| Pancakes and waffles are basic breakfast foods in | | | | bacon was very thick and meaty. Eggs Michael is |
| America, items you can get served to you at | | | | a dish I've not seen elsewhere: eggs Benedict with |
| almost any restaurant that has any sort of | | | | a sausage patty and sherry mushroom sauce. |
| breakfast menu. Not all pancakes are created | | | | The sauce itself is very delicate, almost too |
| equal, however, and you have to do some hunting | | | | delicate because the sausage tends to overwhelm |
| to find truly exceptional examples. Instead of | | | | it. When the flavors come together, though, it's |
| traveling all over Pittsburgh in search of the | | | | amazing. |
| perfect pancake, you may want to just get right | | | | It's Not Just for Pancakes - In addition to the |
| to eating by visiting the Original Pancake House on | | | | pancakes, waffles and eggs you might expect |
| McKnight Road. You won't easily find better | | | | from a breakfast restaurant, The Original Pancake |
| pancakes in the area. | | | | House offers crepes, blintzes, and a Dutch Baby, |
| The Scene | | | | one of the house specialties. Most of the crepes |
| The Original Pancake House is a Portland-based | | | | are accompanied by sauces containing various |
| breakfast restaurant with more than 80 locations | | | | liqueurs and are served with tropical syrup. The |
| nationwide. The focus is on gourmet | | | | Cherry Kijafa Blintzes were tart yet sweet, and |
| made-from-scratch breakfasts and fresh | | | | very cherry; the filling was smooth and |
| ingredients. The atmosphere is what you would | | | | complimented the sauce well. |
| expect from a good breakfast restaurant - | | | | Breakfast Your Way - One notable thing about |
| homey, energetic, sunny and comfortable. | | | | the menu at the Original Pancake House is that |
| The Service | | | | similar dishes can be found across different |
| With the food as good as it is, the Original | | | | entree types. Thus you can get cherry Kijafa |
| Pancake House is very popular, so getting in can | | | | Blintzes, cherry Kijafa Crepes, and cherry Kijafa |
| take a while in the morning - especially on | | | | pancakes (or even just cherry Kijafa sauce on |
| Sundays. Once you get in, actually getting your | | | | the side). There are pecan pancakes and pecan |
| food can also take a while. This is not a complaint | | | | waffles, bacon pancakes and bacon |
| - the food itself is all prepared to order and well | | | | waffles...actually, there's quite a bit of crossover |
| worth the wait! If you're in a hurry, stay away | | | | between pancakes and waffles, so if you have |
| from the items marked specifically as taking | | | | your heart set on a particular flavor, you're not |
| longer to prepare. For faster seating and service, | | | | necessarily limited by the form. It's also worth |
| try early afternoons, even on a Sunday. | | | | noting that the online menu is not complete - |
| The Food | | | | there are items, even entire classes of items |
| Authentic homemade fare is whipped up daily at | | | | (such as blintzes) which are available at the |
| The Original Pancake House, from fresh squeezed | | | | restaurant but missing from their Web site. |
| juices to batters made on the premises. | | | | Beverages |
| Pancakes - What can be said about pancakes? | | | | The Original Pancake House provides a standard |
| They aren't really difficult to make, so it's easy to | | | | assortment of beverages, including some favored |
| make decent ones and hard to make them turn | | | | coffees. For a restaurant like this I had hoped for |
| out bad. What makes the Original Pancake House | | | | better coffee, but I guess I should have |
| stand out is the variety of speciality pancakes: | | | | expected very standard fare. Both the regular |
| chocolate chip, 49'er, bacon pancakes, Georgia | | | | and the flavored coffees are rather weak. Try |
| pecan, coconut, etc. The list is quite long and | | | | the fresh-squeezed juices instead. |
| everyone should be able to find something they | | | | All in all, the Original Pancake House is well worth |
| enjoy. The Apple Pancake looks especially | | | | visiting for anyone looking for a tasty and filling |
| tempting, but be prepared for a longer wait if you | | | | breakfast. I'd recommend planning on a late |
| want it. | | | | breakfast or having breakfast around lunchtime in |
| Eggs & Meat - The Original Pancake House may | | | | order to avoid the crowds. |
| specialize in pancakes, but that's not all they do. | | | | Prices: $4 to $8 for most menu items. Kids and |
| They are also known for their omlettes and offer | | | | seniors get a price break on certain selections. |
| a variety of other meat and egg dishes as well. I | | | | Hours: Open daily 7:00 am to 3:00 p.m. |
| didn't order an omelette, but they look huge. The | | | | |