Customer Reviews

Top Secret Restaurant Recipes: Creating Kitchen Clones from America's Favorite Restaurant Chains

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I found that the book was a great investment for people who might not have the funds or the patience to be at the restaurants all the time to have great food. Everything that I've made has been excellent, and though I'm sure that the author tried to find the closest ingredients that could be found with ease at your local market (and in comments to the people who gave a bad review that he couldn't find the ingredients out of the country, we're lucky someone has found a way for us to make the recipes at ALL! How's he supposed to know you can't get Mayo where you are and what substitution you could use in its place? ) Also to the person who made the comment about it not being "gourmet fare" the recipes that are in the book aren't supposed to all be gourmet fare, they're supposed to be recipes most people LOVE & it wasn't like you couldn't look over the book and judge if it was for you before you bought it! I LOVE this book, and it looks like everyone else does too! Great Job Todd! THANKS!

If you happen to move overseas, it can be a great experience. However,when homesickness sets in and you want ribs, this book is a lifesaver. Let's face it, despite our reluctance to admit it, we all love some of the food from American chain restaurants (or why would they have proliferated across the country the way they have?) And if you want to give an American-style dinner, this book is really fun to have.

In addition to the ribs (reason I got the book) there is a terrific cinnabon clone which is a great Sunday brunch item, as are the blinzes. This is not HAUTE Cuisine, but sure is fun.

This cookbook is great! I haven't made every recipe in this book, but I have come close. Some of these items I have actually had. Some I haven't so I can't honestly say that these recipes are dead on with the real thing. What I can tell you is that I have enjoyed these recipes immensely. Favorites are Cheesecake Factory's Pumpkin Cheesecake (a new Thanksgiving tradition), Planet Hollywood Chicken Crunch, Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole, and Hard Rock's Orange Freeze just to name a few. Todd is very good with the instructions and extra tips. For example, with the Outback's Walkabout Soup (another favorite) he tells you to be very careful when stirring or you will tear the onions. A highly recommended book!

I originally bought this book as a novelty cookbook, thinking that it it would just be fun to know how they make 'secret sauce' and a few other cool things. However, once I cracked this book open, I read it from cover to cover! I never read a cookbook all the way through before.

The book has tons of trivial and fun info on restaurant history and how most of these chain restaurants started. I've made about a dozen of the recipes so far and they really are just like the restaurants make! I made the Walkabout Soup from Outback restaurant as an appetizer while I was entertaining the other day. The soup is the best that I ever had and certainly the best that I have ever made. And, last week I made the pizza sticks from Applebees and loved them so much I'm making them again tomorrow.

Helpful info: Don't use Hunt's tomatoe sauce for any recipes (way too salty--ruins the whole recipe).
Also, follow the recipes to the letter. Even if the recipes only call for 1/8 tsp. of something, you'll find that little ingrediant makes or breaks the whole dish
Have fun!

My family has been trying to figure out how to make Cracker Barrel's hashbrown casserole for at least 5 years. We have failed miserably. But Todd Wilbur has finally revealed the secret -- beef broth -- along with a lot of other really delicious secret recipes. I've had the book a week and have already made the hashbrown casserole, the old "toad in a hole" eggs, the IHOP French toast and the avocado egg rolls and every one of them has been delicious. Of course, I've probably put on 5 pounds this week, but it was worth it. Wilbur's recipes are not only easy to follow, using ordinary food in most cases, but he includes hilarious blueprints of each dish. I particularly like the cross-section of Planet Hollywood's Chicken Crunch which also includes a diagram of a piece of Cap'n Crunch, and his very thoughtful inclusion of diagrams of a 10 inch skillet and three eggs in the Perkins Granny's Country Omelette. The diagrams make the cooking fun and the quality of the product makes the eating even more fun. I'm buying another copy of this book for my mother, and, when they try the food, I suspect all my friends will buy copies. Aside from my 1970s edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook, this is the best cookbook I've ever found. The question is, does Todd take requests? If so, I have a few recipes I'd like for him to clone, especially the house salad dressing at the Echota House here in Tahlequah. This is a great book--buy it.

I love this book and have served some of the stuff at parties (Hooter's Chicken Wings, Planet Hollywood Crunch Chicken, Outback Coconut Shrimp, and Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake so far.) The recipes are relatively simple, fun to make, and delicious. I highly recommend this book to all my friends.

This book contains over 100 recipes, easy-to-make clones of many restaurants' famous specialties. These include Outback's Bloomin' Onion (reading the recipe made me sure I would rather have the restaurant make it!); Benihana's Hibachi Chicken and Steak with their dipping sauces included and delicious Japanese Fried Rice; Cracker Barrel's Eggs in a Basket; and Toscana Soup from the Olive Garden--yummy.

I especially loved the diagrams the author included...for example, the exact size of the slice of bread for IHOP French Toast; a sample, to scale, of the size of a chunk in mashed potatoes; and the layout of the layers that go into the hard Rock Cafe's Grilled Veggie Sandwich, which is easy and good.

"Tidbits", included at the ends of some recipes, contain valuable information, such as how to make a "lite" version of the recipe; specifics as to special ingredients needed; shortcuts; and substitutes for ingredients.

This is a fun cookbook that would make a great gift for people who like brand name restaurants.

Maybe THE best cookbook I own. With four teenagers in the house, we don't go out to eat very often. And everyone gets bored with the tried and true handful of recipes we all tend to make over and over. This book has added new flare to mealtime at our house. Although we've tried many of the recipes -- and loved them all -- our favorite is the Tony Roma's ribs. This is a big hit with everyone at our backyard barbecues, and has undeservedly earned me a reputation as a good cook. (I'm not really a good cook; these recipes are just easy to follow.) The only problem now is that all of our friends and family want to come for dinner when they know we're serving ribs! Although not necessarily for the true gourmet, this book is a hit for anyone who likes to play in the kitchen.

It truly is a fun and exciting cookbook. I have made over half the recipes and have had huge success with all of them. My husband often asks, 'Where are we eating tonight? Applebee's, Cracker Barrel?', in reference to the restaurant's recipe I am preparing. The Tijuana Philly Cheese Steak is simply the best.

My friend recommended this book highly [...] You also cannot go wrong with the Shoney's Hot Fudge sundae cake. You will love this book!

Top Secret Restaurant Recipes exceeds my wishes for the perfect cookbook.

1. Most of the recipes can be made with ingredients I already have in my pantry, so I don't have to grocery shop for obscure ingredients.
2. Recipes the kids will eat (Potato skins, Japanese fried rice, Tony Roma's ribs, Hooter's pasta salad, etc.
3. Every recipe I've tried has been excellent, so I'm not wasting my time making food no one will eat. My suggested recipes, in addition to those previously mentioned, are Applebee's Quesadillas, The Cheesecake Factory's Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie, Lone Star's Black Bean soup, Texas Rice, Sweet Bourbon Salmon, T.G.I F.'s Spicy Cajun Chicken pasta.