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A buck gets you practically nothing in most restaurants.

Even soda and iced tea tend to run $2 or more nowadays.

Thank goodness for McDonald's Dollar Menu, which has sparked fierce competition on the fast-food front since it debuted in 2003.

We recently ate our way through 11 fast-food restaurants looking for the best value in town. Sort of an El Tour de Dollar, if you will.

While we tried to be systematic, others make it more of a habit.

"I eat from dollar menus a few times a week, now especially because of the economy," said Tucson resident Sidney Sterle, 58. "It's as good as anything else on their menus, except it's usually a smaller portion."

When it comes to fast food, smaller is often better. But healthy choices do exist.

McDonald's sells a $1 side salad and a yogurt parfait. The 5.3-ounce parfait is made with low-fat vanilla yogurt and fresh blueberries and strawberries. An optional side of granola adds 30 calories, making the parfait a total of 160 calories and 2 grams of fat.

Burger King offers a $1 side salad that comes with field greens instead of iceberg lettuce. Of course, the side of croutons and the creamy dressings quickly can make it not so healthy.

McDonald's, Sonic and Burger King had the biggest selections of items for a buck or less.

McDonald's reports that its Dollar Menu makes up about 14 percent of its sales in this country. The menus vary somewhat depending where you are in the U.S., but all feature eight core items, which include the McDouble, Hot and Spicy McChicken and two hot fruit pies.

Arby's was the only fast-food chain we visited that had nothing resembling a dollar menu. The least expensive item was a $1.09 cookie.

Interestingly, only a few restaurants included dollar sodas or other drinks.

Here's what else we discovered during our "tour." Be forewarned: Prices may slightly vary among restaurants in the same chain.

● Burger King: Wow, what a great selection. Choices include an (almost) fancy side salad, onion rings and sandwiches.

There are good toppings on the Whopper Jr., which include tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, pickle and onion. One disappointment was the chicken tenders: four little chunks of soggy chicken.

● Carl's Jr. and The Green Burrito: Two restaurants in one, yet only two value choices — a ground beef taco and a chicken sandwich. Go for the sandwich with its crispy breading, mayo and shredded lettuce.

● Del Taco: Like most fast-food tacos, Del Taco's contain what we like to call beef paste. Get a soft or hard beef taco for 89 cents, or pay a dime more for nachos, a bean tostada or a bean burrito with red or green sauce.

● Jack in the Box: Of course, there's a burger and a chicken sandwich offering. If you're in a breakfast mood, try the Breakfast Jack, which is egg, ham and American cheese on a hamburger bun.

● KFC: This was a favorite. A 99-cent chicken "snacker" sandwich comes three ways: with wing sauce, extra crispy or BBQ. We liked the bite of the wing sauce. Get two, however — they're quite small.

● McDonald's: There are lots of Dollar Menu items, including a four-piece Chicken McNuggets. We liked the yogurt parfait with granola and the McChicken, which had enough fire in its breading to keep us happy.

● Sonic: We were surprised to see so many $1 options. A strange — albeit healthy and overpriced — choice was a banana. We liked the tots and the Jr. Candy Sundae, but the Jr. Fritos Chili Cheese Wrap gave us pause. We only wished the mozzarella sticks ($2.89 for five) cost $1.

● Taco Bell: Already a bastion of inexpensivity, Taco Bell has a bevy of items for less than a buck or just a bit more.

There are cheap eats on the Fresco menu, which is a (bit) healthier version of the chain's regular menu. Selections include Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes (99 cents) and a beef soft taco (99 cents).

Regular menu items include Triple-Layer Nachos (89 cents) and a Caramel Apple Empanada (99 cents).

● Wendy's: Five value items include three Jr. selections: ham, cheese and a bacon cheeseburger. Also,the menu offers a tasty crunchy crispy chicken sandwich and a Doublestack burger with two patties, onion, mustard, American cheese and ketchup.

● Whataburger: There weren't a lot of dollar items here, but a simple burger and a hot cherry pie were just the ticket. The pie was piping hot, and the cherry filling and crunchy crust contained just enough sweetness.

● Wienerschnitzel: This chain wins our I-should-be-eating-this-in-a-ballpark award.

It also had the best cheap desserts and daily specials. For example, the chain offers creamy 99-cent milkshakes on Tuesdays.

Corn dog bites are not our thing, but you can get five bites for a buck. As you can with a small chili burger and a mustard dog, which hit the spot.