Review: Ono Hawaiian BBQ - Chicken Katsu Plate

One Hawaiian BBQ's Chicken Katsu Plate features two chicken cutlets breaded with Japanese panko bread crumbs and deep-fried until crispy. The chicken is served on a bed of steamed cabbage with two scoops of steamed white rice and a scoop of my favorite macaroni salad on the side. I can usually make two meals out of one plate which costs $6.49.

Review: Wendy's - Spicy Chipotle Boneless Wings

Wendy's Spicy Chipotle Boneless Wings feature all-white meat chicken breast pieces, breaded, deep-fried, and then hand-tossed in a sauce made with a blend of chipotle peppers, dark chili powder, and honey. I haven't tried it myself (haven't really had the desire really... really) but I got a guest review from the Sister!

Review: The Coffee Bean - Ultimate Caramel Ice Blended

The Coffee Bean's Ultimate Caramel Ice Blended is new to The Coffee Bean menu this summer and features buttery caramel, blended with coffee, non-fat milk, and chocolate-covered espresso beans. Yes, in Coffee Bean speak, "Ultimate" means chocolate-covered espresso beans. A 16-ounce "regular" cup will set you back $3.95.

News: Hardee's - New Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders

Hardee's Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders are the newest item to hit the Hardee's menu and feature fresh, all-white meat chicken tenders (short for "tenderloin"), hand-dipped in egg and buttermilk and lightly breaded with seasoned flour (by hand of course!).  The Chicken Tenders are served with your choice of honey mustard, buffalo, or buttermilk ranch sauce.

Apparently, Hardee's is doing a staggered rollout of the Chicken Tenders; some restaurants are already serving them while others will have them by the end of June.

Hardee's Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders are available in 3-piece and 5-piece orders, retail-priced at $2.99 and $4.49 respectively.

Nutritional Info after the jump

The Asia Trip: McDonald's Hong Kong - McCafe Cappuccino

The McCafe at the McDonald's I went to in Hong Kong had a separate more cafe-like counter from the rest of the McDonald's. And, as I found out late one night, it keeps different hours than the McDonald's (which stayed open 24 hours like Denny's or IHOP).

Review: Chick-fil-A - Spicy Chicken Sandwich

After much ado and free sandwiches (by reservation only!), Chick-fil-A's Spicy Chicken Sandwich has finally landed on the Chick-fil-A's menu. Of course, since they were test-marketed in southern California, I've tried several of them before the official launch.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Blue Raspberry Coolatta

Today, Dunkin' Donuts introduced their newest Coolatta frozen slush drink for this summer, the Blue Raspberry Coolatta.  Dunkin' is also bringing back the Watermelon Coolatta citing popular demand.  The suggested retail on a "small"16-ounce Coolatta is $2.29.

You might be thinking, "But raspberries aren't blue!"  That's right.  Raspberries are not blue.  So why the blue color?  It's food coloring, so you don't confuse it with the more common cherry and strawberry flavors.

Nutritional info after the jump.

News: McDonald's - New Snack Size McFlurry

I stopped by McDonald's today and saw a poster advertising a new "snack size" McFlurry for $1.79 (in southern California; price varies with geography) available mixed with Oreos, M&M's, and Reese's (mix-ins probably vary with location).  The Snack Size McFlurry comes in an 8-ounce cup which is slightly larger than Dairy Queen's "mini" size coming this August.

Nutritional Info After the Jump.

Review: Burger King - Ham Omelet Sandwich

Part of Burger King's BK Breakfast Value Menu, the Ham Omelet Sandwich features an egg omelet, a slice of cheese, thin-sliced deli ham, and honey butter sauce on a sesame hamburger bun for $1.

Sunday Funny: Jack in the Box - "No Coffee"

Jack makes a persuasive argument for orange juice for breakfast over coffee.

Review: Dairy Queen - Oreo and Snickers Blizzard

There aren't any fast food serving Dairy Queens in the southern California area as far as I know. However, there are Dairy Queens at the malls that only serve their frozen Treats including their trademark Blizzard of which I tried the Snickers Blizzard and Oreo Blizzard pictured above.

Review: Porto's Bakery - Carrot Muffin

I'm a big fan of carrot cake, so it's not surprising that I tried the Carrot Muffin from Porto's Bakery in Burbank.  I think a big reason for Porto's popularity beyond the Cheese Rolls, is the relative affordability of their baked goods and the huge selection. Items that would normally cost $2 to $4 dollars at other comparable bakeries or cafe cost $1 to $2 at Porto's. Also, the make a great cup of coffee, especially their Dulce De Leche Latte.

News: Wienerschnitzel - New Double Chili Cheeseburgers

Der Wienerschnitzel (which does not serve is eponymous dish, but instead specializes in hot dogs) is serving up two new items this summer: the Double Chili Cheeseburger and the Ultimate Double Chili Cheeseburger.  The Double Chili Cheeseburger just doubles up on the regular Chili Cheeseburger by adding a patty and another slice of cheese while the Ultimate Double Chili Cheeseburger adds to that tomatoes, pickles, chopped onions, and mustard (sounds like Tommy's to me).

The pricing on the Double Chili Cheeseburger is a retail of $2.29 while the Ultimate Double Chili Cheeseburger is 30 cents more at $2.59.

Nutritional info after the jump ("Yikes!" on the sodium, but not really surprising).

Review: Wendy's - BBQ Bacon Double Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe

The small burger with the really long-winded name, Wendy's new BBQ Bacon Double Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe features two hamburger patties, onions, pickles, honey BBQ sauce, two slices of bacon, and a slice of American cheese on a toasted hamburger bun. I'm told by a reader (PulledPorker) that the chicken version sandwich by itself costs $1.69, so I'm assuming the double cheeseburger version costs the same.

Buffet of Buffets: Lago Buffet

Part Four of Four - Lago Buffet - Caesars Palace

For the last buffet in our 24-hour window under the Buffet of Buffets, we went to Lago Buffet at Caesars Palace. I'd actually never heard of this one before the Buffet of Buffets but I'm glad I got to try it.

News: Friendly's Free Ice Cream Day - June 5, 2010

Friendly's is hosting their third annual Free Ice Cream Day on June 5th in celebration of their 75th anniversary.  I don't have a Friendly's anywhere near me (They're mostly in the Northeastern United States) but that doesn't mean you have to miss out!

Where: Any participating Friendly's restaurant location.

When: Saturday, June 5, 2010, from 12pm to 5pm

Why: Free One-Scoop Ice Cream Cone or Dish (26 flavors to choose from)

News: Philly's Best - $5 Hoagies All Summer

This one's for my southern California readers: Perhaps to pry away some customers from Subway, Philly's Best is offering $5 Hoagies for the whole summer (i.e. for the months of June, July, and August).  They're calling it the "Five Dollar Endless Summer Hoagie Jam.

I've tried their Italian Hoagie before and it is super great!  They give you a good amount of Boar Head's deli meats (you know... the good stuff!) on an Amoroso roll (for those Philly fans). The available $5 Hoagies are the American, Italian, Cheese, Tuna, Ham, or Turkey Hoagies.

Details: At participating locations only. Excludes cheesesteak and chicken cheesesteak hoagies.

Buffet of Buffets: Le Village Buffet

Part Three of Four - Le Village Buffet - Paris.

Le Village Buffet at Paris is a regional French buffet and features mostly regional French cuisines with the occasional oddities.

Out of the four buffets sampled, I like the atmosphere of Le Village Buffet; it's a bit of an extension of the Paris casino and shops. As the name suggests, the interior looks reminiscent of a village complete with a sky-painted ceiling.

The buffet itself is divided into sections by name (Provence, Normandy, Brittany, Burgundy and Alsace), with each section aping the architecture of its named region and serving the regional cuisine of each place.

News: Church's Chicken - New Strawberry Shortcake

New to Church's Chicken menu this summer is their Strawberry Shortcake.  The Strawberry Shortcake is basically their honey-butter biscuits covered with strawberries, strawberry sauce, and whipped cream.  It sounds pretty tasty and pretty messy unless you have a knife and fork.  The price per cake is $1.29 or four for $3.99 with the purchase of any regular-priced family box.

Nutritional Info after the jump.

Buffet of Buffets: Carnival World Buffet

Part Two of a Four - Carnival World Buffet - Rio.

For second dinner, we sprinted (literally) over to the Carnival World Buffet at Rio to make it before closing.  Have you tried running through a smoky casino?  I don't recommend it.  My lungs were burning.

The Carnival World Buffet (not to be mistaken with the more popular and more expensive Village Seafood Buffet) provided even more variety than Planet Hollywood's buffet with more made-to-order stations.