Under Construction on the corner of Lomita and Hawthorne is a new 5 Guys Burger. That is a very busy intersection and I imagine it will only get worse. Carl’s Jr and Black Bear Diner are nearby, as are local favorite Y-Not. I would hate to see Y-Not get squeezed out, but so goes progress, I guess.

Here are some points from their website:

History

1986: The first Five Guys location opens in Arlington, VA.
1986 – 2001: Five Guys opens five locations around the DC metro-area and perfected their business of making burgers… and starts to build a cult-like following.
2002: Five Guys decides DC metro-area residents shouldn’t be the only ones to experience their burgers and start to franchise in Virginia and Maryland.
2003: Five Guys sells out of franchise territory within 18 months and starts to open the rest of the country for franchise rights.
2003 – Present: Five Guys expands to over 1,000 locations in 47 states and 6 Canadian provinces.

Facts

There are over 250,000 possible ways to order a burger at Five Guys.
We use only fresh ground beef.
There are no freezers in Five Guys locations, just coolers. Nothing is ever frozen.
We use only Peanut oil.
Our menu is trans-fat free.

23240 Hawthorne Blvd #101
Torrance, CA 90505

http://www.fiveguys.com/

If you haven’t seen the new commercial from Jack in the Box® then you need to give it a peak. The meat of the new promo is their new Chipotle Chicken Club Sandwich in a combo deal for $4.99.

Who is that new ad girl for Jack in the box?

You may have seen Rachel in episodes of NCIS as well as other programs.

This commercial featuring a cute but over the top Social Media Intern played by Rachel Grate is set at the Jack in the Box corporate offices and has the meeting of Jack and the new Social Media intern. In it she dishes out some funny lines and phrases like “craze-amaze”, “totes trending”,”chipot-cray” and “chipotle is on my hash-tag #FaveFlave”. It winds up being a very funny bit and well liked by many as seen in the comments across the web. This commercial is now one of my favorites, maybe it is because in the past few years I have seen a number of interns pass through the Lunch Pig headquarters and can relate to Jack on this, or maybe it is the stab at Social Media that I like. Whatever the reason, it’s a fun commercial.

Chipotle Chicken Club Sandwich

The Chipotle Chicken Club is a spicy crispy chicken breast topped with chipotle sauce, hickory smoked bacon, melting American cheese, lettuce and tomato on toasted sourdough bread. The combo includes an order of regular fries and a medium drink.

Social Media and Jack

In keeping with the theme of the commercial Jack in the Box is using social media to promote this deal. #FaveFlave on Twitter will get you to their feed and join in with others or www.facebook.com/jackinthebox‎ for their Facebook page.

Nutrition info:

Serving Size 1
Calories 687
Calories from Fat 328
Total Fat (g) 36
Saturated Fat (g) 8
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 78
Sodium (mg) 1291
Potassium (mg) 580
Carbohydrates (g) 55
Dietary Fiber (g) 3
Sugars (g) 6
Protein (g) 35

Jack in the Box Commercial Script:

Intern: OMG, stop. Jack, the new Chipotle Chicken Club is craze-amaze and chipotle is totes trending. Spicy crispy chicken, hickory smoked bacon, melting cheese, and smoky chipotle sauce, plus fries and a drink for four ninety-nine? That combo is chipot-cray. And chipotle is on my hash-tag #FaveFlave

Jack: Let me guess, you’re the new social media intern.

Intern: Yeah.

Jack: Great, I’m late for a meeting, can you make some copies?

Intern: With a — tanning bed?

Philly’s Best
24223 Crenshaw Blvd Ste J
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 325-1200
eatphillysbest.com

Philly’s Best is in the Torrance Crossroads on the North side in the location previously occupied by La Salsa. Dining is available inside at low and high tables and at concrete picnic tables outside. Parking is shared with other local restaurants and the Office Depot store. Like most similar restaurants you order at the register from the overhead menu and your name is called when the food is ready.

CARL: I am not a Philly Cheesesteak fan but when a huge batch of coupons arrived at my Torrance offices, I figured that was enough reason to give it a try. Who doesn’t like a good deal right? The coupons arrived in the mail custom printed with my business name and set up to be posted in the company break room. Well, the joke is on them, we don’t have a break room so I kept all the coupons for myself! With coupons in hand Oliver and I set out to the Philly’s Best in the old La Salsa location. The restaurant was refreshed but basically the same layout as the La Salsa. I ordered the Philly’s Best signature sandwich ($6.99) – the Philly Cheesesteak with thinly sliced steak, Amoroso bread, cheese and fried onions. As expected the steak was good but I found the bread to be especially good. Overall it was a fairly basic sandwich and about right for seven bucks. How will it do against the next door neighbor – Subway? I’m thinking it will take away some business from Subway but both will likely do well and be good neighbors. Good sandwich, clean tables, good value. 4 Pigs.

Oliver: For years a good sandwich was the main staple of my diet. I mostly would eat Italian deli sandwiches, but I also really like a good Philly Cheese Steak. As simple as a cheese steak sandwich may seem, there are many ways to make a good one or a bad one. size and flavor are all that matters in this world. So you better get it right, especially when you have Subway quite literally, next door. Philly’s Best offers a nice selection on the variations of a  Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, there are plenty of variations on the menu to keep you busy trying them all out. I ordered the Pepper Steak Cheese Steak. Comes as you would expect, with green peppers.

First thing is you are greeted with a good sized portion, and there is enough meat to satisfy this Lunch Pig. You can also visit their salsa style bar and get many flavors to apply to your sandwich to give it your own spice. I kept mine virgin this round. The meat had a good consistency and good flavor. Plenty of cheese and a very soft roll make this a delight to eat.

I definitely enjoyed the sandwich, the vibe of the place was good and we got out for a low price of under $13 for two people, that is of course using the coupons, but even with out it would have met our $10 per person goal. I give these guys 4 pigs and wish them luck.

Along with this new burger is a new commercial featuring super model Heidi Klum. As always I rushed out to get one after seeing the commercial.

The Jim Beam Bourbon Burger come with their signature charbroiled six dollar burger Angus patty topped with crispy bacon, onion straws, Pepper-Jack cheese and covered in Jim Beam Bourbon Sauce with lettuce and tomato.

It’s big, a little spicy, very sweet and very sticky. It all comes together very well for a unique tasting burger. I enjoyed the crispy onions. The bacon gets a little lost in all the sauce but does add to it. The Jim Beam Bourban Burger reminds me of another of their promo burgers, the Steakhouse Burger , which I was a fan of.

Nutritional Information

Calories 960
Calories from Fat 430
Protein 49g
Sodium 2110mg
Carbs 34g

Heidi Klum is featured in this funny and clever new commercial parodying the movie “The Graduate”.

Originally starring Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman. “Mrs Robinson” was made famous by Simon and Garfield with their sixties classic of the same name.

Here is a coupon to get $1 off

3525 W. Carson St.,
Suite 75 Torrance, CA US
(310) 214-4051
www.johnnyrockets.com

Johnny Rockets is a retro 50′s themed Burger Diner located on the east end of Del Amo Mall on the second floor across from the AMC movie theater. Parking is ample but during lunch hour you should expect to have to park at the outer edge of the parking lot.

OLIVER: Johnny Rockets is offering a lot of discounts these days including their Monday through Thursday deal of $5.49 lunch plates and free dinner for kids 4-8pm, but you better check your local Johnny rockets on the details as different areas have different days and deals. We arrived on a Friday, our usual Lunch Pig day, but Friday offers no such deals. In the words of the great Homer Simpson, “Doh!”

They offer a variety of diner meals and I chose their Beef Philly Cheese Steak with bell peppers. It includes unlimited fries which helps. My son got their kids Chicken Tenders. While writing this review I looked at the receipt and noticed they charged me an extra $1.19 for grilled veggies. I can only assume it was for the grilled peppers on the sandwich. I must say, that really does not feel like a legitimate charge. The waitress should have informed of the extra cost when she asked if I wanted bell peppers. In my book, a Philly steak sandwich implies it will come with bell peppers, to be charged $1.19 makes one feel taken advantage of.

The size of the sandwich itself is on the small side and was not very filling for me. I am the first to admit that I enjoy large portions, so keep in that mind when ordering. The sandwich tasted excellent, the bread was soft, and had a very good flavor to it. The endless fries helps to fill you up and that works well. The fries are typical, I would say a small to medium thickness.

Johnny Rockets offers a great tasting meal and a wonderful atmosphere and you will enjoy it. They come in at teh top of the Lunch Pig price point and their serving size is small. I would definitely reccomend you take advantage of their special discounts.

I give them 3.5 pigs. 

CARL: I’ve had a few too many burgers in the last couple of weeks so when we hit the local Johnny Rockets I had to seek out something that did not involve cow. I looked at Johnny Rocket’s selection of salads and alternate sandwiches but nothing really jumped out at me so I went with my old standby, the grilled chicken sandwich. Johnny Rocket’s version of the chicken sandwich is pretty basic: hamburger bun, medium sized chicken breast, tomato and lettuce (I had them hold the mayo). The sandwich was pretty average with all elements just, well, average. I like the pseudo 50s Johnny Rockets theme and the music (surprisingly a mix of 60s, 70s, and 80s classics with no 50s during our visit) was fun. if you are grabbing a semi-quick meal before hitting the AMC Theaters for a movie or refueling during a shopping spree, Johnny Rockets will do a capable job. The Friday prices weren’t anything to brag about but the Monday-thursday prices make this a decent deal. 4 Pigs.

What’s better than ice cream? Correct…… FREE ICE CREAM!

Ben & Jerry’s annual tradition continues with FREE CONE DAY on April 9th 2013.

Here is the official blurb from Ben & Jerry’s website:

Free Cone Day is on April 9th! So, make sure you swing by one of our participating Scoop Shops and grab yourself a FREE cone. Free Cone Day is something we’ve been doing since 1979 when Ben and Jerry celebrated their first year of business! Ben and Jerry wanted to thank everyone for their support in the best way they knew how; with free ice cream!

Enter the promo code “MARCH” during checkout.

In case you missed it, here is our original review:

http://lunchpig.com/local-restaurants/asian/pei-wei-fast-casual-asian-review/

Valid Tuesday March 19th 2013 and Wednesday March 20, 2013 only. Check out Pei Wei’s website for details.

UPDATE [March 19, 2013 @ 1:26PM] – I decided to try the coupon code MARCH and it worked perfectly netting me a $1.80 savings on my lunch. I scored a Teriyaki Chicken bowl over brown rice ($7.45) and it was AMAZING! I must say that it is now my favorite dish at Pei Wei. The bowl featured Teriyaki Chicken that was seasoned just right and not too goopy with sauce. The veggies – especially the spinach – were tasty and plentiful. A very pleasant surprise for an average Tuesday. Thanks Pei Wei!

Yum Thai Bistro
1888 S 1/2 Pacific Coast Hwy
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 316-1188

Yum Thai Bistro is located in a strip mall near the south/west corner of Prospect and Pacific Coast Hwy in Redondo Beach. Yum Thai is the last business in the row of stores near Prospect just behind an ARCO gas station. Other business in the plaza include CVS Pharmacy, Subway, Corner Bakery and the newcomer Handel’s. Parking during prime time can be difficult but at lunch it wan’t too bad.

CARL: I stumbled across the Yum Thai Bistro while picking up Handel’s Ice Cream for a treat last weekend. I pass by that plaza several times each week but for whatever reason, I rarely go in. The Handel’s Ice Cream visit was a great reason to explore the shops and the Yum Thai Bistro just seemed to be calling my name. On today’s visit, Oliver and I took a look at the menu in the window and when we spotted a long list of $7.95 lunch specials, we knew we were in the right place. The lunch special included: Kang Dang, Panang, BBQ Chicken, Spicy Mint, Garlic Pepper, Chow Mein and my selection, Pad Thai. Each of the lunch specials is available with your choice of chicken, beef, port or (heaven forbid) tofu. I selected the Chicken Pad Thai. In rapid succession we were served a small salad, a very tasty soup (so tasty I drank every drop) and then the main course. The portions were just right and the lunch itself even came with a vegetable egg roll. The overall flavor was good – especially considering I ordered a dish not known for being spicy. Yum Thai Bistro is a fun little find and a restaurant likely to be a favorite with locals. A solid 4.5 Pigs for the good price, fast service and tasty selection.

OLIVER: Nothing is better than finding a new place to eat. I was wanting some Thai food today for lunch and I was beginning to be a problem as we drove around from one place after another that I rejected. Then Carl remembered there was a Thai place on Prospect and PCH, so that is where we went. We were seated right away and after glancing at the menu and talking to our friendly waiter I decided on the Drunkin Noodle dish off their lengthy lunch menu. I chose chicken, but you can select from beef, shrimp or chicken. As Carl said the food came out very quickly. The soup and salad were very tasty and I really enjoyed it. The Drunkin noodle dish has a variety of vegetables including green peppers. Not only was this dish outstanding in flavor, it really filled me up. As we drove away I could feel how full my stomach was and that is always a good thing when you are a Lunch Pig, especially for a meal costing $7.95. Beverages come from the can with a glass.
The staff was really on top of things and always ready to help or see if there was anything else they could get us. My son Wolfgang was with us and him being 4 years old means a little special service was needed which they did splendidly.

This place was great and we will definitely be back. 4.5 pigs!