Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) unveiled its new menu program today that includes an expanded lineup of beverages and lunch selections. It looked all too familiar. Coffee and salad, I thought? Can't I get that at McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD)?

Before its foray into salads, Starbucks had aggressively been competing with McDonald's over the title of 'best coffee' ever since Canadian Business magazine's blind taste-test last year declared McDonald's the winner and champion.

Starbucks has already tried to compete for a spot in the crowded breakfast line-up. Back in October last year, they announced a plan to roll out its breakfast sandwiches. After a taste-test, The Columnist Manifesto thought them to be so bad that he compared them to airplane food.

With Starbucks' grinds slightly burnt, management decided to tackle McDonald's straight on: Salads. Customers now have the option to order the new Tomato Mozzarella Insalada, Champagne Pasta Salad or Albacore Tuna Penne, among other delights. Try that with your new Raspberry Mocha Frappuchino.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

I was preparing to make a sandwich recently, which for me is quite an undertaking. The ingredients need to be fresh, sliced to appropriate thickness and of the tastiest varieties. I got out all the fixin's and took hold of the appropriate tools, then I realized that I was missing one key ingredient. I was yet to procure the mayonnaise.

I went into the refrigerator where I knew I'd find the delectably smooth and scrumptious stuff. You can probably imagine my shock when I found not one but two brand new unopened squeeze bottles of mayonnaise right there on the door shelf in between the horse radish and the barbecue sauce. As if that wasn't trouble enough, when I reached in to take one of the bottles for my project, I realized that each of the bottles was a different brand. Oh the sheer unfairness of it, that meant I would have to decide which brand would appropriately bless my sandwich.

Rather than make a rash decision by simply grabbing a bottle and applying the dressing, I decided to carefully weigh my mayonnaise choice. After all, I wanted the perfect mayo for the perfect sandwich. I already knew that the two products were nearly identical in taste and texture. I needed to find the deeper meaning. I grasped both bottles, one in each hand, and carefully initiated my sandwich dressing analysis. Both bottles were plastic and totally squeezable. Each had appropriate tamper protection and a wide, flip-top cap that can be used to stand the bottle inverted. Each had a serving opening designed to apply the mayo in a flat ribbon outlay. The caps were blue and the bottles were clear. So far it was a dead heat.