It pains me to ever mention a stupid, phony “national day of _________ (enter a specific item that has no reason for a day’s worth of recognition)” on brentreser.com. One time, I even blogged about how much I hate it. However, when it inspires a blog post I have to swallow my pride. For whatever reason, today is National Pancake Day. It just so happens that pancakes are my favorite breakfast item. Just a few words on this delicious delicacy:

I grew up loving pancakes. From the ages of 9-16, whenever we went out for breakfast I would always order two pancakes and a side of hash browns. Perhaps no place offered better hot cakes than our family Italian restaurant, the Pastime Café, in Walla Walla, Washington. The plate sized pancakes had something special about them, a taste that included a slightly sweet flavor. The whipped butter and old fashioned maple syrup set them apart.

This is me with a plate of banana pecan pancakes in a Myrtle Beach restaurant.

I have other restaurants that stick out in my mind because of their pancakes. A place in Spokane called Frank’s Diner would serve silver dollar pancakes covered in whipped cream, chocolate chips, and sprinkles. A family restaurant in Walla Walla called Clarete’s would whip up great tasting pancakes that happened to be yellow! In Missoula, Montana, I was very fond of a place called Paul’s Pancake Parlor. At this particular restaurant I would order the signature dish, a sampler plate with a chocolate chip pancake, a sourdough pancake, a blueberry pancake, and an original pancake. Other establishments with really good hot cakes come to mind too but I don’t want to bore you.

These are some chocolate chip pancakes I had at Plantation Pancake House in Myrtle Beach.

Of course I grew up eating my mom’s pancakes. Quite frequently she would make pancakes for weekend breakfasts and even for dinners. She would get her griddle out and pour on the batter, making several pancakes at once. Every now and then she would let us make our own pancake! Standing over us, she would let us pour the batter on the surface, flip it over, and then transfer the completed product to a plate.

People sometimes get weirded out by this, but to this day I always have my mom undercook my pancakes. I am talking undercooked in such a way that the pancake pretty much rips apart in doughy shreds as it is transferred from the serving plate to my own individual plate. Actual batter streams out on my plate. This makes some people a little queasy but when it comes to eating pancakes hot, this is my preferred way to do it.

I am also a huge fan of leftover pancakes. My mom would always make extra pancakes and freeze them. I would then eat several breakfasts where I would reach into the freezer, take out a bag of 3-4 pancakes, heat them up just enough so they would unthaw, and spread peanut butter on them. It was a great way to start off the morning!

Now I live in an area that has “pancake houses” on every corner. In Myrtle Beach you will find numerous breakfast restaurants that specialize in pancakes. It really is a little slice of heaven for me. I went through a little spurt where I tried three or four of them in a short span. At one place I ordered banana pecan hot cakes and loved every bite.

Pancake Houses are all over Myrtle Beach. This is Woodhavens Pancake House.

So that is what I have to say about pancakes. If you know of a place that I have to try, please let me know! As much as I say to hate it, Happy National Pancake Day. Don’t Blink.