Earlier this month, we mentioned McDonald’s was testing their English Pub Burger, but it appears McDonald’s R&D has been hard at work developing more burgers with their Angus Third Pounder patty. The latest to come from their test kitchen and into an extremely limited number of McDonald’s locations is their Zesty BBQ Cruncher.

What’s most interesting about this sandwich is the fact that it’s available with either an Angus Third Pounder patty or a chicken patty (crispy or grilled). It also comes with peppered bacon, barbecue sauce, Pepper Jack cheese, and crispy onion strings in between an artisan roll.

The crispy onion strings are a nice addition, but they also make me wish McDonald’s offered onion rings. Instead, I have to settle for Burger King’s poor excuse for onion rings.

If you happen to try the McDonald’s Zesty BBQ Cruncher, let us know how it was in the comments.

Source: Burger Business

I’ve always wanted to try all of Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors in one sitting. But I believe if there’s one thing that will piss off any Baskin-Robbins employee behind the counter it’s asking to sample all 31 flavors with their sample spoons or purchase a cup or cone of each flavor. Also, it’s extremely hard to carry 31 cups or cones of ice cream by myself, so I never attempted it.

However, Baskin-Robbins’ new Mini Cone Pack might make my brain freeze-inducing dream come true. The Mini Cones are customizable packs of 16 mini ice cream cones, which can be made up of any combination of Baskin-Robbins flavors and comes in a handy carrying tray. And if my math is correct, I can try all 31 flavors if I buy two packs.

If you feel bad about having a Baskin-Robbins employee scoop 16 different flavors for you to make a customized pack, you can also purchase ready-made Mini Cone variety packs, which have a mix of Mint Chocolate Chip, Very Berry Strawberry, Gold Medal Ribbon, and Rainbow Sherbet.

A Mini Cone Pack is priced at $9.99, but if you make a Baskin-Robbins employee scoop up 16 different flavors to make your own pack, might I suggest also leaving a 50 percent tip.

McDonald’s is testing another variation of their Angus Third Pounder and they’re calling it the English Pub Burger.

I was surprised by this burger because I didn’t know English pubs were known for their burgers. I thought they were known for fish and chips, bangers and mash, shepherd’s pies, pickled eggs, and ploughman’s lunches.

The English Pub Burger is made up of a 1/3 pound Angus beef patty, hickory-smoked bacon, white Cheddar cheese, American cheese, grilled onions, steak sauce, and Dijon mustard in between an artisan roll. Grub Grade reader James from Illinois tried the burger and was impressed.

Right now, they appear to only be available at select locations in Illinois and there’s no word about a Snack Wrap version. I hope it makes it to all McDonald’s restaurants because it sounds damn tasty. However, you know what would go great with a McDonald’s English Pub Burger? A McDonald’s Shamrock Guinness Milkshake. I hope they start testing that soon.

Sources: Burger Business and Grub Grade

Here are this month’s limited time offers.

When summer rolls around you can expect summer blockbuster movies. And, with those summer movies you can expect companies to release tie-ins, like Baskin Robbins’ Flavor of the Month, Super Soldier Swirl Ice Cream, which promotes the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger movie. Just like Captain America’s shield and uniform, the ice cream comes in red, white, and blue. It consists of vanilla ice cream swirled with blue candy chips and a cherry flavored ribbon. A 4-ounce scoop has 260 calories, 13 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 31 grams of sugar, 4 grams of protein.

Slurpee is also releasing a movie tie-in flavor — Alienade. The flavor, which sounds like a sports drink for aliens, is a promotional tie-in for the sci-fi flick Cowboys & Aliens. Alienade is a combination of strawberry, raspberry, and lemonade. An 8-ounce serving has 65 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, and 17 grams of sugar.

Cold Stone Creamery’s Gold Cone Collection Flavor for July — Strawberry Basil — makes me wonder if the folks at Cold Stone Creamery are smoking something way better than what the flavor gurus at Ben & Jerry’s are smoking. Basically, Ben & Jerry’s got out Ben & Jerry-ed by Cold Stone Creamery because combining fruit with herbs in an ice cream is quite creative. If you do decided to take the plunge and grab yourself some Strawberry Basil ice cream, the largest serving size has 770 calories, 43 grams of fat, 28 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 92 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 80 grams of sugar, 9 grams of protein, 25% vitamin A, 440% vitamin C, and 40% calcium.

Triple Chocoholic Blizzard is July’s Blizzard of the Month at Dairy Queen. It’s made using the trifecta of truffles, choco chunks, and fudge blended with vanilla soft serve. A small serving has 710 calories, 32 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 97 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 77 grams of sugar, and 14 grams of protein. But if you’re a true chocoholic, a large size has 1400 calories, 68 grams of fat, 40 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 183 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of fiber, 146 grams of sugar, and 25 grams of protein.

Finally, Subway’s July $5 Featured Footlong is the Italian B.M.T. (Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest). The sandwich is made up of Genoa salami, pepperoni, Black Forest Ham, and cheese. Personally, any sandwich that needs to tell people it’s big and meaty probably has self-esteem issues. A footlong has 900 caloires, 40 grams of fat, 16 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 110 milligrams of cholesterol, 3000 milligrams of sodium, 93 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugar, 44 grams of protein, 20% vitamin A, 40% vitamin C, 80% calcium, and 30% iron.

Here are this month’s limited time offers.

Dairy Queen’s June 2011 Blizzard of the Month is Brownie Batter, but it’s not the first time the flavor has been the Blizzard of the Month (June 2009 and September 2010). The blended concoction consists of double-fudge brownie batter with real fudge brownie pieces and cream vanilla soft serve. On Second Scoop reviewed it in 2009. A small serving has 600 calories, 230 calories from fat, 26 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 330 milligrams of sodium, 82 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 62 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of protein.

Slurpee’s flavor of the month is Berry Blaster which is a blend of cherry and raspberry. An 8 ounce serving has 65 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of sodium, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 17 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. If you do decide to try Berry Blaster Slurpee, you might also want to consider using the new Slurpee Mixmaker Cup which has two chambers and a straw that allows you to suck from either chamber or both.

Subway’s June $5 Featured Footlong is Chipotle Chicken & Cheese which is made up of pieces of chicken, cheese, red onions, and bell peppers with a smoky Chipotle Southwest Sauce. The sandwich was originally introduced late last year and Spew Review and Brand Eating reviewed it.

Cold Stone Creamery’s Gold Cone Flavor of the Month is Chocolate Hazelnut which was the winner of their 2010 Gold Cone Contest. The flavor combines of chocolate ice cream with rich chocolate and sweet hazelnuts. A small size 340 calories, 180 calories from fat, 21 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 85 milligrams of cholesterol, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 31 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 5 grams of protein,

Baskin Robbins’ Flavor of the Month is Toffee Pecan Crunch which is made up of chocolate ice cream with a smooth caramel ribbon and packed with pecans and Heath Bar Pieces. A 2.5 ounce scoop has 200 calories, 90 calories from fat, 10 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 20 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.