Unlocking the secrets of Seaside In-N-Out's secret menu.

Some secrets are easier to digest than others. 

And some are simply delicious.

In-N-Out has long amplified its appeal with stylish "secret" menu items that include animal-style burgers, Neapolitan shakes and "grilled" cheese sandwiches.

When word circulated that Seaside's new In-N-Out was introducing a site-specific special enhancement, I revisited my cache of secret menu research, and visited the Del Monte Boulevard spot to see if the rumor of the new option was true.

That rumor came from @InNOutSeaside's Twitter feed, which appears to be citizen-run by yet another eater who obsesses over In-N-Out.

Said knucklehead, perhaps a CSU Monterey Bay student, was pushing for a secret menu item awkwardly named "Lotta Otter," and even fielded a small poll of some sort, reporting that people participating wanted that code word to translate to pepper jack cheese (38 percent) over roasted seaweed (31 percent), Sriracha sauce (also 31 percent) or spinach (0 percent). 

The odds that In-N-Out would incorporate any of those appears to be around 0 percent too.

Friendly and informative Jeremy, himself an eight-year In-N-Out veteran employee brought in for the opening month (and staying in the neighboring hotel), looked at me like I had animal-style fries on my face when I said "Lotta otter hamburger, please."

I asked him the best way to gather accurate intel on secret-menu items and he counseled me to avoid online fan sites.

"A lot of them are fake," he says.

The best way, he added, talk to seasoned employees like him.

Some of his favorite tweaks: whole grilled onions (instead of diced), chopped cascabellas peppers (aka "chilies"), a mustard-fried burger (which comes automatically with animal-style treatment), salt-free patties (typically for dogs) and ordering a burger medium rare.

Good stuff.

Here appear some other options I gathered in previous pieces "In N Out Off Menu Moment" and "Because It's Not a Road Trip Without In N Out":

• The 4-by-4 is famous for four patties and four pieces of cheese. The lesser known 3-by-3 is available too, and (conceivably), a 6-by-6.

• The flying Dutchman is two patties and two pieces of cheese, no bun.

• Root beer floats are an option.

• Burgers can be layered with extra tomatoes, lettuce or onion for no charge.

• Buns can be extra toasted, lightly toasted or untoasted—or swapped out for a lettuce sheaf in the "protein" version popular among Atkins freaks.

• Fries can be had well-done/extra crispy, "light well" and "light," salt-free and with just cheese. Animal-style fries are also a thing.