UPDATE: Morning Ruckus All-Natural Gourmet Pancake Mix

http://www.morningruckus.com/

Morning Ruckus on Twitter

Morning Ruckus on Facebook

Earlier this year, I reviewed this delicious pancake mix but expressed some concerns over the fact that no nutritional information was provided. 

The company's reps saw this and took it seriously, and they—and I—are very pleased to announce that nutritional information is now available here.

Bea Bea's Cafe

353 N. Pass Ave.

Burbank, CA  91505

Bea Bea's Online Menu

I'm baaaack! Only briefly, as I'm trying to eat responsibly, which, tragically, means far fewer pancake outings than I would like. However, I have not forgotten my quest and am happy to report that the Los Angeles area pancake scene is thriving!

Today I discovered what may be breakfast heaven:  Bea Bea's Cafe, which is located in a Vons-dominated shopping complex just off the 134 Freeway. So not only is it easy to find, there is ample parking. I already liked it, and I hadn't even gotten inside. 

My friend, who found out about Bea Bea's while looking for good pancake places online, learned via the restaurant's Yelp page that it's a very popular weekend breakfast spot. Luckily we're both Midwestern-born early risers, so we met there just before 8 a.m. and, though it was already impressively busy for an L.A. Saturday, we had no problem getting a table. 

The atmosphere in the place is great—it has high ceilings and nice, solid furniture, with tables decently spaced. I imagine it could feel cramped and loud when filled to capacity, but even then I expect it would still be pretty comfortable. 

The service was great. Our waitperson was friendly and attentive without being overbearing; I was asked for my drink order within seconds of sitting down. For the 45 or so minutes I was there, I never came close to running out of coffee or cream.

The menu, as you can see if you click on the link above, is beyond decadent in the best possible way if you're all about flavored pancakes...or waffles...or French toast...or crepes. They also offer various combos, and my friend and I both ordered the "Kin's Sunshine" special, which includes a choice of pancakes/waffles/French toast/crepes plus two eggs and your choice of sausage. And you could choose any of the fancy pancakes (etc.) for a $1.00 surcharge, get egg whites only for another $1.00 surcharge and choose from among an impressive variety of sausages.

I ordered the Blue Hawaiian pancakes, which were dusted with powdered sugar and topped with blueberries, bananas and macadamia nuts. I figured what the hell and added the provided maple syrup. Oh. My. GOODNESS. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but those were phenomenal pancakes. I don't know what they put in their batter, but even without the toppings, they were exquisite. With them...irresistible. I swore I would only eat enough to do a fair review, but I ate every last morsel along with the egg-white only scrambled eggs and the amazing chicken sausage. If I weren't trying to watch what I eat, I might have ordered another breakfast just like it, and I doubtless would have polished that one off, too, because when food is that delicious little things like "I'm full" can't be allowed to get in the way. WOW!!!

I mean, come on, look at these pancakes!!

My friend was equally enthusiastic about her Pacific Island pancake, which was topped with bananas, coconut, pineapple and caramelized walnuts. For reasons I cannot now fathom, I declined the offer to try them. I will regret this for some time to come.

The meal wasn't cheap—with tip, it was well over $20/each, which is a lot for a fairly basic breakfast, even in L.A. That said, I'm going back the next time I get a hankering for pancakes, which isn't great for the future of this blog but will certainly make my taste buds happy!

Morning Ruckus All-Natural Gourmet Pancake Mix

http://www.morningruckus.com/

Morning Ruckus on Twitter

Morning Ruckus on Facebook

I've been slacking off in my mission in recent months; I blame Vivian's Millennium Cafe for being so good that whenever I get a hankering for pancakes I return there rather than seeking out new pancake horizons as well as too many friends who decided to spend the final months of 2010 dieting rather than going on pancake binges. 

However, I have decided that 2011 is to be the Year of the Pancake, and to kick things off I'm going to review a pancake mix rather than a local breakfast joint. 

I had been considering a series of reviews on commercially available mixes when I was contacted via Twitter by a representative from Morning Ruckus, a family-owned company in Denver, who offered me some samples of their gourmet pancake mixes to try and review. I happily accepted the offer and received a box of several samples just before New Year's. The included flavors were Holiday Gingerbread, Grandma B. Spice Cake Style and Cornbread. Whoo!

I made the Holiday Gingerbread on New Year's Day, and, per the company's recommendation, substituted a 50/50 mixture of egg nog and milk for the milk called for in the recipe. 

Oh. My. GOODNESS. I am a pretty clumsy pancake-maker, so there will be no photos of these fantastic-tasting pancakes because that would do no one any favors. But trust me when I say they were incredibly tasty—perhaps dangerously so, as I not only ate too many that day, I made them again yesterday and ate too many then, too! The nog definitely kicked the flavor up several notches, but I'm pretty confident they would be irresistible even if they were made with plain milk. 

I did not notice any nutritional information on the packages or the Web site, but the ingredients are indeed all natural as advertised, and I was extremely pleased that salt is the last ingredient listed. The company takes pride in only using "good stuff" in its mixes, and the gingerbread certainly tasted good! 

I haven't tried the other flavors yet...though I'm tempted to try another flavor today. But pancakes three days in a row is pushing it, even for a pancake fanatic. In any case, when I do try the other flavors, I will post mini-reviews.

If you like making pancakes at home, Morning Ruckus is definitely worth a try. The mixes come in packages that make about eight medium-sized pancakes, so you can order a variety of flavors without feeling overly committed. The price is certainly higher than what you'd pay for a similar amount of mix in the grocery store, particularly if you factor in shipping costs (though shipping is free if you order 18 packages or more, so if you have a few friends who like pancakes, join forces and go nuts), but you won't find most of these flavors in a grocery store, and store-bought mixes usually have much less healthy ingredients. Additionally, the company donates 10% of its profits to the Dream Foundation, an organization that helps adults with life-threatening illnesses fulfill a dream. What's not to like?