News: Popeyes - New Wicked Chicken

New to Popeyes' menu, Wicked Chicken are thin strips of all white meat chicken marinated with authentic Louisiana seasonings, hand-battered and breaded in the restaurants, and then deep-fried till crispy.

Wicked Chicken is different from Popeye's tender in that they're cut thinner so that they curl while cooking. My worry would be that since the chicken is cut into thin strips, it might be prone to drying out in the fryer.

Wicked Chicken is currently available in a snack box with Cajun Fries, a buttermilk biscuit, ranch dipping sauce and a mini bottle of Tabasco sauce for $3.99.

News: Popeyes - New Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea Free - June 12th

To encourage people to try their new Cane Sweet Iced Tea, Popeyes is giving away free cups of it on June 12th, 2010.  Cane "Sweeeet" Iced Tea is fresh brewed from a blend of orange pekoe and pekoe cut black teas from Asia and South America.

According to Popeyes, the "Sweeeet" refers to the tea being "great" or "awesome."  The tea is actually available sweetened with pure cane sugar or unsweetened.  Besides being available in normal drink sizes, Cane Sweet Iced Tea is also available in a gallon jug for $4.99.

When: June 12th, 2010

Where:  All participating Popeyes locations in the U.S.

Why: Free 22-ounce cup of Cane Sweet Iced Tea

Details: One per person, per visit.

Buffet of Buffets: Spice Market Buffet

Part One of a Four - Spice Market Buffet - Planet Hollywood.

The Buffet of Buffets is a promotion currently going on in Las Vegas where you can eat at any of seven Harrah's buffets as many times as you want(!) within a 24-hour window for $34.99 (although you do have to sign up or have in your possession their version of a comp card or its $39.99). The Buffet of Buffets was only $29.99 when I went though (they raised the price because too many people participated). I actually went to Vegas expressly to see how many buffets I could hit up in a 24-hour period and determine which was the best out of them.

News: Wendy's New BBQ Bacon Deluxe Value Meals

Memorial Day is just around the corner and that means barbecues!  Or, at least BBQ sauce at Wendy's.  The newest limited-time items to the Wendy's menu are the BBQ Bacon Deluxe Value Meals for $2.99.

So what does "BBQ Bacon Deluxe" mean?  It means honey BBQ sauce, onions, two strips of Applewood smoked bacon, pickles, a slice of American cheese and your choice of either two beef patties or a crispy chicken patty.  The value meal includes a small order of fries and a "small" drink (I think that means 20-ounces nowadays).

Nutritional Info after the jump.

News: Hot Dog on a Stick - Free Hot Dog Day, June 15, 2010

It's beginning to feel a lot like summer and once again, Hot Dog on a Stick is celebrating Free Hot Dog Day at all their locations.  It's like going to the county fair but at the mall so you can enjoy the A/C!

My friend and I went last year when there was no limit to how many corn dogs you could get and she went buck wild eating them.  There's a limit of one per person this year but really how many hot dogs do you plan on eating?

When:  June 15th, 2010 from 5pm-8pm

Where:  All Hot Dog on a Stick and Muscle Beach & Hot Dogs Locations.

Why: Free Hot Dog on a Stick (one per person)

Sunday Funny: McDonald's Korea - "Fry Thief"

Two 30-second gems from McDonald's Korea... from the same campaign I think. Because when you're hungry, you're hungry... Just don't get caught! Haha! Gotta love the Engrish: "Don't be risky your life!"

Second video after the jump.

News: Arby's New Steakhouse Sub

Arby's new limited-time Steakhouse Sub features a "combination of slow-roasted, thinly-sliced roast beef topped with melted Swiss cheese, freshly fried crispy onions and a zesty, cracked peppercorn sauce and toasted on a ciabatta roll."

Basically, it's their French Dip sub except without aus jus (Hm... did I just basically type "without with sauce?" Yep. I just did.), and with the added crunch of crispy onions and a peppery sauce.

Nutritional info after the jump.

News: Arby's - New Strawberry Banana Split Shake

Arby's likens their latest shake flavor to "enjoying a banana split through a straw."

Arby's new Strawberry Banana Split Shake is a limited-time item and features a strawberry and banana flavored shake with a chocolate syrup swirl topped with diced strawberries and is available in a 16-ounce cup.

Nutritional Info after the jump. This one's a bit of a sugar monster tipping in at 98g of Sugar.

News: Arby's New Prime-Cut Chicken Tenders

For a limited time, Arby's is adding Prime-Cut Chicken Tenders with a tangy Buffalo dipping sauce to its chicken menu line-up. The Prime-Cut Chicken Tenders feature whole white meat from the prime cut of the chicken breast breaded and fried.

I'm not entirely sure what the prime cut of a chicken breast is, but I would hope that it's the best cut of the chicken breast. I think that means the tenders would be juicier and meaty and I would be sorely disappointed to find otherwise. Just my two cents as a consumer.

The Tenders are available in 3-piece and 5-piece orders.

Nutritional Info after the jump.

Review: Porto's Bakery - Chocolate Croissant

Porto's Bakery's Chocolate Croissant features a croissant with chocolate inside and on the outside.  It's a fairly good value for a bakery croissant priced at $1.50.

Frozen Friday: Claim Jumper - Baby Back Pork Ribs

In a rather curious decision, Claim Jumper sells a full rack (about 14 - 16 ribs) of Baby Back Pork Ribs with barbecue sauce in the frozen food section for $14.99(!) at my local supermarket.  Normally, I wouldn't even thinking of spending that much in the frozen food aisle, but since it was free courtesy of Claim Jumper, I thought it would be interesting to try.

Review: Taco Bell - Mexican Pizza

A Taco Bell favorite of mine, the descriptively named Mexican Pizza is Taco Bell's take on the pizza complete with a "pizza" sauce, melted cheese and toppings. A bit ironic since my local Taco Bell is also a /Pizza Hut where a Mexican Pizza can be had for $2.79 whereas a more traditional Personal Pan Pizza will run a bit more.

News: Krispy Kreme - Free Donut on June 4, 2010

Looks like Krispy Kreme is getting in on the National Donut Day celebration and one-upping Dunkin' Donuts by offering a free Krispy Kreme donut with no strings attached (well, except for the sugar rush, but you know what you're getting yourself into).

When:  National Donut Day, Friday, June 4, 2010.

Where: At participating Krispy Kremes across the U.S.  Store Locations.

Why: Free Krispy Kreme donut (any variety), no purchase necessary.

Review: Chipotle Secret Menu - Steak Quesadilla

An off-the-menu or "secret" item at Chipotle, the Quesadilla is huge! For $2.75, I got a large flour tortilla (the same they use for their burritos) filled with cheese, wrapped in foil and pressed until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is seared. For $2 more, I got steak in my quesadilla for a grand total of $4.75.

Review: Starbucks - Mocha Frappuccino

Starbucks' Mocha Frappuccino in its base configuration (since it's customizable) features a blend of strong coffee flavor with a bit of milk chocolate flavor at $3.65 for a 16-ounce pop.

The Asia Trip: McDonald's Hong Kong - Chocolate Pie

Mmm... Chocolate... they had Chocolate Pie at McDonald's in Hong Kong (it's not currently on the menu as far as the Hong Kong website is concerned).  And, at 1 HK as an add-on to a combo meal.  That is ridiculous cheap!  $0.13 cheap!  So yes, I got one with my combo meal.  Does this mean I'm a sucker for super-sizing?

News: Dunkin' Donuts - Free Donut with Any Beverage Purchase - June 4th

Dunkin' Donuts is celebrating National Donut Day by offering a free donut with the purchase of any Dunkin' beverage. Not a bad deal, if you stop by Dunkin' for your morning pick-me-up anyway.

When: All Day, June 4th, 2010

Where: All participating Dunkin' Donuts - Store Locations

Why: Free Donut with purchase of any beverage.

Details: "*Offer valid all day on 6/4/10. Store hours may vary by location. While supplies last. Limited time offer. Price and participation may vary."

Review: Burger King - Sausage Biscuit

A BK Breakfast Value Menu item, Burger King's Sausage Biscuit is simply a breakfast sausage patty place within a biscuit and sold for $1.

News: KFC New Extra Crispy Strips

I recently saw a commercial advertising KFC's new $5 Big Crunch Box marking the return of the Extra Crispy Strip, which saw its exile from the KFC menu when the Original Recipe Strip made its debut a few years back, replacing the Crispy Strip.

The questions then are: 1) Does this mean the Original Recipe Strips are out? and 2)  Are the Extra Crispy Strips the same Crispy Strips of old or something new entirely?  (Update: Looks like they're the Crispy Strips of old but are being advertised as "new."  I suppose they have been gone for a while.)

As to question #1, a quick perusal of KFC's latest nutrition guide yields the noticeable absence of Original Recipe Strips, with only "Crispy Strips" on the guide.  However, Original Recipe Strips are still pictured on the online menu.

Along with the promotion of the new Big Crunch Box are two new sauces: KFC Signature Sauce which looks like it might be a honey mustard type affair and a Spicy Chipotle Sauce.  I found the Original Recipe Strip's flavor too strong for dipping, but the new(?) Extra Crispy Strips should have a more neutral flavor ideal for carrying sauce.

The $5 Big Crunch Box features three Extra Crispy Strips, a side, a biscuit, and a drink for $5.

Check out the commercial and nutritional information after the jump.

News: Chick-fil-A - New Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Chick-fil-A announced today their new Spicy Chicken Sandwich, the chain's first new sandwich since 1989.  I'm not sure why they announced the sandwich after they announced the sandwich giveaway but there you go.  The sandwich is like Chick-fil-A's Chicken Sandwich but moderately spicy, seasoned with a blend of peppers.  They've been tested in California since last spring but the official menu add will happen on June 7th.

The sandwich will be priced at $2.99 and is also available in a "deluxe" version with lettuce, tomatoes, and Pepper Jack cheese for $3.59.  For an extra spicy touch, I suggest adding Chick-fil-A's delicious Buffalo sauce to your sandwich.

Chick-fil-A is also planning a Spicy Chicken biscuit sandwich for breakfast in January 2011.

Nutritional Information after the jump.  Watch out for the KFC Double Down-exceeding sodium.