I miss the Slim Slam items at Denny’s.
I long for their Chicken Caesar Pitas to return. Thank GOD for TSR.
Those things were delish.
DQ - EL Fudge Blizzard, alas i think it was just a monthly special
IHOP - Country fried steak skillet as well as other skillets; buckwheat pancakes. There was another type of pancake, but I can’t remember what it was.
re: Taco Bell - I’d just be happy if the local ones still had jalapeños. I used to love getting soft tacos, and adding a few (OK, 5 or 6) jalapeño slices to them.
I miss the same two things. I lived off the beef burrito as a kid. They’ve added a “Cheesy Double-Beef Burrito” that’s only 89¢ that I like (it does have rice in it).
What I really want to return to a menu is Olive Garden’s Cannelloni al Forno, which was veal, chicken, and sausage wrapped in heaven and drizzled in abrosia. I hardly go there anymore, as I haven’t found anything I really like on the new menu.
A year ago I discovered a Mexican restaurant that must’ve been very new, because they had no liquor license. (It was BYOB.) But they did have an excellent drink called orchatta, which had milk and cinnamon and was delicious. I went back there a couple of weeks ago when the weather got hot, and the bartender told me they dropped it from the menu after they got their liquor license. What the hell? You got rid of a sweet, fantastic, hard-to-find drink because you’re allowed to serve Corona and margaritas now? What’s the reasoning behind that move?
First of all, good riddance to that sweet sauce on the beef n’ cheddars at Arby’s if it is indeed gone. Ick. I ate one of those and threw up once. Turned me off Arby’s for years.
However, Denny’s without patty melts? No reason for me to ever go back there, then. I love patty melts, and it’s what I usually get at a place like Denny’s (unless I want breakfast.)
My family’s lamented lost menu item is the Beef Chow Fun at Big Bowl. Soooo good. Then, they decided to add chili peppers to it and call it “Blazing Beef”. Well, I like spicy things, but that was a little too much, and my husband, who was particularly addicted to the original, can’t stand spicy food at all. Well, we continued to order it, telling them to leave off the peppers (with varying degrees of success, especially as staff turned over and couldn’t remember the original.) Then, they completely overhauled the menu and took Blazing Beef off for good. We haven’t been back since.
I went to Trader Joe’s last week specifically to get some dolmas and some escargots en brioche. Both of these are staples you can always count on.
I was told the dolmas had been discontinued, and that the escargots were seasonal. What? They had the best dolmas around! They always have dolmas! And then the drop them? And what’s seasonal about frozen escargots?
Chili’s used to sell High and Mighty Ice Cream Pie that was so good! I used to go there just for that alone. And Olive Garden used to sell Chocolate Lasagna for dessert that made me weep with joy. Now that it’s gone you couldn’t drag me into an Olive Garden. I can get much better food for a lot less money elsewhere but what I can’t get is Chocolate Lasagna.
Oh, and BTW… I know that the old McLean sandwiches at McDonald’s weren’t very popular, but I really liked having that option on their menu.
About 17-18 years ago KFC (at least in Connecticut) used to have skinless fried chicken. I find KFC chicken rather greasy, so I really enjoyed the skinless version.
Alas, I must have dreamt it, because I’ve never seen it since.
This, plus Wendys Big Bacon Classic. Yes, I know, they now have the ‘more manly’ Baconator… But I don’t want just two patties and a metric ton of bacon. I want a regular-sized burger with lettuce, tomato, onions, and a couple strips of bacon. Apparently too much to ask.
While we’re on the subject, this isn’t so much of a ‘gone’, but a ‘modified’, and it really cheeses me off. Culvers, two summers ago, introduced their lemon ice. Now, I can’t have sugared foods, and the ice was made with splenda. It not only was pretty good, but it gave me a nice ‘out’ when all my friends wanted ice-cream-like desserts. Last summer (and this summer) they re-introduced it… Now made with sugar. Why? Why the hell did they have to go and change it? Now, if I’m -really- good, I can find a fast-food place that -might- have sugar-free vanilla. Lemme tell you, nothing feels like more of a ‘consolation prize’ dessert than sugar-free vanilla. 
This just begs for a spontaneous reenactment of the famous “I want you to hold it between your knees!” scene in *Five Easy Pieces*.
Stranger
Look around; you ought to be able to find horchata elsewhere. I’ve seen it at several authentic (i.e. Mexican-owned) order-at-the-counter-type Mexican restaurants.
Dunkin’ Donuts cherry cake donuts can’t be found. As a matter of fact, Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t seem to have any selection of donuts. They’re too busy selling other things.
I was just at an IHOP and realize that they don’t have as many flavors of syrup or as many different crepes as the used to.
Cinnamon Crispas from Taco Bell - discontinued in the early 90s. I don’t go to Taco bell anymore since I started significantly reducing my fast food intake (and the pork-rindesque Cinnamon Twists are no substitute) but I still miss them.
Popeye’s Fried Chicken used to have awesome onion rings. The twits took them off the menu and now I don’t go to Popeye’s anymore.
A Mexican restaurant that doesn’t serve horchata is like a Mexican restaurant that doesn’t serve beans. You might as well be eating at Taco Bell.
For me, I wish Max’s Cafe would bring back their Buffalo Chicken Salad.
The Col.'s original gravy. It was fantastic. KFC’s ribs. 