Review: Popeyes - Cajun Rice

Popeyes' Cajun Rice is their version of a traditional Cajun dish known as "dirty rice," so named because of its "dirty" coloring which is due to bits of chicken (a mix of ground beef and ground chicken gizzards at Popeyes) mixed into the rice. Other ingredients include the distinguished Cajun trio of celery, onions, and bell peppers.

It's available at Popeyes for $1.99 for a regular and $3.99 for a family-sized large.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Cupid's Choice Heart-Shaped Donuts

Taking a page from Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts also has a heart-shaped donut this Valentine's Day season. Dubbed the Cupid's Choice Donut and the Cupid's Cocoa Donut, each donut is available for a suggested price of 89 cents until the end of February.

The Cupid's Choice Donut is a heart-shaped yeast (AKA raised) donut filled with Bavarian cream and topped with strawberry icing and pink, white and red heart-shaped sprinkles.

The Cupid's Cocoa Donut is a heart-shaped chocolate yeast donut, filled with jelly and topped with chocolate icing and decorated with pink, white and red heart-shaped sprinkles.

Review: Jack in the Box - All-American Jack

Jack in the Box's new super-sized All-American Jack got its national introduction last night at the Super Bowl but I tried it a couple days earlier.

The All-American Jack consists of two jumbo beef patties, melting American and Swiss-style cheese, tomato, shredded lettuce, pickles, mayo-onion sauce, ketchup, and mustard on a sesame bun. It's being advertised as a combo with small fries and a 20-ounce drink for $4.99 but you can forgo the combo and just get the burger for around $3.59.

News: Jack in the Box - New Mint Oreo Shake

Joining Jack in the Box's popular Oreo Cookie Shake on the menu, Jack in the Box's new Mint Oreo Ice Cream Shake adds a little twist with the addition of mint-flavor syrup to the normal formula of real ice cream, Oreo pieces, whipped topping and a Maraschino cherry.

Like all of Jack's shakes, the Mint Oreo Shake is available in a 16-ounce regular size and a 24-ounce large. Prices are set around $2.69 for a regular and $3.19 for a large (may vary).

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Cocoa Donuts and Chocolate Menu Items

Apparently February is "Chocolate Lovers Month" at Dunkin' Donuts and they're celebrating a new line of yeast raised chocolate donuts. While chocolate cake donuts have long been the norm at many a donut shop, a light and fluffy chocolate raised donut is a first, at least, here in the States. I'd like to try one but the nearest Dunkin' is one state over in Nevada.

Until the end of February, Dunkin' Donuts is serving several varieties of the new Cocoa Donuts at the suggested retail price of 89 cents each, including:

Review: Chips Ahoy! - with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Chips Ahoy! with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups came out sometime last year but are still labelled "new" on the package. They feature your typical Chips Ahoy! chocolate chip cookie (I feel like I should say "Arr Matey! or something) but with mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups baked in.

A 9.5-ounce bag (about 4 ounces less than a normal bag) will run you about $3.69 or somewhere around $2.50 on sale.

News: Baskin-Robbins - New $2 Mini Soft Serve Parfaits

Baskin-Robbins is offering a new snack-sized ice cream dessert in their new Mini Soft Serve Parfaits which come in three flavors: Oreo, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and Strawberry 'n Almonds. Each flavor features a different sauce and a sprinkling of their respective toppings.

They're similar to mini sundaes but with the sauce forming a bottom layer that's topped with vanilla soft serve rather than the other way around.

Each Mini Soft Serve Parfait is available in an 8-ounce cup for a limited-time price of $2.

Review: Ruffles - Loaded Chili & Cheese Potato Chips

Ruffles limited-time new Loaded Chili & Cheese ridged potato chips comes just in time to grace your Super Bowl spread with the flavor of chili, cheese, and fried potatoes. While it's not the same as actual chili cheese fries, it does keep much better and won't get soggy.

I found this 1-and-1/8-ounce bag at my local 7-Eleven for 99 cents.

News: Krispy Kreme - V-Day Donuts

Krispy Kreme has a pretty sweet deal (pun intended) going on until Valentine's Day (February 14): along with the return of their heart-shaped donuts, they're offering a promotion where you'll get 12 Valentine's Day Cards when you buy any dozen donuts (while supplies last at participating stores).

Here's the kicker: on the back of each card is a coupon good for one free donut or one free small hot chocolate or coffee.

News: Cold Stone Creamery - New Plated Desserts

I've touched upon it before but now it's official, Cold Stone Creamery is serving new Plated Desserts: four new menu items featuring a warm, baked dessert topped with ice cream and other toppings.

The four desserts are:

• Brownie A La Cold Stone: Warm, chocolate brownies topped with French vanilla, whipped topping, caramel, hot fudge and pecans.
• Churro Caramel Crave: Crispy churros rolled in cinnamon and sugar, topped with French vanilla ice cream, caramel and whipped topping.
• Chocolate Lava Meltdown: Warm, hot-fudge-filled chocolate cake topped with French vanilla ice cream, more fudge, whipped topping and shaved chocolate.
• No Fair Funnel Cake: Freshly baked, sweet funnel cake dusted with powdered sugar, served with strawberries and topped with French vanilla ice cream, strawberry puree and whipped topping.

Frozen Friday: Marie Callender's - Country Fried Beef Steak

Marie Callender's Country Fried Beef Steak frozen meal comes with a deep fried battered and breaded ground beef patty, mashed potatoes, and glazed carrots.

They retail for around $3.99 with a sale price usually around $2.00 to $2.50.

News: Jack in the Box - New All-American Jack Combo for $4.99

Jack in the Box is leveraging the Super Bowl this Sunday for the introduction of its new All-American Jack burger. The All-American Jack features two jumbo beef patties, melting American and Swiss-style cheese, tomato, shredded lettuce, pickles, mayo-onion sauce, ketchup, and mustard.

For a limited time, starting today, Jack in the Box will be offering the All-American Jack combo for $4.99. The combo includes its namesake burger, a small order of fries, and a 20-ounce drink.

Review: Popeyes - Red Hot Popcorn Chicken

New to the Popeyes menu, their Red Hot Popcorn Chicken features bits of white meat chicken marinated in a spicy 4-pepper blend of Cayenne, White, Black, and Habernero peppers and fried with a crunchy breading.

According to their website, a Red Hot Popcorn Chicken combo with cajun fries and a biscuit is supposed to cost $2.99. Perhaps they got their wires crossed, but my local Popeyes had an order of Popcorn Chicken for $2.99 while a combo with fries, a biscuit and a drink was listed at $5.99(!).

News: Papa Murphy's Introduces S'mores Pizza for V-Day

"Take 'n' bake" pizza chain Papa Murphy's is rolling out their S'mores Dessert Pizza this Valentine's Day season. The dessert pie features Hershey's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, lightly-toasted mini marshmallows, and a crisp topping on a pizza pie crust.

Price and participation varies.

News: Subway - $5 Any Regular Footlong for all of February

Subway is offering any regular Footlong sub for $5 for all of February in an event they're calling "FebruANY." You can't see but I'm rolling my eyes right now at their choice of name.

So what counts as a "regular" sub? That's any sub except for Subway's "premium" subs which basically consists of just the Big Philly Cheesesteak and the Pastrami sub (What counts as a "premium" sub might vary with location).

Review: Carl's Jr - Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrappers

Left to right: BBQ, Ranch, and Honey Mustard

A bit of a Johnny-come-lately to the snack-sized chicken wraps party, Carl's Jr. nonetheless makes a good effort with their new, slightly long-winded Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrappers.

The formula is familiar enough: a Hand-Breaded Chicken Wrapper, shredded cheese and lettuce, and your choice of sauces (ranch, barbecue, and honey mustard) wrapped in a flour tortilla for $1.49.

News: Church's Chicken - New Southern Style Chicken Sandwich

Church's Chicken is standing directly in Chick-fil-A's back yard with their latest menu item, the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich featuring the familiar all-white meat chicken patty, crunchy pickle slices, and toasted bun.

Pricing undercuts both McDonald's and Chick-fil-A at $1.99. The pickles seem to be quite large, enough for every bite if the picture is to be believed.

News: Domino's - $5.99 2-Topping Large Pizza

Domino's is running a short promotion (until this Saturday, February 5, 2011) where you can carryout a 2-Topping Large Pizza for $5.99 at participating U.S. locations.

News: Wendy's - New Asiago Ranch Chicken Club

Wendy's is offering a slightly different take on their previous Chicken Club sandwich with the new Asiago Ranch Chicken Club which features fancy Asiago cheese, Ranch sauce, your choice of chicken (Grilled, Homestyle, or Spicy), Applewood Smoked Bacon, tomatoes, and hand-leafed lettuce.

Price will vary but you can expect to pay between $4 and $5 for the privilege.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Fish Tacos

El Pollo Loco is serving up two new, limited-time fish tacos until mid-April 2011: the Classic Baja Fish Taco and the Spicy Avocado Fish Taco.

Both taco feature fried, beer-battered Alaskan white fish topped with shredded cabbage and cilantro wrapped in a corn tortilla. The Classic Baja Fish Taco adds a blend of yogurt sauce with El Pollo Loco's house salsa while the Spicy Avocado Fish Taco takes the same yogurt sauce and joins it with avocado salsa. Limes are available to squeeze onto the tacos.

The suggested price per taco is $1.99 with a combo of two tacos and a small drink is set at $5.29.

Review: Winchell's Donuts - Black Forest Ham Sandwich

Winchell's is a West Coast donut chain that is the only place I know of to get a good French Cruller donut. But they also make bagel and croissant sandwiches and currently offer a $5 Meal Deal where you can get any bagel sandwich, an order of chips and a drink (coffee or soda) for $5.

The Black Forest Ham sandwich is normally $4.79 so $5.00 sounded like a pretty good deal to me.

News: Hardee's - New Hardee Breakfast Platter

Hardee's new Hardee Breakfast Platter involves a little play on words if you didn't catch that ("Hardee" instead of "hearty"). It features your standard American-style breakfast with scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon, Hash Rounds and a freshly baked biscuit covered with sausage gravy.

Pricing is a very affordable $2.49. Makes me wish sister chain Carl's Jr would offer the same but they don't do biscuits so I think that falls under "not going to happen."

News: Popeyes - New Red Hot Popcorn Chicken

Popeyes' latest limited-time menu item, Red Hot Popcorn Chicken features bits of white meat chicken marinated in a spicy 4-pepper blend of Cayenne, White, Black, and Habernero peppers and fried with a crunchy breading.

$2.99 gets you an order of Popcorn Chicken, Cajun Fries, dipping sauce, and a Buttermilk Biscuit.

Review: Taco Bell - Quad Steak Burrito

Taco Bell's new, limited-time Quad Steak Burritos marks the debut of their new, thicker, better steak. To showcase the new steak, Taco Bell complements it with seasoned rice, salsa, reduced-fat sour cream and Cheddar cheese. A premium menu item, the Quad Steak Burrito clocks in at $4.99 and is served in a foil wrapper rather than the typical wax paper of other Taco Bell items. The addition of a fountain drink to make it a combo brings the price to $5.99.

Review: Doritos - Pizza Supreme

A new, limited-time flavor, Doritos Pizza Supreme arrives at the tail end of football season and is purported to taste like a supreme pizza which I take to mean a pizza with pepperoni, sausage, onions, olives, mushrooms, and bell peppers.

They're not available in every market but I scored this 99 cent bag at my local 7-Eleven.

Review: Disneyland - Steak Gumbo

Steak Gumbo isn't the typical fare you think of eating while visiting Disneyland, but it's available in a bread bowl at the Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square where you can catch a view of the Rivers of American and Fantasmic as you eat. They also serve a vegetarian version.

Pricing isn't bad at all at $8.99 per bowl considering that a cup of gumbo at one of the Cajun restaurants in my neck of the woods charges $5.99.

News: Yoplait - New Chocolate Eclair and Cherry Cheesecake Delights

Not to be left out of the dessert game, Yoplait is aiming to satisfy your dessert cravings with yogurt(?) and adding two new flavors to their Yoplait Delights yogurt parfait line: Chocolate Eclair and Cherry Cheesecake.

The new flavors are meant to provide a meaningful alternative to their real deal (i.e. an actual Chocolate Eclair and Cherry Cheesecake) but with only 100 calories and 1.5 grams of fat.

News: Jell-O - New Jell-O Temptations

Jell-O has something interesting coming out this and next month: new Jell-O Temptations. Fancified versions of their normal fare, Jell-O Temptations are available both in ready-to-eat cups and as a dry mix to make at home.

The cups are available now and come in six layered flavors: Apple Custard Pie, Double Chocolate Pie, French Silk Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Raspberry Cheesecake, and Strawberry Cheesecake. Suggested retail is $2.89 for a three pack.

News: Quiznos - New Prime Rib on Garlic Bread

Quiznos has a new sub: the limited-time Prime Rib on Garlic Bread. It features their thin-sliced prime rib, Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and a garlic aioli on garlic bread. Mmm... garlic...

The Prime Rib on Garlic Bread sandwich last made it appearance (with some variations) on the Quizno's menu back in 2007 when it was made with mozzarella, spices, and mayo instead.

Frozen Friday: Hungry-Man - Mexican Style Fiesta

For when you're in the mood for Mexican food, Hungry-Man has the over-a-pound Mexican Style Fiesta frozen dinner which features beef enchiladas topped with chili sauce and shredded cheese with seasoned rice and refried beans for sides and a cocada pudding for dessert. Retail for a single box is $3.99 while sales price tends to be around $2.50 or less.

News: Taco Bell - New Berry Pomegranate Frutista Freeze

The latest in a moving line of limited-time Taco Bell Frutista Flavors, the new Berry Pomegranate Frutista Freeze features a sweet frozen slushy beverage that contains a mix of apple juice (9%) and pomegranate juice (1%) topped with strawberries in syrup.

Price is $1.99 for a 16-ounce cup and $2.49 for a 20-ounce cup.

It really should be called the Strawberry Pomegranate or Apple Pomegranate Frutista Freeze. With only 1% pomegranate juice, I wonder if you can even taste the pomegranate flavor.

News: Taco Bell - New Quad Steak Burrito

Taco Bell's latest limited-time item is the new Quad Steak Burrito which features a quadruple portion (compared to a Steak Burrito Supreme) of their new thick and tender steak, wrapped in a flour tortilla along with seasoned rice, salsa, reduced-fat sour cream and Cheddar cheese.

It's $4.99 per burrito. There's also a Quad Quesadilla available for the same price if that's more your style. If a quadruple serving too much, a double serving is also available in the Double Steak Burrito (or Quesadilla) for a buck less at $3.99. Price and participation may vary.

Review: Wendy's - Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe

Wendy's Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe is the deluxe version of the humble Jr. Cheeseburger and comes with a square Jr. hamburger patty, American cheese, pickles, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. It's part of Wendy's 99 cent Everyday Value Menu at my local Wendy's.

News: Carl's Jr. - New Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrappers

Following the lead of sister chain Hardee's, albeit a month later, Carl's Jr. now also serves Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Wrappers. Each Wrapper features the familiar recipe of a Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender rolled up in a flour tortilla with shredded lettuce and cheese and your choice of Buttermilk Ranch, Honey Mustard, or Sweet & Bold BBQ sauce.

Pricing compares favorably to offerings from other chains such as McDonald's (Snack Wrap) and Wendy's (Go Wrap) at $1.49 for a single wrap or $4.99 for a two-wrap combo with fries and a drink.

News: Frito Lay - New Limited-Time Pizza, Wings, and Chili Cheese Fries Flavors

Seeking to encompass the gamut of your Super Bowl spread but in chip form? Frito Lay has you covered with three new limited-time flavors across two of their brands: Doritos Pizza Supreme, Ruffles Loaded Chili & Cheese, and Ruffles Molten Hot Wings.

Supposedly, due to Frito Lay's "Flavor Plus" technology, you can actually taste all the different ingredients of a supreme pizza. I'm a bit dubious about the claim myself but we'll just have to see...

News: Seattle's Best Coffee - Iced Latte Cans Available Nationwide

They've been available here on the West Coast since last year, but Seattle's Best Coffee Iced Latte Cans are now available nationwide. The cans are of the tall, skinny 9.5-ounce variety and come in three flavors: Iced Latte, Iced Vanilla Latte, and Iced Mocha Latte (I tried each of them thanks my cousin buying a crapload of them. You can click on the links for the reviews and nutritional information).

Review: Jamba Juice - Blueberry & Blackberry Steel Cut Oatmeal

Jamba Juice's Blueberry & Blackberry Steel Cut Oatmeal features organic steel-cut oatmeal slow cooked with soymilk and then topped with a blueberry and blackberry compote and an optional brown sugar crumble when you order. It's a bit costlier than McDonald's or Starbucks at $2.95 but offers something different for the price and the cup is filled almost to the brim.

News: Papa John's - Free Pizza if Super Bowl XLV goes into Overtime

Papa John's is really angling for your pizza money for Super Bowl XLV with two promotions for free pizza on the day of (Sunday, February 6, 2011).

The first promotion is a free large (up to three toppings) pizza for everyone in the U.S. who registers for their Papa Points reward program if Super Bowl XLV goes into overtime.

Review: Burger King - Butterfinger Creme Pie

The latest limited-time cream pie on Burger King's rotation, the Butterfinger Creme Pie features a slightly Butterfinger flavored cream filling topped with bits of Butterfinger candy and a lattice of milk chocolate. It's a fairly cheap dessert at $1.49 for a slice.

News: Panda Express - Free Firecracker Chicken for Chinese New Year 2011

Panda Express has brought back their Firecracker Chicken for a limited-time to celebrate this upcoming Chinese New Year.

The Chinese New Year entrée features strips of marinated chicken breast, red, green and yellow bell peppers, sliced onions and red chili peppers tossed in a wok with Panda Express’s original firecracker sauce. Needless to say, it's labelled as a "spicy" dish.

Panda Express will be offering a coupon for a free single-sized portion of Firecracker Chicken to Facebook fans, valid to redeem for one day only on February 3rd, 2011, the first day of the 15 day-long Chinese New Year celebration.

You can get the coupon on Panda Express Facebook page here.

Review: McDonald's - McSkillet Burrito with Sausage

McDonald's McSkillet Burrito with Sausage is the big brother to the Dollar Menu Sausage Burrito and features scrambled eggs, potatoes, onions, roasted green peppers and red peppers, a sausage patty, shredded Cheddar and Jack cheese, a slice of American cheese, and a spicy salsa roja (red salsa) wrapped in a flour tortilla.

At a little more than 8 ounces, it's the largest single breakfast item on McDonald's morning menu and costs $2.79.

Review: Kyochon - Garlic Soy Chicken Wings

Kyochon is a one of the largest Korean fried chicken chains in South Korea. In recent years, it has made some inroads into the U.S. with a couple locations in the southern California market (as well as New York). Their Korean-style fried chicken differs from American-style (or Southern-style) fried chicken in that instead of crispy battered or breaded fried layer, the skin itself is fried to crispness which results in a smoother rather than craggy, textured surface we usually expect here. The chicken is also smaller without all that batter to plump it up.

Review: Disneyland - Smoked Turkey Leg

I didn't even know Disneyland sold Smoked Turkey Legs until my most recent visit. Normally found at county fairs and barbecue joints, There are several carts throughout the park (and is also at California Adventure).

They're a signature food item at Disneyland and over 1.5 million are sold per year. They come from turkeys that range from 40 to 50 pounds.

News: Pei Wei - Free Korean BBQ Dish

P.F. Chang offshoot, Pei Wei Asian Diner, is offering a free order of their new Korean BBQ to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

News: Starbucks - New Veggie, Egg and Monterey Jack Artisan Breakfast Sandwich

There aren't any new or seasonal drinks at Starbucks in the new year so far but there is a new breakfast sandwich: the Veggie, Egg, and Monterey Jack Artisan Breakfast Sandwich.

The sandwich features a Parmesan cheese, fire roasted green and red peppers, and diced onion egg omelet topped with a slice of melted Monterey Jack cheese served on a hand-scored, oven-toasted Artisan roll.

News: El Pollo Loco Nixing Steak

Going, going, soon to be gone.

According to the OC Register, El Pollo Loco is getting rid of steak (carne asada) from their menu by spring of this year. So if you want steak from El Pollo Loco, you'll want to get it while you can.

The move to add steak to the menu always puzzled me; when you call yourself "The Crazy Chicken," people kinda expect chicken and not steak. It would be as if KFC started serving country-fried beef steak. Or, if Burger King served pizza. It just doesn't vibe with the message the name sends out.

Frozen Friday: Jose Ole - Chicken Monterey Burrito

Jose Ole's Chicken Monterey Burrito is find in the frozen food aisle and consists of a flour tortilla burrito filled with a mix of chicken breast and thigh meat, green chile peppers, Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, rice, and various seasoning and spices.

It regularly goes for $1.49 but it's not unusual to find it for less than $1.

Review: Wendy's - Yogi Bear Cheeseburger Kids' Meal

Wendy's Kids' Meal is unique among the major fast food chains in that in addition to the standard entree, side, and drink (it used to be burger, fries, and drink but now there are healthy options as well such as mandarin oranges and low fat chocolate milk), you also get a Kid's sized Chocolate Frosty.

On this occasion, I got the Cheeseburger Kids' Meal with fries, and fountain drink (plus the Frosty) for $1.99 with a coupon (it's normally $3.59).

News: Starbucks - Mobile Payments Now Available Nationally

Today marks the rollout of mobile payments at Starbucks nationally. If you own an iPhone, an iPod Touch or Blackberry, you can now use a Starbucks Card Mobile app to pay at Starbucks with your phone instead of a card.

If you have an Android, you'll have to wait a bit as they're still working on the Android app but it should be available soon.

The Starbucks Card Mobile app was previously limited to test markets in New York, Seattle, northern California, and Target. That's right. Target. All 1,000 plus Starbucks locations in U.S. Target stores were part of the test.

Review: Pizza Hut - Big Dipper Pizza

Pizza Hut's new limited-time Big Dipper Pizza is a big rectangular pan pizza or two medium rectangular pan pizzas placed inside a large rectangular box, depending on how you look at it. It's also a sauceless pizza or an order of 24 cheesesticks, again, depending on how you look at it.