It’s been a very long time since I have posted any entry in here - too long, I am afraid.  A lot has happened to the husband and I since my last post - we have moved from Brentwood to Sherman Oaks via the purchase of our condo.  Also, we are expecting a new arrival!  A little mini-foodette, as it were.  So, things have been busy and expensive.  Eating out has definitely taken the back seat.  In these economic times, I am sure that is the case for many of you, too.  However, there are still nights were I can’t bear to cook at home, and need to go grab something.  That is where healthy, “fast”, and cheap eats can come in handy.

California Pita is just the place to qualify for all of the above.  Further bonuses - it’s within walking distance to our home and we got coupons in the mail over the weekend!  Dinner, solved.

California Pita is a small, local chain with five locations: Sherman Oaks, Brentwood, Woodland Hills, LA, and Beverly Hills.  They specialize in gyros, falafel, and other Mediterranean fare.  The food is pretty good - maybe not the best you can find, but always tasty, and a good value.

The husband, who is a big gyro fan, went with the regular gyro sandwich.  The meat was both tender and flavorful, and not too greasy, either.  The best is the yogurt cucumber sauce that it’s served with.  Our suggestion is to ask for extra of the sauce - it doesn’t come with everything, and they only give you a small amount.  But it’s cool, refreshing, and tangy, and if you like yogurt cucumber sauce, you will want lots of extras.

 I ordered one of my favorite things: the falafel plate.  The plates are an even better value than the sandwiches.  For just a couple of dollars more, you get rice, salad, and hummus, not to mention pita.  The falafel are deep fried until crispy, but still soft on the inside.  They are full of flavor.  This plate does not come with the yogurt cucumber sauce, but I highly suggest asking for it.  It is the perfect accompaniment to the fried patties.

With California Pita, you get what you pay for - it’s not the best Mediterranean food, but it’s still very good.  For a quick bite that doesn’t cost much, I would definitely suggest it.

California Pita is located in Sherman Oaks at 14568 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA  91403
Phone: (818) 380-0005

The Reviews

I think the best way to describe the day is to write about it in the order of my timeline.  Yes, I made a timeline.  Honestly, it’s the only way to make sure you remember everything, and to make sure you eat when you expect to.  It’s the only way I can possibly make a multi-course meal with any sort of success.  So, without further ado, the meal….

11:30 - 12:30:  Because I had done so much to prepare the night before, I didn’t have to wake up early.  I even got to squeeze in a run before the marathon cooking (note to self, running was not a good idea, as I was totally exhausted from standing for five hours after running).  Anyway, two of the new things that I wanted to do this year were mashed potatoes with crispy shallots on top, and salad with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.  So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use buttermilk as part of the batter process of the crispy shallots.  I soaked sliced shallots in a 3/4 of a cup of buttermilk for about ten minutes.  Then, I removed the shallots and moved them into the flour to coat.  Meanwhile, I put the remaining buttermilk aside to use for the dressing - this was perfect as the shallots really helped flavor the dressing.

Once the shallots were coated with flour, I fried them in about a quarter inch of olive oil until they turned just golden.  It’s really important not to let them brown, or they will taste burned (as you can see from the picture below, I learned that from experience!).  It really only takes a couple of minutes for them to fry up.  Then, I removed them from the oil, let them drain on paper towels, and sprinkled a bit of Kosher salt on them.  Here are the mini onion rings:

They were very crispy and delicious, but a lot of work.  Although I enjoyed them, I am not sure I will do this again for Thanksgiving.  Still, it was a good thought, and something I would repeat if I ever have a need for crispy onions.  Definitely much better than the canned stuff.

Next, I took the reserved buttermilk and added 1/4 cup of mayo and seasonings to taste: garlic powder, celery seed, paprika, oregano, black pepper, and salt.  I stirred that all together, and that was my dressing.  This is a great ranch, and even makes a good potato chip dip out of the leftovers.

Finally, I washed and cut the romaine lettuce, and put the prepared leaves into the fridge, along with the dressing, to keep cool while I made the rest of the meal.

12:30 - 1:30:  This is when I took the turkey out of the fridge to come up to room temperature.  I left it out for an hour, and still the meat thermometer said it was below 40 degrees.  Oh well.  I also took the store bought mini apple pie out of the fridge.  Yeah, sorry, but I just can’t do the whole dinner from scratch and dessert and hold down a full-time job.  At least, not yet…maybe next year!

While the turkey was out, I preheated the oven to 450 degrees, and started on the cranberry sauce.  I used the exact same recipe that I always use, and have already blogged about it here.

Anyway, the whole process takes around half an hour, and here are the delicious results:

I like to make the cranberry sauce early in the day, because I prefer to eat it at room temperature, not hot.  I just covered it and kept it out of the way until it was time to eat.

Because I put the juice of half a lemon and half an orange in the cranberry sauce, I used the rest of the citrus juice directly on top of the turkey.  Then, I cut the squeezed lemon and orange into wedges and stuffed them into the turkey cavity, along with some onion, garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, carrot, and celery.  You know, whatever there was room for.  I threw anything that didn’t fit into the roasting pan, along with about a cup of white wine.  Note: the wine was not enough.  Next time, I will also put a few cups of stock in there.  Otherwise, all of the liquid burns off, and there isn’t much to make gravy out of.  Not to worry, I was able to make gravy, but just barely!

Anyway, here she is, stuffed and trussed:

Let me tell you, buttering and seasoning the bird the night before was very helpful.  Next year, I will also stuff and truss her the night before, because it’s just so much easier to not have to touch raw turkey the day of Thanksgiving.

1:30 - 2:00:  At this point, the turkey had been out of the fridge for an hour, and the oven had preheated.  I stuck the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, and put her into a 450 degree oven for thirty minutes.  At that point, I turned the oven down to 350.

2:00 - 4:30:  While the turkey roasted, I worked on the stuffing and the potatoes.  (Note: at one point, I noticed the breast was getting very dark, so I put a foil triangle on the turkey to protect it.)  Anyway, first I made the stuffing, using the cubed Challah that I had made the night before.  I used the same recipe as always, which again, can be found here. 

For the mashed potatoes, I boiled about a pound of quartered, skin-on, Yukon golds (the absolute best for mashing) in salted water.  When they were fork tender, I drained them off and added them back to the pan.  I mashed them with a masher along with a quarter cup of the boiling liquid, butter, milk, buttermilk, a bit of cream, parsley, and black pepper.  Once they were all mashed together, I put them in an oven proof dish.

At that point, I had my potatoes and my stuffing all ready to throw in the oven, once the turkey was done.  And, at 4:30, done it was.

4:30 - 5:00:  I took the turkey out and removed it from the roasting pan.  I covered it with foil and let it rest while I threw together the rest of the meal.  The stuffing went in the oven first (still 350), as that had to be in for thirty minutes.  During this time, I put the roasting pan on the stove, deglazed it with white wine, and proceeded to make the gravy as usual, recipe found here.

I also put together the salads:

At around 4:45, I put the potatoes in the oven to keep the stuffing company, and so everything would be hot at the same time.  When 5:00 rolled around, I removed both the stuffing and the potatoes from the oven, put the shallots on the taters, and both items on the table. 

Here’s the stuffing:

And, here’s the potatoes:

Oh yeah, and the gravy was ready, too:

You can’t really tell by looking at it, but it was thick and lump-free!  Yeah, I know.  Next year, I will get a gravy boat!

Finally, it was time to carve that beautiful turkey.  Here she is before we cut into her:

Look at all of that brown deliciousness!

And here she is on the plate:

The taste really was perfect.  I could really taste the brine.  In fact, there was really was no need to season the turkey any further after the brine, not that it hurts.  You definitely don’t need anymore salt, though.  I always get so scared of under salting the meat, but the brine does all of that for you.

Anyway, everything was great.  The husband ate thirds, and we have been living off of leftovers all weekend.  I am so sad it’s over, but hey, there’s always next year.  I don’t think there’s much that I will change from this time, except maybe now I have the confidence to invite people over to enjoy it with us.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Actually, I guess I technically started my prep on Saturday when I went to Sur La Table to get my knives sharpened.  Sadly, the place that I normally go, Larry’s Shaver Shop, seems to have gone the way of the recession.  When the husband arrived with the knives, the store was closed down.  So, it was up to Sur La Table to save the day, which they did, but going there resulted in me buying a few extra necessities.  Seriously, that is one dangerous store.

Anyway, with my chef’s knife nice and sharp, I was ready to really get started on Tuesday.  I picked up my pre-ordered turkey, along with all of the other ingredients I will need, from Whole Foods.  Since I generally make my own chicken stock for Thanksgiving, I was planning to pick up some chicken wings while I was there.  But, Whole Foods actually had packaged turkey necks priced pretty damn cheap, so I thought to myself, Self, why not make turkey stock instead.  I grabbed four necks (yum) and also got a turkey wing.  I had an extra chicken neck in the freezer (double yum), which I used, plus I threw in the neck from my Thanksgiving turkey.

Okay, enought about necks!  The point is, I have full-fledged turkey stock to make tomorrow’s dinner all the more gobble-licious.

Moving on….this morning, before work, I got my brine on.  I started by dissolving three cups of Diamond Kosher salt and one and a half cups of brown sugar in six cups of water over high heat.  To that, I added a handful of sage, thyme, one head of garlic (sliced lengthwise in half), a few bay leaves, and about a tablespoon of whole, black peppercorns.  I let those all steep together for a bit, making sure all of the salt and sugar completely dissolved.  Then, I moved that mixture to a 12-quart stock pot, and added enough cold water to get to two gallons (AKA, 32 total cups).  The cold water brought the brine down to room temperature - the perfect bath for my 9.54 pound turkey.  I threw the whole thing in the fridge, and let it sit for one minute per pound (about ten hours).  I put the turkey in breast-side down, to make sure the breast meat got the most of the brine.  However, with three hours left in the process, I did give the turkey a flip just to make sure the whole thing got some brine-time in.

Here she is right before I pulled her out:

After removing the bird, I rinsed her thoroughly, and put her in her final resting place: the roasting pan (okay, her actual final resting place will be my stomach).  Then, I made an herb-butter compound: half a stick of butter, a few tablespoons of olive oil, chopped sage, thyme, and parsley, the juice and zest of one lemon, one minced garlic clove, black pepper, and just a wee bit of salt.  I rubbed it under the skin on the breasts, inside the cavity, and all over the skin.

Don’t she look perty?  Now, I know most people brine the night before, and take the turkey out right before going in the oven, but I have heard that leads to soggy skin.  So, I am trying this method, where the turkey basically air-dries in the fridge overnight.  Anyway, marinating in the extra flavor can’t be a bad thing, right?  Fingers crossed!

The last thing on my agenda for the night before Thanksgiving was to make Challah for both the stuffing and for sandwiches on Friday.  My sister gave me the best Challah recipe, and while it’s time consuming, it’s so worth it.  It literally makes the best stuffing ever!  I thought I’d share her recipe with you, in case anyone ever is in need of a great Challah recipe.  This makes two loaves of bread, or countless “knots”.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs dry yeast
2 cups very warm water (not hot, or you’ll kill the yeast!!)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
approx. 7-8 cups of flour

Method:

Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar and one cup of flour.  Allow to become bubbly - about 30 minutes.  This step is a type of proofing before the actual proofing.  It proves that your yeast is alive, so you don’t end up getting to the actual proof to only have to throw the whole batch away.  Here is what mine looked like:

I thought that was pretty good - those yeast were definitely alive and well!

Next, add three more cups of flour and the salt, mixing as you go.  I don’t have a stand mixer, but I have found a hand-held mixer with the dough hooks work well.  Once that is all worked in, add the beaten eggs, mix, and then add the oil.  Keep mixing until it’s all incorporated.

Then add two to four more cups of flour.  Soon, it will become too difficult to mix with the hand-mixer, and you will probably have to move to using your hands.  Keep adding flour until the dough forms a ball and isn’t sticky anymore.

Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise until it doubles in bulk.  I like to keep it in an off oven for this portion.  The warmth seems to help.  After I take it out, I preheat the oven to 350.

Once it’s risen, punch it down and knead out the air bubbles.  Add flour if necessary.  Then, shape as desired.  (I like the six-strand braid).  Glaze with egg wash of beaten egg and water.  Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired.

Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes.

When you are done, you should be thusly rewarded:

After they cool, I put the prettiest one away for sandwiches on Friday.  I take the one that just didn’t turn out so nice and cut into many small cubes for the stuffing.

I let the cubes sit in an off oven over night to dry out.  If they don’t completely dry, I can turn the oven on 200 tomorrow for a little while.

That’s it!  Now it’s 11pm, and I am ready for bed!  I start the meal tomorrow at 11:30.  I have my whole time line written out, so I feel confident that we will be eating between 5 and 6 tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

That very day, the husband and I walked down Barrington to San Vicente, filled with the anticipation of trying a new restaurant in our neighborhood.  I knew exactly what I wanted - French onion soup and macaroons.  Anything else would just be gravy.

When we showed up, we found out that La Provence hadn’t even been opened for a week yet.  They were definitely still trying to work out the tweaks, and the liquor license hadn’t come through yet, but the pastries were on display, and that’s really all that mattered.  The restaurant is decorated with a French country-casual flair: wrought iron painted white, knotty pine dining tables, and lots of flowers.  It was very homey.  To up the casual factor, you order at the counter and the food is brought out to you.

The thing that caught my eye, however, was the fact that they actually put green chenille blankets on the patio, you know, in case you get cold.  I thought that was genius!  Not only did it make me feel like someone was thinking of me, but it made the patio that much more inviting.

When we got up to the counter to order, the staff seemed friendly and knowledgeable - aka, not very French.  Right away, I asked if they had French onion soup.  It turned out they did, but it was vegetarian!  What?  No beef stock?  I was nervous, but decided to go for it.  I figured it might not taste exactly right, but it would still be good in its own way.  I decided to order this as part of their pick any salad as a half salad and add any soup for $1 over the regular salad price.  The salad I chose was the wild grilled salmon.

Oh, and I also got a cappuccino:

Let me tell you, that was delicious.  I didn’t add any sugar, but did they?  All I know is, there was no trace of bitterness at all.  It was absolutely wonderful - there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a hoppin’ breakfast joint.  In fact, that gives me a really good idea of what to do tomorrow morning, but I digress….

Next up was our food.  As I mentioned already, I ordered the vegetarian French onion soup along with the wild grilled salmon salad:

Oh man, look at that soup!  It was amazing - the cheese was thick and stringy, and perfectly covered the soaked bread beneath.  And the broth - you would never know that it didn’t have beef stock.  It was rich and complex, and very onion-y.  As for the salmon…eh.  I thought it was a bit dry and over cooked.  The greens were nice and refreshing, and the grilled veggies were tastey.  But, next time I will just get the soup.  It was huge and delicious.  There was really no need to complicate things with salmon.

The husband ordered the beef steak panini with avocado, tomato, Swiss cheese, and aioli:

It, too, was a bit dry.  However, he was able to get some au jus on the side, which he said made a big difference.  Overall, it wasn’t too impressive.  Perhaps our dry meats were due to the fact that the place had just opened - we would definitely be willing to give it another shot.  But, the soup was perfection, in case you weren’t sure how I felt about that.

Next up, and the reason I was so excited to go there in the first place: dessert!  We actually decided to get this to go.  Obviously, I was all about the macaroons.  The husband opted for a red velvet cupcake.

We were both happy with our choices.  The cupake was moist - not too sweet either.  The macaroons were very sweet - perfect for me as I have a big sweet tooth.  The cakes on the macaroons were perfect - crisp on the outside and spongy on the inside.  The cream filling between the cakes was creamy and delicious.  The three flavors above were hazelnut, coffee, and raspberry, the hazelnut being the best of the three.

The dessert was so good that we actually went back the next week just for that (no pictures, sorry!).  The husband got a cream puff, which was rich and fluffy.  I went for two more macaroons, and those two were the best by far.  I chose the vanilla and the caramel fleur de sel.  OMG.  The vanilla was so creamy, and you could see the vanilla beans in the cream filling.  The carmel was the perfect balance of salt and sugar, if you like that kind of thing (read: I like that kind of thing).  The filling was actual carmel, not a cream.  Seriously, unbelievable.  I could have eaten a dozen of each.

In all, I would suggest La Provence Patisserie & Cafe.  If nothing else, you have to try the soup, coffee, and pastries.  And really, is there much else to life?  I’m not sure there is.

леглаLa Provence Patisserie & Cafeis located in the Brentwood Gardens at 11677 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Phone: (310) 442-1144

The Reviews

When we first walked in, our fears were not abated.  The restaurant was empty, and the decor was nothing special either.  However, we were given the choice to sit in a greenhouse of sorts, complete with hundred-year-old vines as tall as the ceiling and dripping with table grapes.  Ah, now we were starting to get excited.  It suddenly became clear - this place was a quaint find!

Once seated, we started to peruse the menu.  It turns out, Vineyards Inn was more well known than we tourists had realized.  It was voted the greenest restaurant in the San Francisco Bay area.  The food was not only organic, but it was locally sourced as well.  The owners, a husband and wife team, are leaders in composting and recycling as well.  The restaurant itself has been around for over 25 years, serving up organic Spanish delicacies.  We began to realize that we had stumbled upon a real gem.

Of course, the real test was to taste the food itself.

Being Spanish food, the husband and I decided to share a few of the tapas.  Let me first mention, it’s very difficult to decide on any one thing, because the entire menu sounded amazing.  Still, we had to narrow it down, and so we chose three items: the world famous artichoke, the fire shrimp, and the chicken and avocado quesadilla.

Check out that artichoke!  First of all, I have been to too many restaurants where you only get half a choke.  But in this case, we each got our own very large half.  The artichoke was fire broiled with a chili mayo dip, sprinkled with herbs, and seasoned to perfection.  It was difficult to resist the temptation of sneaking my fingers over to my beloved’s half, but that would have been simply to cruel.

The shrimp were equally generous and delicious.  Each skewer featured six shrimp, fire-broiled with a bit of heat.  It was hard not gobble these up as soon as they appeared on the table.

Last but not least was the organic chicken and avocado quesadilla.  The chicken was moist and flavorful, the cheese was melty, and the tortillas were crispy.  And, who can complain about avocado?  It was another generously-sized tapa.

The best thing about this meal was that you could feel good eating it.  Knowing that the food was not only prepared beautifully, but also with a concious, made every last bite taste even better.

The husband and I felt very lucky to have accidentally stumbled upon this amazing wine country find.

Vineyards Inn is located in amongst the wineries at 8445 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, CA 95452
Phone: (707) 833-4500

The Reviews

If you get a chance to go to San Francisco, please make sure to make a quick stop at Ghirardelli Square and get one of these:

The fudge is made from melted Ghirardelli chocolate.  Yes, it’s an $8 sundae, but I don’t care.  It was amazing.

And, you can pick up some delicious presents for all of your friends at the same time.

Ghirardelli is located in Ghirardelli Square at 900 North Point #142, San Francisco, CA  94109
Phone: (415) 474-1414

The Reviews

Now, the husband is of a different sort.  His favorite kind of bread is the stuff packed in pastic lining the grocery shelves, so he was none too excited to go to this historic land of fresh bread with me.  But, I convinced him that it was something that I simply could not miss while in San Francisco, and yes it had to be the one in the most touristy, crowded area of the city!  I wanted to see the flagship, dammit!

So, off we went, to pay way too much for parking (FYI, the bakery doesn’t validate - you have to eat in the resturant if you want validation), and fight the crowds, in order to taste this delicious bread.

And, let me tell you - I converted my husband that day.

We wanted to go simple, but to order two different things.  We decided to get the clam chowder in a bread bowl (an absolute necessity) and a sourdough pizza (not a necessity, but still very delicious).

Here are the pictures:

And a close up of the star:

The bread was devine.  Chewy, crusty, and sour.  It made the perfect home for the soup, which was creamy, but not too rich.  It also was great as pizza crust - the outside got crispy, but the inside stayed soft, and it wasn’t greasy, which I prefer.  Now that I know about Boudin, I may have to visit the OC bakery in Costa Mesa.

This simple meal is one that can satisty.  We felt it was our best meal in San Francisco, and that’s saying quite a lot.  Definitely keep this bakery on your must-do list.

Boudin Bakery is located at the Fisherman’s Wharf at 160 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, CA  91143
Phone: (415) 928-1849

The Review

In San Francisco, that steakhouse is John’s Grill.  John’s isn’t only famous by movie-star standards.  It’s also famous by literary standards.  Yes, this is the John’s Grill that was featured in Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.  This fact is prominently displayed on their water glasses:

Now, I believe that you can judge a restaurant by its freebies.  Between the fresh sour dough bread and the gratis sparkling water, I had a good feeling right off the bat.  Our friendly, buttoned-up waitress gave me an even better feeling.  She was able to direct us as far as what was the best seafood item - the broiled seabass - which I promptly ordered.  The husband went with the New York strip.  Both dishes came with a small pile of vegetables and a baked potato.

Here is the seabass:

Yes, that is a butter sauce.  And, here is the steak:

As you can see, the husband’s beans fared much better than mine.  But, you don’t go to John’s Grill for the beans, which weren’t great.  You go for the meatiness of it all.

If I were to sum up both dishes with one word, it would be “rich”.  Again, did you see that butter sauce?  And, look at the sheen on that steak - I would bet it’s more butter.  Plus, you can stuff your potato with more butter AND sour cream.  It was a good thing we walked there.

The food was decent.  The patrons mostly looked like they had just gotten off work, or were attending some sort of business meeting.  The service was impeccable.  And, the bill was $60 with no drinks, appetizers, or desserts.  But the ambiance - the crisp white linens, the oak walls, the black and white photos, the plush chairs - you get a sense of history.  It’s a true, American steakhouse.  I’m not saying that I would go back, but I’m not saying I regret going.  It’s that type of place.

Historic John’s Grill is located in Downtown San Francisco at 63 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA  94103
Phone: (415) 986-3274

The Reviews

When we arrived, it was easy to spot with its multi-colored sign and its long line outside.  In fact, it was the only restaurant around that had a wait, and we took this as a good sign for what was to come.  Even though there was a line, it didn’t take too long to get in.  The service is very speedy inside, and everything is very efficient.  You don’t end up with just one waiter.  Instead, who ever is closest to you will help you at any given time.

Once inside, the husband and I were seated at a four-top with a mother and daughter traveling together from England.  This family-style seating can sometimes annoy me, but we lucked out as the women we sat next to were both friendly and interesting.

To start, the husband and I shared the sizzling rice soup:

While I would say it wasn’t exactly sizzling, it did have a very nice flavor.  The veggies in it were fresh and crunchy, which added a nice texture mixed with the rice and hot broth.

We also chose to each order our own entrees.  One thing to note: everything is served family-style, and the portions are huge!  Two entrees and one soup were more than we needed.  It probably could have fed an additional two people.  So, order accordingly, or bring a larger group!

Anyway, our two entrees were the Nanking Noodle and the Sesame Chicken.

First to arrive was the Nanking Noodle.  I actually added brocolli to this, because it didn’t come with enough vegetables for my taste.  You can add any vegetables you want for an additional price per veggie.

Here it is, half devoured!

This noodle dish packed big flavor, especially in the form of garlic.  I am a big garlic fan, so I found these noodles to be delicious.  The veggies (cabbage, pea pods, and brocolli) were crisp and fresh.  I would definitely order this again.

Next up was the sesame chicken:

This was another great, signature dish.  The chicken is crispy and drenched in a sticky, sweet sauce.  The surprise is that it’s served with sliced sweet potato and sliced Chinese squash.  The sweet potato adds to the overall sweetness of the dish.  The Chinese squash is a nice way to offset the chicken and sweet potato.  It’s crisp, like an apple, and has a fresh, slightly bitter taste which clenses the palate from all of that sweetness.  I would definitely recomend one order of this chicken, as well.

In all, House of Nanking was worth the wait and lived up to the hype.  I think it’s best suited for a larger group - as I said, we spent about $35, and had enough left over for at least one other person, if not two.  It would be great to come here for a small celebration and order a few dishes to share.  But, if in a larger group, I would suggest getting there early, so they can get you in a big enough table.

House of Nanking is located in Chinatown at 919 Kearny St, San Francisco CA 94133
Phone: (415) 421-1429

The Reviews

But really, you are only going for one reason: the Danish pancakes.

Sure, you may love the thatched roof:

Or, even the quaint menu:

But, neither are as delicious as their Danish Pancakes.  You can order them on their own, or for about $1.50 more, you can get eggs and sausage or bacon to go with.  If you go with sausage, you will have the choice of American or Danish.  When the husband and I went, he chose American, so I chose Danish.  To be honest, I prefer the American.  But really, next time I would just order the pancakes and skip the rest.  The eggs are nothing to write home about, and American sausage is American sausage.  The pancakes are the real winner.

As you can see from the picture, they are huge!  The size of a relatively big plate.  But, don’t be nervous.  They are also very thin - just a bit thicker than a crepe.  They are only cooked on one side.  Served up with butter, real maple syrup, and a sifting of powdered sugar, these pancakes are delicious.  I would definitely prefer these over the thick, stacked, American version, any morning of the week.

Note: you can also top yours off with fruit (strawberries, apples…) and whipped cream.  Although that sounds amazing, it’s a bit too much for me.  Still, something to think about if you happen to be in the area.

Paula’s also has Beligum waffles, which I was tempted to try.  But, then I decided Solvang is a Danish town, not a Belgium one.  So, again, when in Rome….

Paula’s Pancakes is located in the heart of Solvang at 1531 Mission Drive, Solvang, CA  93463
Phone: (805) 688-2867

The Reviews