Breakfast in America, exemplified
Redondo’s Original Pancake House serves everything Americans want to start their day
Every time you sit down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs or pancakes, you participate in a ritual that is unlike the way most of the world eats. While some other cultures have traditional foods to start the day, America probably has the most varied selection of items eaten only at breakfast of anywhere on Earth. Some were transformed when they crossed the Atlantic — in the 1800s the French sprinkled omelets with powdered sugar and ate them for dessert, while in America they’re usually enjoyed in the morning. The same is true of waffles, oatmeal, cream of wheat, corned beef hash, cereal with milk, and eggs benedict. We have an unparalleled fetish for variety to start the day with.
All of this is on display at the Original Pancake House in Redondo, which has been at its current location on PCH in Redondo for at least 35 years. (Nobody who works there now is sure when the place opened, but since an employee recently celebrated her 35th anniversary at her job, they know it’s at least that long.) It’s an offshoot of a business that began in Portland, Oregon in 1953 and now has outposts in 29 states. The company’s slogan is “Pancakes as you like them,” but they serve much more than that.
Stop by on any day and you can admire the pretty, and well-maintained garden that fringes the restaurant. If it’s a weekend you may have the chance to admire it for a long time, particularly if you show up with a large party. This restaurant is popular with families, and on a recent Saturday we momentarily considered dining elsewhere when we saw the overflowing waiting area. Surprisingly, it took only a few minutes for a table for two to become available.
Coffee arrived almost immediately, not what a coffee connoisseur would call good coffee, but probably great by the standards of 1953. I added some sugar, which I usually don’t do, and considered a trip to my car for the whiskey that I keep in the trunk in case of snakebite. The coffee gave me something hot, and eye-opening to drink while I perused the menu, which is extensive and printed in small type (bring your reading glasses, if you use them).
We had to order pancakes. Over a couple of visits we ordered buttermilk, potato, pecan, blueberry, and Dutch Baby varieties. We also got housemade corned beef hash, and a specialty called Eggs Michael, an English muffin topped with a sausage patty, egg, and what is described as a sherry-mushroom sauce. One of the popular breakfast items that isn’t on the menu is biscuits and gravy, and this is a fair approximation of those flavors. The sherry is a whisper of flavor rather than a major player, so you get more of the mushroom richness. It’s a nice meal, though not one I’d order again because there are other things I like better, like the corned beef hash. It’s dense, and slightly chewy, and you can taste that they use good quality meat along with the potatoes and onions. There’s just a touch of cream for richness, a dash of salt and pepper, and that’s all you need for really good hash.
An order of potato pancakes, left, and the Dutch Baby pancake, Right. Photo by Richard Foss
The pancakes are the star attraction, and most of the plates I saw going by were heaped with variations on the buttermilk batter version. That’s the standard side when you order an egg and bacon combo, as we did, but you can get flapjacks with pecans, blueberries, or other add-ins at no extra charge. I highly recommend the pecan pancakes, which arrive, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, with pecans, both baked into the pancake and on top. The nuts that are baked in have a slight toasted flavor that’s delightful, and the kitchen somehow resisted the tendency to overwhelm the whole thing with sugar. The blueberry pancakes were made with a compote rather than fresh berries, and was a little sweet for my tastes, but my wife thoroughly enjoyed them. As for the other elements of the egg and bacon combo, they were as they’re supposed to be, the bacon crisp, egg over-medium as ordered. The person who makes these probably fries hundreds of eggs per shift and has it down to a science.
The varieties of pancake mentioned so far are something you can make at home, though they probably won’t have the fluffy lightness on exhibit here. But you probably can’t make even an approximation of a Dutch Baby pancake at home, at least on the first try, because it’s a tricky skill. This involves pouring an eggy batter made with a dash of vanilla into a hot cast iron skillet, swirling it so the batter goes up the sides, and baking it for 20 minutes. If you did everything right, it comes out of the oven puffed several inches above the pan before collapsing into a magically crisp layered pancake with a custardy interior. Some places serve these in the skillet so they stay puffed longer, which is an impressive though impractical presentation. The OPH transfers theirs to a plate. That’s okay, it’s still delicious. Get some sliced strawberries on the side and get ready for a treat.
The potato pancakes are pretty darn good too, made with both potato flour and grated potatoes along with a light touch of onion and garlic. They’re two-thirds of the way between potatoes and hash browns, and have a lacy, crisp exterior but are soft inside. That’s a neat trick for thin pancakes, but they pull it off. They’re served with sour cream and applesauce, the traditional accompaniments to latkes, and I suggest that you favor the applesauce. The fruity flavors complement the slightly oily richness much better and combine to make a great blend of sweet and savory flavors.
The service at the Original Pancake House is fast but friendly, and many of the customers on any given day are obviously regulars. Some of those customers may even know exactly how long this place has been open, but it really doesn’t matter. The thing that’s important is that the Original Pancake House keeps turning out great breakfasts in every variety, and doing it with a smile.
The Original Pancake House is at 1756 PCH in Redondo. Open daily 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. Parking lot. Wheelchair access good. No alcohol served. Many vegetarian items. ( 310) 543-9875. Originalpancakehouse.com. ER