Review

The 10 Best Off-the-Menu Dishes

At this point, everyone knows about In-N-Out Burger’s “secret menu,” but while animal style has become equivalent with secret sauce (meaning, not a secret at all), other eateries have caught on and begun offering their own off-the-menu items. True, we found a lot of special burgers across the country, but when a nice restaurant doesn’t serve anything remotely like a burger, it becomes unique. Other joints serve pizzas, luscious desserts and even an entire duck dinner to those in the know. What dishes have you discovered on the sly at your favorite restaurants?

Mixed Grill at Press, St. Helena, CA

Located in the lovely Napa Valley region, this St. Helena restaurant has an off-the-menu mixed grill plate ($65 to $75) that contains an array of tasty treats that change daily. Past orders have included Wagyu flatiron steak, housemade wild boar sausage, lamb chops and filet mignon. Owner and chef Stephen Rogers has even been known to add exotic cuts of meat like antelope chops or venison bratwurst. And for dessert, give the waiter a wink, wink, nudge, nudge, and ask for the Grand Marnier soufflé ($18), a dish big enough for two.: – Linnea Covington, Zagat