If you’re the kind of person who likes to go to places that have “original” in their name, thinking that this is the first one of it’s kind, you will be disappointed to know that there are many “Original” Pancake House locations all over the United States, and the original, original one is in Portland. On the other hand, you’ll get a hearty flavorful breakfast here and may find satisfaction in just having participated in the great tradition of Original Pancake Houses. Adjust your expectations accordingly and read on.

We headed here from Van Nuys, California…about an hour drive on a Saturday morning, with the intention of eating here, heading over to the micro-kid friendly amusement park Adventure City (just a few minutes away) and then continuing on down to San Diego to spend the rest of the weekend with visiting family.  We arrived at 12:45 pm and found the place super-crowded. It was at least a half-hour wait for us. We were hungry but it was a good sign.

The menu was a pancake lovers dream…so many kinds/combinations to cheese from with a number of crepe options as well and potato pancakes too!  We ordered coffee, the “Dutch” with a side of hash-browns and an order of straight up buttermilk pancakes.

Our first cup of coffee was definitely not strong enough. We noticed it was Farmer’s brand which is served at Nat’s Early Bite in Sherman Oaks and always comes out there very strong and satisfying…they brewed a new pot for us which tasted better but we were left wondering what the norm was. If you like coffee you can taste, make sure to ask them to brew it strong.

With a little bit of coffee in is we began to notice the surroundings…this was not a particularly nice place…there was gum under our table and a quick glance around showed us gum under several other table topes.  Not so great to see while just sitting at our table. Also, the Half and Half for the coffee, which was already at the table when we arrived, looked like it had been there for a while with a little bit of a congealed layer on top. OK, so not a great start, but the place was packed and we were hungry.

So the food…the Dutch Baby is a large crepe-like pancake which comes out like a bowl…it’s served with powdered sugar, whipped butter and lemon. It’s really good! And really large. They do have a smaller version of it called the “Dutch Baby” which would have probably been sufficient especially if you’re getting something else with it.

The hash-browns were excellent. Served in a perfect round on their own plate…a very healthy portion (well, “healthy” as in it will fill you up…I suppose oil-fried hash-browns are not actually all that healthy…) that was perfectly crispy on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. (How many times have you eaten hash-browns that are crispy on the outside and underdone on the inside….not here my friends…not here!) Maybe slightly too greasy on the inside but if you’re a fried potato aficionado, you must try the hash-browns here at least once in your life.

The actual pancakes were okay, Addie thought they were a little floury and felt like she’s tasted better elsewhere.

Our server was VERY friendly and the food came fast. We’d read some previous reviews about unfriendly service and feeling rushed…wasn’t our experience.

If we lived closer to one of the may “Original” Pancake House Locations we’d definitely be regulars to try some of their other pancake creations…such as the “Tahitian Maiden’s Dream” or the “Danish Jijafa Cherry Crepes” (full descriptions on their website….but the one that looked absolutely insane was the Apple Pancake…the menu says to allow thirty minutes for them to prepare this, but we saw one come out…an entire plate full…oven baked with granny smith apples and a “Sinkiang” cinnamon glaze…at least three inches tall. It was clear this dish would allow you to get all of your eating for the day done in one sitting.

We definitely wish we could go back…and that before we did, they’d clean the gum out from under the tables.  You won’t leave hungry or unhappy.

The Original Pancake House

Multiple locations throughout the U.S.

http://www.originalpancakehouse.com/

1418 East Lincoln Avenue

Anaheim, California 92805

714-535-9815

Maximillian’s in North Hollywood is an upscale Austo-Hungarian restaurant, just a block of the main Noho Arts District main strip. It’s definitely fine-dining with limited vegetarian options…but we knew that going in, and what could one expect from a place whose menu has a “From the Sausage Kitchen” section…We thought we’d give it a try as we were heading to an event nearby and it’s hard to turn down a place that has “Potato Latkas” on the menu. Some people have extra dessert stomachs…and then there are those of us who have additional stomachs for any kind of fried potato.

It was a Thursday evening and not particularly crowded and with the limited vegetarian options it didn’t take us long to decide what to get which amounted to a couple of appetizers (the latka and baked brie) and the most Hungarian sounding dish we could find from the pasta menu (Forest mushroom Paprikas with homemade spaetzle.  Yes, I said “spaetzle.”

The potato latka normally comes with caviar but they subbed horseradish for us vegetarians…it was served with a delicious apple compote with raisins and a very thick sour cream. Score one for potato pancake lovers.

The baked brie was advertised on the menu as served over risotto…the risotto turned out to be white rice mixed with peas…so not exactly the italian style risotto we had expected but it was not un-tasty. The brie was coated with a breading, also served with sour cream and was fine. Not the ecstasy inducing melted cheese fest we had hoped for…but it was fine.

Our main, the mushroom paprikas with homemade spaetzle (yes, I said it again, spaetzle) was quite good. Spaetzle is a sort of twisted little pasta blob. We’d never had it before but thought it might be a little overdone based on our experiences with other pasta (on the other hand as spaetzle newbies it may have been perfect…) It was served with a very flavorful serving of mushrooms in a thick, savory cream sauce. Enjoyable!

We also ordered a dish of plain pasta for our son (three years old) which came out in a butter sauce. The chef / owner didn’t seem particularly happy about having to send back another dish of truly plain pasta (though he did) leaving us feeling this wasn’t the best place to bring our finicky three year old.

So if you’re looking for a fine dining Hungarian experience…and you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t mind limited options…Or if you find yourself here with your carniverous friends…undoubtedly they’ll be more satisfied with the experience than you, but you’ll be okay. (There are a few other vegetarian pasta dishes beyond what we ordered, but it’s clearly not the focus of the place.) Don’t miss the latka!

Maximillian’s Restaurant

http://maxiatnoho.com/

11330 Wedding Street
North Hollywood, CA 91601
818-760-1300

The Six Restaurant – Studio City, CA

It seems like every website, no matter what their focus, is also offering local “Groupon-Style” discounts to eateries and other attractions…We like to eat to places we haven’t been and we also are fans of not paying full price, so armed with our “Travel Zoo Local Deal” we discovered The Six in Studio City for some nouveau comfort food and beer.  It was a good experience…once we got in the lot, of course…it’s right on the curve of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City with a narrow parking lot you almost have to aim to get into, especially if you haven’t been there before. (I suppose you should always be aiming your car when you drive…but the point is it involved precision.) We had luck getting a spot in their lot and more luck being seated right away.

The decor was tastefully filled with stills from old Hollywood Films…why not, it’s Studio City after all. Our server was friendly and very knowledgable about the beer options. If you’re a beer fan you’ll love this place…we’re fans but generally novices so we’re always wanting an explanation on what the options are. Our server was spot on with his descriptions and the Belgian Delirium Tremens we chose from the draught menu was exactly as he described, nutty, sweet and although dark tasted light and refreshing.  (and 8.5% alcohol so we were bound to be enjoying anything they brought us after that.) On the separate “libations” menu there are 6 draughts and  a sampler option, 6 bottles and 6 red and 6 white wines, and 6 “curiously differents” to choose from. (get it…six…) The beers are also served, as in Belgium, in their own glasses so the Delirium got the Delirium glass.

There were a number of vegetarian options to choose from, including items from their starters, small plates, pizzas and entrees options so, as a vegetarian, you’ll have choices which, man, it’s all we really want.

We had English Pea Risotto, White Pizza, their Veggie burger and an order of their Parmesan Truffle Fries.

The Risotto (rice, English peas, leeks, basil and parmesan)  was a generous portion for a “small plate” item and presented beautifully. The rice was a little too al-dente for our taste and overall the dish was okay, not great, with the bites mixed with the parmesan cheese definitely winning out taste-wise.

The White Pizza (garlic tapenade, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan) was also beautiful…we tend to be classic NY cheese people on Sundays, but this was the middle of the week, so why not a white pizza? The crust was light, fluffy and crispy and the spinach add something nice to the overall taste. We’re fans.

The veggie burger (house made with mushrooms, white beans, quinoa, swiss cheese, pickled carrot, and onion ring [we ordered it without the thousand island dressing]) was served on a brioche bun and was one of the nicest looking veggie burgers we’ve seen. (Overall presentation at The Six was quite impressive with every dish.) It was definitely tasty and filling but if you don’t like the mushiness that comes along with most house-made veggie burgers you might be turned off a bit.  Also the pickled carrot advertised on the menu didn’t seem to be present.

We were divided on the truffle fries…I tend to enjoy flavor extremes on my taste-buds and the truffle oil was very present so I definitely felt like rich people eating these fries. Addie thought it was too much truffle oil. (We also have difficulty deciding what movie to watch…)

Overall, although the food wasn’t perfect, we enjoyed the experience, tastes and especially the presentation of the food. There were items on the menu we’d like to go back and try…the Fall menu, for example offers the comfort-inducing Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup…not to mention a “Pumpkin Pizza” which looks like the kind of thing you could probably die immediately after eating and be completely satisfied that that was the culmination of your existence. (In theory anyway, we haven’t tried it yet.) Who knows what fried pickles taste like either? Someday we hope to.

We’ll definitely be back to try more.

The Six Restaurant
http://thesixrestaurant.com/
12650 Ventura Ventura Boulevard
Studio City, CA 91604
818-761-2319

There are plenty of excellent Indian restaurants in Los Angeles; you don’t have to drive far to find one you love and there are always PLENTY of vegetarian options. If you’re a vegetarian and you haven’t yet discovered Indian food, you’re missing a world-full of flavors for your mouth.

That having been said, Gangadin in Studio City left us a little disappointed.

First the good – as a vegetarian it’s great when the restaurant is thoughtful enough to identify foods that are vegetarian on their menu. When we visited London a few years ago we found it was almost a standard at every restaurant to place an obvious “V” by menu dishes. Gangadin does this as well and I’d suggest any restaurant interested in being friendly to vegetarians consider doing the same.

Beyond that most of the dishes we ordered, which we were already familiar with from the many other Indian places we’ve eaten at lacked the hearty and refined flavors we were hoping for.

We started with veggie samosas which had lots of potato and not much else in them. Not as flavorful as samosas we’d had elsewhere.

The chili curry with paneer (Indian cheese) was too spicy – ok one might expect that when ordering something with both the words “curry” and “chili” in it, but we did ask for it “mild-medium”…we like flavor and spice…but too much spice – in this case heat – makes it difficult to enjoy the flavor of the dish.  On the plus side when we mentioned this to them they did bring us free raita (creamy indian yogurt) to temper the heat.

Our other main was Yellow Dal. (A curried lentil dish.) Again we love this dish in other places we’ve eaten it but found it just not particularly flavorful here.

The peshwari naan was good. They refer to this as “The King of Naans” on their menu and it really is an indulgent dish with sweets stuffed inside the Indian flat bread. We did okay with this here.

I closed out my meal with a cup of hot Indian Chai. Again I found this to be not very strong and a disappointing end to the meal.

We found Gangadin because of a Living Social special which worked to get us in the door, but with so many great Indian restaurants all over the San Fernando Valley and throughout Los Angeles we can’t see why we would return here.

Gangadin Indian Cuisine
http://gangadin.biz/
12067 Ventura Place
Studio City, CA 91604
818-509-0722

There aren’t too many brunch / breakfast options in Big Bear Lake – for that matter it’s a small town there aren’t too many of any kind of options – but you might find yourself thee anyway taking advantage of the lake, the alpine slide, the clean air etc. – which means you probably will need a decent place to put food in your mouth to start the day.  The Alpine Country Coffee Shop will take care of that for you.  We settled here on Easter Sunday after a small amount of research ruled out the giant pancakes at Grizzly Manner and the “German Specialities” (which we read as potato pancakes…) as both of those restaurants we’re closed.

I ordered an egg-white omelette with cheese and onions.  It was the perfect size and they did the egg whites just right. (If you’re an egg white eater you know how easy it is to get an order of those cooked by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing so kudoes to the Alpine Country Coffee Shop for getting this right.

The hash browns though we’re a little undercooked and the biscuit which I had for the bread-side was also undercooked. That’s a step better than the fast food or chain diners who microwave their biscuits, but they advertise biscuits and gravy as a house specialty on their menu so would have been nice if that had been completely baked.

Addie had Huevos Rancheros with extra corn tortillas and she found it to be a good basic interpretation of the dish.

The coffee achieved the status of “drinkable.” Not the browned water that some places serve but not quite the bold and robust blends we prefer.

The staff was VERY friendly and the place had a very local feel – though not particularly nicely appointed it was cozy and a legitimate local dining experience. We’d probably try one of the other restaurants assuming we weren’t there on a national holiday, but if they weren’t an option, the Alpine Country Coffee Shop would do the job.

Alpine Country Coffee Shop
http://www.alpinecountrycoffeeshop.com
41546 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
909.866.1959