I can’t personally attest to the quality of a Hardee’s burger, even the Western Bacon Thickburger. What I do know is that while she is the host of Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi does have a pretty defined palette. She will often be the one that tells a cheftestant the food they made was just wrong, and then prove it by spitting it back up in a napkin. I can’t remember the last time Tom Colicchio did anything similar.
So you can call me a cynic, but I have to wonder how much she actually loves the Western Bacon today. The commercial, which takes full advantage of Padma’s model looks to showcase the burger in softcore porn slow motion, is now out on the web. In fact, you can check it out below. It’s true that Padma did write about her trips to Carl’s Jr. to get one as a teenager, but as a teenager I also thought the premade nuked lasagna at Giovanni’s (a local spot in my hometown that still offers that same lasagna) was the epitome of Italian cuisine.
The commercial opens with Padma walking through a farmer’s market talking about her love of food. Then we switch to her on a stoop enjoying the Western Bacon Thickburger with fervor, including a slow motion long lick of her arm and hand as the sauce drips down. On the one hand I’m a guy, and that is frickin’ awesome. Then again I’ve yet to find any fast food burger that would elicit a lick from me. Any time I eat one I usually regret it immediately, and sometimes even feel a little queasy.
