Junk food junkies will soon have a new ultimate craving to bite into at Taco Bell - the Doritos Locos Taco, which features a taco shell made of Doritos and all of the regular taco fillings inside. The crazy Doritos taco, which was unveiled last year as being tested in select markets in Southern California and Toledo, Ohio, is now slated for a national release.

Taco Bell's parent company, Yum Brands, teamed up with PepsiCo to create the taco shells made of nacho cheese flavored Doritos. They debuted in early 2011 in select markets and proved to be such a success that they'll be coming to Taco Bells around the U.S. now.

The fillings on the Doritos Locos Taco are said to be milder than the company's regular tacos to compensate for the taco shell's extra flavor.

If the Doritos Locos Taco is a hit, I wonder if they'll start coming up with other Taco Bell - Doritos combinations, like maybe the Ranch Doritos Chicken Taco. Yum. Or perhaps a spicy version, like the Flaming Hot Doritos Locos Taco. Taco Bell, take note.

The State of Ohio declared, " 'Tis the season to be jolly" yesterday by slashing prizes on over 100 booze items by 25-40% in time for the holidays.

“Ohioans celebrating the season or looking for great holiday gift ideas will find a good selection,” Bruce D. Stevenson, Superintendent of Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Liquor Control said in a press release issued by the state liquor board yesterday. “These special offers are good for only a short time and in limited amounts.”

Here are some of the products that you will find with special pricing.

 Absolut
 Jack Daniels
 Jameson Irish
 Southern Comfort
 Belvedere
 Wild Turkey
 Johnnie Walker
 Skyy
 Stolichnaya

Maybe the powers that be are starting to figure out a way to keep the 99% "occupied". It is always in good form to purchase a bottle or two for your favorite Cleveland Leader writer.

Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl cocktail line was pulled from Whole Foods shelves after the retailer discovered that the ingredients aren't "all natural" like the bottle claims. In a statement, the natural and organic grocery chain said:

"After discovering that [Skinnygirl Margarita] contains a preservative that does not meet our quality standards, we have had to stop selling it."

The Skinnygirl cocktail line is made up of low-fat, pre-mixed drinks that the Bravo star claims are full of "natural flavors". The website also says that the drinks contain "no preservatives", however a rep from the brand told TMZ:

"Skinnygirl Margarita contains very low levels of sodium benzoate (a preservative) so it can stay on the shelves. We understand their [Whole Foods] position and we respect that."

Frankel, meanwhile, isn't concerned. She told Access Hollywood:

"I'm not making wheatgrass here. If I could put an agave plant and some limes on a shelf I would. [The Skinnygirl Margarita] is as close to nature as possible, while still being a shelf-stable product. ... We were bound to piss someone off and everyone loves to try to tear down a success. This is a non-event. I haven’t lost even a wink of sleep.”

The Warehouse District's decline is West 25th's gain as Ohio City adds another new watering hole; the Market Garden Brewery opens for business. The proprietor of the already established Bier Market adds their own take on the crowded but crowd pleasing micro-brewed bar scene. Located directly on the corner adjacent to the West Side Market, this absolutely spacious bar boasts a magnificent half wrap around patio. The crown jewel being a faux wood styled picnic area that wisely faces away from the main thoroughfare and seems like it would make for a quiet peaceful retreat on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, this strength of design becomes like a lighthouse beacon casting its glaring beam onto its most obvious failing; they have barely anything to eat!

While it will be no fun returning to work after a nice holiday weekend next week at least there will be something to look forward to if you are in the Ohio City neighborhood on July 6th. The Cooking Channel is bringing its "Frozen Treat Truck" to the West Side Market from 10:00AM - 4:00PM.

The Frozen Treat Truck will team up with local vendors to serve free treats. Twitter users can find out more about the event by using the hashtag #CCtruck and can follow the the Cooking Channel @CookingChannel.

Update

The location for the Cooking Channel Frozen Treat Truck has changed.

The new location is:

University Circle Inc.
10831 Magnolia Drive
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1887

For the first time ever, Cleveland will play host to an official qualifier for the Nathan's Famous July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Championship. The event, which will occur on June 2nd, will be held at Tower City Center.

Scott Bickel, Cleveland's best-known competitive eater, has registered to compete in the eating competition to be held at Tower City, which if he successfully wins will advance him to the championship at Coney Island. He will have his work cut out for him, however, as Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti, the No. 2 ranked eater in the world, is also scheduled to compete in Cleveland.

Both the male and female competitors who eat the most hot dogs in the 10 minute qualifier will earn a chance to compete Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, NY.

Bickel has said that he will beat Bertoletti, and that he will go on to make Ohio proud at the Coney Island finals. Bertoletti, on the other hand, is the favorite in the Cleveland match-up and has devoured 55 hot dogs and buns in competition. He also comes fresh off wins in eating competitions for jalapenos and chicken wings, and has beaten the reigning Nathan's Famous hot dog eating champ Joey Chesnut.

Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating says:

Oreo aficionados will soon have another delectable Oreo treat to feast upon, the Triple Double Oreo. The triple decker chocolate cookie contains three wafers and two layers of filling, both chocolate and vanilla.

Food blogs had been hearing rumors of the new Oreo and were pressuring Nabisco to confirm its existence, which it did on the "Today" show on Friday. Nabisco announced:

"This summer, Oreo will introduce a new 'twist' on the iconic cookie: the Triple Double Oreo. Three chocolate Oreo wafers with two layers of creme -- one classic vanilla, and one chocolate. While we tried our best to safeguard this news, we couldn't hold back the buzz."

Photos of the packaging had been leaked to blogs, which stirred up alot of excitement and speculation as to whether the cookie would make it to store shelves.

Do you like beer almost as much as self-righteous AA Bible-thumpers? Does the thought of 800 beers from 200 breweries make you weaker in the knees than a West 6th bartender? Is your name something other than "Chuck Galeti"? Then look no further than your back yard, fellow Clevelander. The International Beer Fest is coming to town.

Taking place May 13-14 at the IX Center, the Festival will feature the largest world beer competition in the Midwest. That's right, the whole Midwest. Suck it, Sioux Falls. What.

It’s one thing to offer discount restaurant gift certificates and quite another when Cleveland Independents, a group of over 90 locally owned, independent restaurants announces its quarterly gift certificate sale.

Area foodies sit poised at their computers from the wee hours of the morning, waiting for the gift certificates to go live on the Cleveland Independents’ website, www.clevelandindependents.com.

The first quarter sale, scheduled for January 20, will undoubtedly prove to be as popular as others have been over the past seven years. Thousands of foodies log on in hopes of snatching up the few discount certificates available for restaurants that typically won’t consider price reductions. But this is different. The organization posts gift certificates on its members’ behalf in two denominations, either $50 certificates (selling for $35) or $25 certificates (selling for $17.50) each quarter to cover costs for its members’ dues in the organization.

And while some diehard foodies sit poised, waiting for the gift certificate page to go live, others who procrastinate, even for a moment, are left disappointed, discovering that their favorite restaurants’ certificates are sold out.

With temperatures in the teens and a wind chill below zero, you need more than just layers of clothes and a good furnace to keep warm in Cleveland this winter. What you need is to be warmed from the inside out with a nice, hot, alcoholic drink.

Here are some of our top four choices:

Hot Toddy

How to make it:

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup freshly brewed Darjeeling tea, 1/4 cup whiskey, 1/4 cup ginger wine, 4 cloves, and a pinch of freshly grated cinnamon (a stick will do, too). Warm gently over a low heat; be careful not to boil. Allow to infuse for about 3-5 minutes. Strain into mugs and serve immediately.

Spicy Cardamom

How to make it:

Put about 12 whole crushed cardamom pods into six cups of boiling water. Add a strip of orange peel and brew for about 10 minutes. Add 2 tbsp black tea leaves, leave for 5 minutes, and strain. Serve immediately with hot milk and honey.

Cafe Brulot

How to make it: