Free Doritos Locos Taco with any Taco Bell Mobile App Order

Taco Bell looks to push the perks of their mobile ordering app by offering a free Doritos Locos Taco with any purchase made through the app for the entire month of January (update: the deal is ongoing for an indefinite amount of time with no set end date).

The deal is good until up to 1 million Doritos Locos Tacos are given out, or while supplies last, at participating Taco Bell locations.

Arby's Offers New King's Hawaiian Fish Deluxe, Classic Fish Sandwich Returns

The Classic Fish Sandwich is back at Arby's and along with it comes the new King's Hawaiian Fish Deluxe sandwich.

The King's Hawaiian Fish Deluxe features a breaded fillet of sustainably-caught Alaskan Pollack, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and tartar sauce on a King's Hawaiian bun.

Review: Hardee’s - Bacon Velveeta Patty Meltdown

Hardee’s Bacon Velveeta Patty Meltdown features chopped applewood-smoked bacon, grilled onions, melted Velveeta cheese, and a Black Angus beef patty on sourdough toast.

I picked up the ¼ lb version for $4.99.

Red Robin's Hangover Burger is Only Available for 7 Days

Red Robin's new hangover-recovery burger, The Cure Burger, arrives just in time to assuage your New Year's Eve hangover but is only available by request and only for 7 days starting January 1, 2015 at participating restaurants.

Pizza Hut Singapore's 2014 Christmas Menu Looks Mostly Normal

Pizza Hut Singapore's 2014 Christmas Menu actually looks pretty normal and good, in fact. It's only available at dine-in locations but they're offering Country Pie (AKA shepherd's pie), Beef Goulash, and Christmas Roast.

Okay, there's a little bit of weirdness in the new pizza, the Triple Joy Pizza, which looks more like a party platter than a pizza.

Review: Pizza Hut - BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Pizza Hut's BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza features barbecue sauce, classic meatballs, hardwood-smoked bacon, fresh red onions and diced Roma tomatoes with a barbecue sauce drizzle and toasted cheddar crust.

It's recommended on their hand-tossed crust so that's the way I went. I paid $12 for a large.

McDonald's Japan Offers New Crab Croquette Burger

The latest sandwich from McDonald's Japan is the new Crab Croquette Burger, which, like the name suggests includes a breaded and deep-fried crab croquette in place of a meat or chicken patty.

New Bacon Velveeta Patty Meltdown at Hardee's

Hardee's upgrades the patty melt with the addition of melted Velveeta cheese and bacon in the new Velveeta Patty Meltdown sandwich.

Specifically, the sandwich features a choice of either a quarter-pound, third-pound, or half-pound Black Angus beef patty plus chopped applewood-smoked bacon, caramelized onions, two slices of Velveeta cheese, and mayo on toasted sourdough bread.

Review: Taco Bell - $1 Crunchwrap Sliders

Taco Bell's new $1 Crunchwrap Sliders are smaller versions of the Crunchwrap Supreme and feature the same distinctive hexagonal fold and grilled exterior. They come in three varieties: Beefy Cheddar, BLT, and Spicy Chicken.

I picked up one of each for $1 a piece and also got a Crunchwrap Supreme for size comparison while I was at it.

XXL Nachos Are Back at Taco Bell

XXL Nachos are back for a limited time at Taco Bell. They arrive just in time for the tail end of football season, as many of us gather around the TV, and also coincide with the launch of new $1 Crunchwrap Sliders.

New Jalapeno Hushpuppies Coming to Arby's in January

New crispy, bite-sized Jalapeno Hushpuppies are coming your way at Arby's in January.

The limited time items are made with sweet corn and diced jalapenos. Hushpuppies are basically deep-fried balls of cornbread.

Review: Dunkin' Donuts - Dunkin' Go Bar

Dunkin Donut's Dunkin' Go Bar is a coffee-flavored chewy granola bar meant for convenient on-the-go snacking.

While it's packaged, it's only available at Dunkin' Donuts stores. They go for about $1.79 each but I received this courtesy of Dunkin' Donuts.

KFC's New Teriyaki Fried Chicken Comes with Chopsticks

Over in Russia, KFC recently introduced new teriyaki sauce for their fried chicken in a number of menu items. The Teriyaki Ricebox and Teriyaki Bites both come with chopsticks to, apparently, enhance the Japanese feeling of the dish (although I'm sure you can ask for a fork as well).

Quaker Debuts 3-Minute Quick Steel-Cut Oatmeal

For fans of steel-cut oats, Quaker now offers new Quick 3-Minute Steel Cut Oatmeal in several varieties.

Steel-cut oats are known for a distinctive, heartier texture and nuttier flavor than rolled oats. The drawback was it usually took 30 minutes or more to prepare them.

Review: Mrs. Fields - Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies feature individually wrapped soft-baked chocolate chip cookies.

It's usually around $2.50 for an 8-oz box of eight cookies but I received these courtesy of Mrs. Fields (along with the "cookies for Santa" place setting pictured below) because they're donating one individually-wrapped cookie to the USO (up to 250,000 cookies) for every Twitter mention of @cookiemoment through December 31, 2014.

Wendy's "Turkey Special" Includes Chicken, Turkey, and Mashed Potatoes on a Pretzel Bun

Wendy's Japan is offering a new Turkey Special as holiday promotion this year. They're offering the Pretzel Turkey Mashed Potato Burger and Pretzel Turkey Spicy Chicken Burger.

Half-Price Shakes at Sonic All Day on 12/22/14

Sonic is once again celebrating the Winter Solstice (AKA the shortest day of the year) by offering half-price shakes all day on Monday, December 22, 2014 (never mind that the Winter Solstice falls on December 21).

Frozen Friday: Healthy Choice - Homestyle Salisbury Steak

Healthy Choice's Homestyle Salisbury Steak frozen meal features a Salisbury steak patty in brown gravy with green beans, red potatoes, and a caramel apple dessert.

A 11.5-oz box was $2 on sale.

Taco Bell Has Sold Over 1 Billion Doritos Locos Tacos in Less Than 3 Years

Since it launched back in March of 2012, Taco Bell has now sold over 1 billion Doritos Locos Tacos (DLTs) in a span of less than 3 years.

To commemorate the milestone, Taco Bell put out a infographic with some fun and interesting facts about the Doritos Locos Tacos.

Bojangles Launches Cheddar Bo Cheese Biscuit

Bojangles is launching their Cheddar Bo biscuit to over 500 locations in the Southeast in January, but only for a limited time.

It was previously limited to select locations in Eastern North Carolina and Virginia.

Frito-Lay Combines Plum & Cheese in New Tortilla Chips

One of the latest items from Frito-Lay in Japan are new Plum & Cheese Tortilla Chips, which purport to combine "thick cream cheese" with the "mouthwatering bite and acidity of fresh plum."

Review: Pizza Hut - "Ginger Boom Boom" Crust

Pizza Hut's "Ginger Boom Boom" Crust flavor features a dusting of ginger, garlic, black pepper, and paprika.

In addition to the crust, I went for a pizza with no sauce, topped with a double portion of their new salami and a drizzle of Honey Sriracha sauce on top. The price came out to $7.99 for a large.

Ben & Jerry's Unleashes New Peanut Butter Half Baked Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's takes last year's best-selling flavor, Half Baked and gives it a peanut buttery twist to make new Peanut Butter Half Baked ice cream, which starts arriving just in time for Christmas.

Review: Church's Chicken - Oreo Biscuit Bites

Church’s Chicken Oreo Biscuit Bites feature bits of Oreo cookies baked into bite-sized versions of the chain’s signature honey butter biscuits and covered with icing.

I purchased a 5-pack for 99¢.

New Pizza Hut Crust is Covered in Lay's Potato Chips

Pizza Hut has taken their Stuffed Crust Pizza and covered the edge with cheddar cheese and crushed bits of Lay's potato chips over in Trinidad & Tobago.

They call it the "Crunchy Stuffed Crust Pizza."

Review: El Pollo Loco - Pork Carnitas Sopes

El Pollo Loco's Pork Carnitas Sopes feature pork carnitas, refried beans, cabbage, poblano salsa, poblano cream, pico de gallo and cotija cheese on corn sopes.

It's $5.49 for an order of two but I had a coupon that got me an order plus chips and drink for $5.

Pepsi Comes in Pink Strawberry Milk Flavor in Japan

Pepsi has combined the taste of their signature cola with strawberry milk for the return of Pepsi Pink over in Japan. The flavor was first introduced in 2012.

How to Get Taco Bell's New $1 Crunchwrap Sliders Early

Taco Bell's new $1 Crunchwrap Sliders are set to make their debut starting December 22 but you can get them as early as the 19th by ordering them via Taco Bell's mobile app.

I previewed them earlier but in case you missed it, they're basically a smaller version (about half the weight according to the nutritional info) of the Crunchwrap Supreme at less than half the price. Instead of a tostada shell, the sliders rely on Fritos corn chips for crunch.

There are three varieties to the $1 Crunchwrap Sliders:

Review: El Pollo Loco - Cheesecake Chimichanga

El Pollo Loco's Cheesecake Chimichanga features cheesecake and chocolate wrapped burrito-style in a flour tortilla and quickly deep-fried. A chimichanga is basically a fried burrito.

I bought one for $2.49.

Jack in the Box Testing New Black Pepper Cheeseburger

Jack in the Box was spotted testing the new Black Pepper Cheeseburger out in Las Vegas. The key feature of the new burger appears to be a creamy black pepper sauce and black pepper (or pepper jack) cheese.

Frito Pie Taco in the Works for Taco Bell?

At a recent investor meeting, Taco Bell gave a glimpse of possible future menu items on one of the presentation slides. Among the items pictured included something that appears to be a Fritos Pie Taco.

Review: Corner Bakery - Chicken Pomodori Panini

Corner Bakery Cafe's Chicken Pomodori Panini features slices of roasted chicken, fresh basil and spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, and provolone cheese with pesto mayo on grilled sourdough bread.

It normally costs $8.29 but I received this courtesy of Corner Bakery. The sandwich comes with a side (chips, baby carrots, or salad) and a pickle spear.

Starbucks Offers Holiday Version of $1 Reusable Cups

Among the many holiday cups, mugs, and tumblers available from Starbucks this year is a new $2 holiday edition of their $1 Reusable Cup for those of you looking to cut back on paper cup waste.

It's also nice if you frequent Starbucks a lot and don't want to spring $10 or so on one of their other cups, as it's good for a 10 cents bring-your-own-cup discount.

McDonald's Newest McItaly Burger Features Fresh Mozzarella

McDonald's Italy's latest addition to the long-running, locally-source McItaly burger line is the McItaly Marchigiana, which represents the Marche region of Italy and is fancier than any McDonald's burger you're going to see here in the States.

Review: Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Spread is a spread that aims to deliver the classic flavor of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

A 13-oz jar cost me $3.99.

Domino's Australia Offers Lava Cakes with Starbursts Baked Into Them

Calling them "Candy Fusion Lava Cakes," Domino's Australia now offers molten lava cakes with various candies baked into them, including Starburst Wild Berries jelly candy.

McDonald's Lets You See How Chicken McNuggets are Made

Perhaps still haunted by that 'pink goop' or 'pink slime' picture circulating the Internet, McDonald's gives a behind-the-scenes look at how Chicken McNuggets are made.

Review: Smashburger - Smashfries

Smashburger's Smashfries feature French fries tossed in Italian olive oil, rosemary, and garlic.

An order cost me $2.29.

Crispy M&M's are Back

Crispy M&M's have begun rolling out into stores starting this month and should be available nationwide by January.

The returning flavor features a crispy wafer center covered in milk chocolate and a colorful candy shell and comes in a new, bright green bag.

French Toast Crunch Makes a Triumphant Return

French Toast Crunch, a maple and cinnamon-flavored variant of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal is back in select stores starting this month and is slated to be available nationwide by the middle of next month (January 2015).

Frozen Friday: Chili's - Pepper Jack Mac 'N' Cheese

Chili's Pepper Jack Mac 'N' Cheese frozen meal features rotini pasta in a pepper jack cheese sauce.

A 10-oz box was $2 on sale.

McDonald's UK's 2014 Festive Menu

While we get hot white chocolate and sometimes a Holiday Pie or Egg Nog Shake from McDonald's, over in the United Kingdom, they get an annual Festive Menu with a number of menu items of varying Christmas-y quality (some seem a bit shoe-horned in).

Here's what they get this year:

Tostitos Now Comes in Rolls

Similar to their own Dinamitas or rival Takis, Frito-Lay now offers new Tostitos Rolls tortilla chips. They're basically regular Tostitos corn tortilla chips that are rolled into a tube shape before frying. 

Unlike Dinamitas or Takis, the new chips don't come dusted with seasoning.

Review: Church's Chicken - Jalapeno Cheese Bombers

Church's Chicken's Jalapeno Cheese Bombers feature breaded and deep-fried cheddar cheese with bits of jalapeno.

An order of five is normally $1.89 but I got these as part of a combo.

McDonald's to Ax 8 Menu Items; Let's Guess Which Ones

At a recent investor meeting, McDonald's announced that they will be slimming down their menu by 8 items heading into 2015 but didn't choose to mention which so I thought it'd be fun to try and figure out which items would get the boot.

Let's start with the items that are pretty much untouchable. These are pretty much the signature items at McDonald's and as much a part of the brand as the golden arches:

Pork Carnitas Back at El Pollo Loco in New Sopes

Pork carnitas makes its way back to the El Pollo Loco menu in a number of dishes including wet burritos, tostada salad, tortas, soft tacos, and new sopes.

Pork carnitas is something El Pollo Loco brings back now and again, but typically introducing at least one new menu item each time.

Review: Pizza Hut's "Get Curried Away" Crust

Pizza Hut's Curry Crust (they call it "Get Curried Away") is a new crust flavor option on the menu and features "a blend of traditional curry spices that includes coriander, cardamom and fenugreek." It's only available for a limited time and I was told Pizza Hut was reserving the slot for rotating in other crust flavors.

I got a large pizza with extra chicken (counts as two toppings), the new premium crushed tomato sauce, and curry crust for $7.99.

Taco Bell Testing New Steak-Filled Crunchwraps

Taco Bell is testing new steak-filled versions of their signature Crunchwrap Supreme and are calling them "Boss Wraps."

McDonald's Intros Salmon Burger in Taiwan

McDonald's newest sandwich in Taiwan is a breaded salmon burger as well as a salmon and beef "surf and turf" burger.

The breaded salmon filet is accompanied by a dill sauce as well as onions and lettuce (plus carrots and cabbage on the surf and turf version).

Sonic Brings Back $3.99 Footlong Hot Dogs and Tots Deal

Sonic has brought back the $3.99 Footlong Hot Dog and Tots deal for a limited time at participating locations.

Under the deal, you can choose one of five Footlong Hot Dog flavors including: new Cheesy Bacon, Chili Cheese Coney, Chicago, All American, and New York.