Review: Yoshinoya - New, Improved Combo Bowl

Yoshinoya fairly recently made changes to their bowls to include more chicken, vegetables, and rice plus a new, savory vegetable sauce, crispier vegetables, and sesame seeds and green onions as toppings.

Their bowls were a good size before, but now come in a bigger square box (rather than the old rectangle) that's enough for two (or two meals!). I picked up a Combo Bowl which comes with their trademark simmered beef, teriyaki chicken, and vegetables for $5.89.

Neat! McDonald's Thailand Offers Japanese-Style Bentos

Out in Thailand, McDonald's is offering a limited-time promotion with what looks to be a Japanese-style bento.

Calling it "Spicy Chicken Teriyaki Rice," the meal comes in a plastic compartmentalized tray (think frozen dinner) with slices of crispy fried spicy chicken topped with teriyaki sauce, steamed rice, and a fresh salad. The price comes out to about 69 Thai baht or about $2.17.

News: Pizza Hut Returns "Any Pizza for $10" Deal

For a limited time, Pizza Hut returns their "Any Pizza for $10" deal where customers can get any pizza, or any size, and with any number of toppings for $10.

They say "any pizza," but stuffed crust and extra cheese will cost you extra. Available crusts are Pan, Hand-Tossed, or Thin 'n Crispy.

Review: Quiznos - Meatball Sub Slider

Quiznos' new Sub Sliders are part of a recent menu overhaul that included the addition of new sliders, wraps, and flatbreads. The new Meatball Sub Sliders include Italian meatballs, all-natural mozzarella, an Italian 3-cheese blend (it seemed like Romano, Parmesan, and Asiago cheese by my guess), and marinara sauce served on a toasted dinner roll.

You get two sliders (mix and match if you like) per order for $4.49. I got these for free courtesy of Quiznos though.

News: McDonald's Pushes "Under 400 Calories" Menu

With the 2012 London Olympics Games set to start this Friday, McDonald's looks to promote the avaiability of their nutritional information by highlighting the new "Favorites Under 400 Calories" menu which organizes under 400 calorie items from their existing menu into four tiers based on calorie ranges to help customers makes informed choices to meet their caloric goals (or lack thereof). The four tiers range from "400 calories or under" to "100 calories or under."

Along with the new point-of-sale menu boards, McDonald's is also launching an instant win game starting tomorrow, Tuesday, July 23. Dubbed the "Win When the USA Wins Gold" promotion, select items from the "Favorites Under 400 Calories" menu will contain a games piece that you can peel and possibly win prizes instantly. All game pieces will also have a code you can enter at www.usawinsgold.com for a chance to win prizes whenever the USA nets a gold in this summer's Olympics.

News: Jack in the Box - New Mini Corn Dogs

Jack in the Box is adding to the variety of snackables on their menu with new Mini Corn Dogs, but only for a limited time.

The new Mini Corn Dogs are bite-sized and come 5 pieces to an order.

They join a lineup of finger foods that include Seasoned Curly Fries, Egg Rolls, Stuffed Jalapenos, and Mozzarella Cheese Sticks.

Review: Häagen-Dazs - Salted Caramel Ice Cream Bars

Häagen-Dazs Salted Caramel Ice Cream Bars are a limited edition version of their standard chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bars. Each bar features two salted caramel ribbons blended into vanilla ice cream and coated in milk chocolate.

If you want vanilla ice cream and chocolate over "frozen dairy dessert" and "chocolaty coating," you'll pay a premium as a box of three 3-ounce bars retails for about $4.99.

Review: M&M's Peanut Salty & Sweet Snack Mix

M&M's Peanut Salty & Sweet Snack Mix features an assortment of Peanut M&M's, mini shortbread cookies, roasted almonds, and mini pretzels.

An 8-ounce resealable bag retails for $3.29.

Video: McDonald's London Olympics Restaurant Construction Timelapse

With the London Olympics just around the corner, McDonald's has a neat, time-lapsed video of the construction of the world's largest McDonald's restaurant at Olympic Park for the London 2012 Olympics Games.

The flagship Olympic restaurant seats up to 1,500 people and will be dismantled after the Games. But don't worry, 75 percent of the materials will be reused and almost everything will be recycled.

You can check out the video below:

Frozen Friday: Lean Cuisine - Five Cheese Rigatoni

Lean Cuisine's Five Cheese Rigatoni frozen meal is a simple dish of rigatoni pasta in tomato sauce topped with a 5 cheese blend.

It retails for $3.29 at my local Albertson's.

Review: Wendy's Son of Baconator

Wendy's Son of Baconator is the newest kid on the block on the Wendy's menu and features a slight less beefy version of the Baconator. Besides sporting two 2.25-ounce beef patties (compared to the Baconator's 1/4-pound patties) and 2 less strips of bacon (4 total), Junior is dressed with the same two slices of American cheese, ketchup, and mayo and comes on the same buttered and toasted premium bun.

The Son of Baconator sells for $3.99 at my local Wendy's, but I got mine for free courtesy of Wendy's.

News: Jack in the Box - New Malted Crunch Shakes

If you like milkshakes with a malted crunch, for a limited time, Jack in the Box is offering new Malted Crunch Shakes.

Malted Crunch Shakes feature candy-coated malted crunch bits (Whoppers!) and come in two flavors: Vanilla and Chocolate. As with all of Jack's shakes, they're made with vanilla ice cream and finished with whipped topping and a maraschino cherry.

My local Jack in the Box sells shakes at $2.69 for a regular (16 ounce) and $3.19 for a large (24 ounce). I expect the price will be the same with the Malted Crunch Shakes.

News: Arby's - 64 Cent Classic Roast Beef Sandwich on July 23!

Arby's is celebrating their 48th birthday this upcoming Monday, July 23 (Arby's was founded on July 23, 1964 in Boardman, Ohio) and to celebrate, they are offering a printable coupon for a 64 cent Classic Roast Beef Sandwich via their Facebook page.

To get to the coupon, you can travel back in time down Arby's Facebook timeline to 1964 and view classic Arby's photos, commercials, and what not...

News: Wendy's - New Mobile Nutrition App

For those watching your calorie or nutritional intake, Wendy's now has an app for your iPhone or Android that they're calling the "My Wendy's" App.

The app lets you look up nutritional information regarding Wendy's menu. It also allows you to set calorie goals and will suggest menu items/combos to meet those goals.

Around the World: McDonald's Hong Kong - Hello Kitty Fairy Tales Promo

McDonald's Hong Kong is currently running a Hello Kitty promotion that includes stuffies, food, and a nifty discount card. Dubbed the "Fairytale Flavors of Summer" the promotion features a staggered release schedule of Hello Kitty stuffed toys dressed like familiar fairy tale characters; there's the Ugly Duckling, the Frog Prince, the Cowardly Lion, and Little Red Riding Hood.

Review: Ben & Jerry's - Strawberry Shortcake Greek Frozen Yogurt

Ben & Jerry's Strawberry Shortcake Greek Frozen Yogurt is made with real Greek frozen yogurt mixed with strawberries and shortbread pieces.

A pint retails for around $4 to $5 in my area. I try and pick them up on sale for around $3.

Neat! 7-Eleven Singapore Mashed Potato Dispensing Machine

At 7-Eleven Singapore, it seems having instant mashed potatoes is popular (or cheap) enough to warrant having a mashed potato AND gravy dispenser in stores. It's like a Slurpee machine! But for mashed potatoes!

Beyond a little concern about old mashed potatoes getting stuck in the dispensing tube, it seems interesting enough. The machine has two separate dispensing spouts (one for mashed potatoes and one for gravy). You just place a bowl down and press a button and out comes piping hot mashed potatoes, shortly followed by gravy. You can see it in action below:

Review: Panda Express - Beijing Beef

Panda Express' Beijing Beef was one of their limited-time offers that sold well enough to make the regular menu. Beijing Beef features battered and deep-fried marinated beef stir-fried in a wok with red bell peppers, sliced onions, and a sweet and spicy sauce.

My local Panda Express has 2-entree plates for $6.29.

News: Starbucks - New Bountiful Blueberry Muffin

Starbucks has rejiggered their blueberry muffin formula and now offer new Bountiful Blueberry Muffins in their bakery display.

So why "bountiful?" The new muffins have 20% more blueberries than the old ones, which should make for more blueberry flavor and let you think to yourself, "well at least I'm getting 1/3 a serving of fruit per muffin... that's got to count for something right?"

Neat! McDonald's Shows You How to Make Big Mac "Secret" Sauce at Home

McDonald's, or rather, McDonald's Canada has been extremely forthcoming with answering their customers' submitted questions as of late. In a recent video, they were asked, "What is in the sauce that is in the Big Mac?" and in answer, McDonald's Executive Chef Dan Coudreaut (the guy in charge of all the recipes at McDonald's) demonstrated how to make a Big Mac at home, including the mac sauce, with ingredients from your grocery store.

You can check it out below: