FitSugar

Chorizo Could Be Next For Chipotle

Susannah Chen — Tue, 31 May 2011 10:55:05 PDT

The folks at Chipotle may be busy working on a Southeast Asian concept, but this hasn't stopped them from making new developments in their Mexican kitchen. The latest addition they've taken for a test drive? Chicken chorizo sausage.

The chicken chorizo, which the company describes as being made with "naturally raised pork and chicken sausage with herbs and spices," is currently available at most New York locations, and will roll out to select stores in Denver in about a week. Should the option become available nationwide, it would be the first new protein rolled out in years.

Chorizo always has been a popular Mexican breakfast item, so it'll be interesting to see how well it fares at a lunchtime favorite like Chipotle. Does chorizo sound like it has enough promise to go nationwide?

Source: Flickr User iantmcfarland

Taste Test: McDonald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Susannah Chen — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:33:21 PDT

Who's ready for summertime? McDonald's is. Just ahead of Memorial Day, it's added a new Frozen Strawberry Lemonade to its McCafé lineup. "It's a little bit of brrrrrrrrrr mixed with a whole lot of mmmmm," the fast food chain called out. Of course, on the warmest of Spring days, we couldn't resist giving this new product a whirl.

Here's how the frosty beverage comes together: McDonald's starts with a lemonade base (made with, among other things, lemon juice, orange juice, and lemon oil), then pulverizes it to order with ice and strawberry syrup (consisting of ingredients such as strawberry purée and artificial flavor and color).

At $1.59 plus tax and 210 calories for a 16-ounce cup, it doesn't do too much damage to your calorie bank - or your real one. But what about your taste buds? Find out right this way.

Do You Order Seafood From Fast Food Restaurants?

Susannah Chen — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:50:30 PDT

First there was the Lobster & Seafood Chopped Salad Sub at Quiznos. Then came Taco Bell's Pacific Shrimp, and now Wendy's has its own version of a fish fillet sandwich. Three's a trend, and we've officially called it for seafood in fast food and fast-casual establishments.

Seafood's never been as popular the in world of fast food as, say, a burger or fried chicken items. Presumably, this is because the taste of seafood never lies when the stuff is anything short of fresh. Yet call me crazy, because I've always sort of secretly liked the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish, and the new seafood sandwich at Quiznos really surprised me in a good way. What's your take?

WARNING: Hardee's Country Breakfast Burrito

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:45:00 PDT

Hardee's, the chain that also brought us an 1100 calorie Southwest Chicken Salad, is assaulting health junkies once again with a new menu item to hit restaurants: the Country Breakfast Burrito.

This massive burrito is made from two omelets, five hashrounds (WTF are hashrounds?), cheddar cheese, and sausage gravy all wrapped in a tortilla. Don't go licking your lips just yet: This burrito packs in a whopping 920 calories, 23 grams of saturated fat, and about nearly 2000 milligrams of sodium. I am a big fan of everything in moderation, but I can honestly say that there is not any real reason for anyone to eat this for breakfast, or anytime really. I know a lot of us have it in our heads that breakfast burritos can be a healthy breakfast alternative, but this burrito could not be further from that - steer clear.

I tried to find a better alternative for breakfast when eating at Hardee's, and the best choice I could find is the Sunrise Croissant with Ham, which weighs in at 430 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat. Needless to say, I won't be eating breakfast there anytime soon.

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Trendspotting: Southeast Asian Fast-Casual Restaurants

Susannah Chen — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:05:50 PDT

In the past year, there's been significant growth nationwide in the number of fast-casual eateries, from burger joints to healthier comfort-food fixtures. The latest craze we've noticed hitting this scene? Asian-themed chain restaurants.

Chipotle could've tackled a number of ethnic eats, so the Mexican chain certainly caught our attention when it unveiled its plan for ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, "inspired by the traditional shophouses through Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam." Then we raised our eyebrows when a former chef at San Francisco's renowned Slanted Door restaurant opened the first of what will be several Bay Area locations of Asian Box, a healthier riff on Asian street food.

Meanwhile, Canada-based Wok Box has been preparing to bring its stir-fry boxes and curry dishes to the western part of the United States this year. And just this week, a former Hooters chef announced his new venture, a minichain of Atlanta-based Latin fusion restaurants bearing the name Taqueria Tsunami.

Regardless of where diners are in the country, it's clear they're on the lookout for the explosive flavor combinations that come from Southeast Asian cuisines. Are you excited at the prospect of more Southeast Asian cuisine in your neck of the woods?

Photo courtesy Sonya Yu for Asian Box

Would You Eat Fast Food Beef That's Less Than Well-Done?

Susannah Chen — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:06:38 PST

Like the rest of the fast food world, Arby's is stepping up its game. Earlier this week, it introduced its new Angus Three Cheese & Bacon, the first menu item in a new line of premium beef sandwiches that are made with medium-rare Angus beef.

After the accusation that Taco Bell is falsely labeling its "seasoned beef," you'd think there'd be more than a little caution exercised over serving a burger, burrito, or anything else bovine less than 100 percent genuine and cooked well-done completely throughout.

Bret Thorn, a food writer for Nation's Restaurant News who actually sampled the item, maintains that "big fast food chains have serious safeguards in place." Certainly, Arby's wants no part of the meat saga that Taco Bell's been through. If you do order meat at fast food restaurants: are you against the idea of eating beef that's anything less than well-done?

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ESPN Broadcaster Jenn Brown's Wedding Workout and Dress Fitting Diet Tips

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:22:30 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

As the reporter of ESPN's College GameDay for football and basketball Jenn Brown travels almost 70 percent of the year. That might sound like a dream job, but when your dream wedding is coming up, all those late night drive-thru dinners and wonky work hours can take a toll on your shape! We caught up with Brown just days before her wedding, where she gave us her secrets to how she stayed slim on the road and prepped for her big day.

What have you been doing differently to get ready for your wedding?

I took a different approach to working out than I usually do. I am typically a cardio junkie; I’m always running on the treadmill and follow it with 45 minutes of lifting. For my wedding, I really wanted to focus on looking lean and toned. I had just come off of covering football, where I gained my usual footfall five [pounds] from eating on the road in all these towns with delicious food, so I had three months to get into shape. I started doing Pilates three to four times a week. It was weird to me that you could go and work out for an hour and not be dripping in sweat, but I’ve seen an amazing transformation because of it.

Learn how Jenn stays fit on the road after the break.

Jack in the Box Hopes to Boost Sales With Menu Changes

Susannah Chen — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:36:12 PDT

In hopes of boosting sales, Jack in the Box is thinking, well, outside of the box. Amidst criticism that the fast food chain has lost brand focus, the company has announced plans to drop toys from kids' meals, add new menu options for children such as apple bites, and cut a number of premium food items, among them the mini sirloin burgers, steak teriyaki bowl, pita snacks, and chorizo burger. These changes, Jack in the Box executives hope, will help the staggering chain distinguish itself from competitors.

Jack in the Box claims that the move to kill toys in kids' meals wasn't in response to outside pressure, but the hubbub surrounding Happy Meal bans couldn't have hurt its decision. Note that while other fast food establishments like McDonald's and Chipotle have been seeing growth, Jack in the Box sales still haven't managed to return to pre-recession levels. Do you think dropping the toys from kids' meals and simplifying the menu will kick-start sluggish sales?

Source: Flickr User Roca Chang

Subway Dabbles in Café Concept

Susannah Chen — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:50:33 PDT

What's next for Subway, now that it's surpassed McDonald's and Starbucks in store locations? According to Nation's Restaurant News, it's tackling the ever-popular café culture. Meet the chain's new Subway Cafés: slightly larger outlets designed to be a cross between a sandwich store and a coffee bar, with baked goods, hot and cold espresso drinks, and frozen blended beverages, among other offerings.

The decor, which might include coffee tables, lounge chairs, bookshelves, and a fireplace, mimics the cozy coffeehouse ambiance of - you guessed it - a McCafé or a Starbucks. In addition to his aggressive growth strategy of opening 2,000 new North American locations in 2011, President Fred DeLuca will also add about 10 more Subway Cafés to the franchise's current roster of 15 by the end of this year.

What do you think of the concept? Will tonier seating arrangements make you want to eat at Subway more often?

Taste-Off! Burger King vs. McDonald's Chicken Nuggets

Susannah Chen — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 06:40:28 PDT

"Crispy. Tender. New," the Burger King website declares of its latest menu item, BK Chicken Tenders. Funny: they might've been new on the BK lineup, but we could've sworn we'd seen them somewhere. Oh, right, on the menu at every McDonald's worldwide for the last three decades as Chicken McNuggets.

Much like the BK Breakfast Muffin was to the McDonald's Sausage McMuffin, the BK Chicken Tenders are near-carbon copies of their Golden Arched counterparts. (When asked to comment, Burger King remarked, "We don't provide details on our secret recipe.")

McDonald's sells its nuggets in packages of four, six, and 10; Burger King's are available in boxes of four, eight, and 20. In our taste test, we learned that just about everything, right down to the packaging, is identical - except, we discovered, with regards to taste. To see how fast food's top two stacked up against each other in a chicken nugget faceoff, read more.