Yogurtland website

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Wikicommons

​The official line explaining why the Panda Express chain is giving out free food this coming Monday for Chinese New Year reads thusly:

"The Chinese New Year's Eve feast features ingredients that carry special symbolic meaning. Firecracker Chicken Breast(TM) is created with chicken because it represents prosperity and happiness, while firecrackers are a traditional part of New Year's celebrations -- according to Chinese folklore, Nian, a man-eating beast came into towns in search of people to feast upon. People used bright red decorations and firecrackers to scare Nian away to have a safe new year."

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Meranda Carter

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You still got a few bucks left over after spending it all on Christmas gifts nobody really liked? Some restaurateurs are betting you probably don't, which is why four cities in our humble county are using January, usually the slowest time in the restaurant biz, to offer discounts to get you back into spending. As with everything, some deals are better than others; but here's the breakdown:
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Wow, we were just saying, "You know, there's not enough girl-on-girl movie makeout scenes as performed by hot dogs," when Sausage Party released this amusing/disturbing/strangely erotic mindfuck of a video. Thumbs up to peeper Kevin Bacon. NSFW, due to, um, processed-meat nipples.  
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​Unless it's Yoshinoya, I don't often post about the fast food chains except when they're giving something away for nothing. Today, it's Burger King. They're offering free value-sized fries for no other apparent reason than to get publicity and Facebook likes. They've even put a countdown clock on the site ticking down the hours, minutes and seconds the offer remains in effect.

As Michelle reported several weeks ago, these are the new fries that are, in their words, "perfectly salted". They're only free today (December 16th), one per person, and while supplies last...though I don't see them running out of fries, y'know? But in case they do, you will have missed out on the opportunity to save like, what, 99-cents?

Carls Jr website

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There are just as many Black Friday addicts as there are naysayers who roll their eyes at the commercialization of Christmas, if not more so. For those of us who don't exactly give a damn about finding "the perfect gift", we say: how about those rectangles of hope we call the gift card? Restauranteurs want your business so badly right now that they are providing additional incentives to the consumer just for picking one up.

Think of it this way: if you gotta buy something anyway, why not choose a present that rewards you right back? Whether the recipient is a fast-food fanatic or high-end hipster, there's a brand that will fit in everyone's stocking. Don't believe us? Here's a partial list:
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Cafe Hiro's uni spaghetti

​Most of you are probably waiting anxiously for Black Friday deals; but me, I'm looking forward to this Saturday, which is the day American Express will credit $25 back to me if I patronize a small business and spend $25 or more with my American Express Card. To get the details, click here. You do have to preregister your card to qualify, and registration is limited. They call it Small Business Saturday. I'm calling it free money. 

Practically every restaurant you can think of that isn't Olive Garden or Stuart Andersons is considered a small business by the company. Even Marche Moderne and Hamamori qualifies.

But to maximize the deal, here are some recommendations (from previous reviews) of where you can conceivably feed two with $25.

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Anne Marie Panoringan

Watching TV sometimes pays off....

​Some of us can spend hours doing nothing. I choose to pass the time catching up on my DVR. Who knew last week's dramedy would be a source of free brekkie news this week? Behold, the free sausage biscuit.

Definitely not the first time Carl's Jr. encouraged the early-morning stampede (we heard the same promotion back in September), but they've added a feature to make finding a location offering the special less of a chore. We're calling it the Biscuit Beacon.More >>

Free food! Woo!

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Photo by Jonathan Ho

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Have you ever wondered what chefs such as Pascal Olhats feed themselves and their kitchen crew before service? Me neither. But now that I've brought it up, I bet you are. Starting tomorrow, the French chef extraordinaire, who has a half-dozen eateries in OC, will start offering exactly these meals to the general public from the back door of Epicerie on Bristol Street.
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