#la breakfast

This weekend I was fortunate enough to have Carrie Benton, Vice President of Business Development at Allied Integrated Marketing, join me as a guest reviewer for Ma'amCakes.

I FINALLY got to visit the infamous LA hot spot, The Griddle Cafe - in case you're unfamiliar, The Griddle has a reputation as being one of the best places to eat breakfast in Los Angeles. In fact, the two times I'd gone previously, I've never seen the wait under an hour and a half. Well, write a blog about pancakes, and you'll be sure to get special treatment ; )

Just kidding! Carrie and I went around 10am on Saturday, and didn't wait longer than twenty minutes. However, when looking at the menu, twenty minutes seemed like an eternity!!

I mean... need I say more?! As you know by now, I typically post a photo I take of the menu; however, because The Griddle's pancake options are so intricate, I wanted to do the menu justice, and display how awesome these choices are by posting the menu directly from their website. 

Where to begin?! Well, from the second we walked in, Carrie immediately said "it smells SO good in here," so I knew I at least brought her to the right place. But having to choose one dish from a menu like The Griddle's, is like asking Charlie to choose one piece of candy in The Chocolate Factory. 

Upon seeing the dish "Hear Me Roar," Carrie was instantly drawn to the Frosted Flakes on the pancakes. "Frosted Flake Pancakes," she yelled, "oh wow, I think I have to get that, oh my God!" I bet Tony would approve of this dish, and say they're "Grrreeeatt!" That being said, Carrie decided to go with the "Red Velvet PanCakes," as she was actually looking forward to these pancakes once we decided upon The Griddle. As per the recommendation of the manager, I decided to go with the "Banana Nana;" in fact, this is The Griddle's most popular pancake.

As many restaurants are adapting the trend of the 2+2+2 (see review at Jinky's Cafe), Carrie and I asked if there was an option for such dish, so we could get our pancakes and eggs. While The Griddle does not have this option, our server suggested we have one pancake (as our pancake preferences come with three pancakes), and order a side dish of eggs and bacon. Perfect.

And for Perfection:

This single Banana Nana pancake, which could barely fit on my plate, caused my mouth to water the second it was placed in front of me. This pancake was incredibly delicious, and the perfect combination of everything - the brown sugar, bananas, powdered sugar, and butter was enough to make my mouth re-water as I'm writing this review. And the best part - I didn't need a hint of syrup. 

Once the Red Velvet Pancake was placed on the table, Carrie's eyes lit up. "I'm so glad I only ordered one!" I was too. "This is amazing," Carrie said, "even better than I expected." While both pancakes were fantastic, the only downside is they are very filling. Carrie could only finish about a quarter of the plate, and after having a bite, I agreed with her when she said "I think it's the cream cheese." As I myself could only finish half of the Banana Nana, I can't imagine how much food The Griddle has to toss on a regular basis! 

Overall, the pancakes at The Griddle were beyond my expectations as far as taste & creativity, but just a bit too heavy for my liking. That being said, I would 100% recommend this hot spot to anyone visiting LA. When asking Carrie what her runner-up pancake dish is, she replied "definitely the Hear Me Roar!"

Thank you so much, Carrie, for being a part of Saturday brunch with Ma'amCakes!

As the forecast is calling for a crappy weekend here in Los Angeles (one weekend every three months is ok with me!), why not try a new recipe at home? Check out this Peanut Butter and Jelly recipe from MarthaStewart.com.

Make em right and they'll look like this:

OR, as just recommended by a colleague at work, try InsaneWhiches.com's Pancake Pops, and fill the sandwich with chocolate spread instead of jelly. 

Make em right and they'll look like this: