Around the World - Pizza Hut Hong Kong - Spanish Tapas Pizza

Pizza Hut dine-in has pretty much died out here in southern California; though I'm sure there much be one or two here or there. But, it seems to have flourished in Hong Kong though where the dine-in experience is more akin to fine dining than what you typically think of Pizza Hut.

The menu is also a lot more varied and fancier than you would expect from Pizza Hut as well. Check out the Spanish Tapas Pizza promo they ran earlier this year; you can see the plating and decor of Pizza Hut dine-in:

Review: Starbucks - Vanilla Via Instant Coffee

Starbucks Vanilla Via instant coffee is one of the four flavors of the Starbuck's brand instant coffee recently brought to market. The other three flavors are Mocha, Caramel, and Cinnamon. Pricing is currently a promotional $5.95 for 6 one-serving packets. The normal price is $6.95.

News: Cold Stone Creamery Offering Free Eight Layer Cake Samples - November 16, 2010

Cold Stone Creamery will be handing out free samples of their Eight Layer Cakes to hopefully inspire you to order one for upcoming holiday festivities. The event will take place on Tuesday, November 16th, from 5-8pm.

Cold Stone's Eight Layer Cakes feature three layers of ice cream, three layers of cake and two mid-layers of mix-ins and finished with frosting and edible decorations. They're available in two flavors: Cake Batter Layers and Quilted Coffee Caramel.

When: Tuesday, November 16th, 2010, 5-8pm
Where: At participating Cold Stone Creamery locations nationwide.
Why: Free samples of Eight Layer Cake

Frozen Friday: Claim Jumper - Frozen Buffalo Wings

Claim Jumper's frozen Buffalo Wings feature fully cooked buffalo style chicken wing portions and drumlettes with a hot spicy sauce included. It carries a pricey retail of about $9.99 for a little more than a pound of food (1 pound and 6 ounces to be exact) though is occasionally on sale for around $7.99.

News: Pizza Hut - Two Medium Pizzas for $6 Each

Pizza Hut's latest promotion is two medium pizzas, with up to 3 toppings, for $6 each (i.e. $12 total). The deal ends on Saturday, November 20th.

It's comparable to Domino's two medium, 2-topping pizzas for $5.99 each except you can get one more topping if you so choose.

Medium pizzas at Pizza Hut are normally $8 (with up to three toppings) under their new pricing structure.

News: Popeyes - Cajun Style Turkeys are Back

Popeyes Cajun Style Turkeys are back for those of you planning to order one to go with your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Popeyes Cajun Style Turkeys weigh approximately 9 to 11 pounds and are seasoned with their blend of Louisiana seasonings and then flash-fried for a crispy coating. The turkey is then roasted so that it is crispy outside and juicy within. They carry a suggested retail price of $39.99.

They're only available once a year at participating restaurants through December, or until supplies last. You can check which Popeyes locations are carrying them online.

I've always been curious about these things which are up there with those BBQ joints that will smoke a whole turkey for you. It's just a bit pricey compared to buying and roasting your own turkey but maybe someday...

Review: Taco Bell - Crunchwrap Supreme

Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme is like a uniquely Taco Bell cross between a Tostada and a Burrito Supreme. Specially, it consists of a grilled flour tortilla folded into a hexagon filled with seasoned ground beef, a tostada shell, nacho cheese sauce, reduced fat sour cream, diced tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. Buying one will cost you $2.39.

News: Wendy's - New Natural-Cut Sea Salt Fries

In a bit of a reversal of Jack in the Box's fry change, but in keeping with their own premium theme, Wendy's is replacing their current fries with new Natural-Cut Sea Salt Fries. Pricing will remain the same as their current fries and the roll out begins tomorrow, November 11th.

The new fries are cut skin-on from Russet potatoes and seasoned with sea salt which tends to cost a little more than regular table salt. They are cooked in a new oil formulation which is purported to contain no allergens and 0 grams of trans fat per serving.

The new fries are touted as "hotter, crispier, and tastier" and were tested in three U.S. cities before the decision to launch them nationwide.

Review: Sonic - Chili Cheese Tots

I think Sonic is the only place I know of that offers Chili Cheese Tots which is like Chili Cheese Fries but with Tots instead of French fries. Pricing is $2.19 for a small, $2.59 for a medium, and $3.29 for a large. In addition to chili and cheese, you can ask for onions as well for added flavor and crunch.

News: Wendy's Testing Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburger

In what looks like Wendy's answer to McDonald's Angus Third Pounders and Burger King's Steakhouse XT premium burgers, Wendy's is testing their new Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburger in Las Vegas for a potential national roll out according to the Las Vegas Sun. Dave's Hot 'N Juicy Cheeseburger's main selling points are: a thicker, juicier beef patty, new premium toppings (red onions, crinkle-cut pickles, and thicker cut tomatoes), and a buttered, toasted bun.

News: McDonald's Jalapeno Cheddar and Cheddar Onion McChicken in San Diego

McDonald’s is offering two new variations of the McChicken sandwich in the San Diego area: the Jalapeño Cheddar and the Cheddar Onion. It's unclear if these are merely regional items or a test for possible expansion. It might portend more McChicken versions to come.

The Jalapeño Cheddar McChicken tops the McChicken patty with spicy jalapeño peppers and white cheddar cheese while the new Cheddar Onion McChicken is made with caramelized onions and white cheddar cheese. Pricing on the new sandwiches is $1.49 each.

In a bit of mobile marketing, San Diego McDonald’s is offering a text message coupon for the new McChicken sandwiches. Customers can text ‘YUMMY’ to 44144 to receive a coupon for one free Jalapeño Cheddar or Cheddar Onion McChicken with any purchase sent directly to their mobile phone. To redeem the coupon, customers simply show the text message coupon on their phone to their McDonald's order-taker.

Review: Little Caesars - Hot-N-Ready Pepperoni Pizza

It's hard to believe but in the early '90s, Little Caesars was the #2 pizza chain in the nation. I ate it quite a bit of their pizzas growing up since you could always count on getting two pizzas for the price of one. Nowadays, they're a distant fourth in the pizza race and have a new gimmick that seems to work well for them: the Hot-N-Ready Pizza for $5.

News: Jack in the Box - Free Tacos on Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Jack in the Box is giving away two Free Tacos per customer on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, but only after 2pm (you know, in case you were planning to get two before work and then two after your nightly commute).

The giveaways is supported by a commercial featuring the titular CEO, a visit to the dentist, and an apparent laughing gas induced delirium:

News: Sonic - 2010 Seasonal Holiday Drinks

Available for a limited time at Sonic this winter are two holiday-themed drinks: the Holiday Spiced Hot Chocolate and Holiday Spiced Sugar Cookie Blast. The "Holiday" prefix is to make sure you know they're holiday beverages.

The Holiday Spiced Hot Chocolate features hot chocolate with holiday-spiced caramel and topped with whipped topping.

And the Holiday Spiced Blast is made with spiced caramel-flavored ice cream, sugar cookies pieces, and whipped topping.

Sonic Tailgate Blanket and Gift Card Winners

It looks like pumpkin is, by far, the favored flavor for the fall/winter season (i.e. the holidays), other items that got mentioned a fair bit were peppermint and egg nog, but on to the winners.

I just pulled the numbers from the proverbial hat (via Random.org) and the runner up winner is... *drum roll* Adam who wins a $25 Sonic gift card and a tailgate blanket.

The grand prize of a $100 Sonic gift card and a tailgate blanket goes to Elaine Hearn.

Congrats to you both! I will send you an email shortly to get your mailing addresses.

Review: Burger King - Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich

The other half to the Tendergrill, Burger King's Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich features a deep-fried breaded chicken breast filet served with the standard lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo sandwiched into a corn-dusted bun. It is priced in the premium sandwich range for $4.19.

News: McDonald's - Holiday Pie this Winter 2010!

Depending on your local McDonald's franchisee, your local McDonald's may or may not have Holiday Pie on the menu this holiday season starting on November 18th until December 31st.

So what is a McDonald's Holiday Pie? It is a custard-filled baked turnover with what appears to be a confetti cake crust covered with a sugary white icing. I wouldn't say it makes me think of Christmas or the holidays though; maybe a kid's birthday, but no, not the holidays.

If you're so inclined to try one, I suggest calling ahead first as not all McDonald's will stock them; it's up to each franchisee's election.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, I have two confirmed locations for you:

5310 W. Rosecrans Ave.
Hawthorne CA 90250

1203 Artesia Blvd.
Manhattan Beach CA 90266

News: Domino's - Play "Behind the Pizza" for Free $5 Gift Card

Domino's is working to inform customers about their ingredients supply chain with a new edutainment game dubbed "Behind the Pizza" at more.dominos.com/behindthepizza. To encourage users to play, Domino's is offering incentives at several point tiers for various stages of completion of the game (in a game-show-like manner where you give up your prize for a better prize at the next tier).

At 1 point, users can get a coupon for free Cinna Stix with their next order.

At 50 points is a coupon for free Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes with your next order.

At 100 points is a buy one, get one free large pizza.

Finally, at the end of it all, you can play a pizza-making game for a $5 Domino's gift card. Update: There seems to be great difficulty in either a) getting a gift card or b) getting a gift card that works. Looks like they didn't quite test the fulfillment aspect of the promotion too well. This looks like it might be a black mark against Domino's if Facebook is any indication. Domino's has taken the game down, saying they've run out of prizes and that it'll be back.

Completion of the entire game probably takes about 20 minutes by my rough guess. There's no "game over," so the prizes are pretty much a given as long as you work your way through.

News: The Coffee Bean - $1 Holiday Drinks on November 9th

The Coffee Bean usually does a freebie day on their limited-time drinks once per season, but since it is the season for giving, this holiday season, it'll cost you a $1 to get a 12-ounce holiday drink on Tuesday, November 9th, 2010, 4 to 7pm.

So where's the giving part? The dollar you pay will go to The Help Group, a nonprofit benefiting children with special needs.

Where: Participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations in AZ and CA.
When: Tuesday, November 9th, 2010, 4 to 7pm.
Why: Proceeds go to children with special needs. For $1, you get your choice of a 12-ounce Red Velvet Hot Cocoa or Ice-Blended (isn't that just hot cocoa with red food coloring?!), Winter Dream Tea Latte, or Gingerbread Cookie Latte.

Review: Seattle's Best Canned Iced Latte

Seattle's Best Canned Iced Coffee comes in a tall, thin 9.5-ounce can (like Red Bull) and features a blend of milk, coffee, and sugar. The suggested retail price is $1.49 for a single can and $4.99 for a four-pack (though will probably go up with the way coffee prices are).