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.”

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.

Muff-a-lotta-sandwich

The toughest aspect of writing this entry on Honeydew is figuring out what to feature: Pinkberry-style frozen yogurt, organic salads, organic coffees and homemade lemonade (different flavor every day) and the sandwiches were all options. But after talking with owner and chef Paul about the Muffeletta (a New Orleans original not easily found outside of that city) I knew I’d found my “It” sandwich.

 

Done Honeydew style, the Muffeletta includes all-natural turkey, all-natural ham and Genoa salami with sharp cheddar, parmesan and aged provolone cheeses grilled and served on toasted sourdough (locally baked every day) with an olive tapenade, tomato, romaine lettuce, red onion and mayo. And it’s good. So good that I wolfed down half of it pretty quick and only held back on the second half because I didn’t want to be unconscious for the rest of the afternoon.

 

Besides the great taste, you might have noticed another theme in the above paragraph. Honeydew is Organic with a capital “O.” They use organic foods as much as possible which isn’t unusual but what does stand out is their use of Green food containers, coffee filters, cups, utensils, recycled paper napkins, cleaners and even uniforms. Even the tables are made with wood from renewable sources. Somehow all this seems to contribute to the great taste of the food as well. Maybe I wasn’t missing the added taste of a Styrofoam container in my take-out?

 

Honeydew has a great formula: serious organic plus great taste. And the Muffeletta is a perfect example of this great combination.

The secret is out…CPK has Mac and Cheese to die for.

Once upon a time, I was a waitress at California Pizza Kitchen (nope, not the one in Burbank) and I met a number of CPK big-wigs. One of the funniest people I’ve ever met, was also the creator of the CPK Mac & Cheese recipe.

 

CPK has Mac & Cheese on the kids menu…BUT DID YOU KNOW, that there is also an “adult” version? No, this item is not listed on the menu, but you better believe that you can order it…and you should! The Mac & Cheese from CPK has been one of my little secrets for a number of years now. When ever I run into a Mac & Cheese enthusiast, they always have a recommendation for me as to where to find the “best” mac & cheese in town. I always politely jot down their recommendation, but then I ask them to go try the adult mac and cheese at CPK…then to email me and let me know what they thought. Without a single exception, the enthusiast always come back to me thanking me profusely (and sometimes cursing me) for intruding them to this addictive and undisputable champion.

 

Now, it’s not “fancy” mac and cheese, in fact there’s nothing gourmet about it. I don’t know about you, but when I’m craving this kind of comfort food all I want is three things: for it to be filling, reliable, and so good that I can’t wait until my next craving strikes. CPK’s Mac and Cheese is so good that I’m sure they don’t put it on the menu simply because they want people to continue eating their pizzas…having the mac and cheese known by the public at large might create some kind of mass hysteria should they ever run out.

 

By publishing this article, obviously I’m willing to risk mass hysteria…the mac and cheese is just that good…people should know about it, and it saddens me to think of how many mac and cheese enthusiast have been going without. So go, be satiated my comfort-food-loving friends! You can thank me later…