Top Secret Restaurant Recipes Revealed!

Have you ever wondered what ingredients go in to some of the dishes that you enjoy at your favorite restaurants?  Me too!  Unfortunately, many restaurants keep their recipes hidden in a secret vault somewhere next to the formula for Coke.  Well, not any more!

Ron Douglas and Chef Tom have been cloning recipes from billion dollar restaurant chains since 2003 and have perfected them to taste exactly like the original.  In fact, they test and tweak their recipes with over 45,000 subscribers on RecipeSecrets.net to ensure that they are identical to the originals!  They amassed hundreds of top secret restaurant recipes and gathered them up in a book called “America’s Secret Recipes”, which is an e-book download available on their website  [There is a link at the end of this post to save you $20 on this book!]. 

Make restaurant meals in your own kitchen!

I purchased “America’s Secret Recipes” last week from their website and I am having a blast experimenting with their recipes for restaurant dishes like P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef, Outback’s Coconut Shrimp and I even made a Burrito Supreme that tasted better than the Taco Bell version! 

Their recipe books contain hundreds of recipes from several restaurants ranging from fast food to fine dining.  Here is just a sample list of restaurant dishes featured in “America’s Secret Recipes”:

• Fast Food:  Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich,  Burger King Whopper,  KFC Fried Chicken,  McDonald’s Big Mac
• Casual Dining:  T.G.I. Friday’s Jack Daniels Grill Glaze, Cheesecake Factory Bang Bang Chicken & Shrimp, Hard Rock Cafe Twisted Mac n’ Cheese
• Fine Dining:  Ruth’s Chris Petite Filet & Sweet Potato Casserole, P.F. Changs Dan Dan Noodles, Carraba’s House Salad

That should be enough to get your saliva glands going, right?   Well, that just scratches the surface.   There are over 700 restaurant recipes outlined in their cookbooks….including recipes for cocktails, desserts and special sauces!  (I’m buying the ingredients to make Cinnabon Cinnamon buns tonight).

Dining Out vs. Dining In - The Eternal Struggle

 

Normally, I am all about heading down to a nearby eatery (with my restaurant coupons or gift certificates in hand), but sometimes I just don’t want to leave to house.   If I’m trying to avoid waiting for a table, or fighting the rain, or I just plain don’t want to take a shower and put on pants, then I’ll prepare something easy to eat at my casa (but my wife will usually make me put on pants).

With “America’s Secret Recipes” you can have the best of both worlds: delicious restaurant cuisine without leaving the comfort of your own home.  Not to mention, you can impress your friends by creating some amazing entrees that taste just as good as if they were brought to your table by a waiter (you could even brag that you are a close personal friend of the chef…I won’t tell!).

My Wife Laughed at Me…

 

One of the statements that Ron Douglas makes on his website is “If you can fry an egg, than you can get started with America’s Secret Recipes immediately!”

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat

I’m here to tell you that I am by no stretch of the imagination a good cook (that’s why I like to dine out a lot!).  I can, however, fry an egg…although I prefer them scrambled.  My wife laughed at me when I pulled out the ingredients to make the P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef featured in the book.   Her exact words were “don’t burn down the kitchen”.  She wasn’t laughing 20 minutes later when she sampled my scrumptious Mongolian Beef “clone” (pictured on the left)!   If I can make it…so can you!

These recipes are easy to follow and you will get much bigger portions than if you dined at a restaurant.  Which means leftovers without carting home a doggie box. 

Plus, it is so much cheaper!  If you were to order the Mongolian Beef at P.F. Changs for 1 person, it would cost you $14.95.  My cost to create the same dish for 4 people:  $8.37!

What’s this Book Gonna Cost Me?

 

I looked on Amazon.com to see if I could get a better deal on this book than what it sold for on Ron’s website - maybe someone had a used copy.   I was stunned that the lowest price for a used book was $86.41!   (here’s the proof)

The regular retail price for this amazing compilation of tasty top secret restaurant recipes is $49.97 on Ron’s website.    However, if you click here or on the banner below you can get “America’s Secret Recipes” for only $29.97 plus, you get Volume 2 of “America’s Secret Recipes” and 7 bonuses for free! 

Once you download this restaurant secret recipe e-book from RecipeSecrets.net, I would love to hear which restaurant dish is your favorite in the comments section below.   Bon appetit!

Urbanspoon + iPhone = A Match Made in Foodie Heaven!

Doncha just love the iPhone commercial where “the hand” searches for a restaurant using the Urbanspoon restaurant “slot machine” on the phone?  Boy, I do!  I’ve held off on buying an iPhone for as long as I could, but once I saw this commercial I turned to my wife and said “I NEED that phone!”   I purchased it the next day and have been using the Urbanspoon application for about two weeks.  I can’t believe this remarkable app is free!

To tell you how it works would almost be insulting because it’s just so darn easy.   It’s so easy that I let my 4 yr old daughter select a place for us to eat last Tuesday using the Urbanspoon app (we had pulled pork sandwiches at Willie’s Grill & Icehouse in case you were wondering).

Here is a brief run through on how to use Urbanspoon for the iPhone (or iTouch).

1. Download it for FREE on iTunes or directly from the App Store on your iPhone.  Click here ->
2. Click the Urbanspoon icon on the iPhone and the it will triangulate your position based on the built in GPS.  It will ask if you want to use your current location or select another city.
3. Once you select your preferred city, the restaurant “slot machine” will pop up on the screen so you can narrow down your search by neighborhood, cuisine, and dollar amount.  You can lock in any of these parameters by pressing one of the 3 padlock icons on the bottom of the screen.  Then just hit the “Shake” button and let the Urbanspoon slot machine go to work!
4. Once you click on the restaurant that Urbanspoon selects you can read reviews by other users, leave your own reviews, view photos, read a menu, get directions (with maps!), and call the restaurant from the contact info page!   All that’s left to do is make the reservation - if one is required.   If the restaurant does require a reservation, you could also download the Open Table app on your iPhone!

What’s that you say?  You are not ready to rush out and buy an iPhone just to get an incredible mobile dining app?  Fret not…you can go to your bulky desktop computer or laptop and visit Urbanspoon.com to accomplish the same thing as the mobile app!

I would love to hear what you iPhone-ites or Urbanspoon.com visitors think about this terrific app.   Please leave me your comments.

Top 10 Websites for Restaurant Addicts (Part 2)

This is a continuation from last weeks post on 10 websites no restaurant addict should be without.  So far I’ve covered Restaurant.com, Entertainment.com, Zagat.com,  Urbanspoon.com, and LocalWineEvents.com.    The next five websites will allow you to order meals for delivery, add up points to receive free meals, make reservations online, and get insider tips about the restaurant from the locals:

1. Vmeals.com - Can’t leave the office for lunch or dinner?
   You can order food online from several hundred restaurants in 33 major cities in the U.S.. First, you select a menu from one of their restaurants and choose items for your order. Then arrange for delivery and payment via their secure web site. Vmeals routes your order to the food provider, confirms acceptance of the order, then tracks your order and manages any changes. It’s that simple!
   Plan B: If Vmeals is not offering delivery services in your city, you can also try seamlessweb.com or ordercorner.com.
2. RewardsNetwork.com - Get 20% cash back when you dine
   When you join Rewards Network online, there are no out–of–pocket costs. You simply register a credit or debit card with them and use it to pay the bill at participating restaurants, bars and clubs when Cashback Rewards are being offered. After that, additional Cashback Rewards are automatically credited to the card you used a couple days after you dine.
3. Yelp.com - Real People. Real Reviews.
   Yelp is the new and fun way to find, review and talk about what’s great - and not so great - in your neighborhood and beyond, everything from cool restaurants to the latest bar or club opening! This is a great complement to Citysearch.com because many times it will have reviews for restaurants that are not included on the other site.  Bonus: You can also find reviews on everything else from yoga instructors to doctors!
4. OpenTable.com -  The world’s most popular website for making reservations online
   Over 90 million diners have used OpenTable.com to make lunch and dinner reservations at over 10,000 restaurants nationwide!  Not only can you make the reservations, but you can send email invites to friends and receive email reminders of the event that you booked.   Bonus:  When you join Open Table you are automatically enrolled in the “Dining Rewards” program.  You receive Dining Rewards points every time you make a reservation.  When you accrue over 1,000 points you can redeem them for $20, $50, or $100 Open Table Dining Cheques that can be used at ANY of the restaurants featured on the site!
5. Citysearch.com - Reviews and recomendations that include “insider tips” from the LOCALS
   Want to know the parking situation at different restaurants, whether it is “kid friendly”, or perhaps the best time of day to avoid a crowd? Citysearch includes these tips and more in the info section of each restaurant!  Plus it will direct you to nearby bars, hotels, spas, and theatres when you are done with your meal.

I know what you’re thinking…”But Diner Dave, I could find these websites using Google, so why do I need this list from you?”  And the answer is that I have actually used all of these dining and restaurant related websites every time I go out to eat.   When you are attempting to select a  nice restaurant for dinner would you rather sift through a random list of restaurant review sites based on a couple of keywords?  Or would you rather listen to someone that has REPEATEDLY used these websites and can select the best based on experience?   If you agree or disagree with my selections I welcome your feedback.

Diners: What websites have YOU used to browse restaurant reviews, make reservations, or find restaurant coupons & gift certificates?