Original
Pancake House
Written
by Carrie Hille
When
the kids were little, I began reading them a book that grew
to be a favorite. In that book, the characters were seen eating
at a table with a huge assortment of what appeared to be breakfast
foods. There were stacks of pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon,
bread and all the accompaniments. When we asked the kids “What
do you want for breakfast?” They would get out the book, point
to the picture, and state, “We want a BIG breakfast!” like
this one in the book! Sadly, they were disappointed when the
variety Mom and Dad provided did not quite match up to the
picture. Luckily for us, we discovered the Original Pancake
House.
The
Original Pancake House is one of our favorite restaurants
to take the kids to eat. Here we know that there will never
be a struggle to find something they like. In fact, they have
a kids menu starting at $3 but most times we order adult meals
instead. And since breakfast is usually one of the least expensive
meals to eat out, we can usually feed four of us for less
than $40 with drinks and tip.
Being
a pretty good cook myself, I often say “How can you screw
up eggs?” but I have honestly been places where they were
so-so. Never here. In addition to the oven baked puffy omelets
and thick stacked pancakes they have one other unique item
that is the whole reason why I choose to eat there…the Apple
Cinnamon Pancake. Nowhere have I ever found such an amazing
breakfast treat! The apples and cinnamon can be smelled before
the plate hits the table. The pancake is more of a soufflé
and when it arrives, it can be seen shrinking before your
eyes indicating that it is fresh from the oven. My one complaint
is that it is served before it has a chance to cool off. I
always try to eat it too soon and the first bite of gooey
cinnamon burns my tongue. Still, I press on and cool my mouth
with the freshly squeezed orange juice.
Because
the omelets and pancakes are oven baked, they often take a
bit longer to arrive at the table. This doesn’t bother us
though because it gives Dad and me a chance to catch up on
the week’s events while sipping great coffee and the kids
usually keep busy coloring and playing games on the placemats
provided. Once the food arrives however, look out! As a mother,
I always worry that my skinny little daughter isn’t eating
enough however, at OPH, this is never the case! Have you ever
seen a 9 year old eat her weight in eggs, bacon and pancakes?
Nancy
Laytart has been the owner for the last 7 years. Prior to
that, she had worked as a waitress. After finding herself
divorced and trying to raise three boys, she decided to take
the previous owner up on the offer to buy the restaurant.
She hasn’t looked back since. The restaurant industry can
be a challenge but Nancy has taken it all in stride and has
made the transition from waitress to owner very well. Customers
may have noticed Nancy changed roles but the great service
has remained the same.
Breakfast
at the Original Pancake House is a family treat. In fact,
it is one of the few reasons why I will get up early on a
weekend. Lines can get long, especially on football weekends
and after church hours so we go early. They do not take reservations.
At OPH our kids can get the “BIG” breakfast that they love,
we get peace and quiet while they eat and we don’t have to
spend a fortune while eating out. The Original Pancake House
is open 7 days a week from 6:30am-2pm. Breakfast is available
all hours and lunch is served from 11-2pm daily. They are
located on Ironwood Road, just north of Edison in South Bend.
