Jim Gaffigan Talks Fast Food on Letterman

Comedian Jim Gaffigan was on the Late Show with David Letterman and he talked about his love of food and fast food in particular.

You can watch it here:



My favorite bit is when he's talking about his love of Popeye's chicken and his understanding of the name: Popeye is a sailor and their chicken goes through me like a torpedo!

Taco Bell Intros New Cantina Tacos

Taco Bell says their new Cantina Tacos are "based upon authentic-style Mexican street tacos."

Their Cantina Tacos included grilled, warm corn tortillas, 'premium' meats and a chopped onion and cilantro blend with a freshly sliced lime wedge.

In equally big news, for the first time Taco Bell is offering pork in one of their menu items.

The Cantina Tacos are available with chicken, steak or carnitas shredded pork.  They have 170, 160 and 200 calories respectively.  (Complete nutritional data for the pork taco is below.)

Taco Bell's new Cantina Tacos

"Our Cantina Tacos are based upon authentic-style Mexican street tacos, which are designed using simple, fresh ingredients, that customers regard as high quality," says David Ovens, chief marketing officer for Taco Bell Corp. "Not only are they a great-tasting addition to our menu, and one that was mainly found in Mexican-style restaurants, but they're also a great value that we know our customers love from Taco Bell."

Complete nutritional info for the Carnitas version of the Cantina Taco:

Taco Bell - Carnitas Pork
Nutrition Facts Serv. Size 113g Servings 1 Calories 200   Fat Cal. 60 www.foodfacts.info	Amount/serving	%DV*		Amount/serving	%DV*
	Total Fat 7 g	11%		Total Carb. 26 g	9%
	Sat. Fat 2 g	10%		Fiber 3 g	12%
	Trans Fat 0 g			Sugars 1 g
	Cholesterol 35 mg	11%		Protein 9 g
	Sodium 260 mg	11%
	*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Jack's New Breakfast Pita Pocket

Jack in the Box has a new breakfast item called the Breakfast Pita Pocket.

It is a whole grain pita pocket stuffed with scrambled eggs, sliced ham, bacon, and melting American cheese. It is served with a side of 'fire-roasted' salsa.

It can be had for $2.69.

Jack's Breakfast Pita has 424 calories and 22 grams of fat.

I've e-mailed Jack in the Box for verification, but according to their nutrition data, the Breakfast Pita has 438 mg of Cholesterol. That is a lot! It is 146% of the USDA recommended daily amount!

The complete nutrition facts are below.

"Jack in the Box has one of the most varied breakfast menus in the quick-serve segment of the restaurant industry, with products ranging from sandwiches and biscuits to croissants and burritos," says Tammy Bailey, division vice president of menu marketing and promotions for Jack in the Box Inc. "With the addition of our new Breakfast Pita Pocket, which features a pita bread made with whole grain, we're able to offer our guests even more variety when it comes to this important daypart. And because we serve our full menu all day every day, guests can order the new Breakfast Pita Pocket any time."

Here's the complete nutritional info for Jack's Breakfast Pita Pocket:

Jack in the Box - Breakfast Pita Pocket
Nutrition FactsServ. Size Servings 1 Calories 424   Fat Cal. 193 www.foodfacts.info	Amount/serving	%DV*		Amount/serving	%DV*
	Total Fat 22 g	34%		Total Carb. 31 g	10%
	Sat. Fat 8 g	40%		Fiber 2 g	8%
	Trans Fat 0 g			Sugars 0 g
	Cholesterol 438 mg	146%		Protein 27 g
	Sodium 1369 mg	57%
	*Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

UPDATE: Jack in the Box got back to me and they confirmed: "The cholesterol in our Breakfast Pita is 438 mg." Um, wow!

Whataburger Celebrates 60 Years Today

Today, August 3, 2010, Whataburger celebrates their 60th Anniversary.

Harmon Dobson opened up the world’s first Whataburger on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had a simple goal, to serve a burger so big that it took two hands to hold and so good that with one bite customers would say, “What a burger!”

In celebration of their anniversary, you can get a free Whataburger by wearing orange to a Whataburger restaurant today, August 3, between 5pm-8pm.

Note:  As was pointed out in the comments, I mistakenly put the date in this post as Aug. 6.  It has been corrected.  The anniversary and the free burger promotion are August 3, 2010.

Tip for Volcano Burrito Lovers on a Budget (Taco Bell)

I recently read a post on Reddit about how a fan of the Volcano Burrito at Taco Bell saves some of his fast food dough and gets his version of the Volcano Burrito for half price.  CornFedHonky writes:

I'm a fan of the Volcano burritos at Taco Bell. The problem is, they aren't that filling and cost $3 a piece! So, one day I had an idea. Instead of ordering the volcano double beef burrito for $3, I ordered a Beefy 5-layer burrito (89 cents) and added volcano (lava) sauce, and crispy tortilla strips. To my surprise the total was only $1.59. If you can do without the tortilla strips it only comes out to $1.24. It's about the same size, has all the same ingredients, and even has the added bonus of nacho cheese that the volcano burrito does not have.

I, too, am a fan of Taco Bell's Volcano Burrito.  I have been since Taco Bell was nice enough to fly me out to their headquarters for a tour and the introduction of the Volcano menu.

And I feel the same way... the Volcano Burrito is pricey and not very filling, so I had to try out this fast food savings trick.

Here's the result:

My version did not include the crunchy tortilla strips since that's never added much to the burrito for me... I just added the Lava Sauce and it ran me 30 cents.  The Beefy 5-layer at my location was 99 cents, so the total for my 'version' of the Volcano Burrito came to $1.29.  A savings of $1.70 from the $2.99 price of the Volcano Burrito.... less than half price!

The 'Beefy 5-Layer with Lava' is a much heartier burrito than the plain old Volcano Burrito and it has the greatness that is the Lava Sauce.

If you're a fan of Taco Bell's Lava Sauce and like saving money, I recommend you give this a try.

Laredo Wendy's Accepting Pesos

Evidently a Wendy's restaurant in Laredo, Texas (a city on the US-Mexican border) is now accepting pesos as well as US dollars in payment for their burgers.

In this photo from examiner.com, you can see a sign the fast food restaurant posted, stating, "We Take Pesos / Aceptamos Pesos."

Back in 2007, there was an uproar when Pizza Patron started accepting pesos for their pizzas.

Will Wendy's suffer the same backlash?  Is Wendy's promoting illegal immigration (as some charged Pizza Patron) or are they simply providing a service to their customers?

Like many fast food chains, Wendy's has a Spanish version of their website.