I use Kupfer -http://lifehacker.com/5344158/kupfer-launches-linux-files-and-applications-quickly http://lifehacker.com/5344158/kupfer-launches-linux-files-an...

I use Kupfer -http://lifehacker.com/5344158/kupfer-launches-linux-files-and-applications-quickly http://lifehacker.com/5344158/kupfer-launches-linux-files-an... Just ctrl+space and start typing in the name of the application you want to launch. Works great. I very rarely use a menu.