Forked Thread: Secret Menus?

[Stormborn]

Forked from: The Ultimate Chipotle Burrito

Did you know that there is a "secret menu" at Chipotle? It's true. Next time you are in, order one of the following things that are not on the menu:

Nachos (a burrito bowl with chips instead of rice)

Black Bean Stew (black beans, salsa verde, corn salsa, and tomatoes)

Quesadillas (with or without meat)

And I'm not sure I believe this, but someone in class said she got a chimichanga there once: they took her burrito back into the kitchen (where they make the corn chips) and deep-fried it. I'm no expert, but it seems like that would just make a mess in the fryer.

So, what have you ordered from a "secret menu"? I, personally, am not the kind of guy who goes in and asks for stuff not on the menu (every time I think of that I picture the scene in Get Shorty where Danny Divito's character askes for an eggwhite omlet adn a strawberry smoothy without looking at the menu and orders for the whole table, eats a bite, and leaves) but I have had things at places where I was a regular and the wait staff offered me a dish that they ate. I had a ground lamb and green pea dish at a Indian resturaunt and carnitas at a Mexican place before all the Mexican places around here put it on the menu. That and I have ordered things that are often on the "specials" menu but didn't happen to be that day.

What about you?

 

[Relique du Madde]

What about you?

"Animal Style", Triple Triple, A Protein Burger, Cheese Fries, animal Style cheese Fries at In-and-Out (not-so secret) "secret" menu.

Grilled cheese sandwich at arby's and Subway.

My family's Mexican restaurant has chicken strips on it's secret menu.

 

[Umbran]

What about you?

Like many chain restaurants, Bertucci's rotates its menu from time to time, and things you like fall off the menu. This does not mean that the cooks forget how to make them, or that the ingredients are not present. I've found I can often order pizzas that are no longer on the menu.

 

[CleverNickName]

A quick check at Wikipedia gives a rather short list of secret menus from popular establishments. Behold.

Next time I am in Starbucks, I am going to order a "short" and see if the barista's head explodes...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've ordered a few things from the "Chinese" or "Japanese" menus at Chinese and Japanese menus.

By that I mean items that are intended for the Chinese or Japanese palate, rather than the "Americanized" recipes that we usually eat when we visit those restaurants.

In particular, I remember ordering Crispy Fried Soft Shelled Crab ("C") and Seafood Udon ("J").

When they said "Crispy" they meant it. It was almost like eating crab flavored jerky coated in a thick batter.

The Udon was a bit more exotic than is typical of the Americanized version, and included among its more unusual and authentic ingredients slivers of Sea Cucumber. Sea Cucumber is an echinoderm- relative to the sea urchin and starfish- and looks like a brownish cucumber. IOW, it looks like a turd. Its texture is somewhat like pure gristle, and its flavor is mild, generally taking on the flavor of what it is put into.

So you're eating your Udon, enjoying the fish chunks and the shrimp, and you get this mouthful of brown chewy nearly flavorless stuff that the waitress tells you is the Sea Cucumber...and if you're like me and can instantly visualize the critter in its native environment, your mind connects that turd-critter with the chewy mush in your mouth and your appetite mysteriously vanishes!

OTOH, I have also "created" certain dishes at restaurants at which I'm a regular. For instance, I regularly dine at I Fratelli's Italian restaurant in Irving, Tx. One of my favorite dishes is Tortellini with butter, mushrooms and garlic. Its not on the menu, but I've ordered it enough times that its practically my "usual."

 

[Stormborn]

How could I have forgotten the most "secret" menu of all - a local chines resturaunt that used to have a menu in chinese for their chinese clients. IT wasnt at all like their main menu. We were always going to go in one day and ask about it, but they changed owners and we dont really go there anymore.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

You can not grasp the true form of Galeros' secret menu!

 

[CleverNickName]

My hat of secret menu know no limit.

/sorry

 

[Relique du Madde]

You can not grasp the true form of Galeros' secret menu!

I'm terrified. I truly am...

*Has a flashback of the last video Galeros posted in the hive*

 

[Demongirl]

The local bar has a Steak Surprise that you can order that isn't on the menu.