News: Baskin Robbins - 31 Cent Scoop Night on April 28, 2010

Not as catchy as Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day, Baskin Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night is for a good cause: fire fighters!

When: Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 5 pm to 10 pm

Where: Participating Baskin Robbins nationwide.  Baskin Robbins Store Locator

Why?: Because fire fighters stop you and your house from burning! And rescue kitties from trees!

Review: Jack in the Box - Mini Churros

Jack in the Box's Mini Churros takes your typical churro, chops it into bite-sized bits, and pipes a line of melted, gooey cinnamon sugar through the middle.

A small bag of five churros came out to $1.

News: Starbucks Testing Blueberry Waffles

Starbucks is testing blueberry waffles in the Denver market.  According to a commenter on Starbucks Gossip, "The waffles are put into the warmer, and served with a small container of syrup. They are a little bit thicker than an Eggo waffle and taste "ok" (definitely taste the blueberries!), but it's not worth the $2.50 for one waffle."

Darn.  I was hoping for some freshly-made Belgian waffles like they have at Starbucks in Singapore.  Mmmmmmm... fresh waffles... I don't that would ever fly here in the States though, too time-consuming for Starbucks I think.  I would love to be proven wrong though.

Review: Chick-fil-A - Chick-n-Minis

I've always wanted to try Chick-fil-A's Chick-n-Minis but never had a chance to until recently because: a) I don't live near Chick-fil-A and b) It's only served for breakfast!  Chick-n-Minis are basically your run-of-the-mill Chick-fil-A Chicken Nuggets stuffed inside honey butter coated mini-yeast rolls.  They are four for $2.99.

Local Review: Top Pot Donuts - Seattle, WA

I originally came across Top Pot Donuts at my local Starbucks where they sometimes have Top Pot old-fashioned buttermilk donuts on display for $1.75 a pop.  They tasted pretty good and I wondered how they would be fresh.  So when my friend asked me if I wanted anything from Seattle, I asked for some Top Pot Donuts and got a whole dozen!

What's on the Menu: McDonald's Chile

This wonderful edition of What's on the Menu takes us to the other America and the republic of Chile!  No hablo espanol?  Me neither!  Let's see what's featured at McDonald's Chile!

"El Placer del Momento" translates into something like "pleasure of the moment" i.e. the current featured burger.  The Bacon Mediterraeo features It is composed of "specially prepared bread, bacon, prime beef, tomato and mayonnaise."  I'm going to guess prime beef is a higher grade of beef like Angus.  I'm not sure how that is Mediterranean... maybe it's a Mediterranean-style roll?  Is there such a thing?  Sorry, I'm just thinking "Pita. Pita. Pita..."  750 Chile Peso is the equivalent of ~$1.40.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Half Baked Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's Half Baked is so named because it's half baked fudge brownies and half chocolate chip cookie dough.  It's also half vanilla and half chocolate ice cream. (Wait... that doesn't add up...)  Actually, it seems more like 3/4th chocolate and 1/4 vanilla to me.  With Free Cone Day coming up next Tuesday, I have been furiously stuffing my face with only the best Ben & Jerry's pints to review.  I bought this pint at Fresh & Easy for $2.99 regular price.

Review: Jack in the Box - Natural Cut Fries

So I went to Jack in the Box intending to try their new fries but I failed horribly; my local Jack in the Box only had the old fries.  So here's my take on the outgoing Jack in the Box Natural Cut Fries which are billed as "lightly-salted, skin-on" fries and are sold in small, medium, and large sizes for: $1.39, $1.79, and $1.99 respectively.

Review: Quizno's - Roast Beef and Cheddar Sub

Quiznos' Roast Beef and Cheddar Deli Sub is part of their Everyday Value Deli Subs line and is currently sold for $5 for a large sandwich which is comparable to Subway's "$5 Footlongs" promotion.  The Roast Beef and Cheddar Sub features roast beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo toasted on your choice of artisan bread: Italian White, 9 Grain Artisan Wheat, Rosemary Parmesan, or Italian Herb.

News: Starbucks Launching Customizable Frappuccinos in May

The WSJ reports that Starbucks is formally launching the "however-you-want-it" Frappuccino beginning in early May (just in time for the summer) in the U.S. and Canada.  Basically, you'll be able to customize your Frappuccino like you can any other drink on the Starbucks menu: soy milk, decaf, light syrup, etc.

This is a surprise to me; I thought you could always customize your Frappuccino.

Doesn't Starbucks have a longstanding policy of accommodating any reasonable customer requests in regards to drink orders?  I guess that is all "unofficial."  Well, starting May, it's official.  Until then, you can continue to "unofficially" customize your Frappuccino however you like.

News: Taco Bell Testing "Take Home Taco Bar"

Taco Bell is testing a Take Home Taco Bar out in Louisville, KY according to QSRWeb.  The take home family meal features two trays with a total of six compartments containing: seasoned ground beef, refried beans, seasoned rice, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, reduced-fat sour cream and shredded cheese.  The meal also comes with salsa, tortilla chips, and 10 crunchy or soft tacos.

The price on the Take Home Taco Bar is $14.99 which is a little bit more buying 10 Taco Supremes depending on your locale.

News: McDonald's Testing McBistro Chicken Sandwich

According to the Baltimore Sun, McDonald's is testing a chicken sandwich called the McBistro in the Omaha, Albuquerque, and the Greater Baltimore area.

The McBistro is being marketed as a bit of a choose-your-own premium chicken sandwich and features your choice of crispy or grilled chicken breast, a "thick slice" of tomato, leaf lettuce, white Cheddar cheese, and your choice of sauce in buttermilk ranch, chipotle BBQ, or honey mustard (i.e. the same sauces available for McDonald's Chicken Selects) on a "bakery-style" bun.  The tag they're going with is "Choose deliciously."

The Asia Trip: KFC Taiwan - Twister

After checking out Taipei 101 while it was still the tallest building in the world, I decided to try KFC Taiwan to make up for missing out on KFC Japan.  You can see the poster above for some of the more interesting items on the menu.  Since those interesting items also happened to be seafood, I chose to go the value route...

Review: Pizza Hut - Buffalo Wings

Taking advantage of Pizza Hut's 50 Cent Wing Wednesday promotion, I tried their Boneless Buffalo Wings which, as far as I can tell, are not wings at all, but breaded breast pieces doused in buffalo sauce.  They're normally eight "wings" for $6.99 but at 50 cent a wing, it came out to $4.

News: Jack in the Box Testing Oven Bakes

Jack in the Box is testing a new item called an Oven Bake in the Austin, TX area only.  Jack in the Box's Oven Bake comes in four varieties: Philly Cheesesteak and Chicken Spinach & Cheese for later in the day and Egg, Potato, & Bacon and Italian Sausage & Egg for breakfast. All four are rolled up in a crust and baked. They seem a bit like a calzone but rolled up.

News: Quiznos - New Breakfast Items for Convenience Stores

Quiznos announced today, the rollout of their new breakfast menu for their 175 convenience store locations nationwide (I didn't even know Quiznos had convenience store locations...)  Is this a preface to regular Quiznos locations entering the breakfast market?  Maybe.  Breakfast at convenience store markets can easily serve as a test bed for a more widespread breakfast offering.

The new breakfast menu includes:

• Giant Cinnamon Roll - fresh from the oven and topped with creamy caramel icing.
• Country Sausage and Egg Biscuit - the fast food breakfast standard: sausage patty and egg on a flaky biscuit.
• Breakfast Sammies - various combinations of meats, cheeses, and eggs on Quizno's mini-flatbreads.
• Breakfast Subs - various combinations of meats, cheeses, and eggs on Quizno's trademark toasted breads.

No word on pricing that I know of yet.

Review: In-N-Out - Secret Menu - Protein Style

Another "secret" menu item at In N Out, "Protein Style" means to get a burger without carbs (i.e. the bun), instead you get a shell of iceburg lettuce around your burger.  So a Double Double "Protein Style" is two all-beef hamburger patties, two slices of American cheese, onions, tomatoes, and "spread" (In N Out's version of Thousand Island) wrapped in hand-leafed lettuce.  It will run you the same as a regular Double Double at $2.99.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Mint Chocolate Cookie

Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie is like your standard Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream but with cookies instead of chips and minus the green food coloring. My local Fresh & Easy doesn't carry it so I think it's one of the less common Ben & Jerry's flavors but occasionally I find it on sale at Ralph's or Albertson's at two for $5, otherwise I think it's close to $4.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Chunky Monkey

A standby favorite of mine, the aptly-named Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey features banana ice cream as the base and walnut pieces and fudge chunks as the finish.  My local Fresh & Easy carries it for a reasonable $2.99 but occasionally I find it on sale at Ralph's or Albertson's at two for $5.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Americone Dream

Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream features vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl and yes, I am just typing what it says on the picture above.  I get my Ben & Jerry's for $2.99 at Fresh & Easy or when it's on sale at a major supermarket for two for $5.