News: Starbucks Launches Asian Dolce Latte Across Asia

Starbucks Asian Dolce Latte is their latest offering in the Asia Pacific region.

The drink was first introduced at the first Starbucks store to open in Vietnam last month and seems to be the Starbucks answer to cafe sua da (literally "coffee milk ice"), a popular coffee drink in Vietnam that consists of strong dark roast coffee and condensed milk.

Besides adding creaminess and sweetness, the condensed milk gives the cafe sua da (or Vietnamese iced coffee) a thicker, more substantial quality.

News: Subway Japan Offers Vegetable Pound Cake

In an attempt to offer a healthy take on afternoon dessert, Subway is offering new vegetable pound cakes in Japan.

The pound cakes come in three flavors: Carrot & Apple, Greens & Sesame, and Purple Sweet Potato & Brown Sugar.

Carrots & Apple features carrot powder and candied apples in the dough.

News: Starbucks - New Limited-Edition Sustainable Wood Card

For all of you Starbucks collectors out there, Starbucks is offering a new "Special Edition" loyalty/payment card made of sustainable birch wood for a limited time in their stores. You won't have to worry about getting splinters though, the cards are laminated to feel like any other Starbucks card.

The birch wood is harvested from sustainably managed forests.

Local Review: Grill 'Em All - Anvil Fries

Grill 'Em All is a metal-themed (the music not the material) burger joint that opened recently in my neighborhood. They're probably best known for winning the inaugural season of the Great Food Truck Race on Food Network.

Besides crazy gourmet burgers, they also make fry monstrosities like the Anvil, which is an order of fries topped with cheese curds, duck confit, duck gravy, and crackling for $7.

News: Frito Lay - New Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sun Chips

Barbecue flavor finally comes to Sun Chips with new Sweet & Spicy BBQ-flavored Sun Chips multi-grain chips. 

The new flavor is described as "sweet, with a little bit of a kick" and features the flavors of molasses, brown sugar, and honey blended with hints of spice including chipotle.

New Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sun Chips are available nationwide in 10.5-oz. packages for a suggested retail price of $3.99.

News: Frito Lay - New Cheetos Mix-Ups Snack Mix

For those of you who can't decide which type of Cheetos you like, Frito Lay is here to help you out with new Cheetos Mix-Ups Snack Mix. Each bag features a mix of four different Cheetos snack flavors in various shapes and colors.

There are two varieties to choose from: "Xtra Cheezy" and "Cheezy Salsa."

News: Fresh & Easy - Free Bag of Bagels on March 10 and 11

Good news if you live in Arizona, California, or Nevada: Fresh & Easy is giving out a bag of free bagels per customer via coupon redeemable on Sunday, March 10 and Monday, March 11. Why? In celebration of an hour of extra sun and an hour less of sleep (i.e. Daylight Saving Time).

Frozen Friday: Magnum - Mini Gold?! Ice Cream Bars

Magnum Mini Gold (stylized as "Gold?!") ice cream bars are a bit of a gimmick with a golden candy coat that shimmers a little when the right light catches it.

Beyond the gimmick and exclamation marks is a vanilla bean ice cream bar with a sea salt caramel swirl dipped in Belgium milk chocolate and then dipped in a golden chocolaty coating.

News: Krispy Kreme - Free Donuts on March 10th

Krispy Kreme is celebrating an extra hour of daylight (i.e. Daylight Saving Time) this Sunday, March 10, 2013, by giving away a free Original Glazed donut to each person that drops by to pay a visit to their local participating Krispy Kreme location.

The tagline they're going with is "Lose an Hour, Gain a Doughnut."

News: Dunkin' Donuts Brings Back Angus Steak

Dunkin' Donuts brings Angus steak back to their menu with the return of the Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich and the introduction of the Angus Steak and Egg Wake-Up Wrap.

The Angus Steak and Egg Sandwich features an Angus steak patty with pepper-fried egg, and American cheese on a toasted plain bagel.

News: Togo's - Lemon Pepper Tuna Returns

The Lemon Pepper Tuna sub is back at Togo's, because it's Lenten season of course.

The sandwich base features albacore tuna seasoned with lemon, and mixed with cracked black pepper, diced celery, and red onions.

News: 7-Eleven Upgrades Sandwiches

7-Eleven is bolstering their sandwich line up with two new premium sandwiches: the Steakhouse Roast Beef and the Bistro Deluxe. The move is part of an effort by the convenience store chain to offer more fresh foods to better compete with not only retail store competitors, but fast food chains as well.

Review: Burger King - Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissan'wich

Burger King's Croissan'wich is one of the few croissant breakfast sandwich options available in fast food land and the first that I ever tried as a kid. The Sausage, Egg, and Cheese version comes, unsurprisingly, with a sausage patty, fluffy folded eggs, and a slice of melted American cheese.

My local Burger King offers them for $2.99.

News: Taco Bell Adds New Happier Hour

Taco Bell offers a new Happier Hour menu promotion between the hours of 2 to 5 pm, where you can buy Loaded Grillers, Freezes, Sparklers, and Medium Drinks for only $1 each.

News: Sonic - New Molten Cake Sundae

Sonic is beefing up (not literally) their sundaes with the new, limited-time Molten Cake Sundae, which is basically a premium option you can add onto any of their sundae combinations.

News: Qdoba Adds New Brown Rice Option

Following in the steps of rival Mexican fast casual chain, Chipotle, Qdoba now offers a brown rice option for their burritos, bowls, and Mexican gumbo.

Where Chipotle's version is seasoned with cilantro and lime like its white rice counterpart, Qdoba's version offers a different flavor profile with garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, and a hint of red chiles. Qdoba's white rice is also seasoned with cilantro and lime.

Review: Arby's - Reuben Sandwich

Arby's Reuben sandwich features thin-sliced corned beef topped with melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing, on toasted marble rye bread.

My local Arby's serves them up for $4.99, but I received this one courtesy of Arby's. Double meat was also an option for an additional buck.

News: Peet's - New Mint Matcha Latte

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, Peet's is offering a new Mint Matcha Latte for a limited time.

The drink is basically the coffee chain's Matcha Green Tea Latte with peppermint syrup. Specifically, it's  matcha green tea, steamed milk, and peppermint syrup.

Matcha is finely-powdered, Japanese green tea.

News: Arby's - New Mint Chocolate Swirl Shake

Arby's is getting into green for this year's St. Patrick's Day with the new, limited-time Mint Chocolate Swirl Shake.

The mint chocolate shake is decorated with a chocolate syrup swirl and topped with whipped cream and little pieces of Andes brand chocolate mints.

The shake comes in a 20-ounce cup for $2.89 (may vary).

News: The Coffee Bean - $1 Drinks on March 7, 2pm to 6pm

The Coffee Bean is holding another one of their seasonal "Open House" events, where they offer a selection of drinks for $1. The latest Open House is set for this Thursday, March 7, from 2pm to 6pm.

The selection of drinks features a variety of tea-cappuccino blends and sweet teas.

Review: Starbucks - Hazelnut Macchiato

Starbucks' Hazelnut Macchiato is a new permanent addition to the coffee chain's signature drinks. It features steamed milk, espresso, vanilla syrup, topped with foamed milk and a hazelnut drizzle.

My local Starbucks charges $3.55 for a 12-ounce "Tall" of the drink.

News: Checkers/Rally's - New Loaded Potato Skins

Checkers/Rally's offers new Loaded Potato Skins. Potato skins are usually the realm of sit-down restaurants rather than fast food restaurants, but it looks like Rally's has dealt with the logistics (of having to bake the skins) by seasoning, battering, and deep-frying them like they do their signature fries. The potato skins are then topped with cheese sauce, ranch, and bacon.

Tips on Ordering Off the "Secret" Menu

Secret menus at fast food joints are something that always appeal to people. Whether it's a new (and possibly) interesting take on your classic fast food favorites, something that you've never thought of, or whether you just like to be in the know, secret menus are "cool..."

Until you try and order something off-menu during the lunch time rush with a line of people out the door. Then, it's not so cool. Not for the restaurant employees who are slammed with orders, not for the people behind you trying to feed their pie holes during the 30 mins they have for lunch, and not for you when they make you wait an hour to get what you asked for.

So, here are some tips to keep your secret menu orders (or custom orders!) going smoothly:

Pizza Hut's Crown Crust Pizza Lands in Canada

Is the Crown Crust Pizza inching ever so closely to the US? Pizza Hut Canada now offers the infamous Crown Crust Pizza, which features a flattened crown-shaped crust with pockets of meatballs and cheesy "gems" baked into the crust.

The Crown Crust Pizza is available at Pizza Hut Canada for a limited time through April 14, 2013 and a large 2-topping Crown Crust Pizza is offered for $17.99 CAD (~$17.51 US).

News: Starbucks - New Hazelnut Macchiato

Starbucks adds a new Hazelnut Macchiato to their permanent menu nationwide. Apparently, hazelnut is the second favorite syrup added to their drink after vanilla.

While the Hazelnut could be ordered previously by ordering a Macchiato with hazelnut syrup instead of caramel, it is now listed on the menu.

Review: Papa John's - Steak and Cheese Pizza

Papa John's Steak and Cheese Pizza is their latest limited-time creation. It's topped with a mix of both pizza sauce and creamy garlic parmesan sauce, marinated steak slices, mozzarella cheese, and Italian herb seasoning.

A large-sized pizza is available for $11 (or $10 if you take advantage of their early week special, which runs Monday through Wednesday)

February 2013 News Archive

In case you missed them, here's a convenient list of all of Brand Eating's news posts for the month of February 2013:

Jack in the Box - New Hot Mess Burger
Dickey's Barbecue - New Spicy Chicken Sandwich
Subway - February 2013 Featured $5 Footlong
Hershey's - New Special Dark Milkshakes
Kashi - New BBQ Recipe Chicken Pizza

News: Baskin-Robbins - March 2013 Flavor of the Month

Baskin-Robbins once again goes with a basketball theme for their March 2013 Flavor of the Month with Reese's Buzzer Beater ice cream.

The flavor features a blend of peanut butter and chocolate-flavored ice cream mixed with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

News: Dunkin' Donuts Offers Irish Creme Donuts and Coffee Leading Up to St. Patty's Day

Leading up to St. Patrick's Day, Dunkin' Donuts is offering a new, limited-time Irish Creme Donut as well as a full line-up of new Irish Creme coffee drinks.

The Irish Creme Donut is available at participating Dunkin' Donuts locations nationwide, and consists of a sugared yeast donut with an Irish Creme-flavored filling, dusted with powdered sugar.

Review: Kellogg's - Special K Southwest Ranch Cracker Chips

Kellogg's Special K Southwest Ranch flavored Cracker Chips are marketed as a tasty snack you can eat a good amount of without overdoing it on the caloric intake.

The trade off is they tend to get less of the product for the same price: a 4-ounce box carries a regular price of $3.69 at my local supermarket, which is the same as a 9-ounce box of Triscuits.

KFC Japan Offers All-You-Can-Eat Special Menu... at One Location

KFC Japan offers a permanent "All-You-Can-Eat" buffet in all of one location in all of Japan. It's located in Osaka and has become somewhat of a tourist destination, where some people travel from around the country to check it out. Why?

Because it has special items like this:

Review: Remington - Teriyaki Flavored Hunters Sausage

Remington's Teriyaki Flavored Hunters Sausage are basically teriyaki flavored pork jerky sausage.

A 6-ounce bag carries a suggested retail of $6.49, but I received these courtesy of Trail Steaks who licenses the Remington brand for jerky.

News: McDonald's Dropping Chicken Selects and Fruit & Walnut Salad

McDonald's is dropping Chicken Selects and the Fruit & Walnut Salad from their menu, according to this report by Reuters. Angus Third Pounders are also under consideration for the chopping block.

The move comes as the chain faces stiff competition from its top rivals, Burger King and Wendy's, as well as from the fast casual sector (Chipotle, Panera, etc.).

News: Ruffles Brings Back Beer-Battered Onion Ring Flavored Chips

Frito Lay brings back Ruffles Beer-Battered Onion Ring-flavored potato chips for a limited time, but under their Ruffles Max (stylized as "MAX") label (for "flavors inspired by real-foods guys love with the maximum taste guys want").

The flavor was first introduced in late 2011, but in limited distribution. This time around, Ruffles Max Beer Battered Onion Rings are available nationwide.

Around the World: Could Egg be McDonald's Next Value Play?

McDonald's has long struggled to offer two beef patties on their value menu (going from the Double Cheeseburger to the McDouble and now offering the Daily Double for better margins).

Now, with rising beef prices, it looks like a possible solution is eggs.

Out in Malaysia, McDonald's has started offering egg as a beef patty substitute on their value menu with the new Beef & Egg and McEgg Deluxe.

Frozen Friday: Lean Cuisine - Asian-Style Chicken Salad Additions

Lean Cuisine's Asian-Style Chicken Salad Additions is a frozen half-meal that you have to supply your own lettuce to complete. The package provides a sesame ginger vinaigrette, a microwaveable package of grilled chicken, edamame, pineapple, broccoli, and yellow and orange carrots, and a packet of crispy noodles.

A 7.25-ounce box goes for $3.99, which means you're looking at a sale price range of $2 to $3.

News: Dairy Queen - March 2013 Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen's March 2013 Blizzard of the Month is suitably green for St. Patty's Day: the Mint Oreo Blizzard.

The flavor features Oreo cookie pieces blended with cool mint syrup and vanilla soft serve. Mint Oreo is also the featured Blizzard Cake of the Month.

News: Krispy Kreme - New White Chocolate Mocha and Hot Chocolate

Krispy Kreme now offers a White Chocolate Mocha and White Hot Chocolate for a limited time through April 21, 2013.

The new drinks are made using Ghiradelli's White Chocolate Sauce and are available at participating locations (although probably not in southern California, where Krispy Kreme shops tend to have a mini The Coffee Bean inside).

News: Subway - New $3 Six-Inch Select Subs

Subway is changing it up a bit this month. Instead of a Featured $5 Footlong, for March, Subway is offering a new $3 Six-Inch Select Sub and a Featured $6 Footlong Special in addition to a regular selection of $5 Footlong Subs.

Review: Burger King - New Smooth Roast Coffee

Burger King is offering their new Smooth Roast Coffee at 25 cents for a small cup for a limited time, so I popped in one morning to see if it was any good. The new coffee blend is custom-made for Burger King and features arabica coffee beans sourced from Latin America.

It's normally $1 for a small 12-ounce cup.

Around the World: Starbucks Japan - Sakura Season Menu

In an annual event similar to the Pumpkin Spice Latte here in the U.S., Sakura (meaning "cherry blossom") season is upon Starbucks Japan! Sakura season is when the cherry blossoms bloom in Japan (typically ranging from March to April) and droves of people in Japan stake out a spot at the park to view them (and picnic; drinking is usually involved).

News: Arby's Challenges Cities to Change Name to "Reubenville" Plus BOGO Offer

In a bit of a marketing stunt to promote their Classic Reuben sandwich, Arby's is issuing what they're calling the "Reubenville Challenge" to cities across the US. The challenge calls upon cities to rename themselves "Reubenville" for the month of March. The first city to do so will enjoy free Arby's Reuben sandwiches.

Review: Krispy Kreme - Oreo Donut Review

Krispy Kreme's Oreo Donut (or Cookies and Kreme Donut) is a yeast donut filled with Oreo-flavored creme, topped with dark chocolate icing and crushed Oreo pieces.

I picked one up for $1.19.

Around the World: Domino's India Offers the Cheesy Boloroni Pizza

Domino's India's latest crust option is the new Cheesy Boloroni Pizza, "boloroni" being a portmanteau of "bolognese" and "macaroni." Yes, it's a pizza with macaroni and a vegetarian bolognese sauce (I'm super curious as to what they put in a meatless version of a meat-based sauce...).

News: Dickey's Barbecue - $5 Westerner Sandwich on Mondays in March

Dickey's Barbecue offers their most popular sandwich, the Westerner, for a discounted price of $5 on every Monday in March.

The Westerner sandwich features two choices of meats (with nine different choices available, including beef, chicken, turkey, and pork options), cheese, pickles, onions, and barbecue sauce on a buttery roll. It's regularly priced around $7.75 (varying with location).

Giveaway Drawing: Champagne Glasses

Grey Poupon brand mustard has revived and updated their "Pardon Me" advertising campaign and are celebrating by giving me a set of two champagne glass flutes to give away.

To enter: Just leave a comment below declaring what you like to eat with mustard or say if you hate mustard (that's okay too). Only one comment per person please and the contest is only open to residents of the U.S. ages 18 and older. Please be sure to include your email address in the "email" field (and not in the comment section... you don't want spam!) as I will be contacting the winners via email.

News: Sonic - Half-Off Jumbo Popcorn Chicken on February 28

Sonic will be running a half-price promotion all day tomorrow, Thursday, February 28, 2013, on their regular or Spicy Jumbo Popcorn Chicken.

Sonic's Jumbo Popcorn Chicken are made of battered and deep-fried chunks of white meat chicken. Sauces available for dipping include Buttermilk Ranch, Honey Mustard, and Hickory BBQ, as well as new Smoked Chipotle and Berry Jalapeno.

Review: Taco Bell - Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco

Taco Bell's Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco is not quite yet available, but I got to try one at a recent preview in Los Angeles.

The taco is basically a Taco Bell Crunchy Taco (seasoned beef, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheese) with a specialized shell made of Cool Ranch Doritos tortilla chips.

You can expect them to cost $1.39 each (or $1.69 for the Supreme version) when they arrive on March 7.

News: Corner Bakery Cafe - New Turkey Monterey Panini

As winter comes to a close, Corner Bakery Cafe introduces a new panini sandwich: the Turkey Monterey Panini, as well as new Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup.

The Turkey Monterey Panini sandwich features smoked turkey, spinach, homemade asiago spread, and provolone cheese on sourdough bread, pressed on a panini grill.

News: California Pizza Kitchen - New Brussels Sprouts Pizza

California Pizza Kitchen introduces two new seasonal menu items: Brussels + Bacon Pizza and Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese Salad.

You can choose from a selection of crusts ( traditional, thin, or whole grain) for the Brussels plus Bacon Pizza, and it comes topped with caramelized onions, Nueske's applewood-smoked bacon, Romano and goat cheese, black pepper, and hand-separated, charred Brussels sprouts.