Menu Tracker: New items from IHOP, California Pizza Kitchen

Pizza Ranch, Texas Steakhouse and The Counter

(Continued from page 1)

Buffet chain Pizza Ranch has brought back two items that were first introduced as limited-time offers in 2011.

The Sweet Chili Pizza is topped with fajita chicken, red onion, green bell pepper and pineapple, as well as the 175-unit chain’s original sauce and a sweet chile sauce.

The Cran-Tastic Salad is made with iceberg lettuce, spinach, red onion, feta cheese, cranberries and pecans with a light raspberry walnut dressing.

Both are included in the chain’s buffet, the price of which varies by location and daypart. They are available through June.

Texas Steakhouse & Saloon, a 19-unit casual-dining chain based in Raleigh, N.C., is rolling out the first of a line of limited-time offers that will change every six weeks for the next 24 months.

“Every six weeks is a challenge, but we want our guests to see we plan to be aggressive in menu innovation,” said Tom Moxcey, president of CB Steaks Inc., which bought Texas Steakhouse in September. Successful items might be made permanent additions to the menu, the company said in a release.

The new items are:

• Queso Fundido: Melted cheese with a choice of chicken or steak, roasted poblanos and onions, topped with guacamole, and served with crisp corn tortilla chips, for $7.99.

• Chicken Vera Cruz: Blackened chicken breast with avocado salsa, steamed vegetables and red bliss potatoes, for $9.99.

• Texas Steakhouse Quesadilla: A large flour tortilla stuffed with cheese, roasted poblano peppers and onions, and a choice of chicken, steak or portobello mushroom, for $7.99.

• Herb Crusted Bistro Tenderloin: Bistro steak coated with an olive oil, garlic and Dijon marinade and topped with an herb crust, served with steamed garden vegetables, for $11.99.

• Blackened Bistro Steak Medallions: Topped with portobello mushrooms and garlic butter sauce, served with steamed garden vegetables and jalapeño cheese mashed potatoes, for $11.99.

• Apple Crisp Skillet: Warm apple crisp pie topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, for $4.99.

The Counter, a 37-unit casual-dining chain based in Culver City, Calif., has introduced a burger made of 100-percent grass-fed certified organic bison as a permanent item for a surcharge of about $3.50 at all of its U.S. locations, except for the unit at the Miami airport and the location in West Hartford, Conn., due to its popularity in select markets.

Contact Bret Thorn at bret.thorn@penton.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary