Hollywood, CA 90046
(On the corner of Sunset and Fairfax)
http://thegriddlecafe.com/
The Griddle Cafe on Twitter
The Griddle Cafe on Facebook
Well, this was one hell of a place to kick off the quest for LA's most awesome pancake. Wow!
For starters, the Griddle came highly recommended, which is certainly a good sign, particularly when you have friends who are no slouches when it comes to LA's dining options. So the bar was quite high right off the bat.
The Griddle scored bonus points with me even before I got there thanks to the fact that they not only have a Twitter account, they post frequently and respond. When I asked for a recommendation, I quickly received a reply along with a note to ask for a particular server. When I got there this morning and asked for him, he shook my hand and offered me and my friend mimosas on the house. Needless to say, I was in love even before I placed my order.
I had already checked out their menu online (another big plus is having a good Web site, and the Griddle scores high marks here as well; the only improvement I could suggest is that they add pricing information), so I had a good idea of what I wanted, but the offerings were so many and so deliciously extravagant I decided to peruse the menu again.
After seriously considering their "Black Magic" pancakes—pancakes with crushed Oreos right in the batter—I settled on their "Golden Ticket" concoction: sugar-baked bananas cooked inside the pancake batter, filled with caramel, walnuts and steusel...and topped with whipped cream, caramel and steusel. On the advice of friends, I ordered a single pancake. I also ordered a side of bacon and some mild-brewed coffee. My friend ordered the "Addicted to Noisella" stuffed French toast (French toast stuffed with Nutella) and a scrambled egg on the side.
The food was incredible, to say the least. My single pancake was a plate-sized wonder, crusted in a thin layer of caramel and topped with a rich dollop of whipped cream. Although it was an outrageously decadent combination of ingredients, it came together wonderfully—it was rich but not sickeningly sweet, helped, no doubt, by the fact that the pancake was the perfect texture, not too mushy and definitely not overdone. It needed no syrup or butter, as it was delicious on its own. My only regret is that I was unable to finish the whole thing, not because it was too rich but because it was so big. But the price was reasonable for the serving, so while I hate wasting food (I decided not to bring the leftovers home but am now thinking I should have!), I have no complaints at all about the portion size even if it did defeat me.
The bacon was also fantastic, thick and perfectly cooked, just the right counterpoint to the sweetness of the pancakes. The coffee was also excellent.
I also sampled my friend's French toast and can vouch for that as well, though she did say that she would probably ask for the Nutella on the side next time because in the end there was just too much of a good thing. Not the worst problem in the world.
We went bright and early and beat the morning rush, so there was no wait at all, and the place was still only about half full even as we were leaving. The service was excellent (never mind the free mimosas!); our server was very attentive and friendly, which made an already wonderful breakfast that much nicer. The prices were good for the portion sizes; our bill came to just over $30 before the tip, which felt right.
My only complaint turns out to have been a nonissue—it took me several trips around the block to find street parking because there is no parking on Sunset between 7 and 9 a.m., and I ended up parking on a side street just north of Fountain Ave. However, my friend told me she had discovered that you can park in the Rite Aid lot just off Fairfax, as the lot doubles as a lot for the Griddle. Now that I know this secret, return trips to this place will be frequent and parking–stress free.
Overall, the Griddle scores high marks in every category. I feel bad for all the LA pancake joints I have yet to visit and review: Be warned, competitors, you are going to have to work very hard to impress me more than the Griddle did!
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