Fine Dining.... Make that FUN Dining in SJ

I realize that I spend lots of blog time and non blog time thinking and talking about food. I do find food fascinating. And now that we are living in such a diverse community, I have found it great fun to try new cuisines. Mark and I ate at an Ethiopian restaurant a few weeks ago. We have had Japanese, Mexican, Greek, German.... and In-and-Out. Now those of you familiar with West Coast dining experiences will probably wonder why I have included a fast-food-drive-through-orange-and-red-and-white "restaurant" in this list of exciting cuisines. Well, In and Out is more than a McDonald's or a Burger King. NOTHING is frozen. The fries start as potatoes ON SIGHT and are made into french fries right on the spot. And the meat is not frozen either. But the best, and most fun, part of going to In and Out is the SECRET MENU. It is a bit of a cult thing to know what is on the unpublished menu and rattle off the selections to the cheery young person (ALWAYS a young person) at the drive up window or counter. And if you look at your receipt, the secret item is IN their system and prints on the paper with the price. I ordered fries "Animal Style" - that's fries with grilled onions, cheese and special sauce (which is NOT Thousand Island dressing- even though it looks and tastes like Thousand Island dressing). I would not recommend eating this in the car as it is quite drippy. I am anxious to try the choco-vanilla swirl shake (chocolate AND vanilla shake swirled not stirred). Sometimes when Mark and I have had an especially long day shopping and doing errands, I insist on stopping at an In and Out. Our Garmin Nuvi helps us find one close by (not an easy thing to do.... they are not as frequent as Mickey D's or the King). And we have a new one only 5 minutes from the house! Now I realize that a steady diet of this type of food is not good for me.... I saw Super Size Me. But occasionally it is a real treat. So if you are out this way, let me take you out!
Click here to see the Secret Menu :In and Out Secret Menu