The Trixie Lifestyle often includes exquisite dining experiences and brushes with some spectacular alcohol. Our village and outlying Indianapolis neighborhoods are literally overflowing with options to feast on world-class cuisine, and chase it with some of the best-crafted wines, beers and spirits known to man.
I recently left my job as Senior Content Manager for a major consulting company to pursue the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Program at The Chefs Academy. I have always possessed a God-gifted palate, and I am so excited to share my extensive knowledge and experience with those of you who may not be so fortunate!
From time to time as my busy social schedule allows, I will review a Village restaurant or drinking establishment from the uniquely BRTS perspective and report my experiences back to you. Additionally, being a wine connoisseur, I will from time to time give you the low-down on the best wines for any occasion.
Bon Apetite & Cheers!
Rory
Latest Reviews:
Ordering Off the Menu at Fast Food Restaurants
Starbucks – The Red Eye
A cup of regular coffee with a shot of espresso dumped in?!? Now, I’m not a huge "regular" coffee drinker, but apparently you can even upgrade this to two shots, which is called a Black Eye. I presume upgrading to three shots is called a Jumpy-Unblinking Eye? I would highly recommend getting creative. Dividends, people ... dividends!!
Ever had a Neapolitan milkshake from McDonald’s?
One where they layer the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavors in the same cup, creating a thick, icy, slow-moving light-brown-swirls-with-pink-flecks taste explo-sensation? Yeah, my friend Chad was a regular customer of those. Of course, when he was working at McDonald’s as a teenager he got sick of the regular menu pretty quickly and started tinkering in the back like a mad scientist with his coworkers, developing exotic, unstable, and unpredictable meal creations with the ingredients on hand.
Yes, there were failed attempts, like the Chicken McNugget Flurry, but sometimes they struck gold and created a new off-the-menu line extension. I guess this is fairly common, because there are reports of online McDonald’s employee communities, where insider recipes such as the McBrushetta and McPancakeBatterFunnelCakes are shared.
Now, my world opened up when I first realized courtesy of Chad that you could order off-the-menu at fast food restaurants. Since that time I’ve learned about a few other secret options around. Like for instance:
Wendys - The Grand Slam
If the single, double, or triple hamburgers at Wendy’s just don’t cut it for you, just go all out and order the massive four-patty grand slam. Also known as the Classic Quadruple or the "Meat Cube".
McDonald’s – Fries with Big Mac Sauce
Lots of people put fries right on the burger, which I agree tastes delicious. But this technique allows you to switch things up a bit and put some of your burger’s best feature right on your fries. Try to ignore protests from your arteries, and just ask for that beautiful little cup of Big Mac Sauce on the side for dipping.
Long John Silvers – Batter Bits
I know a Trixie who was all over these. She’d lean in and guiltily ask in a hushed whisper and the guy behind the counter would nod slowly -- knowingly -- and hand over a wet, greasy paper bag full of all the batter drippings that fell into the oil by accident. Yeah, this is the bottom of the barrel of off-the-menu stylings. It ain’t always pretty out there.
Subway – The Pizza Sub
Apparently this one’s like Sasquatch ... there are scattered sightings everywhere and a few grainy videos that may or may not have been tampered with. Another favorite from Subway, though not technically a menu item, is simply ‘the old cut’, where they dig a trench in your bread instead of just slicing it, leading to better cold cut and veggie distribution. Also known for causing The Wing Effect, where your bologna hangs out the sides of your sandwich for some tasty pre-nibbles.
McDonald’s – Big Mac with Quarter-Pounder Patties
One last McDonald’s fixture — the ol’ bun-heavy Big Mac surgically altered to become a meat-heavy Big Mac with Quarter Pounder patties instead. Now you’re much less likely to get that dreaded All-Bun first bite.
Starbucks – The Short Cup
Even though the smallest size on the Starbucks menu is a ‘Tall’, they do offer a
secret ‘Short’ size behind the counter. Perfect for that between-coffee-breaks coffee.
Now, I’m only one woman, so I’m sure there are hundreds of great off-the-menu gems that I’ve never heard of or know about. But that’s the beauty! There are all these little surprises just waiting to be discovered. What possible fast-food Mouth Love will we discover next?
Ordering off the menu at fast food restaurants is a great deal. Maybe you’re the loyal customer looking for that new taste. Maybe you have strict dietary restrictions so it’s either off-the-menu or no-menu-at-all. Or maybe you’re just a grumpy Trixie who makes flippant off-the-menu requests with a deep scowl and a foot-stomp.
But whatever the case, whatever your background, whatever your taste, I think we can all agree that it sure is nice getting a little something special for lunch now and then.
AWESOME!
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