Santa Monica Pancakes

Pancake Review at: SONOMA WINE GARDEN

July 30, 2012

Jun 26th, 2012

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. “They have pancakes?!” Well, Sonoma Wine Garden located on top of Santa Monica Place in Santa Monica, CA actually has quite the weekend brunch menu!

Having visited Sonoma Wine Garden for a friend’s birthday, I was already looking forward to the bottomless Bellinis; seeing Ma’amCakes on the menu, however, was just the syrup on the pancake!

So, this menu is pretty much the “Where’s Waldo” of pancakes, but check out the first dish “Kaiserschmarrn,” and voila! Ma’amCakes. Having never tried this “Austrian specialty” before I was a little hesitant, but also delighted, to try something new.

Um. Where are my pancakes, and why is there a spoon on my plate – er, bowl? A Ma’amCakes first! Never in my life have I seen pancakes served this way. First bite, here we go!

Interesting… very interesting. As per the menu above, Kaiserschmarrn consisted of a caramelized Austrian pancake soufflé with raisins and roasted apples. I could definitely taste all of the ingredients. However, to my disappointment, the dish tasted much more like caramelized apples and raisins, with a hit of pancake dressing. In other words, this dish tasted more like the toppings, than the actual main course. Having never tried Kaiserschmarrn it is somewhat difficult to review, as I have nothing to compare it to; that being said, when comparing this dish to the rest of the amazing Ma’amCakes in this city… you can’t even really call these pancakes. With the apple and raisin flavoring, this is the kind of dish you eat in the fall season, before going on a hay-ride.

On a positive note, the whipped cream in the jar was a perfect addition for this dish. The thickness of the cream perfectly balanced the pancakes, and I probably ate more of the whipped cream than that of the Kaiserschmarrn. That ain’t good news for a pancake review, people.

Overall, I highly recommend the Sonoma Wine Garden for brunch, particularly for a special occasion on a beautiful summer weekend. That being said, the Ma’amCakes, not so much. I must say I do actually have some Austrian in me, but have never had Kaiserschmarrn in me before last weekend. I appreciate Sonoma’s attempt to host pancakes with a bit of a twist; but this is Los Angeles, people, and we want a fork on our plate, and at least want an option for more traditional pancakes – especially to soak up the bottomless Bellinis.

Filed Under: Pancake Reviews, Sonoma Wine Garden Tagged With: Apple Pancakes, best brunch in los angeles, Bottomless drinks, Bottomless Mimosas, Brunch, buttermilk pancakes, Kaiserschmarrn, LA Brunch, LA Pancakes, LA Saturday, pancakes, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Pancakes, Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica Place, Sonoma Wine Garden, Wine

Blue Plate in Santa Monica Tweeted Ma’amCakes this AM about their Mac & Cheese Pancakes. CRAZY! What do You Think of this Original Concoction??

July 29, 2012

Filed Under: Press Tagged With: Blue Plate, buttermilk pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, creative pancakes, Santa Monica Brunch, Santa Monica Pancakes

Pancake Review at: JINKY’S CAFE

July 29, 2012

Feb 21st, 2012

-Hidden treasure people, hidden treasure.

After a 40-minute ride in traffic, followed by a drive through two full parking lots, I (finally) made it to Jinky’s Cafe on 2nd street and Broadway in Santa Monica, California. Fortunately for the sake of the restaurant (and the review) we didn’t have to wait in line upon entering. Based on the ambiance of the restaurant and the diversity in the menu, I had a feeling breakfast would be worth the trek. Well, not only was I right, I was very pleasantly surprised with the deliciousness of this entire meal.

The photo itself (see above) pretty much speaks for the decor of the restaurant, as well as the creativity in the menu. According to the blurb at the beginning of the menu (see below), the food is a “fusion of American, Southwestern, and international flavors.” It is this fusion which generates a delicious breakfast at Jinky’s Cafe.

When checking out the menu and attempting to choose from one of the 15 PANCAKE-OPTIONS (Jinky’s automatically gets major brownie – er, pancake – points for this alone), there were a couple of major pros I wanted to first point-out.

First of all, Jinky’s has pancake-options I have never seen before (i.e. Tropical Pancakes, Oaty Oaty Cakes, and Caramel Creme Pancakes). Between the creativity of the menu and the hippie coloring along the border, this read more like a menu of pancakes from Ben & Jerry. Uh, yes please!

Secondly, and major props to Jinky’s for this: per the menu above, the option to choose the location of your toppings (“Fruits inside the batter only on request”) is a major pro, and almost makes your breakfast customizable. This is a fantastic option, particularly if you’re a blogger, but also equally wonderful if you’re simply a pancake-lover. Now for the best part. Choosing my meal and enjoying every bite!

Besides pancakes, I was craving eggs as well – it was a long drive! – and luckily, Jinky’s caters to such cravings. I went with the 2+2+2 option of eggs, bacon, and buttermilk pancakes BUT for $2 more, you may also substitute for a specialty pancake. So, I substituted for the Banana Chocolate Chip Cakes. You should know that unless asked, ALL toppings remain on top of the pancakes. I, however, decided to put the chocolate chips inside the batter, and keep the bananas on top.

I must say, looking at this photo my mouth is watering again. From the second the plate was placed in front of me, the smell was overbearingly amazing. I was instantly tempted by this pungent scent of fresh bananas, warm chocolate chips, and homemade pancakes practically made by Aunt Jemima herself. Sure, the eggs and bacon were wonderful too; but these pancakes were just incredible.

The Banana Chocolate Chip Cakes were fluffy on top, yet soothingly crispy on the bottom. The chocolate chips appear as little dots in the pancakes, but instantly melt in your mouth within the first bite. When looking at this photo, you can see the morning glisten on the bananas atop of the cakes; as per my review from Blue Plate I explain how important this glisten is in determining the freshness of the fruit. Well, these bananas must have been collected directly from the banana tree – aka the local Saturday Farmer’s Market on 3rd Street – before being placed on my pancakes. And finally, the end of the meal was not capped with the button of my jeans flying across the room; these pancakes were not greasy at all, and they don’t cause you to faint upon completion. As I was smiling from ear to ear after the first bite, the Banana Chocolate Chip Cakes from Jinky’s are a wonderful way to say “Good Morning, Sunshine.” Jinky’s Cafe is now officially my second restaurant with a 5 star rating. It should also be noted that Jinky’s serves breakfast ALL DAY!

All in all, for a Cafe called Jinky’s, it’s anything but.

Filed Under: Jinky's Cafe, Pancake Reviews Tagged With: 3rd street brunch, best brunch in los angeles, buttermilk pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, creative pancakes, families, family pancakes, Jinky's Cafe Santa Monica, pancakes, Santa Monica Breakfast, Santa Monica Brunch, Santa Monica Pancakes, Santa Monica Weekend

Black Cat Bakery, Showin’ the Continued Love

July 29, 2012

Filed Under: Press Tagged With: best brunch in los angeles, Black Cat Bakery, buttermilk pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, Fairfax breakfast, free Parking, los angeles brunch, los angeles pancakes, Santa Monica Pancakes, weekday breakfast

Guess Blue Plate Liked Ma’amCakes’ Review! Lovin’ the Re-Tweets

July 29, 2012

Filed Under: Press Tagged With: Blue Plate, buttermilk pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, creative pancakes, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Brunch, Santa Monica Pancakes

Pancake Review at: BLUE PLATE

July 29, 2012

Feb 7th, 2012

Through the recommendation of a friend, on Sunday I visited a restaurant I’ve never been to called Blue Plate, located on Montana Avenue and 14th Street in Santa Monica. I’m always slightly apprehensive to try a new restaurant, particularly because we all have our go-to spots- especially for pancakes! However, it is important for me, as a pancake-reviewer, to try new places in unfamiliar territory. Well, this little spot in the heart of Santa Monica is certainly a prize!

Now, when a restaurant only offers basic pancakes (i.e. no specialty pancakes), it puts tremendous pressure on the quality of the pancakes available. After ordering the Strawberry Banana Pancakes, fortunately for Blue Plate, they succeeded in creating an incredibly tasty, yet basic, pancake breakfast.

My biggest compliment about the Strawberry Banana Pancakes is that, to my surprise, the bananas were baked into the batter, and decorated atop with fresh & juicy strawberries. The glisten alone on the strawberries is a key visual indicator of the freshness of the fruit. After seeing this breakfast option on the menu, I figured both the bananas and strawberries would rest on top of the pancakes. Kudos to Blue Plate for creating such a small, yet important, switch in the norm of pancake breakfasts.

While the pancakes themselves were fresh and tasty, the only comment I had about the pancakes was they were a bit dry. Typically, I barely put syrup on my pancakes; in fact, the true barometer of a tasty pancake is one that’s delicious enough by itself- without needing any syrup at all. Think of steak and steak sauce (see my Doughboy’s Review for reference). With my pancakes at Blue Plate, however, I found myself pouring way more syrup than usual.

All in all, the compromise of the bananas in the batter and the strawberries on top is what made this basic pancake dish special. Thank you Jillian for this great pancake-breakfast recommendation in Santa Monica!