News: McDonald's - Three New Quarter Pounders

You might remember last year, when I posted that McDonald's was testing three new varieties of their signature Quarter Pounder burger as a possible replacement for Angus Third Pounders. They've since gotten rid of the Angus Third Pounder and the new Quarter Pounder variants are slated to arrive mid-June of this year (i.e. next month). Some locations have already started to offer them.

McDonald's is also replacing their paper-thin bacon and switching to thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon (like Wendy's).

Here's the three new Quarter Pounders and what you can expect from them:

News: Domino's - $5.99 2-Topping Large Pizzas Through June 2

Domino's is offering a pretty nice deal on large, 2-topping pizzas this week. Through June 2, you can get large, 2-topping pizzas for carryout at your local participating Domino's store for only $5.99 each. The deal is valid for carryout orders only.

News: Taco Bell Tests Oatmeal and Yogurt Parfaits

Besides novel items like the Waffle Taco, Taco Bell is also testing healthier (or more environmentally-friendly) options for their menu: A few Taco Bell restaurants in Southern California are testing Fruit-Topped Oatmeal, Yogurt Parfaits, and Premium Hot (and Iced) Coffee.

Fruit-Topped Oatmeal is offered for breakfast and topped with strawberries and blueberries with granola and brown sugar on the side. Oatmeal has been a pretty standard add-on at quite a few fast food chains, so it's no surprise that Taco Bell is trying it as well. The oatmeal is being offered at 99 cents, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were offered around the more standard $2 mark should it make it onto the menu.

Review: McDonald's - Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

McDonald's new Berry Pomegranate Smoothie features blueberry and raspberry purees with pomegranate juice as part of a smoothie base mix blended with ice and lowfat yogurt.

A small 12-ounce cup retails for $2.29 in my area, but I received this one courtesy of McDonald's.

Around the World: McDonald's Hong Kong - New Black and White Burgers

McDonald's Hong Kong is going with a black-and-white motif for their latest limited time burgers: the Black Burger and the White Burger.

News: New Iron Chef America Frozen Meals

Photo Credit: Iron Chef America

The Iron Chef America brand is lending itself to a line of "A La Cuisine" home meal kits (the name seems to be a play on the Chairman's famous catch phrase, "Allez Cuisine"). The line currently features eight varieties: Mongolian Beef, Butter Chicken, Sesame Beef, Spicy Szechuan Chicken, Chicken Garam Masala, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Thai Green Curry Beef, and Mandarin Orange Beef. They're meant to serve four people and take about 12 minutes to prepare.

Review: Cracker Jack'D - Spicy Pizzeria and Buffalo Ranch Intense Mixes

Cracker Jack'D Intense Mixes are crunchy mixes with "big, intense flavor" and come in two varieties: Spicy Pizzeria and Buffalo Ranch. Both feature a mix of hard pretzel pieces, crunchy corn kernels (think Corn Nuts), and crispy corn sticks but with different flavorings.

A 3.5-ounce package comes with a suggested retail price of $2.49. I received these courtesy of Cracker Jack'D.

News: Jamba Juice - BOGO Smoothie Offer Through June 2

Jamba Juice kicks off the summer by offering a "buy one, get one free" deal on any smoothie of any size via coupon.

News: Church's Chicken - New Texas Chicken

Church's Chicken introduces new, limited-time Texas Chicken. Evoking the backyard grill, the new chicken is neither breaded or battered and is instead dusted with "a special blend of Texas seasonings that melts into a barbecue glaze."

Review: 7-Eleven - Oddball Orange Slurpee

7-Eleven's Fanta Oddball Orange Slurpee is a limited-time flavor on rotation this summer. It's a kumquat-flavored Slurpee slush drink.

I picked up a 20-ounce cup for 49 cents under the Memorial Day weekend promo, but they're normally around $1.49.

News: Red Baron - New Hawaiian and Spicy Pepperoni Pizzas

Red Baron is out with a few new pizzas that add a little more flavor than the standard frozen pizzas.

The new varieties being offered are Classic Crust Hawaiian, Fire Baked Spicy Pepperoni and Deep Dish Singles Hawaiian.

News: Fatburger to Sell Frozen Patties at Walmart

Fatburger is branching out into the frozen food aisle and will offer their signature beef patties in frozen packs of six exclusively at Walmart starting in June (although select locations are already selling them).

Each box will contain six third-pound patties for a total of 2 pounds and be priced around the $7 to $8 mark (varying with location).

Frozen Friday: Ben & Jerry's - Volun-Tiramisu Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's Volun-Tiramisu ice cream is available exclusively at Target and features coffee marscarpone ice cream with cocoa dusted coffee rum lady finger pieces.

I picked up a single-serve cup for $1.19.

News: Panda Express - Free Orange Chicken on May 31 and June 21 After 9pm

Panda Express once again switches to summer hours at participating stand-alone/street (i.e. non-mall) locations and are celebrating by offering free single entrees of their popular Orange Chicken after 9pm on this upcoming Friday, May 31 and again on Friday, June 21 (Summer Solstice).

Around the World: McDonald's Japan - New Mega Potato Order of Fries

Just in case a large order of fries isn't enough for sharing, McDonald's Japan is offering the Mega Potato for a limited time. Twice the size of a large order of fries, I'm surprised they didn't just offer it in a bucket. Instead, they went with a ridiculously wide version of a large fry container.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Super Bacon Cheeseburger

Carl's Jr.'s new, limited-time Super Bacon Cheeseburger (and Hardee's Super Bacon Thickburger) is offered as a promotional tie-in with the upcoming Superman movie (Man of Steel). It's main feature is that it contains 6 strips of bacon. The rest of the burger is pretty standard: toasted sesame bun, American cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo.

These are $4.19 each for the single patty version at my local Carl's Jr. restaurant.

Around the World: KFC Japan Offers the Handy Salad

KFC Japan is currently offering an interesting take on the salad wrap called the Handy Salad, which doesn't contain any chicken or any meat or soy protein for that matter. It's simply various veggies wrapped in a flour tortilla with sauce. It's called a "Handy Salad" because you can conveniently eat it in one hand.

Inside the Handy Salad, you'll find grilled zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, lettuce, and a tomato salsa. It's being offered at 220 yen (~$2.17 US) each.

News: 7-Eleven's #Awesummer Kicks Off with 49-Cent Slurpees This Weekend

7-Eleven is kicking off a slew of summer deals and exclusives starting tomorrow with 49-cent medium-size Slurpees through Memorial Day (Monday, May 27). They're collectively calling the promotion "#Awesummer" (and even explain the hashtag: "It's called a hashtag(#) and it's used in social media to categorize posts. For example, this answer would be posted with #informative.").

Along with the three-day Slurpee deal, 7-Eleven is also offering a number of exclusive versions of some popular branded snacks and drinks including:

News: Burger King Delivery Expands to Las Vegas and Sacramento

It looks like Burger King's delivery service, BK Delivers, is doing quite well in the select markets it's operating in, because they're now expanding the program to Las Vegas and Sacramento.

Specifically, Burger King has four locations in North Las Vegas offering the service and plans to expand to eight locations within the new few months to cover South Las Vegas.

Review: Wendy's - Frosty Waffle Cones

Wendy's Frosty Waffle Cones are a new option on their trademark Frosty frozen dairy dessert where its served in a waffle cones rather than a cup.

They cost $1.49 each in my area and are available in Chocolate and Vanilla. I received these courtesy of Wendy's.

News: Caribou Coffee - New Lite Sparkling Teas and Juices

Caribou Coffee is offering four new Lite Sparkling Teas and Juices with half the calories of the regular versions.

The new drinks are made with real fruit and tea and come in four fairly self-explanatory flavors: Green Tea Lemonade, Peach Black Tea, Lemon Ginger Pomegranate Juice, and limited-time Apple Raspberry Juice.

News: Yoshinoya Testing New Asian Chicken Salad

Japanese beef bowl chain Yoshinoya is testing a new Asian Chicken Salad at 10 select locations here in Southern California.

The salad features grilled chicken breast slices, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, daikon, and fried wonton strips over a baby spinach and lettuce blend with a cilantro-ginger vinaigrette for dressing.

The Asian Chicken Salad is offered at $5.99, which is comparable to most fast food salads. Fast food salads  tend to fall within the $5 to $7 range for the most part.

Review: Taco Bell - Spicy Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco

Taco Bell's new Fiery Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco is something they're testing at a few locations here in Southern California. It features a Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco shell, filled with new shredded chicken, new Fiery Sauce, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheddar cheese. The Supreme version tacks on sour cream and tomato sauce.

Update 5/8/14 - It's now been released nationally for a limited time as the "Spicy Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Loco Tacos." They changed it to "Spicy" since they already have the Fiery Doritos Locos Taco.

The price was 79 cents for the regular and 99 cents for the Supreme.

News: Carl's Jr./Hardee's - New Super Bacon Cheeseburger

Apparently, "super" means "six strips of" at Carl's Jr. and Hardee's as they offer the new Super Bacon Cheeseburger as a promotional tie-in with the upcoming Man of Steel summer blockbuster. The burger comes with a bacon-nest of six strips of bacon, one of three choices of charbroiled beef patties, American cheese, tomato, lettuce, and onion.

The Super Bacon Cheeseburger is available individually or in a combo, with prices starting at $3.99.

News: Taco Bell - Beefy Crunch Burrito Returns

Starting this Thursday, Taco Bell is once again bringing back the Beefy Crunch Burrito. Last seen early last year, the burrito features Flamin' Hot Fritos, seasoned ground beef, nacho cheese, seasoned rice, and sour cream wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Besides a la carte at 99 cents each, the Beefy Crunch Burrito will also be available in a $5 Buck Box (combo meal along with a Crunchy Taco, Crunchwrap Supreme, and Medium Drink) with an NBA tie-in and QR Code for exclusive NBA-related content.

News: McDonald's - New Dulce De Leche Shake

McDonald's is tapping the caramelized, milky flavor of a Latin American dessert for their upcoming new, limited-time Dulce De Leche Shake. The shake features reduced fat vanilla ice cream blended with caramel syrup, topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

I imagine the flavor wouldn't be too different from if you stirred up one of McDonald's caramel sundaes, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Review: Burger King - Rib Sandwich

Burger King's new, limited-time Rib Sandwich is rather minimalistic and features a boneless rib patty, sweet and tangy BBQ Sauce, and butter pickles, on a toasted artisan-style bun.

It's offered at $3.99 in my neighborhood.

News: Taco Bell Tests Fiery Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco

It looks like Taco Bell might add a bit more variety to the Cool Ranch base of the Doritos Locos Tacos: they're testing the Fiery Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco at a few locations out here in Southern California.

While Taco Bell has offered two different version of the Doritos Locos Tacos (Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch), the test marks the first time that they're tinkering with what goes inside the shell.

News: Denny's - New Red, White, and Blue Plate Specials

Denny's latest limited-time menu draws on the patriotic summer season between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July and is called the "Red, White, and Blue Plate Specials."

While some of the dishes contain a red, white and blue theme, others are decidedly ordinary. Here's the all-new line up:

Review: Caesar's Palace - Bacchanal Buffet

I recently was in Vegas and tried the new Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's Palace, which replaced my beloved Lago. Like most buffets, the selection varies depending on the time of day, but is also updated from time to time. Throughout the course of the day, over 500 items are made available and I aimed to sample as much of the lunch set as possible.

News: Sonic - 50 Cent Corn Dogs to Mark the End of School Year

Sonic is celebrating National End of School Day, this Thursday, May 23, by offering their Corn Dogs for 50 cents each all day long, on the day.

Sonic's Corn Dogs feature a hot dog dipped in sweet corn battered and then deep-fried until crispy and browned.

Around the World: Domino's Expands American Legends Line to UK

The American Legends line of specialty pizzas has been on the Domino's menu here in the US since 2009 and now it's made its way across the Pond to the UK with two new American-themed pizzas: the Carolina (doesn't specify "North" or "South") and the New York Deli pizzas.

Review: Corner Bakery - Chicken Pesto Sandwich and Asian Wonton Salad

I got half a Corner Bakery's Chicken Pesto Sandwich and side Asian Wonton Salad as a Corner Combo where you can mix and match sandwiches, salads, and soups to create your own combo.

The price came out to $7.99.

News: McDonald's - New Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

The latest addition to McDonald's smoothie line-up, the new Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie, makes its appearance this month. To promote the new drink, McDonald's is offering it in a 12-ounce, small size for $1 starting Tuesday, May 21 through Thursday, May 23.

It features blueberry and raspberry purees with pomegranate juice as part of a smoothie base mix, plus ice and lowfat yogurt, blended together.

Between the blueberries and pomegranates, you have to imagine there are a decent amount of antioxidents going on here.

Around the World: Burger King Malaysia's New Breakfast Line-Up Adopts a Gangland Flair

Burger King Malaysia takes a gangland theme for the nomenclature of their new "Boss of Breakfast" line up. The menu sports names like "The Hit," "Swiss Joe," and, of course, "The Boss." Some of the names leave you to wonder what's actually in the sandwiches, but at least you know there's egg in the "Big Egg-O."

Here's a breakdown of the menu:

News: Baskin-Robbins - New Sherbet Flavored Bars for Retail Stores

Baskin-Robbins looks to expand beyond their scoop shops and have licensed their brand to Jel Sert to produce new Sherbet Flavored Freezer Bars to be sold in supermarkets and drugstores.

The new bars are available in two varieties:  Rock 'N Pop Swirl and Rainbow Sherbet.

Frozen Friday: Klondike - Original Choco Tacos

Klondike's Choco Tacos are basically sundae cones fashioned into the shape of a taco. The "taco's" shell is made of sugar cone. It's filled with light vanilla ice cream with a chocolate-flavored swirl and topped with a milk chocolate-flavored coating and chopped peanuts.

A 14 fl-oz box of four Choco Tacos goes for around $3.99 in my area.

Around the World: McDonald's Arabia Offers "The French" Burger

Offering a "taste of the world" is a common promotion for McDonald's. Not in the US, but globally, menus, or menu items, inspired by other locales and countries seem to pop up quite a lot. Currently, McDonald's Arabia is offering "The French," which is a hamburger patty in a black pepper sauce (like a pan sauce maybe?), served simply with slivered onions on a bun. I think they're going to a steak au poivre kind of feel.

Previously, McDonald's Arabia offered similarly-themed burgers with names like "The Asian," "The Mexican," and "The Turkish."

Review: Taco Bell - Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla

Taco Bell's new Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla is part of their new, updated $1 Cravings Menu test and offers hope to those who aren't fond of the more citrusy chicken offered at Taco Bell. It features marinated shredded chicken, along with a 3-cheese blend folded, and pressed inside a small flour tortilla (think soft taco-sized)

Like the rest of the menu, a Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla will set you back $1.

News: Burger King - 2013 Featured Summer Menu

Burger King's limited-time Summer BBQ menu features a new Rib Sandwich that immediately brings to mind McDonald's McRib.

Also notable for this year's summer menu are a slew of Oreo desserts and the return of several items from last year's menu, such as the Memphis BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich and Sweet Potato Fries.

Review: Starbucks - Sweet Lemon Cake Pop

Starbucks' Sweet Lemon Cake Pop features vanilla white cake and lemon butter cream covered in white chocolate icing and colorful sprinkles.

They're $1.50 each or two for $2.50.

News: California Pizza Kitchen - Limited-Edition Wine-Sauce Pizzas

California Pizza Kitchen's frozen-pizza line has been offering two limited-edition pizzas showcasing wine-based sauces. There's the Grilled Chicken Pizza with Cabernet Sauce and the Roasted Vegetables Pizza with Chardonnay Sauce. Both pizzas come on a crispy thin crust.

The Grilled Chicken Pizza comes topped with a Cabernet marinara sauce, grilled white-meat chicken, spinach, roma tomatoes, rosemary, black pepper, mozzarella, parmesan, and gouda.

News: Panera Bread - 2013 Featured Summer Menu

Panera Bread celebrates this year's spring to summer transition with new dishes featuring shrimp or seasonal fruit (although not together). The two headliners for 2013's featured summer menu are the new Shrimp Salad Roll and Chilled Shrimp & Soba Noodle Salad.

Here's the full line-up of new and returning items this summer:

Review: Taco Bell - Beef Crunchito

You might think Taco Bell's Beef Crunchito is a crunchy burrito from the name, but it's actually a taco with a fried flour tortilla shell, filled with seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, and shredded cheddar cheese.

It's part of Taco Bell's current $1 Cravings Menu test and goes for $1 (surprise!).

News: Kellogg's - New Peanut Butter Pop-Tarts

According to Kellogg's, peanut butter is what teens want. So, in that vein, they've come up with new Peanut Butter Pop-Tarts under the moniker "Pop-Tarts Gone Nutty."

The new Pop-Tarts are available in two flavors: Peanut Butter and Frosted Chocolate Peanut Butter.

News: Wendy's Now Offers Frosty Waffle Cones

For those of you tired of eating your Frosty out of a cup with a spoon or a French fry, it seems Wendy's has heard you, and you can now eat your Frosty out of a waffle cone with a spoon or or fries, or with your mouth (strange I know!).

The new Frosty Waffle Cone has arrived just in time for summer and is available in vanilla or chocolate flavors.

News: Krispy Kreme - Free Donuts for Checking In on Foursquare

It looks like Krispy Kreme is cross-promoting their Foursquare partnership and Key Lime donuts with an offer for a free Key Lime donut each for both you and a friend when you "check-in" using Foursquare at participating Krispy Kreme locations on Wednesday, May 15, and again on Wednesday, May 22.

Key Lime donuts are available in two varieties: Key Lime Cake and Key Lime Cheesecake.

Review: Arby's - Potato Cakes

Arby's Potato Cakes are an available substitute side instead their Curly Fries. They're basically hash browns, which is to say they're deep-fried patties of shredded potato.

An order of two Potato Cakes is $1.79 in my area.

News: Taco Bell's $1 Cravings Menu Test Update

It looks like Taco Bell's $1 Cravings Menu is increasingly likely to replace the "Why Pay More Menu" as their value menu. Everything on the test menu is $1 rather than the .79-, .89-, and .99-cent price points of the "Why Pay More" menu. The Cravings menu has been revised and updated quite a bit since I last wrote about it last year.

While the "Beefy," "Cheesy," "Spicy," "Sweet," and "Crunchy" categories still apply, the menu items that fall under each have changed quite a bit.

Here's what the menu looks like now by categories/"Cravings" (I've added descriptions for the new stuff and links to reviews where appropriate):

News: Bruegger's Offers New Sriracha Egg Sandwich

Bruegger's Bagels adds Sriracha chili sauce to their breakfast sandwich line up with the new Sriracha Egg Sandwich. The sandwich feature egg, sausage, cheddar cheese, red bell peppers and sriracha on a choice of any bagel.