Review: Panda Express - Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

Panda Express' Grilled Teriyaki Chicken features grilled marinated chicken filets sliced-to-order with a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce.

It costs the same as the rest of Panda Express's entrees and I picked up a 2-entree plate for $6.59.

News: Evolution Fresh Juice and Snacks Now at Whole Foods Markets

Starbuck's Evolution Fresh brand of cold-pressed juices and new Evolution Fresh Harvest snacks are now available nationwide at Whole Foods Market.

The Whole Foods' Evolution Fresh drink selection includes 12 popular juices as well as two exclusive juices: Organic Ruby Roots and Organic Sweet Burn.

News: Arby's - New Snack 'N Save Value Menu

Arby's has changed up their value menu and renamed it the new Snack 'N Save menu. The menu contains 13 items ranging from $1 to $2.99 in price.

Review: Burger King - Buffalo Chicken Strips

Burger King's new Buffalo Chicken Strips are available through October and feature their standard battered and deep-fried Chicken Strips tossed in a hot and spicy Buffalo sauce.

An order of three strips was $3.29.

News: Burger King Announces Fall 2013 Menu

Burger King is offering a pared down duo of limited-time menu items this fall compared to the menu barrage of last year. Included is the previously reported new $1 French Fry Burger and the returning Chicken Parmesan Sandwich.

The French Fry Burger will be introduced on September 1 and features a flame-broiled beef patty topped with French fries, lettuce, ketchup, and mayonnaise on a warm toasted sesame seed bun.

News: Wendy's - Flatbread Grilled Chicken Sandwiches Return

They haven't been gone for very long, but it seems like they were popular enough because Flatbread Grilled Chicken sandwiches are back for a limited-time at Wendy's.

Coming in two varieties, Asiago Ranch and Smoky Honey Mustard, the sandwiches' common features are toasted, multi-grain artisan flatbread, sliced grilled chicken, sliced tomatoes, and a spring mix with over nine types of greens.

Review: Five Guys - Cajun Fries

Five Guys' Cajun Fries are their other option for French Fries and feature fresh-cut skin-on potatoes fried to a crisp doneness and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning.

I picked up a "Little Fry" (their smallest size) for $2.49.

News: Del Taco - Free Wednesdays Promo Returns

Del Taco is bringing back the Free Wednesdays deal for the next three Wednesdays starting tomorrow, August 28, 2013. September 4 and September 11 are the other two days for the offer.

On the days of the promotion, you can get any Buck & Under value menu item for free with any purchase between the hours of 3pm and 9pm at participating Del Taco locations.

Del Taco's Buck & Under Menu features 11 items for $1 or less including:

News: Bojangles - Smoked Sausage Biscuit is Back

The limited-time Smoked Sausage Biscuit is back at Bojangles and will be available through October 6 at participating locations.

The simple sandwich features a slow-cooked smoked sausage split lengthwise and served inside of a made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuit.

News: Burger King - New French Fry Burger

Starting in September, Burger King will unveil their latest value-menu burger, the new French Fry Burger. Basically Burger King is offering to do for you something you might already do, which is to stick a few French fries (four according to the AP) inside of your burger.

Review: Little Caesars - Stuffed Crust Pizza

Little Caesars' Stuffed Crust Pizza is an option at some Little Caesars locations and features a hand-tossed pizza with a sizably thick crust filled with cheese for $8.99.

There's also an option to "crazy crust it," where you can have them brush the crust with a garlic butter-flavored spread ("buttery flavor") and sprinkle on a generous amount of parmesan cheese in the same fashion as their Crazy Bread.

News: Subway to Offer Garlic Bread Sandwich Option Starting September

Starting this Sunday, September 1, Subway will be offering new garlic bread as a limited-time option with their sandwiches. That's right. Starting September 1, you'll be able to get a Meatball Marinara on garlic bread... now if only they offered spaghetti noodles, your Italian meal would be complete.

News: Caribou Coffee Returns Pumpkin Menu for Fall 2013

Because we're getting close to the fall, Caribou Coffee aims to help you get into the season with the return of four limited-time pumpkin menu items: Pumpkin Latte, Pumpkin White Chocolate Mocha, Pumpkin Chai, and Pumpkin Bread.

The Pumpkin Latte features espresso, pumpkin sauce made from real pumpkin, and frothy steamed milk.

Review: Wetzel's Pretzels - Original Pretzel

In the shopping malls in my area, Wetzel's Pretzels and Auntie Anne's tend to vie for the same territory. Both offer similar inventories but Wetzel's tends to cost a little less.

When I picked up this Original Pretzel (buttered without added pretzel salt), they were running a two for $4 special, but I ended up just getting one for $2.49.

Around the World: Pizza Hut Singapore's Latest is Basically a Calzone Crust Pizza

Pizza Hut Singapore has a bit of a rep for coming up with some strange pizzas, so it's no surprise when their latest, the new Fully Loaded Pizza, essentially has a crust made up of mini-calzones filled with cream cheese, minced chicken, and spinach.

Around the World: Wendy's Malaysia - New Pizzario Burger

Wendy's Malaysia's new Pizzario Burger attempts to mix pizza with burger by adding a tomato-based "Italian sauce" (i.e. pizza sauce) to a fairly standard cheeseburger.

Oddly enough, they went with American cheese rather than a more Italian provolone or mozzarella. The rest of the burger is pretty run-of-the-mill, if minimalistic: an Australian beef patty, chicken crisp (a halal stand-in for bacon), and toasted bun.

Review: Muller - FrutUp Yogurt with Fruit Mousse

Muller is a German brand of yogurt recently launched here in the US via a joint venture between Muller and PepsiCo through their Quaker brand. Muller FrutUps feature something I haven't seen before: a layer of fruit mousse on top of a equal layer of lowfat yogurt.

They were introduced last year but I've only ever seen them at Von's in my area. I picked up a Strawberry-flavored one and Lemon-flavored cup for 88 cents each on sale.

Around the World: McDonald's Norway Celebrates 30 Years with Anniversary Burger

McDonald's is celebrating 30 years in Norway by offering two menu items featuring Norwegian favorites: a special Anniversary Burger made with Jarlsberg cheese and a McFlurry made with Friea brand Norwegian milk chocolate.

Around the World: KFC Germany - New Indian Twister

While it has some traction abroad, curry isn't something that's been embraced by fast food chains in the US. Case in point: KFC has been offering the new Indian Twister all summer long over in Germany.

The new Indian Twister turns up the heat with a spicy curry sauce and jalapenos along with the standard two crispy chicken fillets, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Frozen Friday: Totino's - Jalapeno Popper Rolls

Totino's Jalapeno Popper Rolls are a new take on their popular Pizza Rolls. Rather than being filled with mozzarella, pepperoni, and sauce, the Jalapeno Popper Rolls are filled with just mozzarella and jalapenos.

A 17.4-ounce bag was $2.99 on sale.

Neat! Haagen-Daz - App Gives Concert While Ice Cream Softens

You know how sometimes when you grab your ice cream out of the fridge it can be rock hard if your freezer is too cold? Well, thanks to Haagen-Daz, there's an app for that! Sorta.

Haagen-Daz now offers a free "Concerto Timer" app for the iOS (i.e for iPhones and iPads), which plays a 2-minutes long virtual violin concerto when you run the app and point your camera at a carton of Haagen-Daz (or any other ice cream apparently). 

News: Ben & Jerry's - Two New Target-Exclusive Flavors

Ben & Jerry's now offers two new Target-exclusive flavors to replace Brownie Chew-Gooder and Berry Voluntary. Rather than a volunteer-theme, the new flavors sport a musical theme. They are Peanut Butter Jam Session and Rockin' Blondies.

Peanut Butter Jam Session features peanut butter ice cream with a crunchy peanut butter swirl and a raspberry swirl.

Review: Carl's Jr. / Hardee's - Fresh Baked Burger Bun

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are in the middle of a test offering fresh-baked burger buns similar to the way they offer "Made-from-Scratch" biscuits. The fresh-baked buns are available at a few select locations and come standard with their Six-Dollar Burgers (or Thickburgers at Hardee's).

I happened upon a test location and picked up a Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger for roughly $6 after tax ($5.59 before tax).

Around the World: KFC New Zealand Offers New Mexican Range

The latest promotion in New Zealand for KFC is the new, limited-time Mexican Range of sandwiches: The Mexican, Mexican Zinger, and Mexican Snack.

While the names make them sound like a person, a joke, and, perhaps, a churro, the sandwiches feature ingredients like Mexican bean salad (something I've never seen at a Mexican restaurant) and tortilla chips.

News: Wendy's Brings Back 99-cent Monterey Ranch Crispy Chicken Sandwich

As summer nears its end, Wendy's makes a value play by bringing back their Monterey Ranch Crispy Chicken Sandwich at 99 cents a pop for a limited time (I'm not sure they ever stopped serving it at my local Wendy's though).

The value chicken sandwich variants adds a slice of Monterey Jack cheese and ranch instead of mayo to the standard lettuce and breaded chicken patty.

Review: Taco Bell - Very Berry Waffle Taco Test

Taco Bell's Very Berry Waffle Taco is a test item currently being sold at a select few Taco Bell locations in Orange County. It features a waffle taco shell bent into a close approximation of a crunchy taco shell and folded around whipped cream, strawberries, and blueberries.

I paid 79 cents for one.

Around the World: McDonald's Italy's Sausage Baguette is Only Offered in Lazio Region

In what seems to an experiment in hyper-localizing a menu item, McDonald's Italy is offering a Sausage baguette sandwich only in the Lazio region of Italy.

News: McDonald's - New BLT Quarter Pounder

For a limited-time, McDonald's is offering the new BLT Quarter Pounder. If it looks more than a little familar to you, it's more or less a Deluxe Quarter Pounder with bacon added to it, which means it comes with a quarter pound beef patty, thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon, American cheese, tomato, leaf lettuce, red onion, crinkle-cut pickles, mayo, mustard, and a toasted bakery-style bun.

Review: Jack in the Box - BBQ Really Big Chicken Sandwich

Jack in the Box's limited-time BBQ Really Big Chicken Sandwich features two breaded chicken patties, two slices of cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce, and grilled onions on a toasted bun.

It's being sold for $3.99 in a combo with small fries and a 20-ounce drink.

News: Carl's Jr. / Hardee's - New Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger

To coincide with the beginning of football season, Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are offering the new, limited-time Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger as an homage to the popular tailgate combination of buffalo wings and blue cheese.

News: General Mills Brings Back Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy

While they used to be available year round, Count Chocula and his Monster Cereal friends, Franken Berry and Boo Berry, have since been relegated to seasonal Halloween duties and it's that time of the year again. This year, the General Mills Halloween trio are joined by two monster flavors that haven't been seen in over 20 years: Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy.

Review: Taco Bell - Fiery Doritos Locos Taco

Taco Bell's new Fiery Doritos Locos Taco doesn't officially drop until this Thursday, but it's actually available starting today if you just ask.

The third Doritos Locos Taco flavor features a spicy chili-lime flavored red shell along with the standard seasoned ground beef, lettuce, and shredded cheddar (plus diced tomatoes and sour cream if you go for the Supreme).

I picked up the Fiery Doritos Locos Taco Supreme for $1.69.

News: 7-Eleven - Free Snapple Lemon Daze on August 20

Users of 7-Eleven's mobile app can score themselves a free 16-ounce bottle of Snapple Lemon Daze on Tuesday, August 20 in celebration of National Lemonade Day.

A mobile coupon for the free bottle will be available in the app on August 20. To redeem it, simply show it to the cashier upon check out at participating 7-Eleven locations.

The app is available for both iOS (Apple) and Android mobile devices.

News: Papa John's - BOGO 53-Cent Pizza Deal

It's not quite a buy, one, get one free deal, but Papa John's is leveraging their Super Bowl sponsorship with an online-only "buy any large pizza at regular menu price, get a large, 1-topping pizza for 53 cents" offer.

Review: Salted Caramel Chunk Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies

Nabisco's Salted Caramel Chunk Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies are your run-of-the-mill Chewy Chips Ahoy soft-baked chocolate chip cookies but with chunks of salted caramel thrown into the mix.

A 9.5-ounce bag was $2.99 on sale.

Around the World: McDonald's Malaysia Offers Banana Pie

Over Malaysia, McDonald's is once again offering the Banana Pie. Not banana cream pie mind you. Just plain banana pie. The Banana Pie comes in the crispy deep-fried shell that McDonald's offers everywhere but here in the States and is filled with baked bananas and a bit of cinnamon.

They're also continuing the theme with the new Banana Crunch McFlurry and Banana Crunch Sundae.

Around the World: McDonald's India - New Crispy Veggie Pops

In a decidedly Indian take on the McBites platform, McDonald's recently introduced new Crispy Veggie Pops in India.

In a country with a large vegetarian population, the new bite-sized fritters fit right in with a filling of potatoes and spinach in a spicy, breaded shell.

Review: Lay's Chicken & Waffles Potato Chips

Frito Lay recently brought back their "Do Us a Flavor" chip flavors for a limited time. Since I missed them the first time around, I picked up a bag of Lay's Chicken & Waffles-flavored potato chips because it sounded the weirdest of the three (the other two are Sriracha and Cheesy Garlic Bread).

A 9.5-ounce bag was on sale for $2.50.

News: Lean Cuisine - New "Honestly Good" Meals

Lean Cuisine's latest line are the new "Honestly Good" entrees made with 100% all natural ingredients and zero preservatives. They debuted earlier this year in March and continue to make their way into the frozen food aisle.

The "Honestly Good" line currently features six varieties: Pomegranate Chicken, Lemongrass Salmon, Roasted Red Pepper Chicken, Plum Ginger Grain-Crusted Fish, Pineapple Black Pepper Beef, and Honey Citrus Chicken.

Frozen Friday: Lyfe Kitchen - Farmer's Market Frittata

Lyfe Kitchen's Farmer's Market Frittata frozen meal features a skillet-cooked low-yolk egg frittata with mushrooms and goat cheese plus a sweet potato and mango hash and a spicy garden salsa with poblano chiles.

A 10-ounce box retails for $4.99, but I found this on sale for $2.50.

Around the World: Subway Japan Offers Hot Dog and BBQ Sub

If you've ever wondered what a hot dog from Subway might look like, you'll be happy to know that Subway Japan is celebrating the summer barbecue season by offering a sausage and barbecue sub.

The sub is being offered through the end of August as part of a special where a 6-inch version of the sub and a drink can be had for 490 yen (~$5.02 US).

News: Ruby Tuesday - New Pretzel Burgers

Ruby Tuesday jumps on the pretzel burger bandwagon, but with a literal twist: their new line of pretzel burger buns actually sport a bit of pretzel-like twist as well as a sprinkle of pretzel salt.

Review: Del Taco - Fiery 6 Layer Burrito

Del Taco's Fiery 6 Layer Burrito features slow-cooked beans, seasoned beef, hand-grated cheddar cheese, spicy jalapeno slices, and sour cream, wrapped in a flour tortilla with a "secret" layer of warm nacho cheese.

The burrito goes for $1.59.

News: Starbucks Testing Handcrafted Sodas

Starbucks is trying new Handcrafted Sodas as a test out in Austin and Atlanta. "Handcrafted" is the term Starbucks uses for drink they make as opposed to the bottled drinks available in their refrigerated displays.

The kicker here is that Starbucks is using a machine to add carbonation to the drinks so that you can ask them to adjust the level of fizz to your liking.

News: Red Lobster - Endless Shrimp is Back for $15.99

Red Lobster is once again offering their Endless Shrimp deal for a limited time. Under the deal, you can get as many shrimp entrees as you like for $15.99. The price also includes a choice of salad plus unlimited Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

Options include new Spicy Soy-Wasabi Grilled Shrimp, Hand-Breaded Shrimp, Garlic Shrimp Scampi, and Shrimp Linguini Alfredo.

Review: Popeyes - Blackberry and Cream Cheese Pie

Popeyes' Blackberry and Cream Cheese Pie ("Blackberry 'N Cream Cheese Pie") is a new, limited-time pie featuring a deep-fried, bubbly turnover-style crust with a piped filling of cream cheese and blackberry puree.

I picked one up at my local Popeyes for $1.29.

News: KFC Tests KFC eleven Fast Casual Concept

KFC is testing a fast casual concept dubbed "KFC eleven" (for the 11 secret herbs and spices of the Colonel's Original Recipe) with a recently opened location over in Louisville, Kentucky.

Similar to Chipotle and Subway, the new restaurant features a cafeteria-style, made-to-order setup.

News: Taco Bell Testing Chicken and Waffle Taco

Photo: Anonymous

While Taco Bell is still working on their Waffle Taco breakfast test, they're also looking at other variations by having very briefly (for about a week) tested the Chicken & Waffle Taco and are currently testing the Very Berry Waffle Taco at a few select locations in Orange County, CA.

Unlike the original Waffle Taco, the two new versions were/are offered as all-day options.

Review: Carl's Jr. - Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich

Carl's Jr.'s Strawberry Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwich features vanilla ice cream between two halves of a Strawberry Pop-Tart pastry.

In case, you're not inclined to make one at home, you can pick them up at Carl's for $1.69 a piece (price in Los Angeles area).

News: Sonic Adds Egg White Option

Sonic now offers an egg white option on any breakfast item with eggs, including their breakfast burritos and Breakfast Toasters sandwiches.

The move follows the recent introduction of McDonald's Egg White Delight option. It should be noted that Sonic serves breakfast all day while McDonald's does not (at least not yet).