“I’ve always had a love affair with food,” coos Padma Lakshmi in her new TV spot for Hardee’s Western Bacon Thickburger. The host of Bravo’s “Top Chef” (identified here as “author/culinary expert”) says she’s tried “every flavor imaginable,” but none that compares with the 900-calorie Hardee’s burger. I buy that.
The sultry spot ends with a new tagline, “More than a piece of meat,” that is bound to cement the Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr. tandem’s reputation for edginess bordering on tastelessness. But that’s them. The audacity of hype.
The Western Bacon Thickburger is priced at $3.89, but an online coupon can save you a buck. And for those who can’t get enough Padma, Hardee’s has an extended (1 minute) version of the commercial. View it here. Still not full? A “behind the scenes” video on the making of the commercial can be seen here.
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The May Burger of the Month at R.J. Grunts in Chicago is the Chihuahua Burger. That's a ground chuck and sirloin patty topped with Chihuahua cheese, jalapeño cabbage slaw, pickled red onion, cilantro, and Cholula garlic aïoli. To see the full list of May's best Burgers of the Month around the country, click 
Personally I hope there were 7,648 takes of Padma taking that bite. The icing on the bun would have been a final shot of Top Chef’s Gail sitting with large fries, a shake and two pies.