Review: Starbucks Via Latte Caffe Mocha

Starbucks Via Mocha is an instant coffee mix that purports to deliver the same experience as buying a handcrafted Mocha from a Starbucks store.

They sell them at  $6.95 per 4-pack, but I got this one during the Starbucks Via Latte Taste Challenge, where they just gave me a packet rather than doing any sort of sampling... (I went at 2pm too...)

News: TruMoo - New Chocolate Marshmallow Milk

In an apparent attempt at bringing the full hot chocolate experience to a cold milk, TruMoo offers new, limited-edition Chocolate Marshmallow Milk.

The selling point is that the new flavored milk contains all the nutritional benefits of a regular glass of milk and does not contain high fructose corn syrup nor artificial growth hormones (like regular chocolate milk, it does contain added sugar).

News: Snyder's of Hanover - Two New Gluten-Free Pretzel Flavors

Snyder's of Hanover seems to be launching all their new products all at once. The latest are two new varieties of gluten-free pretzel sticks: Honey Mustard & Onion and Hot Buffalo Wing

Snyder's of Hanover's gluten-free pretzels are certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization as containing less than 10 ppm gluten. Additionally, the pretzels are dairy-free, casein free, and egg-free.

Around the World: Starbucks Canada - New Blossoming Peach Tea Latte

While Starbucks' customers in the US only got a Year of the Horse Starbucks Card to buy in celebration of Chinese New Year, our neighbors up in Canada one-upped us by getting the new Blossoming Peach Tea Latte.

Actually, it's more like the cities of Vancouver and Toronto one-upped us (and the rest of Canada) as the new drink is only offered at select stores in those cities.

Frozen Friday: Ben & Jerry's - Karamel Sutra Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream features a core of soft caramel encircled on one half by caramel ice cream and on the other with chocolate ice cream with fudge chips (there's a nice little story about how the name came about from 2002).

A pint was $3.99.

Around the World: Lotteria Japan - New Chocolate and Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Lotteria Japan adds chocolate sauce to the chicken sandwich with their new, limited-time Chocolate and Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich.

The chicken sandwich features a chicken thigh filet topped with lettuce, honey mustard, and chocolate sauce and is priced at 390 yen (~$3.81 US)

News: Little Caesars - New $5 Hot-N-Ready Lunch Combo

Little Caesars is making a value play for your lunch dollar with their new $5 Hot-N-Ready Lunch Combo.

Available from 11 am to 2 pm at participating locations, the combo features four slices of their Detroit-style Deep! Deep! Dish pizza plus a 20-ounce bottled drink for $5.

Review: Starbucks - Chocolate Caramel Muffin

Starbucks' new Chocolate Caramel Muffin is a chocolate muffin with a caramel center.

I paid $2.45 for one and it was closer in size to muffins you'd make at home than some of the giant bakery ones.

News: Subway - New "Flatizzas" Flatbread Pizzas

Because "flatbread pizza" was apparently too long, Subway now offers new Flatizzas.

The new menu item basically takes a square of flatbread (i.e. a roughly six-inch flatbread) and tops it with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and one of four topping combinations.

News: Taco Bell - New Chili Cheese Burrito

Along with the introduction of the new Chili Cheese Fries Loaded Griller, select Taco Bell locations are also offering the new Chili Cheese Burrito, since they both use the same chili.

The Chili Cheese Burrito follows a simple combination of chili and cheddar cheese wrapped in a warm, soft, flour tortilla.

News: Fazoli's - $1 Fettuccine Alfredo on February 7

Fazoli's will be celebrating National Fettuccine Alfredo Day this Friday, February 7, by offering their Fettuccine Alfredo at a discounted $1 with the purchase of a drink.

To take advantage of the deal, you'll need a coupon found on the Fazoli's Facebook page here.

Review: Jack in the Box - Bacon Insider Burger

Jack in the Box's new Bacon Insider Burger features a beef patty with bacon pieces mixed in, six half-slices of hickory-smoked bacon, bacon mayo sauce, lettuce, tomato, and American cheese on a new brioche bun.

The price tag was $5.19 (same price as the Sirloin Burgers) in my area, but I got this one courtesy of Jack in the Box.

News: Papa John's - New Double Cheeseburger Pizza

Papa John's latest limited-time pizza is the new Double Cheeseburger Pizza.

The new pizza features "zesty burger sauce," layers of beef, Roma tomatoes, dill pickles, and "100% real cheese made from mozzarella" (key words being "made from" i.e. it's not 100% mozzarella, which is pretty standard for the big pizza chains).

News: Dunkin' Donuts Revamps DDPerks Loyalty Program

Dunkin' Donuts has revamped their DD Perks loyalty program to be based on points rather than "Dunkin' Dollars."

Under the new program, registered users earn five points for every dollar they spend at Dunkin' Donuts when paying with a registered Dunkin' Donuts Card (either by card or via the Dunkin' Mobile App).

News: Starbucks - New Caramel Bakery Items

Along with the Caramel Flan Latte, Starbucks is currently featuring a trio of caramel desserts; two of them new.

There's the new Chocolate Caramel Muffin, new Salted Caramel Square, and Salted Caramel Cake Pop.

Review: Subway - Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt

Subway's new Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt features pulled chicken in enchilada sauce and Fritos corn chips along with the standard choice of bread, veggies, cheese, and condiments.

I picked up a footlong for $7.25.

News: Bruegger's Bagels - Three Free Bagels on February 6th

Bruegger's Bagels will be celebrating National Bagel Day and the chain's birthday on Thursday, February 6, 2014.

News: Pinkberry - Free Frozen Yogurt on February 6, 3-7pm

Pinkberry will be celebrating National Frozen Yogurt this Thursday, February 6, 2014, from 3 to 7pm, by offering free small-sized frozen yogurts with selectable toppings 

News: Subway - New Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt

Subway's goes a little bit into Taco Bell territory with the launch of the new, limited-time Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt.

The base ingredients for the sub are pulled chicken in enchilada sauce and Fritos corn chips. Beyond that, it's your typical choice of bread, cheese, veggies, and condiments.

News: Sonic - New Molten Red Velvet Cake Sundae

Sonic goes with red velvet cake to celebrate Valentine's Day with the introduction of the new, limited-time Red Velvet Molten Cake Sundae.

The cold dessert features red velvet bundt cake filled with hot fudge on a layer of cheesecake, finished with Sonic's ice cream, whipped topping, chocolate sauce, and a maraschino cherry on top.

Review: Jack in the Box - Nacho Cheese Monster Taco

Jack in the Box's new Nacho Monster Taco features a taco topped with nacho cheese and jalapenos rather than American cheese, shredded lettuce, and taco sauce.

I bought one for $1.79 (which is 50 cents more than the regular Monster Taco).

News: Dairy Queen - February 2014 Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen is offering a new Red Velvet Cake Blizzard as February 2014's Blizzard of the Month. 

The new flavor features a mix of vanilla soft serve, red velvet cake pieces, and cream cheese frosting. The cake-themed dessert is also available as a Blizzard cake as well as a shake.

News: Baskin-Robbins - February 2014 Flavor of the Month

February tends to mean Valentine-themed flavors and Baskin-Robbins embraces the trend with new Love Potion #31 Dark ice cream for the flavor of the month.

Essentially a chocolate version of their seasonal Love Potion #31 (which is also currently available), Love Potion #31 Dark features chocolate and raspberry-flavored ice creams mixed with raspberry-filled white chocolate hearts and a raspberry-flavored ribbon (the original Love Potion features white chocolate ice cream and chocolate hearts).

News: Subway - February 2014 Featured $5 Footlong

Subway's Featured $5 Footlong for February 2014 is the once permanent $5 mainstay, Meatball Marinara. It comes with Italian-style meatballs in a marinara sauce plus your choice of cheese, veggies, and condiments (I recommend asking for a sprinkle of oregano and parmesan).

Review: Nabisco - Marshmallow Crispy Oreos

Marshmallow Crispy Oreos is one of two new flavors for the iconic cookie (the other is Cookie Dough). Each cookie features a marshmallow-flavored cream mixed with small granules of crisped rice and sandwiched between two Golden Oreo wafers.

A 12.2-ounce package retails for about $2.99 but I received these courtesy of Nabisco.

News: Muller - New Dark Chocolate Corner Yogurt Flavors

Muller's latest addition to their Corner line of yogurt features a series of dark chocolate pairings. There's Dark Chocolate & Cherry, Dark Chocolate & Raspberry, and Dark Chocolate & Pecan Granola.

News: Snyder's of Hanover - New Korn Krunchers Corn Snacks

Snyder's of Hanover ventures into corn snacks with recently-launched, new Korn Krunchers, a line of "boldly flavored corn snacks" that basically looks like a corn-based version of their flavored hard pretzel pieces.

The company describes the new baked snacks as delivering 'big, bold taste and a light, crispy texture."

Reference: Subway's Local/Regional Breads and Toppings

Subway actually has quite a list of breads and toppings/ingredients that are only found in certain areas of the US.

Here's a handy reference on which items you may or may not find at your local Subway:

Regional/Local Breads Selection

- Hearty Italian
- Jalapeno Cheese
- Monterey Cheddar
- Parmesan Oregano
- Roasted Garlic
- Rosemary & Sea Salt

Review: Nabisco - Cookie Dough Oreo Cookies

Cookie Dough Oreos are one of two new limited-time flavors for the number-one selling cookie in the US (the other is Marshmallow Crispy). It features chocolate wafers sandwiching chocolate chip cookie dough-flavored creme.

For whatever reason, they come in 12.2-ounce packages rather than the standard 15.25 of other Oreo flavors. You can expect to find them for $2.99 each, but I received these from Nabisco.

News: Yogurtland - Free Yogurt and Toppings on February 3, 4-7pm

Yogurtland is celebrating their National Frozen Yogurt Day (which is apparently a different day than rival Menchie's similar celebration) on Monday, February 3, 2014, from 4 - 7pm, by offering free yogurt and toppings at participating locations.

Guests will also receive a collectible color-changing spoon and commemorative cup to go with their choice of yogurt and toppings.

News: Menchie's - Free Frozen Yogurt on February 6, 2014

Menchie's will be again be celebrating their National Frozen Yogurt Day this year on Thursday, February 6, by giving away free six-ounce cups of frozen yogurt via coupon.

Frozen Friday: DiGiorno - Pizzeria Supreme Speciale Pizza

DiGiorno's Pizzeria Supreme Speciale Pizza comes topped with Italian sausage, pepperoni, red and green peppers, and caramelized onions.

A 21.3-ounce pizza was $4.99 on sale.

News: Jack in the Box - New Bacon Insider Burger

Since Jack in the Box is already known for the Bacon Shake, they seem to have decided to be known for the bacon-with-bacon-and-more-bacon burger with the release of the new, limited-time Bacon Insider Burger.

Around the World: Burger King Vietnam - New Kimchi Pork and Szechuan Beef Burgers for Chinese New Year

Over in Vietnam, Burger King is going with the spicy flavors of kimchi and Szechuan sauce in two new, limited-time burgers for Chinese New Year.

News: McDonald's - New Habanero Ranch Sauce Dipping Cups

McDonald's now offers their Habanero Ranch Sauce in dipping cup as an available option to go with Chicken McNuggets. 

Review: Starbucks - Old-Fashioned Donut

Starbucks' Old-Fashioned Donut is made with sour cream and comes with a light glaze.

It's among the cheapest items in the bakery display at $1.50 a piece.

News: Jack in the Box - New Nacho and Bacon Ranch Monster Tacos

Jack in the Box expands their taco selection with new, limited-time Nacho and Bacon Ranch Monster Tacos.

News: Sonic - New Chili Cheese Pretzel Dog

Sonic has brought back their Pretzel Dogs for a limited time and have expanded the selection with the new Chili Cheese Pretzel Dog.

News: Burger King Testing Chicken and Waffle Sandwich

Burger King is testing a new Chicken and Waffle Sandwich, which, basically like it sounds, appears to be their value-chicken patty sandwiched between two Belgian-style waffle "buns."

Available from at least one Burger King restaurant in Pittson, Pennsylvania, the sandwiches are going for $2.29 each.

Review: Trader Joe's - Jelly Donut Muffins

Trader Joe's Jelly Donut Muffins (i.e. Trader Joe's take on the "duffin") purport to look like muffins but taste like donuts. They feature a raspberry jam filling down the center.

A 12-ounce box of four was $3.69.

News: Boston Market - New Parmesan Tuscan Chicken and Bacon Mac & Cheese

Boston Market has added new Parmesan Tuscan Chicken and Bacon Mac & Cheese onto the menu for a limited time.

Parmesan Tuscan Chicken seems to be similar to last year's Tuscan Herb Chicken but along with the "Tuscan-inspired" herbs, it adds a creamy garlic parmesan sauce to the mix. In this case, Tuscan-inspired herbs include garlic, black and red peppers, nutmeg, oregano, rosemary, and sage.

News: Carl's Jr. - New Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwich

Carl's Jr. goes with the snickerdoodle for their latest iteration of the ice cream sandwich: the new Hand-Scooped Snickerdoodle Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich (or HSSCICS - pronounced "hiss sics" for short... That's a joke.).

Essentially a sugar and cinnamon-sprinkled sugar cookie, you'll find two snickerdoodles sandwiching a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the new ice cream sandwich.

New: Dunkin' Donuts - New Cookie Dough Donut for Valentine's Day

Dunkin' Donuts goes for a bit more novelty this year for Valentine's Day with the new Cookie Dough Donut, a heart-shaped yeast donut filled with a cookie-dough buttercream-flavored filling, topped with chocolate icing and chocolate chips.

To further the dessert-flavored-dessert theme, they've also brought back the Brownie Batter Donut, which is a heart-shaped yeast donut filled with chocolaty brownie-batter-flavored buttercream filling, topped with chocolate icing and heart sprinkles.

Review: Wendy's - Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger

Wendy's new, limited-time Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger features a quarter-pound beef patty, oven-roasted chopped tomatoes, rosemary-garlic aioli, spring mix, natural Asiago cheese, and applewood-smoked bacon on a toasted Ciabatta bun.

I picked one up for $4.79.

Around the World: Pizza Hut Hong Kong - New Flower-Shaped Pizza for Chinese New Year

Pizza Hut Hong Kong is offering a new, special blossom-shaped pizza to celebrate Chinese New Year. They're calling it the Cheesy 7 Sensation Pizza.

The shape is achieved by curling in the end crust of the pizza to form 8 "petals." The end crust is filled with separate white and orange lines of mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and topped with crunchy parmesan crumbs. To complete the look, the toppings are arranged in decoration.

News: Krispy Kreme - 2014 Valentine Donuts

Krispy Kreme's Valentine-themed donuts this year feature new Hugs and Kisses donuts, shaped like X's and O's. 

Also available this year are Sprinkled Heart, Valentine Sprinkles, and Chocolate Iced Heart donuts.

News: Popeyes - $3.99 "Three of a Kind" Deal is Back

Popeyes is once again offering the $3.99 "Three of a Kind" deal for a limited time at participating Popeyes restaurants.

News: Taco Bell Testing New Quesarito

Taco Bell is testing their own version of a Quesarito (quesadilla-burrito mash up) for a limited-time out in Oklahoma City.

It's basically a 3-cheese blend quesadilla rolled into a burrito with a filling of seasoned ground beef, Latin rice, reduced fat sour cream, and nacho cheese.

Review: McDonald's - Chocolate Covered Strawberry Frappe

McDonald's Chocolate Covered Strawberry Frappe features their mocha coffee frappe base blended with ice, chocolate chips, and strawberry-flavored syrup, topped with whipped cream and more strawberry syrup.

I picked up a 12-ounce small for $2.79.

News: Wendy's - New Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger

Wendy's new Ciabatta Bacon Cheeseburger is now available for a limited time.

The new burger was tested last year and features a quarter-pound beef patty, oven-roasted, chopped tomatoes, rosemary-garlic aioli, spring mix, natural Asiago cheese, and applewood-smoked bacon on a toasted Ciabatta bun.