Meet The Team / Erik R. Trinidad

It's ironic that perhaps a decade ago, "street meat" sidewalk food was frowned upon by uppity gourmands, because these days, it's all the rage. Food trucks and sidewalk cart vendors are now the go-to spot to get good, inexpensive meals, and the fervor over these portable eateries has spawned the Vendy Awards and food truck rivalries in different American cities. Restaurants, including fast food chains, have embraced the trend: Last year Taco Bell introduced street-inspired "Cantina Tacos," and now Qdoba Mexican Grill has jumped on the urban bandwagon with their Mini Street Tacos. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: An order of Mini Street Tacos is a "light meal, heavy on authentic flavors" consisting of "three snack-sized soft corn tortilla tacos with your choice of pulled pork or shredded beef, finished with diced red onion and fresh cilantro." Completing the combo is lime wedge for a squeeze of citrus, plus a small side of ancho chile baked beans.

The Price: $4.99 for the combo (480-510 calories). (Prices may vary at participating locations.)

As the "Fish Fridays" of Lent continue, the folks at Taco Bell want remind all the observant omnivores out there that fish isn't the only game in town -- shrimp is fair game, too. And as we all know from "Forrest Gump," shrimp can be prepared in many ways -- you can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, or sauté it. Taco Bell has jumped on the proverbial shrimp boat, and now offers the Pacific Shrimp Taco and Burrito. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: Both the Pacific Shrimp Taco and Pacific Shrimp Burrito are made with soft flour tortillas, and start with "six succulent shrimp, marinated in spices, crisp shredded lettuce, creamy avocado ranch, [and] fiesta salsa." The tortilla of the burrito is larger, allowing for two additional ingredients: a shredded three-cheese blend and crispy red tortilla strips.

The Price: $3.29 for the taco (170 calories); $4.29 for the burrito (460 calories). (Prices may vary at participating locations.)


See the verdict after the jump.

It's that time of year again, the 40-day Christian season of Lent, a time when fast food restaurants ramp up their seafood menu selections to capitalize on religious dogma -- hell, even KFC plays up their Fish Snacker. The rules of the season mandate that no meat is to be eaten on Fridays -- vegetarians need not change their eating habits -- but to the observant carnivorous fast foodie, this usually means replacing those burgers and fries with fish and chips. Wendy's heeds this call, and has jumped back on the bandwagon this year, offering a Premium Fish Fillet sandwich to fill this religious niche. Here's how it rates:

The Claims: Wendy's Premium Fish Fillet is 100% North Pacific cod breaded with panko crumbs, served in a bun with a leaf of lettuce and tartar sauce (500 calories). A slice of American cheese is optional (for an additional 40 calories).

The Price: $3.99 for the sandwich, plus an extra 30 cents if you want cheese. Add their natural-cut fries to make it a "fish 'n chips" combo with a drink for $5.99. (Prices may vary at participating locations.)

Nathan's and Wienerschnitzel have dominated the fast food chain hot dog arena for years, but now Sonic, America's Drive-In, has stepped up their game with the introduction of four new premium hot dogs -- and you don't even have to leave your car for them. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: The frankfurters in Sonic's new lineup all start with a grilled, all-beef hot dog inside a "soft, warm bakery bun," and are each differentiated by their fixings: the All-American Dog has ketchup, mustard, relish, and chopped raw onions (386 calories); the Chili Cheese Coney is topped with chili and shredded cheddar cheese (420 calories); the New York Dog has spicy mustard, grilled onions, and sauerkraut (352 calories); and the Chicago Dog is topped with a pickle spear, relish, tomatoes, hot peppers, chopped raw onions, celery salt, and mustard, with poppy seeds on the bun (435 calories).

The Price: Each hot dog sells for the introductory price of $1.99, at participating locations.

Read our review after the jump.

Now that folks at Domino's Pizza are finished revamping their pizza recipe, they've turned their attention to their chicken offerings, introducing new Boneless Chicken (basically nuggets), and a reboot of their Chicken Wings. Here's how they rate:

The Claims: Domino's new Boneless Chicken is "lightly breaded with savory herbs, made with 100% white breast meat." The revamped wings are "now tastier than ever. Sauced with your choice of Hot, New Sweet Mango Habanero or BBQ Sauce." The Boneless Chicken can be "customized" with those same three sauces for dipping, in addition to the standards, Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing.

The Price: Boneless Chicken comes in 8-, 14-, or 40-piece combos, at $6.99 (410 calories), $10.99 (710 calories), or $29.99 (2030 calories), respectively. The new wings also come in eight, fourteen, or forty, for the same prices. (580-680 calories, 1010-1200 calories, 2890-3420 calories, respectively.)