Covert Apps: 10 Delicious Off-Menu Orders (You Probably Didn’t Know About)

How to order off-menu like a pro

By The Editors
September 18, 2015 9:00 am

Whether by app or second-hand knowledge, ordering off the menu is a pro move. Below, we round up a few of our favorite new off-menu orders around town — all vetted and ready for your adventurous bellies. Dig in. 

The Startufata at Dolce Italian
The Order: The latest in pizza crust ingenuity, the Startufata at Dolce Italian is topped with speck and salami and drizzled with truffle oil. The crust, like the cheeks of a portly mammone, is pinched, then stuffed with a ricotta. 

The Ace at Tack Room
The Order:
 Order the “Ace” at the Tack Room and you’ll get a Slagel Farm Juicy Lucy topped with seared foie gras, pork rilletes, a sunny-side-up egg and bacon jam, served on a brioche bun. Named after: the equestrian slang word for Acepromazine — a sedative used for horses — because of course it is.

The Hamachi Kama at Ramen-San
The Order: An InsideHook favorite: hamachi kama (yellowtail collar) — a fatty, delicious, but underutiltized part of the fish. Just ask and Ramen-San will grill one up for ya. Usually hamachi, but sometimes salmon and sea bass are available. Pro tip: mix the accompanying grated daikon into the ponzu sauce for a proper dip. Also: Beer. Kama makes for good bar food.

The Tic Tac Taxi For Two at Lost Lake
The Order:
Hush-hush at this tiki haven, a bigger version of the Tic Tac Taxi — a boozy cure-all of aged rums, coconut, passionfruit and lime — that’s served in a frozen pineapple for two. In the date lexicon, we call that a power move. Think of it as the tiki version of the soda shop milkshake for two.



The BLT at Publican Quality Meats
The Order: Sometimes you want a simple, no fuss sandwich. Publican Quality Meats keeps BLTs ready and waiting for staff and those employees better suited out of the kitchen. Simple it may look, but like all things PQM, it’s elevated, down to the bread — a naturally leavened multigrain fermented for 60 hours. 

The Lobster & Lardo Poutine at Kinmont
The Order: This churched-up poutine from Kinmont is one of the tastiest things we’ve eaten all year. Fresh lobster. Tempura-battered cheese. And instead of gravy, a reduced chicken stock glaze to keep it light. Break up that egg and mix ‘er up. 

The Big Dorito Pie at AMK Kitchen
The Order: We see your walking taco and raise you this gigantic bag of stoner food. AMK Kitchen starts serving up these bags of dorm room remorse after 5 p.m. It’s a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos ripped open and topped with chili, white cheddar, sour cream and pico de gallo. God bless it. 

The Dirty Daddy at Chicken Shop
The Order: Ask for the “Dirty Daddy” at Chicken Shop on the ground level of the Soho House and they might ask you for your member’s card. It’s that secret. It’s their Dirty Burger topped with mac ‘n cheese, and it is glorious. 



The Depth Charge at Pub Royale
The Order: The “Depth Charge” is Pub Royale’s rendition of the Irish Car Bomb. Finger length’s worth of their housemade Shandygaff (limeade and Off Color Troublesome), served alongside a shot of Denizen aged White Rum. Clink. Drop shot. Tastefully roister.



The Parrillada at La Sirena Clandestina
The Order: The Parrillada is just that — a plate of grilled and barbecued meats. At La Sirena, the off-menu parrillada is every meat in-house on a platter. Piri-piri chicken. Thinly sliced hangar steak. Linguiça sausage. Sweetbreads. Shortribs. Heartburn. Rounded out by some chimmichurri sauce. Meat sweats heaven, baby.

Nota bene: Hankering for more secrets everyone knows about? Hit up Eater and Zagat for more off-menu gems across the city. 

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