after dinner sneeze

Honey’s Sit-n-Eat, March 2014, Brunch.  Those who know me know that I am very plus-minus on Honey’s.  To this day, I just can’t understand why this particular place is worth waiting in line for.  Be that as it may, if you do get in (i.e. on a weekday or something), the service is fast, and the food is often “solid”.  Being a pancake-o-phile, I have to confess that I’ve often been a bit underwhelmed with Honey’s; the pancakes are often a bit too thin, and a bit too rubbery/elastic (I prefer cakey!); thus when I go to Honey’s I often try to find something else to eat.  Well … except this time: the above is the S’mores pancakes that was a special at Honey’s last month.  If you thought that finely ground graham powder, chocolate sauce, and marshmallow would make for a CRAZY good pancake, you would be right!  The toppings definitely made up for the pancake’s ho-humness, so much so that I’d order it again if I saw it on the menu!

Parc, March 2014, Brunch.  The above pancake is the polar opposite to Honey’s loaded kind.  These standard pancakes from Parc’s menu are as good as plain pancakes get nowadays.  Yes, there is a luscious taste of butter and sweet sweet sugar when you bite in, but those flavors are oh-so-comforting.  Combine those with a fluffy-cakey pancake, and you have a stunning example of what a well-done, un-fussy pancake can achieve.  Bravo Parc – way to keep up with this classic!

Cook & Co, March 2014, Brunch.  So this one’s not fair because the eatery is located outside of NYC, quite far away from PHL.  Served at a place that reminds me a lot of Picnic (the eatery in The Left Bank), the above “Elvis” is amazing, harkening back to my memories of Cochon’s Elvis French Toast.  This version is far more restrained, lacking that bananas-foster-sauce, and instead having that peanut-butter cream layer which adds a nice texture and flavor to go along with the banana, bacon, and perfectly battered/cook French toast.  While it would be challenging to eat any more than one of these at a time (it’s still pretty rich!), it was a fantastic experience I hope to re-live on my next visit to Scarsdale.