizzas in the past (remember the Big Foot anyone?) and now they're doing it again with the new Big Italy Pizza which, as far as I can tell, is so named because it's big and, you know, pizza is Italian in origin. I think they should have just taken a page from Jack in the Box and just called it the "Really Big Pizza."

Retailing for $12, the Big Italy Pizza features almost 2 feet of pizza in roughly-shaped like a pill with rounded edges. The pizza is cut into 18 slices and can be had, at the price, with up to three toppings.

Update: The Big Italy Pizza reviewed.

Review: Subway - Turkey Jalapeno Melt

I tried Subway's new Turkey Jalapeno Melt to see if it would "burn the wimp right outta [me]" like Subway suggests. The Turkey Jalapeno Melt is just a variant of the Turkey sub, except you don't have to mull about whether you want jalapenos on your sub. My "sandwich artist" still asked me what cheese I wanted and what sauce (The right answer to make a proper Turkey Jalapeno is the "shredded Monterey Cheddar blend" and the "chipotle southwest sauce.") The price for a footlong is an even $6 plus tax.

Review: Chick-fil-A - Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wrap

One of the most expensive items on the Chick-fil-A menu, the Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wrap is basically a chicken salad rolled inside a lavash type of multi-grain flatbread. The filling consists of chargrilled chicken, green leaf lettuce, tomato slices, shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots, a blend of shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and your choice of dressing (I chose the Spicy Chipotle dressing). It carries a price in the salad-range of $5.35.

Sunday Funny: Nando's - "Where's my Chips?"

This Nando's 30-second ad's a bit more low brow, but I guess dumb blonde jokes are always in vogue and they do tie it into the product.

Review: Wienerschnitzel - Chili Cheeseburger

Wienerschnitzel's Chili Cheeseburger is a simple affair; it features a sesame bun, a beef patty, a slice of American cheese, and a spread of their trademark meat chili. It's fairly cheap for $1.39.

Review: Taco Bell - Crispy Potato Soft Taco

Taco Bell's Crispy Potato Soft Taco is a value menu item and features their seasoned potato bites, shredded cheese, lettuce, and a Pepper Jack sauce making it, ostensibly, one of the few vegetarian options on Taco Bell's menu. The price on this one is the same as a Crunchy Taco: 89 cents.

Review: Arby's - Jr. Chicken Sandwich

I think today's "Junior" size is how big burgers used to be back in the day, I wonder they would think about the burgers of today. Well, there's no wondering about Arby's Jr. Chicken Sandwich, a standard value-priced typical fast food chicken sandwich for $1.

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.