|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The previous night, when I checked into my motel, I asked the desk clerk to recommend a restaurant other than the Denny's next door, where I eventually ate the next morning. She recommended Original Pancake House, as it is located fairly close to the motel, open very early in the morning, and she said they have a good selection of favorite breakfast entrees. Since I was on my way to conduct some business on the Oregon coast, I had to leave early, so Original Pancake House sounded like a good choice for breakfast.
Photo: It's just a little before six on Saturday morning, at Original Pancake House. That's my Ford F-250 in the left foreground of the photos, complete with many ham radio antennas. Early the next morning on Saturday, March 27, 2010, I walked in the front door of Original Pancake House, and was greeted by Mary, who would turn out to be my server. The restaurant wasn't busy - perhaps most Oregonians aren't hungry at 0600 on a Saturday morning - and she seated me at a booth, and asked me what I wanted to drink. Naturally, I ordered coffee, and was promptly served a cup of delicious coffee, along with a glass of ice water, which I feel is always a nice touch. Pancake House features a ultra clean, ultra modern, light, bright decor, with a equal ratio of booths to tables. Beige and white are the predominant colors, which make the large dining room seem even bigger. Surprisingly, the restaurant does not have a breakfast counter. The Eugene, Oregon location of Original Pancake House is just one restaurant in a chain that enjoys a presence in nearly states. In fact, I've had the pleasure to dine at the Roseville, CA location with members of the Sacramento Breakfast Club. I noticed that the restaurants are the same in name only, as the building, the decor and even the menu, are very different.
Photo: Marilyn (left) and Mary pose for my camera. Mary wanted me to include Marilyn, but Marilyn didn't seem to be too pleased... but she kept my cup full of delicious coffee.
Photo: Looking into the kitchen. Note the pleasant, attractive decor. If you happen to be a pancake affectionado, you'll be in pancake heaven at Pancake House, as their menu offers a bewildering array of pancakes, which seems to include any variety of pancake known to man. If it's a pancake, or if it's sweet, it's on their menu. If it's not sweet, or a pancake, it's probably not on the menu, as the menu offers surprisingly little else but pancakes. The restaurant certainly has an appropriate name... From the ten or so non-pancake entrees, I chose a breakfast of corned beef hash, fried eggs, and homestyle potatoes. While I waited for my breakfast to arrive, I surfed the World Wide Web on my phone, and enjoyed numerous refills of wonderful coffee from Mary, and co-hostess Marilyn. My breakfast arrived in less than five minutes with a smile, from friendly Mary, who readily agreed to having her photo taken. Both she and co-hostess Marilyn are very friendly, and I was treated to numerous refills of their delicious coffee, pleasant conversation, and friendly, efficient service.
Photo: Mary poses after placing my breakfast order on the table. She readily agreed to having her photo taken, and offered friendly, efficient service, and lots of pleasant conversation.
Photo: Here's my breakfast, and it didn't taste any better than it looks in this photo. Why they served my meal on two plates is beyond me. The price of this meal came to almost $11.00!! Overpriced, but due to Mary's outstanding service and attitude, I left her a $5.00 tip. The service, decor and family-friendly atmosphere were excellent, but my breakfast left somewhat to be desired. The homestyle potatoes arrived on a separate plate, and they were overcooked, tepid, and had no seasoning whatsoever. My eggs over easy were cooked about halfway between over easy and sunnyside up, and the slab of corned beef hash tasted like it came from a can. The meal did not come with toast of any kind. I'm not a picky diner, but I felt that the breakfast was not up to standard, and quite overpriced. I mixed the potatoes with the eggs, and applied a liberal application of Tabasco sauce to the mixture, which helped make the meal taste, well... adequate. Original Pancake House may specialize in pancakes, but their other selections need a lot of work. The quality of the breakfast was lacking and overpriced, but the cheerful and friendly service that I received from Mary was outstanding, so I left her a generous tip. She noticed me taking photos of the exterior of the restaurant, and came out to chat with me, and almost insisted that she take my photo, outside the building, standing next to their sign. What a friendly person! How could I not take her up on her offer?
Photo: Mary really wanted to take a photo of me, next to their sign, so here I am, standing under the sign. Unless you order pancakes or French toast, I can't recommend the Original Pancake House in Eugene, but I can recommend the friendly hostesses and the outstanding service. I have a recommendation for Mary and Marilyn: Hire on at another restaurant that knows how to make something besides pancakes. Original
Pancake House Copyright(c) 2010 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, custon photography for any occasion...
|
