(no title)

Ojai and the $21 Blue Corn Pancake

Spread the pancake love

Ojai, CA is home to adorable shops, Bart’s Books—the world’s largest outdoor bookstore—and the most expensive pancake I’ve ever eaten.

The pancake in question is available at La Cocina, a restaurant within Hotel El Roblar. Yes, this is a hotel restaurant so the prices will be inflated. But spending $21 on a single pancake is, in plain terms, fucking absurd.

The Blue Corn Pancake is made with Requeson Cheese, Blue Corn Pinole, Whipped Spice Butter, and serve with a side of maple syrup. It was delicious. The outside was slightly crispy and the inside was soft, warm, and had a delectable blue corn taste.

Size-wise, this was not a particularly large pancake, which made the price point more frustrating. Surely, the restaurant has the ingredient capability to make this be at least a stack of 2-3 pancakes? Or one absurdly giant pancake? A $21 medium pancake just didn’t sit right with me. Even Erewhon pancakes aren’t this expensive.

The hotel was also home to 2 massive tortoises, Abra and Cadabra, which I visited after eating my delicious but absurdly priced pancake.

JUST THE STACKS – 8/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Delicious and expensive.

Mouthfeel: Perfectly crisped edges with a sweet creamy inside.

Presentation: Single stack / basic bitch.

Price: $21

Location: 122 E Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA 93023

The Prettiest Pancakes in NYC: Café Carmellini

Spread the pancake love

Café Carmellini, a gorgeously decorated restaurant in NYC, has some of the prettiest pancakes and French toast I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.

Even the menu description is pretty: Buttermilk Pancakes with Lemon-Berry Compôte and Chantilly Cream followed by Brioche French Toast with Hazelnut Frangipane, Citrus Slices, Vanilla Anglaise and Edible Flowers.

Let’s start with the pancakes. Normally, I am against compote (hot fruit that tastes like overpowering sugar mush? No thanks), but Café Carmellini is the only place I have come across that does it right. The blueberries still had their original shape and oomph. Instead of being overly sweet and sogging up the stack, they added a lovely bite of berry zest that perfectly complemented the pancakes.

The pancakes themselves were decadent and delicious. Every layer of topping combined seamlessly into each bite. It’s tough to think back on these now and not have them in front of me to eat again.

Next up, the Brioche French Toast, was out of this world. A cliched expression, but accurate. I actually liked it slightly better than the pancakes (but don’t tell the pancakes). The only thing I could possibly criticize would be the sprinkling of hazelnuts, as I don’t like nuts in my breakfast delights, but this was an easy fix: I just didn’t eat them. The top layer of French Toast was blanketed with a crumbly crispy layer of butter and sugar wizardry. Absolutely outstanding.

JUST THE STACKS – 10/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Ethereal clouds of delicate sugar-delight.

Mouthfeel: Imagine you are laying down on the softest bed made of the softest clouds if clouds were made of the softest pillows, surrounded by a handful of kittens. Happiness. The mouthfeel is happiness.

Presentation: I thought I had seen some good looking breakfast delights in my day, but I was wrong. No aesthetics were spared on these two visionary creations.

Price: $27-$28 (Yes, the price is ridiculous but I would have paid $30 for these so it’s a delicious deal #girlmath)

Location: 250 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Lake Tahoe: Heidi’s Pancake House

Spread the pancake love

Heidi’s Pancake House in Lake Tahoe makes the bold claim of being “The Best Breakfast in Lake Tahoe.” Based on the size of the crowd on a rainy Tuesday morning, you would think they might be right. Add in some delightfully whimsical decor and a lengthy pancake menu that boasts blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry pancakes, and you would think you have the recipe for pancake success.

I hate to criticize such a cute local business, but you would be wrong. First of all, those delicious sounding fruit pancakes? Those are made with hot fruit jelly.

As a result of this obvious pancake crime, I skipped the hot fruit toppings and ordered a side of plain buttermilk pancakes. They arrived looking exactly like the definition of plain pancakes. I was not excited to eat them.

My handsome breakfast date ordered the waffles, which the menu describes as a “golden crisp delight.” They arrived as two vaguely depressing squares, with an ice cream sized scoop of butter, and a lone strawberry. They were not anything resembling a crisp delight.

The dollop of butter on top was a nice touch, because we would need it. The pancakes had a gummy mouthfeel, which I didn’t care for. I doused them in syrup and melted butter and was able to disguise most of the sad stack. After trying my best to find the bright side of the pancakes, I gave up, and went back to my very greasy veggie omelet.

The service was good especially considering how busy it was, but I would not come back here to eat, pancakes or otherwise. To quote my breakfast date “I wiped them from my mind, all I remember is I was quite disappointed.”

JUST THE STACKS – 1/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Disappointment.

Mouthfeel: Bland and chewy.

Presentation: Sad circles and squares.

Price: $13.99-$17

Location: 3485 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Local Kitchen: Unexpected Perfection

Spread the pancake love

Mouthfeel: True greatness / soft cloudlings of sweetness / a joyous surprise.

Sometimes when you least expect it, the universe gifts you with a perfect pancake. For me, this happened one day I wandered into Local Kitchen Tavern in Torrance, CA.

I was craving savory, not sweet, and ordered the stack of buttermilk pancakes as an afterthought. They looked good, but unassuming, maybe a little…boring? This is what Instagram culture has done to us all, expecting absurdly decorated breakfast cakes adorned with colorful bits to equate to deliciousness.

Also, the stack of two looked a little thin. Generally, I very much appreciate a thicc pancake stack, with extra fluff. But one bite of these, and I knew I had stumbled upon excellence. For a moment I was actually stunned by what I was tasting.

They were lightly fluffy, with an almost effervescent quality. There were notes of vanilla in the batter with a hint of lemon. It was a perfect bite: ever so slight crisp edges, a soft sweet inside, and a light dusting of powdered sugar on top. The addition of syrup elevated the mouthfeel to true greatness.

I can’t wait to go back and order these again.

JUST THE STACKS – 10/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Elusive pancake angel perfection.

Mouthfeel: True greatness / soft cloudlings of sweetness / a joyous surprise.

Presentation: Cute stack of 2.

Price: $10.95 – $13.95

Location: 1321 Sartori Ave, Torrance, CA 90501

Erewhon: Mikuna ChoCho Power Pancakes

Spread the pancake love

Erewhon is the ridiculously priced grocery store people love to hate, while reveling in their made for Instagram $20 smoothies. I am not here to debate these points. I am here to debate their pancakes, specifically the Mikuna ChoCho Power Pancakes.

The first problem was that I misread “ChoCho” as “choco” and mistakenly thought chocolate was involved. So that was my fault. But it was Erewhon’s fault that they put goji berries inside these pancakes instead of chocolate. Goji berries do not belong in pancakes. Sure, it sounds cooler than having raisins in your pancakes (also very wrong) but who wants weird chewy bits in their pancakes? Please see yourself out if you do.

The second problem was the pancakes had quinoa in them. Quinoa does not have a good mouthfeel. It has a grainy mouthfeel, with a sprinkle of sand. These pancakes had a definite homemade granola bar vibe about them.

Despite these problems (and they are pretty egregious), the pancakes weren’t all bad. Once they had syrup on them, they were decent. They were filling, thanks to the Mikuna ChoCho protein powder. They were slightly sweet without being overbearing. I definitely felt like I was eating a “healthy” pancake, but I don’t know if that’s a selling point. I can’t give you the protein stats, because Erewhon doesn’t provide them.

Would I get these again? Not unless they eliminate the offending goji berries and quinoa. And replace them with chocolate.

JUST THE STACKS – 5/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Soft granola bar vibes.

Mouthfeel: Quinoa and goji berries (granular and chewy).

Presentation: Cute stack of three medium pancakes with a few slices of strawberries, two blueberries, and a suggestion of powered sugar.

Price: $17.50

Location: Erewhon Manhattan Beach

Erewhon: Are These Even Pancakes?

More Erewhon Reviews!

Breakfast Betrayal: Jack O’Neill Restaurant in Santa Cruz

Spread the pancake love

To celebrate my 40th birthday, all I wanted was a fresh tattoo, a sun-soaked day wine tasting in Napa, and amazing pancakes. It turns out the pancakes were the most challenging item on my list.

I ordered the Farmstead Ricotta & Lemon Flapjacks ($17) from Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge in Santa Cruz, CA. Something about the words “farmstead” and “flapjacks” evoked an image of hearty and homemade, perhaps in a cute farmhouse kitchen overlooking fields of grass and chickens. Looking back, I should have been suspicious of this description because Jack O’Neill’s restaurant overlooks the Pacific Ocean, which is a whole different vibe.

The pancakes were cute, but unimpressive. The top pancake looked a little burnt, not a great sign. I expected ricotta pancakes to be slightly moist and have a creamier mouthfeel than regular pancakes. The World Wide Web tells me that I am not incorrect in this assumption. The addition of ricotta, while mild, gives the pancakes a melt-in-your-mouth flavor.

The alleged ricotta pancakes I received were the opposite. They were dry and slightly burnt on top. I didn’t detect any sweet, mild ricotta flavor. All I could taste was powdered sugar and sadness. I decided to stop eating them and move on with my life (meaning to my tattoo appointment).

If you ever find yourself at Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge in Santa Cruz, CA – the absolute last things you should order is the pancakes. And hey, I’m not a monster. I realize this could have been an “off day” or a random bad batch of pancakes, but let this be a lesson that slightly burnt and bone dry pancakes are hard to forget.

JUST THE STACKS – 2/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Sad.

Mouthfeel: Dry.

Size: Good.

Presentation: Mediocre.

Price: $17

Location: 175 W Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Blueberry Hill: A Vegas Tradition

Spread the pancake love

Blueberry Hill, a local Vegas chain, is the spot to go when you’re craving off-the-strip pancakes. They have four locations, all conveniently located a short drive away from Downtown Vegas. Two of them are 24 hours for when you need emergency pancakes.

According to their website, Blueberry Hill started in 1966 “as a ‘pancake house’ specializing in homemade from scratch pancakes…using the same recipe for over 40 years doing it the old fashioned way.” They also have downright adorable diner vibes, and a lengthy list of pancake and waffle options that will make you wish you had a bigger appetite.

Somehow, I had to choose between Fresh Apple Pancakes, Cinnamon Swirl, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Stuffed Four Cheese Blend Fresh Fruit Pancakes…the list goes on and on. I chose the Strawberry Pancakes and a classic Belgian Waffle. Their waffle offerings are also lengthy and deliciously hard to choose from.

The Strawberry Pancakes were divine. They had the perfect amount of strawberry mixed into the batter and fresh slices on top. I opted to skip the strawberry compote topping because I find compote generally overpowering. The Belgian Waffle was “one of the best” according to my dining companion. We’ll have to take his word for it because all I remember are the pancakes, with their slightly but perfectly crisped edges and sweet mouthfeel.

JUST THE STACKS – 9.5/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Strawberrylicious.

Mouthfeel: Clouds of strawberry and vanilla and butter.

Size: Hefty

Presentation: A lovely stack of 3 pancakes, topped with an ice-cream sized scoop of butter, and strawberry slices.

Price: $12+

Location: Vegas!

Dive Bar Pancakes: Roadhouse Bar & Grill

Spread the pancake love

You wouldn’t expect this hole in the wall bar to have the softest, fluffiest banana nut pancakes, but they do. Or at least they did. Or maybe they only sometimes do. The first time I ordered the Banana Nut Pancakes at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill in Torrance, CA I knew it was a gamble, especially because I don’t even like pancakes with nuts in them. Crunchy pancake textures can be immediately off-putting. I was feeling reckless that day and ordered them anyways.

The Banana Nut short stack arrived looking thicc. These were some fat fluffy stacks, much like myself. Maybe one of the fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever had. They had a luscious banana bread taste. I didn’t even mind the nuts they were so good. Banana slices and nuts were baked into the pancake batter (instead of lazily layered on top) in an even distribution. They were so good, and so enormous, I even took my leftovers home, and they passed the leftover test with flying colors.

Fast forward to the next time I was at Roadhouse and ordered what I thought would be a delicious repeat pancake experience. Maybe there was a different cook that day or maybe the pancake gods were angry, but the pancakes I got were not the same quality. They lacked good fluff, they lacked even banana distribution, and they were chewy. Pancakes should not be chewy. No one wants a gummy mouthfeel when pancakes are involved. I have so rarely experienced such a pancake downfall from the same place.

I’m sad to say I wouldn’t order these again. The risk variance is just too high. On the other hand, all the other food I’ve tried at Roadhouse continues to be excellent and sturdy bar food.

JUST THE STACKS – 5/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Luscious banana bread OR bland and confusing.

Mouthfeel: Delightfully thicc OR sad and gummy.

Size: A consistently large two-stack.

Presentation: Classic dive-bar food presentation all around. You’ll notice the dim lighting does not do the pancake photos any favors.

Price: $9.50

Location: The Roadhouse Bar & Grill

Pancake Tech: Conveyor Belt Pancakes

Spread the pancake love

Have you ever stayed at a hotel for an extended period of time and thought to yourself, I really wish they had a pancake-on-demand breakfast dispenser? Well, if you ever have the experience of staying at a Sonesta ES Suites, you may come across one of these delightful QuickCakes machines yourself.

During my month-long stay at a local Sonesta earlier this year I got to familiarize myself with how far pancake tech has come. QuickCakes is a touchless pancake maker that makes exactly average pancakes 100 percent of the time. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste, they were a decent consistency and actually pretty good with syrup on them. On days I wanted a break from the usual endless heap of reconstituted scrambled eggs, tepid diced potatoes, and various breakfast meats of questionable quality, exactly average pancakes were a nice change.

The machine itself is pretty cool to watch. Simply wave your hand by the sensor, and a tiny robot dude inside the machine pours a perfectly portioned dollop of mix onto the conveyor belt, which cooks the pancake and gently slides it out onto a plate. The plate continuously rotates, so the pancakes come out in an aesthetically pleasing fanned circle. I did witness several impatient people repeatedly doing the hand wave by the sensor because they didn’t immediately see the pancake batter drop down, but overall most people (myself included) seemed to appreciate this version of pancake futurism.

What kind of pancake batter does this machine use? Not a clue, but the QuickCakes website shows a “just add water” pancake sack. One standard sack yields 520 small pancakes, a true breakfast feat! These pancakes are made for the masses so I didn’t look too far into the actual ingredients, and just accepted they were made from a standard “pancake sack mix.”

JUST THE STACKS – 5.5/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: Exactly average: Not too chewy, slightly bland without syrup, overall nice enough consistency.

Mouthfeel: Also average – not the best, not the worst! #SimplyStandard

Size: 4.5 inches

Presentation: Pretty darn cute – who doesn’t love a pile of tiny pancakes?

Price: Included with your stay

Location: Maybe your local Sonesta! Or you can contact QuickCakes.

Sandusky Bay Pancake House: A Scrumptious Sequel

Spread the pancake love

Earlier this year, I had the honor of being in Sandusky, Ohio for the solar eclipse. In addition to being directly in the path of totality (I won’t bore you with how literally amazing this was), Sandusky is also home to one of the cutest restaurants – the Sandusky Bay Pancake House.

The last time I was here, it was the middle of winter, and this place was a new discovery to me. Overwhelmed with an extensive list of pancake options, I didn’t get a chance to try the Monumental Bloody Mary which was the first thing I ordered this time. A classic drink that comes with a slice of bacon, a sausage, green olives, pickle slices, the traditional celery stalk, and the most important part: a small pancake.

Aesthetically, the Pancake Bloody Mary gets a 10. Taste-wise, having a single small pancake close to a cold drink leads to a cold pancake, which I would rate as a 5. I didn’t order this expecting the pancake to be the highlight of the drink taste-wise but it certainly was the highlight of the drink whimsy-wise.

Also, I had more pancakes on the way.

First up was the Strawberry Stack, which is served with strawberries, frosting, strawberry sauce, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. I’m a sucker for strawberry pancakes, and these were solidly great. My only complaint is the strawberry sauce, which I find unnecessary and even detracts from how tasty these pancakes are on their own.

The next pancakes I stuffed into my mouth were the Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes. Voted the Best Pancakes Winner in the Lake Erie Living Magazine, according to the menu, these were truly delightful. They’re served with sweet cream frosting, powdered sugar, and cinnamon syrup. They had lightly crisped, caramelized edges, and a burst of cinnamon flavor that reminded me of eating sticky cinnamon rolls near a crackling fire in a winter cabin I hope to someday inhabit.