Photos by Christina Uticone

Pasta & soup--classic summer fare!

Hot weather does not stimulate my appetite. The other day I was hungry, and driving around aimlessly, but nothing appealed to me. I passed restaurant after restaurant, in strip mall after strip mall, and nothing piqued my interest. Burgers? Too heavy. Chinese? Not in the mood. Grocery store? Too much assembly required. I had just about resigned myself to going home and eating a bowl of cereal when I caught the sign for Panera out of the corner of my eye. I loved the idea of a fresh, crisp salad, so I decided to go for it.

But you know what they say about best laid plans!

More »

Photos by Christina Uticone

This sandwich is not on the BK online menu, which means it is calorie-free by default.

I've been riding a recent wave of fast-food good luck that peaked when I found the Whataburger Monterey Melt. I was so enamored of that particular sandwich that I began seeking out other fast-food burgers to compare it to. So when I drove away from the Burger King drive-thru the other day without the cheese-and-bacon-stuffed burger I intended to buy, I was a little puzzled. Not only had I ordered a chicken sandwich, I had ordered the crispy chicken sandwich! Crispy (read fried) chicken is something in which I rarely indulge. Drive-thru blackout? Something happened, but I still can't tell you what, exactly.

More »

Photos by Christina Uticone

Take me, now.

By now I'm pretty accustomed to being shocked and/or horrified by the nutritional information I find on fast-food Web sites, but the Whataburger Monterey Melt really sent me over the edge -- and directly to the drive-thru window at my nearest Whataburger.

The new Monterey Melt is chock-full of the stuff you expect fast food to be chock-full of: calories (1130), fat (74 grams), carbs (58 grams) and cholesterol (170 mg). But you know what really knocked me off my chair? The sodium count -- 4050 milligrams of sodium! That feels like All the Sodium in the World, frankly, and it's contained in one single sandwich.

More »

Christ wept.

When we first heard that Taco Bell was launching a new breakfast menu, we were intrigued. And, being Houstonians, naturally assumed that this breakfast menu at Taco Bell would include breakfast tacos. Foolishness and folly.

Instead, we were pained to discover, Taco Bell is making another kind of breakfast taco -- out of a waffle. The sole location to offer this new 89-cent Waffle Taco is far, far away from Texas in Santa Ana, California. (Side note: Believe it or not, we have a Santa Anna in Texas, although it wasn't named for the infamous Mexican general but rather a Comanche war chief.)

Our reaction to this news is best described in GIF form:

More »

Photos by Christina Uticone

Cooked barefoot. For authenticity.

I find Ina Garten to be downright fascinating. Before she was a Food Network personality, she owned a specialty food shop in the veddy-posh Westhampton, New York; before that, she worked for the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) on nuclear energy analysis. She and her husband, Jeffrey, have no children and live a luxurious, jet-setting lifestyle. She gardens, cooks, travels, writes, designs and then invites us all along on these adventures via her television show, cookbooks and blog.

Given her reputation for elegance and luxury, it's an understatement to say that I was surprised when I saw Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa's name and face in the frozen food aisle. I was unsure how to feel about this -- has Ina simply found a way to reach a new audience? Or is she a huge sellout? -- but I definitely had to see how the Barefoot Contessa is translated into frozen meals for the masses. I picked up two options (about $7 per bag, each bag serving two): Shrimp Scampi Linguini and Sesame Chicken & Noodles.

More »

Photos by Christina Uticone

McSigh.

McDonald's convinced me to try their new Premium McWraps with their weird interactive Web site promotion. It seems as if a lot of time and effort went into constructing this animated cityscape, where you can "explore the world of the new Premium McWrap" and also click on some balloons to see them fly away!

Warning: Don't stay on the page for too long, as it (seriously) causes motion sickness.

More »

Photos by Molly Dunn

McDonald's new Egg White Delight McMuffin is a good healthy breakfast option.

In an effort to lighten up its menu, McDonald's offers new breakfast sandwiches made with egg whites. With its new motto -- "Turning breakfast on its head" -- McDonald's has reduced the calories in various breakfast options by employing egg whites instead of eggs and white cheddar cheese instead of American.

The chain has lightened up breakfast items from its Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit to its Sausage, Egg and Cheese McGriddle -- and even the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes. I decided to try out the new Egg White Delight McMuffin in comparison to the ever-favorite original Egg McMuffin to see if saving 50 calories, five grams of fat and 235 mg of cholesterol is worth it.

More »

How many times have you thought, "I'm in the mood for a Whopper but I don't want to drive all the way to Burger King?" Probably not that often. But in case you have -- Burger King to the rescue.

Last week, Burger King announced its installment of a Burger King delivery service that started in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is now in parts of Houston. Washington D.C. was the first metro area to receive the delivery service, and several Houston areas are the second to join the list. Get ready for speedy Burger King delivery cars competing with the likes of Jimmy Johns and the multitude of pizza delivery vehicles.

Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco apparently have the most loyal customers, according to Burger King. Therefore, those locations received delivery service first.

More »

Photos by Christina Uticone

Undaunted by the Burger King veggie and turkey burger debacle I have been perusing various fast food websites in search of a healthy treat. When I happened upon the new Wendy's Flatbread sandwiches my interest was piqued. Offered in two flavors -- Asiago Ranch and Smoky Honey Mustard -- I liked the look of the hearty, grain bread and the relatively low calorie counts (530 and 370, respectively). I had previously enjoyed the Wendy's Asiago Ranch Chicken Sandwich, so I wanted to give the Smoky Honey Mustard flatbread a whirl.

Okay, okay -- 160 fewer calories didn't hurt, either.

More »

Chipotle has decided to change up its margarita recipe, which was originally made with a sweet-and-sour syrup. According to the chief marketing officer, Mark Crumpacker, not many people knew that Chipotle served margaritas.

Starting today, and just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Chipotle offers new hand-made margaritas at 900 locations throughout the U.S. The new margaritas will be made with fresh ingredients and quality tequila, rather than the mix-in ingredients the chain used before.

More »