Note: This is a sponsored post.

Earlier this week I was invited to have lunch at Stacked​ (Los Cerritos Center location). This was a place I’d been wanting to try for a while, so it was a pretty easy sell for me to say yes to this free lunch. Even better was that the invite, which came from corporate, appeared to be free in a whole other way – free from the usual mandated PR strings. There were no Tweet minimums dictated, no Instagram requests, nor any blogging deadlines to meet. Honestly it was refreshing and all the more appealing (take note other PR peoples – Stacked is doing marketing the right way).

Even better, this free lunch finally freed me from my months’-long blogger’s block. Funny how a good lobster mac and cookie butter milkshake can do that to one’s brain (and P.S. – Yum).

I normally get what I call decision paralysis at restaurants with crazy long menus and choices (a certain restaurant with a name resembling a specific dessert cake and place of work comes to mind here). The reason this doesn’t happen at Stacked is you truly can get the best of both a pre-set AND DIY option by customizing an already-existing signature menu item. For example, I swapped the fresh tomatoes in the Lobster Stacked Mac for sun-dried tomatoes. Blissful.

Other items however were a perfect party for my mouth just as-is. Their signature Cookie Butter milkshake, for example, required nothing more than the vanilla ice cream (always Dreyer’s here at Stacked), cookie butter, and fresh whipped cream. The old saying of why fix it if it isn’t broke most definitely applies here.

You also can completely DIY menu items at Stacked. My friend and I built our own ice cream sandwich using peanut butter cup ice cream, one chocolate-chocolate chip cookie, one white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, and a side of caramel sauce. All cookies are baked fresh daily at Stacked inside of forms that make the cookies more brownie in texture and appearance, which makes them perfect for pairing with ice cream.

From Stacked’s state-of-the-art and proprietary iPad technology and ordering system to their seemingly unlimited menu choices (anything from already-built signature items to complete DIY options), the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse-inspired Stacked experience (same owners-creators) impressed me at every turn.

Oh, and don’t let the table-side iPads at Stacked fool you. All they are there for is to order your food and drinks. That’s it. There are no games loaded onto these devices, nor any flashy screens harassing you or your kids as you’re trying to get everyone to settle down and eat their food. In fact, Stacked servers are well-versed in doing their best to pull the iPads to the side while you are eating a course so it’s not distracting to your dining experience (but of course, it’s right there at arm’s-length to order that next indulgence at any time during your meal). This is great news for families like mine who do our best not to use screens to entertain T during meals, either at home or when dining out.

From Stacked’s website: “The STACKED experience is all about getting exactly what you want. We offer America’s favorite foods – Burgers, Pizza, Salads and Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Choose between dozens of ingredients to create the perfect meal for your taste. Or you can select one of our recommended signature items. STACKED is a full-service restaurant with an innovative ordering approach that enables you to control when you order and pay, and customize your meal in a comfortable, uninhibited way.”

You can check out Stacked at one of their four current Southern California locations (Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Cerritos, and San Diego). Stacked Los Cerritos Center is at 18425 Gridley Road, Cerritos, CA 90703 (Phone 562.376.4300). Hours are: Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m.-to-10 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m.-to-11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-to-Midnight; and Sunday 11 a.m.-to-10 p.m.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received products and/or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Thanks again to Barbara and Nanette for inviting me and my friend out for a lunch stacked with fun, flavor, and #foodwellbuilt.