Tag: boston

Uncle Bill’s Pancake House: Searching for a Taste of Fall

I was hoping for an explosion of fall in my mouth. I wanted to be reminded of crunchy leaves and impending snowstorms.

Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Manhattan Beach, CA has appeared on several of my “best pancakes in Los Angeles” google searches. They’re blocks from the beach with an ocean view and a variety of pancakes: Buttermilk, Buckwheat, Blueberry, Cinnamon Apple, Banana Nut, Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Chip, Strawberry, and Pumpkin Spice. With fall right around the corner at the time of this tasting, the Pumpkin Spice caught my eye. 

As a former East Coaster, the fall season in LA is hard for me. Fall is delightful on the East Coast, especially in New England. The air is crisp and cool (eventually), and the leaves turn colors that make that landscape so visually pleasing not even the ocean and palm trees can compete. You start craving homemade chili, slightly less iced coffee, and pumpkin flavored foods.

Pumpkin flavored food is fucking everywhere in the fall, even in warmer LA-esque climates. I used to be irritated by all the pumpkin flavored items but now that I live where summer never really ends, I appreciate the autumnal enthusiasm and actively seek out pumpkin tastes. This led me to order Pumpkin Spice pancakes on a gorgeous summer day up the street from the ocean. 

  • Image via Tasty Stacks.
  • Image via Tasty Stacks.
  • Image via Tasty Stacks.
  • Image via Tasty Stacks.
  • Image via Tasty Stacks. Boston Public Garden.

The pancakes arrived and they were the wrong pancakes. The waitress caught it before I did due to the fact that I was busy photographing them. So I have photos of their Buttermilk and Pumpkin Spice pancakes. The Buttermilk photographed better. 

Without any butter or syrup I found the pancakes a little gummy. This is worse than chewy. Gummy pancakes are not a great mouthfeel. I soldiered on and spread butter and syrup on them. Either I was very hungry or these additions made them pretty good, because I devoured them. 

Let’s talk about the pumpkin flavor! It was mild. I was hoping for an explosion of fall in my mouth. I wanted to be reminded of crunchy leaves and impending snowstorms. It was a nice change from regular Buttermilk pancakes, but just too subtle. Put some more allspice or New England air in there! 

I don’t agree that these pancakes should be on a “Best Pancakes in LA” list but a lot of people on Yelp disagree with me. If you want cute ocean view pancakes (and who doesn’t) you should go here but temper your pancake expectations. 

Also, if you know of any great Pumpkin Spice pancake places or tried and true recipes please send them my way! (pancakes@tastystacks.com)  

JUST THE STACKS – 7.5/10 TASTY STACKS

Overall Taste: A hint of pumpkin spice, just enough to intensify my cravings.

Mouthfeel: Gummy without the help of butter and syrup.

Size: Reasonable.

Presentation: A stack of two, as part of a combo plate served with eggs and bacon.

Price: $8 – $15

Location: 1305 Highland Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

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Protein Pancake Series: Flapjacked

The Banana Hazelnut flavor is excellent, it’s slightly sweet and slightly nutty (much like myself).

Flapjacked was the first protein pancake brand I discovered when looking for something better than my two ingredient egg & banana pancakes. A lot of people rave about egg and banana pancakes and while it’s nifty you only need two ingredients for them, I need that perfect pancake fluff. 

Along came Flapjacked! They started off strong, with a great name, emphasizing the “Jacked” in their logo. Their mix doubles as a baking mix and I have made some delicious protein donuts from them. (You have to think about them as protein donuts and not real donuts, otherwise you’ll be disappointed.)

  • Image via Amazon.com
  • Image via TastyStacks.
  • Image via TastyStacks.
  • Image via Amazon.com
  • Image via TastyStacks.

All you need to add to the mix is water, but you can use an egg or milk instead. Versatile! I have fond memories of making these in my tiny basement apartment in Boston especially during the occasional snow day. Snow day pancakes are a delight best experienced and not described. 

Flapjacked was my favorite until I discovered Birch Benders, which I find to have a bigger fluff factor. I recently tried the Flapjacked mix again in the name of pancake research. Also, Birch Benders doesn’t have a Banana Hazelnut flavor (hint, hint).

Half a cup gives you 20g of protein, which is plenty, unless you want to make a giant pancake. Then you need a full cup and an activity planned to put all that protein to good use. I used the Banana Hazelnut flavor and added chocolate chips. Flapjacked also has Buttermilk, Carrot Spice, and Cinnamon Apple mixes in addition to a line of Mighty Muffins, Protein Cookie Mixes, and Cookie Bars.

My pancake was not as giant as I would have liked, but that’s hardly a criticism. The Banana Hazelnut flavor is excellent, it’s slightly sweet and slightly nutty (much like myself). It’s also slightly grainy, so if you don’t like that in pancakes you might not love this mix. They’re fluffy, but Birch Benders still exceeds them in the fluff factor. Something about the texture didn’t thrill my mouth, but overall Flapjacked is a solid and sturdy choice for a protein pancake mix.

JUST THE STACKS – 7.5/10 TASTY STACKS  

Overall Taste: Slightly sweet, nutty, & grainy. Good but not outstanding.

Mouthfeel: Something was a little off in this department.

Protein per serving:  20g per 1/2 cup.

Price: $6.99 – $12.99

Available at: Amazon, the Internet at large, grocery stores.

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Sound Bites: Snowstorm Pancakes


I was instantly delighted by Sound Bites, but it’s possible I would have been instantly delighted by going to any diner in a snowstorm.

Image via Alex M.

There was a snowstorm during my first visit back to Boston since I became an LA resident. Do you know how hard it is to plan a trip several months in advance to coincide with a Boston snowstorm of any kind? There’s a reason this saying is so popular: If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. In any case, despite the icy, not ideal snow, I considered myself lucky. My friend suggested we walk to breakfast near her, knowing my pancake inclinations. It was roughly five degrees and sleeting at the time so I was pretty thrilled. This is weather you just can’t get in LA. I was instantly delighted by Sound Bites, but it’s possible I would have been instantly delighted by going to any diner in a snowstorm.

In terms of pancakes, Sound Bites offers: Plain ol’ Cakes, Whole Wheat Cakes, Pumpkin Cakes, Cornbread Cakes, Kara’s Corn Cakes, Specialty Cakes which include toppings like blueberry, banana, chocolate chip, and Great Combo Cakes. Overwhelmed with options, I finally settled on Chocolate Chip Strawberry Cakes. The pancakes were excellent. The only criticism I have is that the waitress mistakenly gave me a side, which was two cakes instead of the full order of three I asked for. Possibly she made this error because I ordered an entire other breakfast dish as well. In any case, the strawberry and chocolate chips were cooked into the batter instead of merely dumped on top, and they were fucking wonderful. Everyone should experience eating delicious pancakes surrounded by snow outside.

Just the Stacks – 8.5/10 Tasty Stacks

Image via TastyStacks.

Overall Taste: Near snow-cake perfection.

Mouthfeel: Excellent consistency, this can be hard to achieve when mixing in more than one topping into the batter.

Size: Smaller than I wanted, I could have easily eaten the stack of three I was hoping for.

Presentation: Simple.

Price: $6.99 – $9.99

Location: 704 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144


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