Original Pancake House

 
I have one major regret about the newly opened Original Pancake House on Parmer and Metric in N. Austin: and that is that I don’t live much closer to this very inviting and very good breakfast emporium.

The Original Pancake House is part of a chain out of Oregon, the origin of which dates back to the 1950’s. The Austin version is locally owned and operated by an indomitable woman named Sue Jahn who has her troops, from cooks to servers, marching in admirable and enthusiastic cadence each day.

All they do here is breakfast, each weekday from 6:30am to 2pm and on weekends from 7:30am to 3pm.

Where to start? How about with their amazing and unique pancakes. There are 20 different kinds of pancakes at the OPC. The Apple Pancake is a gigantic, virtually impossible-to-finish-at-one-sitting, taste extravaganza. While most pancakes are fried, this one is oven baked in a skillet and adorned with Granny Smith apples and an ethereal Sinkiang cinnamon glaze. This is a must try. Equally creative and offering an entirely different taste perspecive is the Dutch Baby. This is also oven-baked and served with whipped butter, lemon and powdered sugar. The taste is more subtle than the Apple Pancake but equally rewarding. If you like pecans, you’ll love the Pecan Pancakes. There’s an abundance of pecans here and the convergence of the ample batter, the hot syrup and the pecans is hard to resist. Another recommendation is the Sourdough Flapjacks. This pancake rose to prominence during the days of the Klondike Gold Rush in California and the flavors of these are just about perfect. And don’t neglect the Pigs in a Blanket. Their sausage is excellent here and it elevates this traditonal pancake to an entirely different taste level.

And there is much more to the Original Pancake House than just pancakes. The homemade corned beef hash is an absolute blast. It’s a perfect blend of corned beef, potatoes, and onions. The classic Eggs Benedict is also a well done here. I like to get mine with sausage instead of Canadian bacon and the hollandaise sauce is rich, tempting, and delicious. And I have tried several of their mountainous omelets. Again, highly recommended. The Green Chile and Pepperjack cheese Omelet is skillfully executed and has a wonderful taste. I have a hard time choosing between that one and the equally fluffy and perfectly textured Bacon and Cheese Omelet. The taste component of this omelet is comforting and compelling at the same time. You must try it.

There is one dish, however, that I was not wild about. The Eggs Micheal is a variation of Eggs Benedict that adds sausage and a mushroom sherry sauce that didn’t really work for me. I found the flavor a little too strong.

But everything else at the Original Pancake House, at least for me, works very well indeed.

You know, this town of ours desperately needs more breakfast places. So head out to the corner of Parmer and Metric tomorrow morning and treat yourself and your family to one of the coolest new breakfast joints around. The new Original Pancake House should be a fixture on our local food scene for years to come.