News: Pizza Hut Returns the Big Dinner Box

Just in time for football season, Pizza Hut's latest promotion returns the limited-time Big Dinner Box for $19.99 (last seen in 2011 and not to be confused with the $10 Dinner Box). There are a couple of tweaks though.

In 2011, the Big Dinner Box came with 2 rectangular, medium, 1-topping pizzas, 8 wings of your choice, and 5 breadsticks with marinara dipping sauce. This time around, instead of 8 wings, you can choose from one of three items: a tray of Tuscani Pasta (Meaty or Creamy Chicken Alfredo), 4 Stuffed Pizza Rollers, or 8 wings (with your choice of dipping sauce). My local Pizza Hut also includes an order Quepapas (cheesy fried potato bites) as a possible choice.

News: Subway - September 2012 Featured Footlong

This month, Subway's September 2012 Featured $5 Footlong(s) is a bit of a question mark because it varies from Subway location to Subway location.

This year they've decided to throw themselves a birthday party (I've read that Subway was founded in August though) all month long and are offering $5 Footlong Faves which is basically a selection of $5 Footlong subs that varies from store to store. Basically, you'll just have to go or call your local Subway to find out what they're offering for $5.

Review: KFC - New Chicken Littles Sandwich

KFC's new Chicken Littles are purported "updated for the 21st century and even better than the original!" according to KFC. They bear little resemblance to the original which was a mini-slider with a small breaded chicken patty and a little bit of mayo to set it off, served on a dinner roll.

The new Chicken Littles feature an Extra Crispy Strip nestled inside a mini-hot-dog-bun-like sweet bun topped with pickle slices and mayo for $1.29. That might seem a bit pricey, but the strip on its own already runs about a buck or more.

Wendy's-Sponsored Post

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Bite into bold with Wendy's mouthwatering Asiago Ranch Chicken Club. Our Homestyle variety is a tender, all-white meat chicken breast filet, lightly breaded, and loaded with premium toppings. Like Applewood Smoked Bacon and all-natural Asiago cheese. All on a buttered, toasted bun.

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News: Domino's - $5.99 Two-Topping Large Pizza for Carryout Only

Domino's is doing a pretty sweet carryout special right now: get a Large, 2-Topping Pizza for only $5.99 - carryout only.

The offer is only good through 9/9/12 i.e. this upcoming Sunday is the last day to take advantage of it.

News: Dairy Queen - September 2012 Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen's Blizzard of the Month this September is a oldie-but-goodie: the Oreo Blizzard. It's made simply with crumbled pieces of Oreo cookies blended into vanilla soft serve.

In addition, Dairy Queen is offering a promotion at participating locations this month where you can buy one regular price Blizzard and get a second one for 99 cents.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Memphis BBQ Burger

Carl's Jr.'s Memphis BBQ Burger is their latest "meat-on-meat" limited-time burger offering pairing barbecued pulled pork with a charbroiled hamburger patty. Accompanying the meaty duo are crispy onion strings, American cheese, Sweet Baby Ray's Memphis-Style BBQ sauce and a sesame seed bun.

I tried the Six Dollar Burger version and it set me back $5.99 (remember when it was the idea for the Six Dollar Burger was that you paid less than six dollars for it?). A single and double patty version are also available for $3.99 and $4.99 respectively.

News: KFC - New Chicken Littles

Not to be confused with the old Chicken Littles, KFC now serves new Chicken Littles sandwiches nationally. Looks like the Los Angeles market just started the rollout just a little early.

They're describing the new Chicken Littles as "Freshly breaded tenders on a sweet bun" and selling them for $1.29 (same price as the a KFC Snacker). They're basically a crispy tender in a mini bun (not the same bun as KFC Snackers) with mayo and pickles. The suggested price is $1.29 each.

Review: Nabisco - Wheat Thins Smoky BBQ

Wheat Thins Smoky BBQ are your basic Wheat Thins cracker covered in a smoky barbecue powder.

A 9-ounce box retails for about $3.59.

Around the World: McDonald's Malaysia - Chicken Muffin with Egg

At McDonald's Malaysia restaurants, you can get the chicken and the egg. One of their current limited-time menu promotions is the Chicken Muffin with Egg.

The sandwich features a breaded and fried chicken patty, a freshly-cracked egg, a slice of American cheese, and special sauce (looks like mayo) on a toasted English muffin. It's also available without the egg, but then it's just the chicken isn't it?

Review: Tostitos - Artisan Toasted Southwestern Spices Tortilla Chips

One of the newest additions to Tostitos Artisan Recipes line of chips, Toasted Southwestern Spices feature a 9-grain blend of tortilla chips sprinkled with a blend of garlic, cumin, red pepper, paprika, and other seasonings.

A 9.75-ounce bag retails for $3.99, but it's not uncommon to find them on sale for $2 or so.

Around the World: McDonald's Malaysia Serves Criss Cut Fries!

For a limited-time, McDonald's Malaysia is offering seasoned Criss Cut Fries, those specially-cut fries that make you think, "How do they cut it like that?" until you learn about a mandoline and demonstrations like this.

Frozen Friday: Lean Cuisine - Sweet & Sour Chicken

Lean Cuisine's Sweet & Sour Chicken features chicken tenderloins and veggies in a sweet and sour sauce served over rice.

A 10-ounce box displays 300 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 2g of fiber and sells for $3.29 at my local Alberston's supermarket.

News: Taco Bell - New A.M. Crunchwrap and Mountain Dew A.M.

Taco Bell restaurants serving "First Meal" (aka breakfast) have two new menu items available: the A.M. Crunchwrap and Mountain Dew A.M.

The A.M. Crunchwrap is a kitchen-sink variant of Taco Bell's signature Crunchwrap Supreme and is filled with your fast food breakfast staples including scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, cheese and a hash brown all wrapped up. It's priced at $2.49.

I also got some questions answered regarding the A.M. Crunchwrap and you can check those out below.

News: Burger King - $1 Smoothies This Labor Day Weekend!

Burger King is offering $1 small-sized Real Fruit Smoothies this Labor Day Weekend. Along with the promotion, they are offering a new flavor: Raspberry.

The deal runs starting today 8/31/12 through 9/3/12. Price and participation may vary, and it will cost more in Alaska & Hawaii because food costs more on a chain of islands in the middle of the Pacific and way up in the Arctic North.

Review: Papa John's - Thin Crust Grilled Chicken Club

Papa John's Grilled Chicken Club pizza is one of their specialty pizzas, and I guess, is supposed to resemble a club sandwich sans the lettuce. I tried the thin crust version and it came topped with grilled (not breaded!) chicken strips, hickory-smoked bacon, onions, and sliced Roma tomatoes.

A large is currently $14 at my local Papa John's or $9.99 on Mondays through Wednesday.

Around the World: KFC Japan - New Fried Chicken Features Rice in the Breading

The latest thing out of KFC Japan is a fairly unique take on the Colonel's chicken with the flavor of garlic, sprinkled with fried glutinous (or sticky) rice, ground sesame, and black pepper. As far as the translation goes, the promotion is being called "chicken flavor."

News: Yoshinoya - New Yaki Udon Bowls

Yoshinoya adds new Yaki Udon Bowls to a menu better know for beef (and rice) bowls. In a Yoshinoya take on stir fry and noodles, each Yaki Udon Bowl features your choice of sliced beef or grilled chicken thighs, wok-tossed with fresh vegetables (zucchini, bok choy, cabbage, snow peas, onion and garlic), udon noodles and Yoshinoya's special sauce, and garnished with ginger and sesame seeds.

News: KFC Chicken Littles Come to SoCal

KFC is now serving up new Chicken Littles at their southern California locations. Bearing little resemblance to the Chicken Littles of old, which were like mini chicken patty sliders, the new Chicken Littles are very similar to KFC Snackers. Each mini-sandwich consists of a mini hot-dog-bun-like roll with an Extra Crispy Chicken Strip inside along with a pickle slices, and mayo.

They're available for $1.29 each which is the same price as a KFC Snacker.

Wendy's Sponsored Post

This is a sponsored post brought to you by Wendy's. Follow @Wendys on Twitter and see if you have what it takes to #GETBOLD.

Get Bold with Wendy's Asiago Ranch Chicken Club!

Bite into our boldest taste yet with Wendy's mouthwatering Spicy Asiago Ranch Chicken Club. Tender, all-white meat chicken breast fillet, lightly breaded with just the right amount of kick, and topped with premium toppings. Like Applewood Smoked Bacon and all-natural Asiago cheese. All on a buttered, toasted bun.

And when you play Wendy's 30 Days of Bold on Twitter, you could win bold prizes! Follow @Wendys Monday through Friday for gift card giveaways and weekly grand prizes like snowboards and mountain bikes! Play #getbold http://bit.ly/SJlfEa

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.), 18 years or older who did not purchase any equipment for purposes of entering the Promotion. Final contest ends on 9/26/12. Final sweepstakes ends on 9/25/12. To enter and for Official Rules, including prize description and Sweepstakes odds disclosure, visit http://bit.ly/Wrules. Void where prohibited.

Re-Review: El Pollo Loco's Crunchy Chicken Taco

I decided to re-review El Pollo Loco's Crunchy Chicken Taco since they've made it bigger, but also a little more expensive. They've re-tuned it a little bit as it no longer contains a blend of cheddar and jack cheese, but just plain jack to go with shredded lettuce and pieces of flame-grilled chicken.
They're now $1.99, up from $1.69 when they first came out in 2007, which is not bad if you consider inflation and rising food costs.

News: Krispy Kreme - Football Donuts are Back!

Providing an alternative to throwing and catching peanuts in your mouth, Krispy Kreme's Football Donuts once again make their return for football season.

Available on weekends only through February 3, 2012, at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme locations, the football-shaped yeast donuts are topped with chocolate icing, a black lace stamp, and strips of white icing.

You can get them on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the limited-time run. If you're playing to get over 9 dozens for some sort of huge football party, you'll want to call ahead.

News: Sonic - Half-Price Breakfast Burritos on September 4th

Sonic is offering a back-to-school special on September 4, 2012, where all of their breakfast burritos will be available at a 50% discount all day (because like Jack in the Box, Sonic serves breakfast all day long).

News: Campbell's - New Limited-Edition Andy Warhol Cans

Soup can collectors and pop art aficionados rejoice! To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol's famed artwork, 32 Campbell Soup Cans, Campbell's Soup is releasing a set of limited edition cans of Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup with labels derived from Warhol's artwork.

News: Arby's - New Hot Turkey Roasters

It looks like roast turkey is staging a takeover of Arby's menu with the addition of three new Hot Turkey Roasters. Posing as the other sliced meat, Arby's Hot Turkey Roasters come in the Turkey Classic, the Turkey 'n Cheddar Classic, and the Grand Turkey Club.

To promote the new sandwiches, Arby's will be offering each guest a free Turkey Roaster sandwich of their choice when they visit Arby’s between 11:00am and 1:00pm on September 6th.

The Turkey Classic is like an Arby's Classic Roast Beef, but with slices of hot, oven-roasted turkey instead of Arby's trademark roast beef.

Review: Jersey Mike's - Famous Steak Philly

Jersey Mike's Famous Steak Philly is a classic-style cheesesteak with sliced steak, grilled onions and peppers.

 The price is $7.75 for a 7-inch regular sub. You can also get it with chicken instead of steak.

News: Wienerschnitzel - New Der Chicken Dippers

Wienerschnitzel now serves their own popcorn chicken: Der Chicken Dippers. Available for a limited time, the new menu item features bite-sized morsels of crispy, white-meat, boneless fried chicken. They're cooked to order and served with your choice of one of three sauces: Sweet and Tangy BBQ, Spicy Buffalo Wing, and Creamy Ranch.

Portions range from one-third pound to one pound of Der Chicken Dippers with prices starting at a suggested retail of $3.59.

Review: Papa John's - Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Papa John's limited-time Buffalo Chicken Pizza has returned for a second run on Papa John's pizza rotation and features ranch sauce, sliced, breaded chicken strips, bacon, onions, and mozzarella cheese, plus a rather artistic swirl of buffalo sauce.

As with most Papa John's limited-time promotion pizzas, the Buffalo Chicken is available at $10 for a large.

News: Popeyes Introduces Three New Sauces and $3.99 Tenders Combo

Popeyes debuts three new sauces and highlights their Handcrafted Tenders with their latest promotional offering: a limited-time $3.99 tenders combo with three Handcrafted Tenders, Cajun Fries, and a biscuit plus your choice of six sauces.

The new sauces are Bayou Buffalo, Blackened Ranch, and Sweet Heat. Other sauce choices include Mardi Gras Mustard, Buttermilk Ranch, and Barbeque.

News: Starbucks - Buy Four Drinks, Get One Free

Rejoice thoughtful people (or eager gofers or bright-eyed interns), Starbucks is offering a bonus for those office runs (or group orders) for coffee. In a promotion they're calling "Starbucks Runner Rewards," Starbucks is offering a free drink when you buy 4 drinks (i.e. when you make a Starbucks runs for your friends, family, or co-workers) at participating Starbucks stores.

News: Sonic - New Hickory Flatmelt Sandwiches

Sonic's latest menu items are new, limited-time Hickory Flatmelt Sandwiches. They're pretty much barbecue burgers, but folded into warm, flatbreads instead of a bun. Specifically, each Hickory Flatmelt comes with your choice of marinated sirloin steak, or grilled or crispy chicken breast, hickory BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese, and grilled onions. It's pretty much all you need in a good barbecue burger.

Sonic tends to keep their limited-time offers to about a month, so you can expect to see these at your local Sonic restaurant till at least the end of September (possibly longer).

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Late Night Snack

Ben & Jerry's Late Night Snack ice cream was inspired by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, more specifically as a way of saying "thanks" for a song sung on the shoe about Vermont's Finest. Late Night Snack features vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge-covered potato chips clusters thrown in.

My local Fresh & Easy had a sale on these: two pints for $5 (normally $3.49).

Sunday Funny: Doritos - "The Dip Desperado"

Here's an epic Doritos ad that aired last year in the U.K. It's called "The Dip Desperado" and it chronicles the rise and fall of Esteban Ortega. Check it out:

KFC Singapore Introduces New Shrimp Stars

I've heard of star-shaped chicken nuggets, but never star-shaped shrimp nuggets so here you go: KFC Singapore just started offering new Shrimp Stars.

KFC Shrimp Stars look to be a good size and are breaded and deep-fried; a good match for KFC. They're offered in a "Snackers" combo deal with 4 Shrimp Stars, fries and a medium drink for 3.95 Singapore Dollars (~$3.15 U.S.).

Review: Yoplait - Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Yoplait's Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt isn't technically Greek or even yogurt according to a lawsuit. Regardless, it's non-fat and features twice the protein of regular yogurt coupled with the flavor of honey and vanilla.

Oddly, one of my local supermarkets sells a 6-ounce cup for $1.49 while a similar-sized cup of traditionally made Greek yogurt (which sounds like it would cost more) which it sells for $1.29.

Around the World: Pizza Hut Malaysia - Stuffed Pan Pizza

Now everyone knows Pizza Hut is famous for their signature pan pizza, and most of us have heard of Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pizza, but now the two are combined together at Pizza Hut restaurants in Malaysia for the (get this) Super Pan Pizza!

Because it's a pan pizza, the crust surrounding the stuffed filling is crispy. Inside it's piped with two different cheeses (looks like mozzarella and cheddar) along with a tangy Garlic Napoli sauce. On top, there's chicken chunks, chicken loaf (like a meat loaf, but made with chicken), caramelized pineapples, and peppers.

Frozen Friday: Fresh & Easy - Channa Masala

Fresh & Easy's Channa Masala is part of their Eatwell line of foods, which have lower counts of fat, sodium, and calories. It's a vegetarian frozen meal that features garbanzo beans in a spicy curry served over rice with a mix of cauliflowers and spinach on the side.

Fresh & Easy has these for pretty cheap at $1.99 for a 9.25-ounce box.

News: CiCi's Pizza - $2.99 Buffet on September 6, 2012

CiCis Pizza will be running a Guest Appreciation Day on Thursday, September 6, 2012 where they will be offering their signature pizza buffet for $2.99.

I've never been to CiCis myself (there are none nearby), but $2.99 is super cheap for all-you-can-eat pizza. Even if the pizza was bad, I find that even bad pizza is still pretty good.

News: Chicken Soup for the Soul Now Makes Chicken Soup for Your Tummy

In an ironic twist, Chicken Soup for the Soul, best known for a series of books on inspiration and improvement, have created a line of (physical and not spiritual) soups that you to buy at the supermarket.

Sadly, the line won't be called "Chicken Soup for the Body," but has seven soups slated to arrive in stores in early 2013, and looks to expand into other foodstuffs throughout 2013 and leading into 2014.

News: Original Soup Man Coming to Stores Nationally

The Original Soup Man, whose founder and original New York location is best known as the inspiration for the "Soup Nazi" Seinfeld episode and character, will soon be available in supermarkets nationwide this September.

Review: Papa John's Six Cheese Cheesesticks

Papa John's Six Cheese Cheesesticks are like their regular Cheesesticks, but with six cheese instead of just one. The six cheeses are: mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, provolone and Fontana cheese.

It doesn't look like they're six cheese on top, but I guess they're all melted together. Those little black sprinkles are Papa John's "Special Seasonings." More on that later.

Papa John's sells these in a 10-inch size for $6.50 and 12-inch size for $7.50. Each order comes with pizza sauce and garlic margarine sauce for dipping.

News: Del Taco - New Daily Dinner Deals

Del Taco offers new, limited-time Daily Dinner Deals with a different discounted offer for each day from Monday through Thursday between 3pm and 11pm.

On Monday, there's "buy one, get one free" Del Combo Burritos, which come filled with cheese, hot sauce, seasoned beef, and beans.

Review: Church's Chicken - Original Fried Chicken

Church's Chicken Original Fried Chicken is the original menu item for the chain; when they first opened in 1952, it was the only thing they served.

I don't know how much it cost; the nearest Church's is a bit aways from me and a guest brought a box by, so here we go...

Neat! Starbucks Japan - Portable Personal Drip Coffee Brewer

In Japan, Starbucks offers an alternative to instant coffee called "Starbucks Origami Personal Drip coffee." While they have Starbucks Via as well, the Origami Personal Drip coffee is a convenient all-in-one disposable solution that brews fresh coffee anywhere as long as you have some hot water and a cup.

So how exactly does it work? Read on!

Review: El Pollo Loco - Chicken, Bacon & Guacamole Stuffed Quesadilla

El Pollo Loco's new Chicken, Bacon & Guacamole Stuffed Quesadilla features fire-grilled chicken, bacon, jack and cheddar cheeses, guacamole, and pico de gallo inside a grilled flour tortilla folded (Crunchwrap style) into a hexagon shape for easy eating.

My local El Pollo Loco has these for $5.49 each, which is on the pricey side for fast food.

My Starbucks is Not This Retro: Duddell St. Starbucks in Hong Kong

Starbucks has this neat concept store out in Hong Kong on Duddell St. where half the store is the typical Starbucks design and the other half is crafted to look like a bing sutt (literally "ice house" or "ice chamber").

A bing sutt is a type of Hong Kong cafe/diner popularized around 1950 to 1970, highlighting the convergence of East and West. They exist to this day, though in lesser numbers, and have traditionally served Hong Kong versions of Western comfort food as well as iced drinks, coffee, and tea.

News: Carl's Jr. / Hardee's - New Memphis BBQ Burger

Squeezing barbecue into the tail end of summer, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's now offer the Memphis BBQ Burger (well, Hardee's now offers, Carl's Jr. starts offering it tomorrow).

Touting the pairing of "meat-on-meat," the burger joins smoked, pulled pork and a charbroiled beef patty with crispy onion strings, American cheese, and Sweet Baby Ray's Memphis-Style BBQ sauce on a sesame seed bun.

Review: Green Burrito - Charbroiled Chicken Torta

I popped by my localCarl's Jr./Green Burrito recently to try their new Charbroiled Chicken Torta. The torta is a kind of Mexican sandwich and the Green Burrito's version takes a soft Telera roll and fills it with pieces of charbroiled chicken, guacamole, hot sauce, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, and refried pinto beans.

The suggested retail is $3.29, but it's slightly more expensive near me at $3.59.

News: Barilla - New Shelf Stable, Microwavable Meals

If you think Barilla makes good pasta, you might be interested to know that Barilla now offers new Barilla Microwaveable Meals, made with 100% natural ingredients and no preservatives, but are magically (please don't take the "magical" bit as fact) shelf-stable.

Since they're not frozen, the meals heat up in the microwave in just 60 seconds. The pasta and sauces are separated into compartments so you can mix them as you like.

News: Pizza Hut Offers $5.99 Medium Pizza Only on Twitter

Pizza Hut is running a Twitter-only promotion for a 1-topping medium pizza for $5.99.

The deal is only available at participating locations and only through this Saturday, August 25.

You can access the deal via Pizza Hut's Twitter or by clicking here.