In today's Times food section, Leslee Komaiko offers a quick rundown of restaurants with "secret" fare not on the menu -- you know, the higher-brow equivalent of In-N-Out's animal style and 4-by-4. She mentions the fried chicken you can ask for (with a day's notice) at the Grill on the Alley and the steak tartare at the Hotel Bel-Air. The dish she calls "Los Angeles' most secret menu item" made me laugh: The Griddle Cafe in Hollywood has a special french toast they don't advertise, and to order it you must know the password. You only get the password if you try the regular french toast on the menu and like it — and are deemed ready to graduate from powdered sugar to cinnamon sugar.
More by Kevin Roderick:
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Ralph Lawler of the Clippers and the age of AquariusRiding the Expo Line to USC 'just magical'
Last bastion of free parking? Loyola Marymount to charge students
Matt Kemp, Dodgers and Kings start big weekend the right way
LA Times writers revisit their '92 riots observations
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Last look at Van Nuys location