News: IHOP - New Signature Summer Pancakes

IHOP draws inspiration from jelly donuts and tiramisu for this year's new Signature Summer Pancakes. The rather elaborate pancakes are Banana Graham Nut Pancakes, Jelly Donut Pancakes, and Tiramisu Pancakes.

Here's a look at what you can expect from the new pancakes:

Banana Graham Nut Pancakes feature sliced bananas grilled inside buttermilk pancakes, layered with marshmallow cream, graham cracker crumb, and and honey-roasted pecans, topped with cinnamon cream cheese.

News: KFC - $3.99 2-Piece Grill Deal

With summer putting people in the barbecue mood, KFC is looking to channel that spirit into Kentucky Grilled Chicken sales with their new, limited-time $3.99 2-piece Grill Deal and 10-piece mixed Grill Bucket for $14.99.

The 2-piece Grill Deal includes two pieces of Grilled Chicken, an individual side and a biscuit for $3.99.

News: Taco Bell Tests Pork Carnitas Option for Cantina Bell Menu

Photo Credit: Anonymous

Taco Bell is trying out a pork carnitas option for their Cantina Bowls at a few locations in Southern California.

The test item features carnitas, Latin rice, black beans, a new spicy "green chili crema," and cheddar cheese that is steamed so that it melts, and then topped with sour cream, pico de gallo, corn salsa.

Review: Panera Bread - Peanut Butter Dream Cookie

Panera Bread's Peanut Butter Dream Cookie is a peanut butter cookie featuring all-natural peanut butter, toffee with almonds, and peanut butter-flavored chips.

It's $1.69 per cookie in my area.

News: Auntie Anne's - New Mini Pretzel Dogs

Auntie Anne's offers new Mini Pretzel Dogs as a bite-sized miniature version of their Pretzel Dogs. The mini dogs each feature a mini Nathan's Famous all-beef hot dog wrapped with a fresh-baked pretzel.

News: Hot Dog on a Stick - $1 Corn Dogs on June 13

Hot Dog on a Stick is celebrating what would be the 100th birthday of its founder on this Thursday, June 13, by offering their signature Hot Dog on a Stick (fresh battered and fried corn dog) for $1 each from 4pm to 8pm (limit 1 per person).

The deal isn't as good as in previous years where they were giving them out for free (and with no limit at some locations!), but $1 for a freshly battered and fried corn dog is still pretty nice (and certainly cheaper than you'd find at a fair).

Review: Tasty Bite - Kung Pao and Pad Thai Noodles

Tasty Bite's Kung Pao and Pad Thai flavors are part of their Asian Noodle line of all natural Asian noodle dishes. The Kung Pao is described as "fresh cooked noodles and vegetables tossed with peanuts in a zesty sauce" and the Pad Thai is described as "fresh cooked noodles topped with vegetables and crunchy peanuts." Both meals are vegan and kosher.

The 8.8-ounce microwavable pouches carry a suggested price of $3.29, but I received these courtesy of Tasty Bite.

News: Arizona Beverages - New Soda Shaq

In a strange bit of nomenclature, Arizona Beverages has joined up with famous, ex-basketball player Shaquille "Shaq" O'Neal to launch an all-natural cream soda line called "Soda Shaq." Even with the spelling, the name seems more place than thing.

News: TGI Fridays - New Spicy Baked Snacks

TGI Fridays adds two new spicy baked snack flavors to their licensed snack line-up with Extreme Heat Crunchy Fries and Jalapeno Poppers Snack Sticks.

Produced under license by Inventure Foods, Inc., the new snacks will come in various sizes and appear nationwide in retails stores and vending machines starting this summer.

News: New Kettle Corn and Butter Toffee Cracker Jacks

Along with the introduction of an offshoot brand (Cracker Jack'D), the original Cracker Jack brand of glazed popcorn and peanuts adds two new flavors, more peanuts, and modern prizes in celebration of their 120-year anniversary.

Frozen Friday - Nestle Limited Edition CinnaMunch Ice Cream Bars

Limited-edition Nestle CinnaMunch Bars feature "cinnamon flavored bars with cinnamon graham cracker pieces in a chocolatey coating."

A 15-ounce box of six bars retails for around $4.79, which ends up being around $2.99 on sale.

News: 7-Eleven Introduces New Breakfast Empanada Bites

Aiming to provide a Latin-inspired snack and/or breakfast option, 7-Eleven introduces new Breakfast Empanada Bites. They're mini, crescent-shaped pastries filled with eggs, cheese, bacon, smoked ham, and sausage.

An order of three is $1 at participating 7-Eleven stores.

News: Dunkin' Donuts Launches Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich Nationally

With all the buzz of its test a little over a month ago, it's no surprise that Dunkin' Donuts has launched the Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich nationwide as a permanent menu item at participating locations.

The sandwich features a split glazed donut sandwiching a fried egg and two slices of bacon for a breakfast blend of sweet and savory.

Review: Green Burrito - San Diego Burrito

Carl's Jr.-Green Burrito's  new San Diego Burrito is only available at Carl's Jr. and Green Burrito co-branded stores. It consists of charbroiled steak and French fries rolled up in a flour tortilla along with guacamole, salsa, and shredded Jack and cheddar.

My local Carl's Jr. restaurant offers them for $4.29 each.

News: Quiznos - BBQ Pulled Pork Returns

BBQ Pulled Pork is back at Quiznos with the limited-time return of the slightly-altered Southern BBQ Pulled Pork Sub and introduction of the Spicy BBQ Pulled Pork Sub.

The pulled pork that makes up the base for each sub is smoked with Applewood for four hours and slow roasted for another four hours.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - Two New Chicken Sandwiches

Dunkin' Donuts now offers two new breaded chicken sandwiches: the Barbecue Chicken Sandwich and Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwich.

Each sandwich features a lightly-breaded chicken breast, cheddar cheese slice, and a French roll, but the Barbecue version also comes with barbecue sauce and the Bacon Ranch tacks on ranch and bacon. Both are permanent additions to Dunkin's sandwich repertoire.

Custom Order - Poor Man's Big Mac AKA McDouble Mac

If you're pressed for cash at McDonald's but still want some of that Big Mac flavor, you can always custom order the Poor Man's Big Mac AKA McDouble Mac. The burger is more or less a McDouble with lettuce, onions, pickles, and Mac sauce added.

The price for me was $1.29 plus a 30 cents upcharge for the lettuce, but I've read of people being charged for Mac sauce and not lettuce before so whether there is an upcharge can vary.

News: Carl's Jr ./ Hardee's Tests Fresh Baked Buns

Following in the spirit of their Made from Scratch Biscuits, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are testing fresh baked hamburger buns for their premium Six Dollar Burgers and Thickburgers.

Like the biscuits, the buns are baked daily in-house at each test location. The buns come standard on the Six Dollar Burger and Thickburgers, but are also available on regular Carl's Jr./Hardee's burgers for a 30-cent upcharge.

News: Wendy's - $1.99 Kids' Meals After 4pm

Wendy's is offering $1.99 Kids' Meals after 4pm just in time for summer. It's a pretty good deal as Kids' Meals tend to run around $3.50 and up nowadays.

In addition to the limited-time promotion, they've also added the Grilled Chicken Go Wrap as an entree option for the Kids' Meals.

Around the World: Domino's UK Tests Flying Delivery

Domino's UK is testing the DomiCopter, a remote-controlled aircraft that can carry and deliver pizza without having to deal with mundane things like traffic and stop signs.

While it's more a marketing/publicity stunt than anything, the idea is a cool (if impractical) concept that appeals to one's inner geek.

News: El Pollo Loco Brings Back Carnitas

El Pollo Loco is once again offering Pork Carnitas for a limited time. The meat is slowly braised and is available in a taco, burrito, or stuffed quesadilla.

The Pork Carnitas Taco comes with carnitas, caramelized onions, tomatillo verde (green) salsa, cotija cheese, and cilantro folded in a corn tortilla.

News: Pizza Hut - $5.55 1-Topping, Large Pizza Anniversary Deal

Pizza Hut turns 55 on June 15 and from now until then, they're offering 1-topping, large pizzas for only $5.55, but only for carryout orders. 

Review: Burger King - Oreo Shake

Burger King's Oreo Shake is a limited-time summer menu item that blends together vanilla soft serve, Oreo cookie pieces, and vanilla sauce before finishing with some whipped topping.

A 12-ounce small-size cup was $2.49.

News: Red Robin - New Can-Crafted Cocktails

With an interesting concept, Red Robin is expanding beyond beer milkshakes this summer with two new "Can-Crafted" beer cocktails, each served in an exclusive, limited-edition, reusable beer can.

The cans were developed over the last year and are made with a sturdier aluminum than you'd find in a regular beer can, while retaining the same look and feel minus the top.

News: Taco Bell Tests Power Fresco Menu

Taco Bell is testing a protein-laden version of their better-for-you Fresco menu and calling it the "Fresco Power" menu at a couple locations here in Southern California.

The menu basically a Cantina Bell menu minus a few of the carb-heavy or higher calorie ingredients. Specifically, the cilantro dressing, Latin rice, and beans (except for the bowl) are out.

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

Baskin-Robbins goes vanilla for this June's Flavor of the Month. Triple Vanilla that is. The new ice cream flavor features Classic Vanilla, French Vanilla, and Vanilla Bean ice cream swirled together.

News: Arby's - New Turkey Bacon Florentine Sandwich

Arby's adds the new, limited-time Turkey Bacon Florentine sandwich to their Market Fresh Sandwich line up for the summer and also brings back the Pecan Chicken Salad sandwich.

"Florentine" being Arby's fancy way of saying that it comes with spinach, the Turkey Bacon Florentine sandwich also includes thin-sliced turkey, pepper bacon, tomato and onion slices, and bacon dressing on honey wheat bread. If bread isn't your thing, it's also available in a whole grain wrap.

Review: Starbucks - Stoneground Dijon Bavarian-Style Pretzel

Starbucks' Stoneground Dijon Bavarian-Style Pretzel is a soft pretzel with stoneground Dijon mustard baked into its middle.

They sell for $2.25 each, but Starbucks' bakery stock tends to vary from store to store and I visited two locations before I came upon these at a third.

News: Burger King - 50 Cent Cones Through August 5th

Burger King is looking to be your soft serve destination this summer by offering their Vanilla Soft Serve Cones for only 50 cents each at participating locations thorough August 5.

News: Dairy Queen - June 2013 Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen's June 2013 Blizzard of the Month is the new S'mores Blizzard. It is available all summer long and features marshmallow-filled chocolate bars and Honey Maid graham crackers blended with vanilla soft serve.

Along with the Blizzard, you can get the flavor in shake and frozen hot chocolate form. As usual, the S'mores Blizzard is also available as a Blizzard cake.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - Free Donut with Beverage Purchase on June 7 Plus Two New Summer Donuts

Like Krispy Kreme and Tim Hortons, Dunkin' Donuts is also celebrating National Donut Day (June 7) this year and offering guests a free donut of their choice with any beverage purchase.

The deal is only good on Friday, June 7, 2013 at participating Dunkin' Donuts locations worldwide.

Dunkin' Donuts is also offering new Summer Fruit donuts featuring two new donuts in Key Lime and Lemonade flavors.

Review: Chocolate Chewy Chips Ahoy with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Nabisco's Chocolate Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies made with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are chocolaty cookies with chocolate chips, Reese's Peanut Butter cup pieces, and peanut butter baking chips.

A 9.5-ounce package goes for $2.99 at my local supermarket.

News: The Coffee Bean - Afternoon Buy One, Get One Free on Select Ice Blended Drinks

The Coffee Bean is offering a "buy one, get one free" offer on a selection of their Ice Blended beverages from Monday, June 3 through Friday, June 7, between 2pm and 6pm.

During the promotional period, customers can purchase either Rocky Road, Birthday Cake (the chain is celebrating its 50th birthday), or Mocha Ice Blended drinks and get another one of equal or less value for free (limit one per customer per visit) at participating Coffee Bean locations.

News: Two New Varieties of Kashi Steam Meals for Two

Kashi offers two new vegetarian Steam Meals for two: Three Cheese Ravioli and Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto.

Like everything Kashi seems to make, the meals come with their seven whole grain blend (I'm still waiting on a seven-whole grain drink).

Each meal comes in a microwavable bag that steams the food as it cooks and contains two servings of food.

Review: Cracker Jack'D Salted Caramel Sweet 'n Savory Clusters

Cracker Jack'D Salted Caramel Sweet 'n Savory Clusters feature popcorn covered in a layer of buttery salted caramel and small almond pieces.

A 3.125-ounce bag goes for a suggested retail price of $2.49, but I received this bag courtesy of Cracker Jack'D/Frito Lay.

News: Snyder's of Hanover Unveils 7 New Products

Snyder's of Hanover is out with four new types of flavored pretzels and three new varieties of reduced fat tortilla chips.

Here's a list of the new additions:

- Roasted Garlic & Herb Nibblers feature naturally-aged sourdough pretzels broken into bite-sized pieces and seasoned with a blend of roasted garlic and savory herbs. They're available in 12-ounce bags for around $3.69.

News: Subway - June Featured $5 Footlong

Subway's Featured $5 Footlong for June is the Oven Roasted Chicken with Spinach, which features a base of oven-roasted chicken and spinach plus your choice of bread, condiments, and veggies.

It looks like they're doing away with the $3 Six-Inch Select Sub this month (perhaps because it was the Oven Roasted Chicken the last two months and that would be a bit redundant with the Featured Footlong this month).

Frozen Friday: Ben & Jerry's - Peanut Butter World

Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter World is a Target-exclusive flavor featuring milk chocolate ice cream with peanut buttery swirls and chocolate cookie swirls.

A pint retails for $4.09 at Target.

News: Popeyes Brings Back Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken

Garlic Pepper Wicked Chicken is back at Popeyes for a limited time and with a promotional combo for $3.99. The dish features chicken breast strips, marinated in garlic and black pepper before battered and deep-fried.

News: Tim Hortons - Free Donut Coupon for June 7

For the fourth year in a row, Tim Hortons is offering their US Facebook fans coupons good for a free donut with any purchase valid only on June 7, which is National Donut Day.

Neat! Coca-Cola Ice Bottle

Translated: "Cold to the last drop."

With summer fast approaching, Coca-Cola offers the new Coke Ice Bottle to beach-goers in Colombia. It's literally a Coke bottle made of ice and filled with the bubbly drink, so you never have to worry about your drink going warm (because the bottle will melt before then!).

Review: Taco Bell - Spicy Beef Mini Quesadilla

Taco Bell's Spicy Beef Mini Quesadilla is part of their current $1 Cravings menu test. It's a folded and pressed taco-sized flour tortilla filled with ground beef, 3-cheese blend, and spicy chipotle sauce.

I picked one up for, you guessed it, $1.

Around the World: Pizza Hut Sweden Offers the Pizza Sun

Looks like putting a hole in the middle of your pizza is becoming a little bit of a thing. Over in Sweden, Pizza Hut is currently offering the limited-time Pizza Sun. 

While it doesn't resemble the sun anymore than any other pizza, it does have a hole in the middle where a mixed green salad can be found (i.e. stuff that needs the sun to grow).

News: Wendy's Berry Almond Chicken Salad is Back

Wendy's popular summer salad, the Berry Almond Chicken Salad, is once again back for its yearly appearance.

The salad features seasonal US blueberries and California strawberries, warm, grilled chicken breast, and 11 types of greens (including Romaine and iceberg lettuces) topped with almonds roasted with sea salt, and shaved Asiago cheese.

News: Corner Bakery Cafe - New Garden-inspired Menu

Corner Bakery Cafe goes for a garden theme with seasonal ingredients for their latest slate of limited-time offerings. The new menu items include a Garden Gate Scrambler, Spring Asparagus soup and Roast Beef & Goat Cheese sandwich.

Here's the full line-up:

Review: McDonald's - Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder

McDonald's Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder comes with a quarter-pound ground beef patty, processed white cheddar, thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon, habanero ranch sauce, a tomato slice, and leaf lettuce on a toasted, bakery-style bun (the same one used for their premium chicken sandwiches).

My local McDonalds offers all the new "topped" Quarter Pounders for $3.99 each.

News: Krispy Kreme - Free Donuts on National Donut Day

Krispy Kreme will be celebrating National Donut Day, on Friday, June 7, by offering free donuts of any variety to visitors at any participating Krispy Kreme locations in Canada or the US.

No purchase is necessary to grab your free donut on June 7, 2013.

Around the World: KFC Singapore - New Deep-Fried Shrimp Pasta Roll

They call it the Cheesy Pasta Shrimp. At KFC Singapore, it's their latest, new limited-time offer and is basically pieces of shrimp, pasta, and cheese, shaped into a cylindrical roll before battered and deep-fried. 

Interestingly, it's seems to be something they've offered before, although with slightly different fillings.

News: Applebee's - 2013 Featured Summer Menu

Applebee's is featuring two new dishes for their "Fresh Flavors of the Summer" menu. The two new dishes are Blackened Sirloin & Garlicky Green Beans and Margarita Queso Chicken & Shrimp. Applebee is also offering new Lunch Combos starting at $6.99 each.

Blackened Sirloin & Garlicky Green Beans features a 7-oz sirloin steak rubbed with blackened seasoning and basted lime butter, served crispy red potatoes tossed in a tomato pesto sauce. Garlicky green beans and chunky Roma pepper relish rounds out the dish.

Review: Burger King's Chunky Cookie with Oreo Pieces

Burger King's Chunky Cookie with Oreo Pieces has a pretty clunky albeit descriptive name. It's basically a chocolate chip cookie, but with bits and pieces of Oreo wafers rather than chocolate chips.

My local Burger King sells them at $1 a piece.