Not your average post…

Every friend I’ve ever had visit me from out of town always has one simple request (besides going to see Jay Leno), “Can we please eat at In & Out?” My answer is always a resounding “YES, brilliant idea.”

 

We all know that In & Out is delicious, and if you didn’t know, then swing by the drive through and get yourself a burger and join the rest of the civilized world in celebrating In & Out’s existence. But I digress…

 

 Instead of discussing a food item (as I usually do), this time around I’m going to discuss the menu itself. “Why?” you ask. Well, if you’re asking that question then you probably don’t know about the amazing subculture that is devoted to In & Out, and about their “secret menu”. Now, some smart aleck is going to say, the “secret menu” is posted on In & Out’s website…true, kinda. Yes, there is a secret menu page on the In & Out website, however their menu is incredibly incomplete.

 

The items listed by the In & Out “secret menu” website are:

Grilled Cheese- a burger with no meat and an extra slice of cheese

Protein Style- burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun

Animal Style- burger with lettuce, tomato, a mustard cooked beef patty, pickle, extra sauce, and grilled onions

Double Meat- a Double-Double with no cheese

3×3- burger with 3 patties and 3 slices of cheese

4×4- burger with 4 patties and 4 slices of cheese

 

Other items that are not included in this menu but ARE available at In&Out are:

Flying Dutchman

Dirty Sanchez

100×100

Neapolitan Shake

Animal Style Fries

 

Believe it or not, these are just a few of the additional items that devotees are aware of…to get a more complete list (or just to procrastinate at work) try Googling “In & Out Secret Menu.” If you want an even longer list, Google “In & Out Fantasy Menu” and you’ll not only get what actually exists currently, but also the items people are trying to name and create.

 

What is it Ya Gotta Try? Ya Gotta Try ordering something from the secret menu at In & Out, you may be surprised how nonchalantly the staff handles your order, after all, they get these orders all the time from other people who are “in the know.”

If you like Pina Coladas…

I’ve been going to Acapulco since I was a tot here in Burbank. It is a very family friendly restaurant with good food and good service. But I was very excited to be over 21 when I got my drink the last time I visited. I asked the waiter which was the best Margarita on the menu…he of course offered me the top-shelf-tequila-drinkers favorite. I explained that I’m not a big tequila drinker and I tend to prefer my Margarita’s a little on the fruity side to mask the tequila taste. He thought for a moment, then came up with the perfect answer: The Pinapple Margarita. The name only sold me, I was super curious and my taste buds started to tingle with anticipation.

 

The Pinapple Margarita only comes in blended form (not over ice, like a traditional Marg). So I ended up with a blended concoction that I just couldn’t remove from my lips. Each sip was a sip of summer and beaches. Pina Colodas can be a little sweet for me, but this margarita was more subtle than the average colada, so it was more like drinking a slushie. I could only taste a hint of the tequila, which was useful since I probably would not have slowed down on the gulping without that little reminder.

 

In my book, the Pinapple Marg from Acapulco will go down (no pun intended) as one of my favorite summer drinks…and one of my favorite winter drinks-since it’s so good at reminding me of summer days. For the few fruity margarita fans out there, that feel my pain when it comes to tequila shots, I encourage you to give tequila another try…in pinapple slushie form.

Business Meeting? Order Pizza.

When we have business meetings during dining hours (lunch or dinner) one of the questions we always have to ask ourselves is, “What are we going to feed these people?” Before our discovery of Round Table Pizza, we’d often find ourselves scrambling to make something from scratch or find suitable take out. These days, we know exactly what our food game plan is: Order Round Table. Sure, ordering pizza may sound like a cop out, and often our colleagues and associates would see the pizza boxes and sigh, but once those boxes opened and the eating commenced, we never hear anything but, “Who made this pizza?” and “This is delicious, where did you get it?” To this day we keep Round Table’s menu handy (for personal and professional use).

 

If you are looking for a simple solution for your next gathering that will wow your guests try the Round Table Gourmet Veggie Pizza. With a very healthy portion of all your favorite veggies—artichoke hearts, zucchini, spinach, portabella mushrooms, roma tomatoes, red and green onions, and chopped garlic— and complimentary creamy garlic sauce, this pizza is sure to impress vegetarians and meat eaters alike. But don’t worry carnivores, we have a suggestion for you too.

 

For the meat lovers out there, Round Table has you covered as well, with the Ulti-Meat pizza. Now, I’m just as big a fan of this pizza because of the overwhelming amount of meat candy toppings. What is meat candy, you ask? Well, think about it…what is the one meat that you’d happily eat all by it self piece after piece until nothing was left but packaging? Answer: Bacon. Yes, my family and friends all refer to bacon as meat candy simply because it is just that good. As for the Ulti-Meat, well some may try it and think it should be renamed Heart-Attack pizza, but isn’t that a good sign? Here are the toppings: pepperoni, andouille sausage, sugar cured bacon (oh my), and hickory smoked sausage. 

 

Typically, for a group of 4-6 we’ll order two large pizzas (one Gourmet Veggie and one Ulti-Meat). Often we are only left with scraps, but when there are leftovers we know that they won’t last long.

 

I’ll be honest, this is not college priced pizza, it is a little more expensive than your typical 2am craving pizza (which is why we like to put it on the business card). The Veggie is $, and the Ulti-Meat is $. Please don’t let the price be a deterrent, it’s worth every penny.

No more driving to Glendale…

I used to drive to Glendale to get my Zankou Chicken fix. Thankfully, times have changed and I can now get all the Zankou my little heart desires right here in Burbank.

 

This Armenian chicken shrine has hands-down the best roasted chicken out there. The chicken is moist, the skin is crisped to perfection and to top it all off, Zankou has a garlic sauce that will easily make you become a devotee. Sure you can make chicken at home, but why spend all the time in the kitchen when you can have Zankou do it for you (and probably do it better). Here’s my family’s typical order: two chickens, four orders of the pita, one side of hummus and oodles of the garlic sauce.

 

One of the greatest things about ordering Zankou, as opposed to going to another fast food restaurant, is that the leftovers are just as good as the first time around, and easy to incorporate into the rest of the week. We’ve used the left over chicken in home made soup; the pita and hummus make for a tasty snack all by itself; and the (rarely) leftover garlic sauce can be used on any pizza or sandwich to liven things up.

 

I’m always surprised to find out that a friend of mine has yet to try Zankou, but I’m also excited to be able to introduce this deliciousness to them. It never disappoints, and it’s more finger-licken-good than any other chicken that comes to mind. This is a fast food that is easy, tasty, and better for you than any of it’s fried counterparts.