Review: Jack in the Box - Stacked Grilled Cheese Burger

Jack in the Box's Stacked Grilled Cheese Burger is part of their new late night menu and features a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich as the top bun for a cheeseburger filled with a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese, and mayo.

I picked one up for $4 (it's also available in a late night Munchie Meal that tacks on Halfsie fries, two tacos, and a 20-ounce drink for $6).

News: Wienerschnitzel - New Seasoned Curly Fries and Chili Cheese Seasoned Curly Fries

Wienerschnitzel is offering new Seasoned Curly Fries for a limited time at participating locations. They're also offering the option of topping the fries with chili and shredded cheese in the same fashion as their regular French fries.

News: Starbucks Opens Tea Bar Concept

Starbucks is looking to do for tea what they've done with coffee and have opened a new tea bar concept out in New York City.

Basically a Starbucks but for tea instead of coffee, the new Teavana Fine Teas + Tea Bar leverages the Teavana tea brand Starbucks acquired about a year ago.

Review: Jollibee - Spaghetti and Fried Chicken

Jolibee is a Filipino fast food chain with international reach including a few locations here in the US. It's menu is basically a Filipino take on American fast food (burgers, fried chicken, fries, and the like). One of their menu staples is spaghetti, which here in the US typically means spaghetti noodles with a tomato-based meat sauce. If you order spaghetti from a Jolibee restaurant, it generally looks the same but it's actually very different.

Jollibee's Spaghetti is described as coming with a "sweet style spaghetti sauce" with ham, sausage, and ground beef topped with cheese. The order I got also came with a fried chicken leg and mushroom gravy for $4.99.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Pollo Bowl Varieties

El Pollo Loco continues to pump out limited-time menu items at a quick clip with their latest offering, three new, limited-time varieties of their Pollo Bowl.

The new Pollo Bowls are available in Chicken Mexican Cobb, Chicken Mole, and Chicken Ranchero. The Ultimate Double Chicken Pollo Bowl is also being featured but is part of the regular menu.

The Chicken Mexican Cobb comes with fire grilled chicken, bacon, avocado, corn, red peppers, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, Spanish  rice, pinto beans, chopped cabbage, and pico de gallo.

News: Shakeaway Milkshake Bar Coming to the U.S.

UK milkshake bar concept ShakeAway plans to make landfall here in the US with its first locations to open late this year and early 2014 in California, Georgia, and New York.

 The idea is you can build-your-own milkshakes, frozen yogurt shakes, and smoothies choosing from a selection of over 180 ingredients.

News: Wienerschnitzel - 50 Cent Corn Dogs on Halloween

Wienerschnitzel recently announced that they will be offering 50 cent corn dogs tomorrow i.e. Halloween.

The deal is good all day tomorrow, October 31, 2013 at participating Wienerschnitzel locations.

There's no limit on how many you can buy and you don't have to wear a costume.

Corn dogs at Wienerschnitzel normally cost $1 or more (varying by location).

Review: Jack in the Box - Loaded Chicken Nuggets

Jack in the Box's Loaded Chicken Nuggets is a late night menu item (only at 9pm) featuring breaded chicken nuggets topped with two types of cheeses, ranch, and bacon.

I picked up an order for $4 (You can also get it as part of a combo with Halfsie fries (a mix of regular and seasoned curly fries), two tacos, and a drink for $6).

Review: Drake's - Yodel Snack Cakes

Drake's Yodel snack cakes feature devil's food cake rolled up with a creme filling and finished in a chocolaty coating.

An 11-ounce box of 10 twin-wrapped (2 to a package) Yodels cakes carries a suggested retail price of $2.99, but I received this box courtesy of Drake's.

News: Papa John's - New Italian Meats & Four Cheese Pizza

Papa John's latest limited-time pizza is the new Italian Meats & Four Cheese Pizza.

The new pizza comes topped with fire-roasted red peppers, Italian salami, pepperoni, Italian sausage plus mozzarella, provolone, Fontina, and Asiago cheeses. It's not too different in name or toppings from the Hearty Italian Meats Pizza offered back in 2011.

News: Popeyes - 5th Annual Crawfish Festival

Popeyes is celebrating their 5th Annual Crawfish Festival, which basically means that they're once again offering the Crawfish Tackle Box for $4.99.

The $4.99 Crawfish Tackle Box includes an order of hand-battered and breaded crawfish, regular Cajun fries (or any other individual side), a biscuit, and Creamy Horseradish Dipping Sauce.

News: P.F. Chang's - 2013 Fall Menu

P.F. Chang's 2013 fall menu looks to capture the flavor of autumn with seasonal ingredients like kale, quinoa, Brussel sprouts, butternut squash, and zucchini.

Savory entrees and appetizers on the menu include:

- Crispy Korean Chicken Wings - served "lollipop-style" (with the bone as the lollipop stick) with a house-made sweet red chili sauce and sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds. They're priced at $10.95 for an order.

Review: Sonic - Cheesecake Bites

Sonic's Cheesecake Bites are a limited-time dessert that they trot out now and again. Each piece is made with a bite-sized piece of cheesecake rolled in graham cracker crust and deep-fried. Strawberry sauce comes on the side for dipping.

An order of three was $1.99 but I received it courtesy of Sonic.

Around the World: Pizza Hut's Crunchy Cheesy Bites Pizza Now in Canada

Pizza Hut Canada's latest new pizza is the Crunchy Cheesy Bites Pizza, which is basically a Cheesy Bites Pizza but with a topping of cornflakes on the Cheesy Bites for added crunch.

If you're unfamiliar with the Cheesy Bites Pizza, it's basically a Stuffed Crust Pizza with the end crust cut into bite-sized pieces and twisted so that the cheese is facing outward.

News: Outback Steakhouse - Free Kids Meal with Adult Entree on Halloween

Outback Steakhouse is offering a free kids meal with the purchase of any adult entree on Halloween.

The offer is only good this upcoming Halloween on Thursday, October 31, 2013. It can be redeemed for lunch or dinner, dine-in or to-go at participating Outback locations.

News: Jamba Juice - $2 Oatmeal Coupon

Jamba Juice is offering a online coupon good for any variety of their steel-cut oatmeal at $2 a pop.

The coupon is only good from Tuesday, October 29, 2013 through Sunday, November 3, 2013 at participating locations.

Review: Good Humor - Reese's Halloween Ice Cream Peanut Butter Cups

Good Humor's Reese's Halloween-themed Ice Cream Peanut Butter Cups are roughly shaped like pumpkins and feature peanut butter ice cream with a Reese's peanut butter swirl dipped in a milk chocolate-flavored coating.

An 18 fl oz box of six bars goes for about $3 to $4, but I received this box courtesy of Good Humor.

News: Coffee-mate - 2013 Holiday Line Up

Coffee-mate has gone all out for the holiday season with a full line-up of non-dairy creamers.

The holiday line-up includes: new Dark Chocolate Fudge, new Spice Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Pumpkin Spice, Eggnog Latte, Sugar-Free Pumpkin Spice, and Sugar-Free Peppermint Mocha.

Around the World: KFC Philippines Offers New Crispy Butter Chicken

Going with the adage "everything is better with butter," KFC Philippines offers new Crispy Butter Chicken. It's basically fried chicken that's been marinated in and breaded with butter. And, if that's not enough butter for you, it comes with new butter rice. Mmmmmm... butter.

Review: Drake's - Devil Dogs

Drake's Devil Dogs are basically two flat pieces of devil's food cake sandwiching a layer of creme. They're similar to Little Debbie's Devil Cremes.

They don't actually sell them on the West Coast, but the company was kind enough to send me a box to try. The suggested retail price is $2.99 for a 13.24-ounce box of 8 cakes. If you can't find a local supply however, they're available on Amazon for a much higher $6.73 plus shipping.

News: Pringles - 2013 Limited Edition Holiday Flavors

Pringles is offering two limited-edition holiday flavors for their signature potato chips: Cinnamon & Sugar and Pecan Pie.

Cinnamon & Sugar is a returning flavor from last year and Pecan Pie is new.

They're available nationwide starting early November, but I've already spotted them here in Southern California.

News: New Dunkin' Donuts Bakery Series Packaged Coffee

Dunkin' Donuts is currently offering a new Bakery Series Coffees line of packaged ground coffee in grocery stores.

The flavors are bakery shop-themed and come in five varieties: Blueberry Muffin, Caramel Coffee Cake, Chocolate Glazed Donut, Jelly Donut, and Old Fashioned Donut.

News: Jack in the Box - $1 Toasty Jack Ornament Benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters

Jack in the Box is once again offering a Christmas Jack head ornament, Toasty Jack, as a holiday fundraiser to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters, a non-profit youth-mentoring organization.

This year's Jack ornament is adorned with either a red or green snow cap with flaps. Toasty Jack has a pre-drilled hole on the bottom and a braided loop on top so it can be used as a festive vehicle antenna or for decorating a Christmas tree.

Frozen Friday: Kellogg's Eggo Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Kellogg's Eggo Pumpkin Spice Waffles are a limited-time, fall offering that features classic Eggo waffles with the flavor of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

I found a 9.8-ounce box of 8 waffles on sale for $2.

News: Sonic - 50 Cent Corn Dogs on Halloween

Sonic is offering their Corn Dogs for a discounted price of 50 cent all day on October 31 in celebration of Halloween.

Sonic's Corn Dogs consist of a hot dog on a stick surrounded by a deep-fried sweet corn batter. They typically sell for $1 or more at Sonic (varying with location).

News: Souplantation / Sweet Tomatoes - Kids Eat Free During Week of Halloween

To help balance out all the candy kids (and quite a few adults) will be consuming next week, Souplantation / Sweet Tomatoes is enticing parents to bring them in for endless soups, baked goods, and salad with a "Kids Eat Free" deal during the week of Halloween.

News: 7-Eleven - New Diablo Chicken Ranch Sandwich

7-Eleven continues their efforts to expand their fancier foods selection and chase two food trends in one go with the new Diablo Chicken Ranch Sandwich.

It comes with on a chewy pretzel roll and with a sriracha ranch sauce. The rest of the sandwich is pretty standard: sliced chicken, cheese, and lettuce. You can expect to find it for around $5.

Review: McDonald's - Crispy Southwest Chicken McWrap

McDonald's Crispy Southwest Chicken McWrap features slices of crispy chicken (also available with grilled chicken) glazed with a cilantro lime sauce, chili-lime tortilla strips, spring greens, two half slices of tomato, shredded cheddar jack cheese, and a spicy habanero ranch sauce wrapped up in a  flour tortilla.

I picked up a crispy chicken version for $3.99.

Around the World: Domino's France - Curry Pizza

Domino's France's latest limited-time pizza, the Sublim' Curry, feels like it'd be more at home at CPK rather than Domino's, but is probably more a reflection of the French pizza market.

News: Tim Hortons - 2013 Fall Pumpkin Menu

Tim Hortons has gone big with the pumpkin theme this fall with a slate full of limited-time pumpkin-flavored drinks and baked goods.

For beverages, there's new Pumpkin Pie White Mocha, Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate, and, of course, Pumpkin Pie Latte.

Review: Starbucks - Raspberry Blueberry Donut

Starbucks' Raspberry Blueberry Donut is part of their new, upgraded La Boulange bakery line (basically they bought a bakery chain to improve their baked goods selection). It's a warmed yeast donut filled with raspberry and blueberry jam.

I picked one up for $1.95.

News: Jersey Mike's - Rosemary Parmesan Bread Returns

Jersey Mike's has returned their Rosemary Parmesan Bread for a limited time through November 27 at participating Jersey Mike's locations nationwide.

The limited-time bread is baked fresh in stores every morning and features fresh-grated parmesan and Mediterranean rosemary baked into the crust.

Around the World: Canadians Vote Maple Moose as their Lay's "Do Us a Flavour" Winner

Up north in Canada, Lay's recently wrapped up the Canadian version of their "Do Us a Flavor" contest where fans were invited to submit their flavor ideas for Lay's potato chips for a chance to have it made as well as for a cash prize.

The winner? The oddly named "Maple Moose." The name is actually not a joke and combines maple with a beef-like flavor according to Serious Eats. The flavor won out over Creamy Garlic Caesar, Grilled Cheese & Ketchup, and Perogy Platter

News: California Pizza Kitchen Now Offers Gluten-Free Pizzas for People with Celiac Disease

California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) now offers new gluten-free pizzas that the chain claims is safe to be eaten by people who have celiac disease and have been approved by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG).

The new gluten-free pizzas are only available with four varieties: the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, Pepperoni, Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage ("MuPeSa"), and Margherita.

Review: Bruxie - Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Waffle

Bruxie is a Southern California waffle sandwich chain that's been expanding fairly quickly. Their Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Waffle is a savory waffle sandwich with a breast of fried chicken and a chili honey and cider slaw.

The price for the sandwich was $6.95 with an additional charge of $2.50 for an order of waffle fries.

News: Krispy Kreme: Free Donut on Halloween for Costume-Wearers

Krispy Kreme is once again offering a free donut to every guest who shows up to a participating Krispy Kreme shop on Halloween in costume.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - 2013 Halloween Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts is once again offering the Boston Scream Donut leading up to Halloween.

The Boston Scream Donut is a seasonal variation on their Boston Kreme donut that adds an orange icing drizzle.

The rest of the donut is the same yeast donut filled with a vanilla-flavored custard and finished with chocolate frosting.

News: Ben & Jerry's - New Scotchy Scotch Scotch Ice Cream

Ben & Jerry's latest "Limited Batch" flavor is new Scotchy Scotch Scotch ice cream. It features butterscotch ice cream with butterscotch swirls.

The flavor was inspired by the titular character of the movie The Anchorman and the upcoming Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Ron Burgundy, and his infamous love of scotch.

Review: Sonic - Super Crunch Chicken Strips

Sonic's Super Crunch Chicken Strips are the new "improved" version of their previous chicken strips featuring an extra crispy batter.

An order of three strips was $3.29, which is pretty standard as far as chicken strips go.

News: Jack in the Box - 2013 Holiday Drinks

This fall sees the return of Jack in the Box's duo of holiday milkshakes, Pumpkin Spice and Egg Nog, but in addition, they're also offering Pumpkin Spice iced and Pumpkin Spice hot coffee.

Pumpkin Spice is being touted as new, but it appears to a new name for the old Pumpkin Pie Shake (it's also possible they reformulated the flavor).

News: Papa Murphy's - Jack-O-Lantern Pizza Back for Halloween

It's nearly Halloween, and at take-and-bake pizza chain Papa Murphy's that means the Jack-O-Lantern Pizza is once again available for ordering.

The pumpkin-shaped pizza helps get you in the Halloween spirit (or, at least, entertains and feeds the kids) with a border and smiling face made of pepperonis and two olives for pupils.

Review: Trader Joe's - Pumpkin Macarons

Trader Joe's offers Pumpkin Macarons as part of their seasonal fall line-up. They're French-style small sandwich cookies made with two pumpkin-flavored cookies with a pumpkin custard filling.

A 4.6-ounce box of 12 macarons goes for $4.99 (which isn't bad if you have a macaron habit, since they're around $2 if you get them from a bakery or patisserie in LA).

News: Burger King - Two for $5 Mix and Match Deal Returns

Burger King is once again offering their Two for $5 Mix and Match Deal for a limited time at participating Burger King restaurants.

Under the deal, you can get any combination of two burger and sandwiches from a limited selection that includes the Whopper, Premium Alaskan Fish Sandwich, Original Chicken Sandwich, and the limited-time Pulled Pork Sandwich.

News: Hershey's Launches First New Brand in 30 Years

The Hershey Company will launch their first new brand in 30 years with a new line of caramel soft cremes under the 'Lancaster" name.

The name and line are inspired by Hershey founder Milton Hershey's first candy company, The Lancaster Caramel Company. Of course, he ended up selling the company and got into the chocolate making business instead, which worked out pretty well.

Review: Trader Joe's - Pumpkin Cereal Bars

Trader Joe's "This Pumpkin walks into a Bar..." Pumpkin Cereal Bars are a seasonal fall offering featuring a cereal bar with a pumpkin filling.

A 7.8-ounce box of six bars was $1.99.

News: Progresso Launches Artisan Soups

Following on the tail of Campbell's Soup's recent expansion of multiple soup lines, Progresso is offering a new line of "Artisan Soups."

News: Dunkin' Donuts - 2013 Fall-Winter Packaged Coffee

Dunkin' Donuts' limited-time, fall-and-winter packaged coffees this year include new Apple Pie and returning Pumpkin Spice and Mocha Mint flavors.

The seasonal coffees are pre-ground and come in 11-ounce bags. They can be found in the coffee aisle of grocery stores nationwide.

Frozen Friday: Stouffer's - Grandma's Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bake

Stouffer's Grandma's Chicken and Vegetable Rice Bake features chunks of white meat chicken, vegetables, and rice in a cheddar cheese sauce.

A 17-ounce box was $2 on sale.

News: Sonic - Cheesecake Bites Are Back

Sonic's Cheesecake Bites are back for a limited time this fall.

The mini desserts feature chunks of cheesecake rolled and fried in a warm graham cracker crust. They come with strawberry sauce for dipping.

You can find them in three- and five-piece orders for $1.99 and $2.99 respectively (price may vary).

News: The Angry Whopper is Back at Burger King

Burger King has brought back the Angry Whopper along with the Chicken Parmesan Sandwich for a limited time.

Last seen around this time last year, the Angry Whopper comes with  a beef patty, thick-cut hardwood-smoked bacon, Habanero cheese, jalapeno slices, spicy fried onion petals, tomatoes, lettuce, and a spicy "angry" sauce. You can expect to find it starting at $4.49 (may vary) and it is also available in a Whopper Jr. version (which I tried) starting at $2.19.