Matty's Pancake House, Willowbrook

Matty's Restaurant & Pancake House
10S642 Route 83
Willowbrook, IL 60527

April 15, 2008



Matty's is one of those places that has been in business forever, and will probably stay in business until the end of time, even though it doesn't get a lot of customers. Walking in, you can just tell that the few old people there are the same old people who have been having breakfast there every day since 1972.

It's also very easy to miss. Maybe it was the needlessly confusing directions we got off of Google Maps (I don't think their definition of a "slight left" is the same as mine), but we drove past this restaurant twice. It's a fairly big building, and right by the roadside, so I can't really explain why we failed to see it when we were actively looking for it. Maybe the restaurant owners don't want to be overwhelmed with customers, so they have some sort of high-tech, psychic cloaking device around their building, designed to deflect the attention of passers-by. Like the Shadow, Matty's Pancake House has the power to cloud the minds of men.

We walked in to see a small dining room with standard pancake-house decor. Do you know why faux-stained glass is so popular in pancake houses? Me neither, but I have to admit there is something oddly soothing about it. Maybe just because it reaffirms my preconceptions about pancake houses. If there's one thing in this world I can count on, it's the presence of that faux-stained glass with some kind of floral design.



Despite the tired aura of the place, service was remarkably quick. We ordered, I got up to use the restroom, and when I got back, our food was already there. I ordered a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. Pretty good. About what you'd expect, which pretty much sums up the whole experience.



Joe here. This was my first time visiting Matty's, and definitely my last. I'm not sure I've ever paid to put myself through such an unpleasant half hour as this. What a horribly depressing place this was. The food wasn't bad but I'd gladly trade the entire experience for a box of stale Eggos and a hotplate.

Yahoo has Matty's listed as "Matty's Family Restaurant," which is kind of like listing the Yearning for Zion ranch a Mormon church or Bad Newz Kennels as a pet shop. If I had kids, I'd sooner take them to Hooters in the middle a frat outing or to Buffalo Wild Wings while UFC 84 plays on the big screen. Matty's might look like a pancake house, but walking through its doors isn't unlike stumbling into the basement bar of your local VFW as a table of vets swap stories about how many gooks they killed back in 'Nam. I have a picture of the greasy slobs we were seated next to during our meal -- asking for a different table really wouldn't have removed us from their presence by more than an extra ten feet -- but I get the feeling that they were either mobsters or ex-cops, so I'm not going to post it here.

I swear every day, almost on the hour and often in public, so I can't judge anyone else if they do the same. But when you're in a restaurant having a conversation loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, you'd expect the owner to step in and do something about it, right? Nah, these were his bros. If they wanted to shout about "that cocksucker down at the VA" who stuck them too hard with the needle the last time they went to get their shots, or refer to "that son of a bitch" in every other sentence, that was just fine. Hell, he was sitting down with them, goading them on along with the serving staff. I almost lost my brunch when they started grabbing the waitresses by the wrists, pulling them close and groping them from behind. I can't pinpoint why I found this so revolting without revealing my deepest prejudices about class and my worst fears about aging. Regardless, it was a harrowing display that makes me cringe in light of so many of my favorite restaurants closing as of late. Why not this one instead?

I'm still trying to figure out why fifty cents was tacked onto our bill after it had been printed. Judging by the confused and semi-disgusted reaction I got from the owner when I went to pay at the register, it's not unimaginable to assume that it could be some kind of special fee they have for customers paying with debit cards. Maybe he considers them a nuisance? It took him a few minutes and multiple swipes to figure out how to process it. If anyone else has any other ideas about this -- other than it being a tax for elitist jackasses like me -- I'd like to know.

I know times are tough right now. Gas is more expensive than ever, good jobs are hard to find, and everyone is looking for ways to save their money. Unfortunately, for many families that's going to mean eating out less often than they're used to. I'd hate to recommend this, but in the case of Matty's I sincerely hope that their customers reconsider their continued patronage of this sketchy operation. Making pancakes with your loved ones at home is more fun, anyway. Make breakfast special today and pass by this dump at all costs.

Golden Acres Restaurant, Sugar Grove

Golden Acres Restaurant
5S094 State Route 47
Sugar Grove, IL 60554

March 20, 2008



According to my parents, the Golden Acres Restaurant has been open since before I was even born. Based on watching most of the customers that I've seen there on each of my visits, this doesn't seem surprising. It's the closest restaurant to Waubonsee Community College, which borders it directly to the west just across route 64, but as far as I can tell, it's never been a hangout spot for students (as if such destinations exist for community college students at all). I know there was talk of it closing a few years ago, but as far as I can tell, it's always been open. I could have sworn that its full name was "Candy's Golden Acres." Maybe it still is?

You won't find much beyond traditional pancakes and waffles at Golden Acres. The selection is pretty basic, but the prices are reasonable. Without much to choose from, I just ordered some pancakes. But still, which to choose from? There's the "short stack" for $3.65, or the Golden Pancakes for $3.95. What's the difference? Who cares! They're called Golden Pancakes, and I had to find out why. Sadly, they failed to live up to their awe-inspiring name. But however could they?



Not much more to say about Golden Acres. If you want a restaurant with a roadside diner vibe (only without the smoking cooks or biker gangs) and cheap food, you've come to the right place. Just be sure to bring cash.

Ayinsan here. One of the nice things about this blog is that it gives us a reason to visit pancake houses that are kind of off the beaten path, and this is about as far off the path as they come. Surrounded by fields and trees, this is pretty much the only building in sight (except for maybe a grain silo).

We'd been here once before, awhile back, and my memories of it were pretty accurate. Small, mostly empty (though that could have been the time of day--we came in around early afternoon) and peaceful. I got pigs in a blanket. Yum.



All things considered, it's a nice little place, but their selection is rather limited. They have a few breakfast combos, of varying sizes, called, in descending order: "for dad," "for mom," and "for children." Cute, but it places the customers in an awkward position if they want to order one of these combos, but don't fit the description. I mean, I'm not a mom so I'd feel a little weird ordering the "for mom" combo, and even weirder ordering the "for dad" combo.

Kiwanis Club of Aurora, 58th Annual Pancake Day

Kiwanis Club of Aurora
Aurora Central Catholic High School
1255 N. Edgelawn Dr.
Aurora, IL 60506

March 15, 2008



I was coming home from work late on Friday night when I saw this banner staked outside of the fire station. I really had no idea what I'd be getting into, but I knew what my Saturday morning plans would be.



The breakfast was held at Aurora Central Catholic High School, which despite being just about a mile from my apartment, I had to look up online to find. Fortunately, the parking lot was well-marked with directions once I arrived and it was easy to tell where I needed to go from there. Even without the signs, I probably could have followed the steady flow of hungry people towards the cafeteria. It was hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Aurora, which donates proceeds to youth programs around the world.

I knew it was probably going to be busy, but I was surprised to walk in and see such a packed room, not just with customers but with lots of volunteers running about, seating people and refilling drinks. I paid my $5, got in line, and watched the operation as I passed by the kitchen. Even with two of these turntable griddles running, it was all they could do to make them fast enough.



I exchanged my ticket for a plate of three pancakes and three sausages and was directed to one of the long cafeteria tables, the kind which I haven't sat at since high school. I seated myself in the middle of my row of tables, later realizing this was a big mistake as getting attention for coffee and juice refills proved most troublesome, but at least I was surrounded by lots of other people to talk to. Right? I appreciated the invitation to engage in my community and to get to know my neighbors. That's what these get-togethers are for, right? But getting to eat my pancakes and sausage in peace without being hassled by anyone else is something I appreciate even more, and despite the busy, almost chaotic action all around me, it was still a really laid-back morning for everyone who was sitting down.

Three pancakes and sausage were really enough for me, though as my syrup-coated paper plate left my hand for the trashcan, a volunteer at the table next to me approached with another heaping plate of steaming pancakes. Looks like I was seconds too late for seconds. Next year I'll be better prepared.

International House of Pancakes, Aurora

International House of Pancakes
2455 Augusta Way
Aurora, IL 60506-6444

February 12, 2008



Ah, IHOP. You can't really have a pancake blog without saying a few things about IHOP. Okay, so we mainly went because it was National Pancake Day and they were giving out free shortstacks. I recognize that this is basically a marketing tactic to lure people in so they will spend money on overpriced juice, coffee, and side-orders of bacon. And we did end up spending about five dollars for two juices, plus tip. But hey! Free pancakes!



I almost never try the flavored syrups when I go to IHOP, but today I decided to sample the strawberry and blueberry syrup. Not bad, but I still prefer the good old-fashioned maple syrup. The pancakes were good. What else can you say about IHOP, really? It's IHOP. If you're looking for atmosphere or old-fashioned, genuine home cooking, you'll probably be disappointed, but when you just want pancakes, they're there for you.

At first we were kind of hesitant to come in for National Pancake Day. The IHOP website encouraged customers to make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network when they came in for free pancakes. Not that we mind giving to worthy charities, you understand, but we were worried it was going to be one of those high-pressure scenarios where the waitress comes up to your table and says, "Okay, how much can I put you down for?" And they have a sheet with boxes you're supposed to check for $10, $15 or $20. And you say, "W-well, actually, I was just going to give a few dollars..." And she gets this blank look and says, "Oh. Okay. Well...let me talk to my manager. Maybe we can get a special sheet for you." And then you're left sitting there feeling really cheap while the other customers look at you and shake their heads and say, "Did you hear that? They only want to donate a few dollars to the Children's Miracle Network. What's wrong with them? Don't they care about the children?"

Actually, it was nothing like that. There was a box by the door with a slot that you could drop money through.

This was actually the first time we'd been to this IHOP location, even though it's just a five-minute drive away. There are so many other choices. Still, IHOP did not disappoint.



Joe here. I've always known that this day was coming, but I'd always wanted to put it off for as long as possible. When we started this blog, we wanted to explore as many different pancake houses as we could, not just national chains like the International House of Pancakes. Most of these family-owned restaurants have a character and culture that's completely unique to them, though inexperienced by passers-by and wholly unknown outside of their communities.

IHOP's steady encroachment into our communities -- now at over 1,300 locations in North America -- doesn't bother me so much as the privileged place it's taken up in our collective imaginations. When most people think of pancakes, where do their minds wander? To their local pancake house? Or to that familiar, blue-roofed destination of retirees, bored kids, goth RPG'ers, and drunken revellers everywhere? You know the answer. IHOP is cheap, quick, and within driving distance of almost anywhere in the contiguous 48 states. But how it became synonymous with gourmet breakfasts in the minds of most consumers is beyond me. Granted, many people solely consume IHOP pancakes as "hangover food" and who am I to judge them? But since most of their customers are bound to plain Bisquick flapjacks at home, getting a Rooty Tooty Fresh 'n Fruity or anything else covered in whipped cream and fruit compote is a rare treat indeed. Of course, their local "pancake house" offers the same meals, but why take a chance on something you don't know?

So here we are in 2008, cameraphone brats have reached a critical mass, independent restaurants are folding left and right as a recession looms, and real food critics are finally breaking down and taking IHOP seriously. And if their all-you-can-eat pancakes promotion wasn't enough, IHOP has taken the next logical step and just started giving them away. Traditionally, their observance of National Pancake Day would fall on Shrove/Fat Tuesday, but apparently voting in the February 5 "Super Tuesday" primary AND finishing a plate of three hotcakes simply would be too much for the average American to do in just one day, so the holiday observance was moved to one week later.

Just to be clear, all you're getting is a plate of three regular pancakes, which hardly anyone settles for if they're sitting down for a meal at IHOP. Maybe they were counting on lots of orders for side items and juices? A kind of reciprocal altruism from customers in return for their generosity? Before I get too cynical, IHOP did raise over $875,000 this year for the Children's Miracle Network from customer donations. And the hot-buttered pancakes... aren't that bad. Enjoy your choice of four super-sugary syrup flavors, or just a warmed container of original flavor. The dispensers, along with the coffee urns, now sport a stylish metallic finish. No more cracked blue plastic!



All we purchased were two glasses of orange juice -- one small, one large -- though they were practically the same size. It probably wasn't freshly-squeezed, but what did you expect?

This was my first visit to IHOP in a few years, and probably my last for a while. Still, it's good to come back and see that it's really not the dive that I remembered it being. All the same, it's a big world out there and anyone who loves breakfast would do themselves a favor to venture outside of their comfort zone and try something different for a change. You can enjoy IHOP for what it is, but support your local family restaurants, too. Don't worry, Cliff isn't going to hunt you down. Though it looks like he could if he wanted to.

Golden Nugget Pancake House, Chicago (Lincoln Park)

Golden Nugget Pancake House
2720 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614

January 23, 2008



We hadn't planned on visiting the Golden Nugget in Lincoln Park, but we were short on time and slightly famished, and finding street parking near any other restaurant that looked promising was proving to be much more difficult than we expected. The Golden Nugget offered the most tempting of amenities that made dining there an easy choice for us: free parking in their adjacent lot.

This is the second Golden Nugget franchise we've visited, but it's really on another level compared to the location on Irving Park Road: bigger, cleaner, and with better service. Even the sprawling, colorful, glossy menu outclassed the one we'd last read at the other Golden Nugget. Or maybe all their restaurants have these new ones now? The stained glass windows might not be on loan from the Smith Museum or anything, but I resent Centerstage's dismissal of them as "faux stained glass." Do you really want to offer up the real thing within arm's length to the drunken stragglers and hyper kids that probably come stumbling in at 2 a.m.?



I ordered the all fruit waffle. "Fresh and fruity. Covered with strawberries, blueberries, and apple compote. Topped with bananas and whipped cream." Sure, the toppings look delicious, but what you're really witnessing is a fruit flood bursting through the whipped cream levee that was built around it as a last resort. Was this disaster brought on by natural causes, or was it an intentional act of destruction? No, I don't have proof, but someone has to pay.

Amanda here. Joe pretty much said it all. Finding this restaurant was a pleasant surprise...and it's a nice, cozy place to eat on a snowy night. I got the strawberry waffle, which was pretty much like Joe's waffle, but without the massive orgy of fruit on top. Just plain strawberries...the ooey gooey kind (yum!) surrounded by a whipped cream wall. Can't beat a good strawberry waffle.

Clarke's Pancake House, Chicago

Clarke's Pancake House
2441 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614

January 16, 2007

Despite the fact that it was advertised as "Clarke's Pancake House" online, the sign said "Clarke's Bar and Grill" on the front of the restaurant, leading us to wonder if we'd made a terrible mistake. I don't typically think of a "bar and grille" as a place where you can get breakfast entrees. Luckily, Clarke's does have an all-day breakfast menu. Mostly pancakes and waffles, with some egg dishes. I was disappointed by the lack of breakfast combos--if you want pancakes and eggs, you pretty much have to order them as two separate items. But the blueberry pancakes I got were delicious, with plenty of compote on the side. Mmm, compote!



The decor was rather aggressively fun and cute--little clouds painted on the blue ceiling, faux 1940's posters with wacky sayings on the walls, et cetera. Even the menus were covered with old black and white photos of people with humorous cartoon thought bubbles over their heads. I'm not saying that's bad. Maybe "fun and cute" is your thing. I'm just saying they came on a bit strong. It's still not nearly as bad as, say, Applebee's or TGI Friday's, where the "fun" is rammed down your throat with a hot poker, and Clarke's felt more authentic, anyway, like the decorating choices were made by a person and not a circle of men in business suits with dark, shadowy faces and reflective glasses, sitting around a table and saying things like, "We must focus our core competencies and formulate a new paradigm to increase the bottom line" in their deep, monotone voices.

Joe here. Our first visit to Clarke's, and for a few minutes as we drove in a circle down Lincoln, Sheffield, and Fullerton, it looked like our trip might have been in vein. There was a Clarke's at the very address we were seeking... but Clarke's Bar and Grille? Had they been muscled out of the breakfast business by the Chicago pancake mafia, or had Lincoln Park gentrified ordinary restaurants out of existence in favor of yet more bars? Fortunately, Lincoln Park denizens still need both; Clarke's Pancake House sits next door, inconspicuous from outdoors but every bit the classic, archetypal breakfast diner inside.

Their menu offers specials for every meal, but there's a good emphasis on pancakes and waffles. I chose the multi-grain waffles, which came with a side of fruit and yogurt. I wasn't really sure if I was supposed to put the yogurt on the waffles or eat it by itself. I ended up dipping my most of my waffles into it. However you choose to eat them, they're really good. Everyone needs a healthy break from the whipped cream orgies that most pancake and waffles dishes have become in this young century.



We passed on coffee and juice, sticking to water while trying to save a few dollars for the rest of the day out. I proceeded to spill said water all over the floor while haphazardly sliding my glass across the table. I should have been more careful, and I apologize to the busboy who was stuck with the job of mopping up my mess. In my defense, I hadn't noticed or expected such a dramatic drop in height from one table to the next. But that was my mistake.

Another mistake? Thinking I could pull up to this parking meter two doors down from Clarke's (while giving the car behind me enough room to safely pull out) without getting a ticket. I'd never knowingly park in a crosswalk, but that's because I've been brought up understanding that crosswalks are designated by markings like these, and have to be more than just unmarked, corresponding dips in the curb (at an intersection without any stop signs to aid pedestrians, no less). Would a dictionary definition have given me a chance to fight this in court? Would taking a day off work and negotiating the one-hour commute each way to Chicago to fight it have been worth it? Did I have a chance? Probably not.

Nick's Breakfast House, Brookfield

Nick's Breakfast House
9132 31st St
Brookfield, IL 60513

January 8, 2008



Nestled next to a dry cleaners and a convenience store, Nick's Breakfast House is a cozy little restaurant with less than a dozen tables, and selective offering of low-priced breakfast dishes. It's less than a mile from the Brookfield Zoo, so if you're attending the zoo on any of its free admission days (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays through the end of February) out of financial necessity, Nick's might be the affordable breakfast that you've been looking for.

But I'm having trouble coming up with any other possible reason to stop by. The pancakes are adequate but nothing to write home about. My bacon strips were the most thinly sliced I've ever seen. I'd missed having my coffee earlier in the morning and was pretty desperate for some when we walked in. We arrived more than an hour before their 2:00 closing time. I was told they were done serving coffee for the day, unless I wanted the decaf they had still had left. I didn't bother to look, but maybe that steaming cup of coffee pictured on their sign has a tiny asterisk next to it.



Ayinsan here. Not a whole lot else to report about Nick's. The food was fine, though the menu choices were rather limited--no crepes, blintzes or anything fancy, just the usual pancake/waffle/French toast, along with assorted omelettes and skillets. I got the basic breakfast combo. Our waitress was friendly enough, and the food came very quickly, but the whole coffee thing is rather perplexing. She told us something about how her supervisor would get on her case if she brewed another pot, so it's not like they were out of coffee, they just didn't want to make anymore. If we'd decided to make a bigger deal about it, she probably would have brewed a new pot for us, but really, should you have to make a big deal about getting a cup of coffee? At a pancake restaurant?

Juicy-O Pancake House, Downers Grove

Juicy-O Pancake House
2942 Finley Rd.
Downers Grove, IL 60515

December 11 and 17, 2007



We visited Juicy-O on the way to a job interview I had more than a year ago, enjoyed our meal there immensely, and then promptly forgot not just its name but also the suburb that we were passing through when we found it. The only thing I remembered about its location was its proximity to a Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant, which is all we had to go by for quite some time until I found this last week. I don't know if this completely validates the existence of Downers Grove or not, but at least it's a start.



The first thing you'll notice while walking in the door is the abundance of pictures and signs hanging up. A lot of breakfast restaurants put up framed posters on their walls; specifically, I've seen this, this, this, and ones like this hanging up in different family restaurants/pancake houses, not just here but in other states. Juicy-O isn't content to mimic this motif of contrived spontaneous nostalgia. Instead, their gallery consists not of faux-vintage prints, but framed quotes in the form of arcastic observations, quasi-motivational sayings, self-deprecatory humor and various other maxims and adages. I never want to be "that guy," but despite the head-scratching stupidity of so many of these, I caught myself reading a few out loud, probably to the annoyance of the surrounding waitstaff.



Juicy-O make choosing the perfect breakfast easy: their entire menu is available on their website. On my first visit, I ordered the "pancake flight": one order of pancakes topped with strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. Very good, maybe not as great as The Manor's assorted fruit pancake, but a great bargain for anyone who loves fruit pancakes. Some whipped cream would complement this nicely. I guess I could have requested some. I also wish I'd taken a sharper picture of it all than this. The plate wasn't sliding across the table at a high speed or anything, so there's really no excuse for the blurry atrocity of a photograph pictured below.



Returning to Juicy-O a week later, I wanted something different. Crepes? Waffles? I went with French toast, "Thick Cinnamon Swirl" French toast. This was an adequate breakfast but wasn't as rich as I'd hoped. No cinnamon butter spread either, unfortunately. Maybe Juicy-O was watching out for my health.



I get the feeling that even with three visits under our belt, we're still only scratching the surface of what Juicy-O has to offer. I haven't even mentioned their juice bar, or the free (and delicious) doughnuts they offer during breakfast. All this in a spacious, colorful, and fun restaurant, with fewer gimmicks than my rambling description has probably suggested. I can't wait to go back again! And no, I'm not just saying that to get their customer of the month award.

Ayinsan here. On our first visit to Juicy-O, I had the banana foster French toast. I remember it being good, though that was so long ago I can't say much else about it. On our second visit, a few weeks ago, I had Juicy-O's basic breakfast combo--two pancakes, two eggs, two sausage links and two bacon strips. Most breakfast places have some variation of this. It's a nice balance of foods, and all very tasty. Their pancakes are soft and fluffy, the eggs look and taste like real eggs, the sausage was big and juicy and the bacon was...bacon-y.



On our most recent visit I tried the strawberry pancakes. Not bad, but strawberries and pancakes is not the best combination. Strawberries are great with waffles or blintzes, but pancakes, I have found, are best in their purest and simplest form, their warm fluffy goodness graced only with melted butter and maple syrup.



Joe's already remarked on the large number of framed saying on the walls. They range from mildly clever to irritating to nonsensical. "I used to have a dog, and he was a good dog" reads ones, "but these days he'd be a 'Canine American.'" Okay, whatever that means. Another reads, "Sarcasm is one of the many services we offer," but no one in the restaurant offered us sarcasm, so I think that qualifies as false advertising.



I should comment on Juicy-O's "bubble tea." I'd never had bubble tea before, and based on the name, I was expecting it to be kind of like, you know, tea. Actually, it was more like a fruit smoothie. Very thick. Not that that's a bad thing, I just wasn't prepared for it. I got the "peaches and cream" flavor. You can get bubble tea with or without tapioca. I am not wild about tapioca in general, but in the past I'd only encountered it in pudding. Here, it came in the form of free-floating, dark blue globules near the bottom of the glass. Chewing on one of these is a unique experience. One was enough for me, but if you like tapioca you might have a different reaction.

Overall? I recommend Juicy-O. Tasty food, and the prices, while not cheap, are about what you'd expect for a restaurant of this type. Just be forewarned; the framed sayings on the walls, while not particularly funny, are strangely addictive to read, and you will find yourself attempting to read every single one.

Spring View Family Restaurant, St. Charles

Spring View Family Restaurant
1650 W Main St
St. Charles, IL 60174

November 25, 2007



I didn't know what to expect from Spring View. We've driven past it before, but I never really noticed it, so this visit was a pleasant surprise. The interior is pretty nice, clean, cozy and well-lit. As you can see, there's kind of a mauve color scheme going on with the chairs and ceiling fixtures...or is that lavender? Something like that. There's lots of plants too. If you happen to be a Viking lord or a rough-edged biker covered with tattoos of knives and snarling tigers, the decor may not be to your tastes, but otherwise it's pretty nice. I also enjoyed the bobble-head dogs near the front entrance. Yes, I'm easily amused.




I got a waffle with whipped cream and strawberries. The menu claims these are "frozen fresh strawberries," which seems like a contradiction to me. I mean, I understand fresh fruit to be fruit that has not been frozen. These strawberries seemed like frozen ones, which I actually prefer, at least on waffles (they're juicier, and their juice soaks into the waffles and makes them ooey gooey good). Maybe the menu writers worried that if they just put "frozen strawberries," people would expect it to show up topped with strawberries frozen in ice-cubes.



In any case, the waffle was good...and surprisingly cheap. There are places where you'd have to pay $7.50 for a waffle with whipped cream and strawberries. This was $5.50, and it tasted great and filled me up.

Ah yes, and how could I forget the koi pond? This is the only pancake restaurant I've been to with a koi pond. And there are lots of those fish in there, all different colors, some nearly a foot long. Surprisingly, they were still pretty active despite the cold weather. The promise of koi was what lured me to this restaurant in the first place. Apparently the pond attracts visitors of the non-human variety as well. Once (according to a waitress) a hawk swooped down and grabbed the biggest koi out of the pond with its talons, and raccoons have been spotted sneaking about as well. I don't know if these fish have any kind of self-awareness, but I imagine their lives are similar to that of the Eloi in that H.G. Wells story. Most of the time it's pretty easy--they just float around and eat--but every so often one of them is snatched and carried to an early and gruesome death. Alas, poor koi.



Joe here. I'm not sure if I've ever been to the Spring View restaurant before this past week. We've been driving past it for years, but always on our way to Colonial, Baker's Square, or the the late, great Manor in downtown St. Charles. It never looked like much from the outside, and being surrounded by guardrails and brick walls, it always seemed like more of a fortress than a restaurant. The sign's been missing those letters for a few months now, too. All this never did much to draw me inside, but last week I finally faced my fears and gave it a chance.

Spring View doesn't bill itself as a pancake house, at least not on their sign outside. But pancake-phobes seeking refuge from those soft, steamy platters of their nightmares will be in for a horrifying surprise when they receive their menu. Their breakfast menu is on the back, and what they lack is selection is made up for by some pretty good prices. My blueberry pancakes weren't even $5.00!



My only real complaint? Our food arrived extremely quick, but felt like it had already been sitting out for minutes. The pancakes were good, but would have been better if they'd only been a little hotter. Nothing to write home about, but worth trying again, especially if you're on a budget.



Don't fall for his dirty tricks.

Higgley's Restaurant, Arlington Heights

Higgley's Restaurant
2240 S. Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

November 17, 2007



I used to live about a half mile down the road from Higgley's. I probably dined there on fewer than a half-dozen occasions, but I loved the place. Really, I did. Great comfort food, and it was cheap! Higgley's was usually close to empty in the late afternoon, well after the midday lunch rush but before the early dinner customers would begin to show up. That's when I would usually wander in, awaiting free rolls and the sense of reassurance that comes from being the youngest person in the room. Usually, I'd order a soup and sandwich, but I liked their pancakes too, and was looking forward to trying them again, for the first time in over a year. Higgley's wasn't exclusively a breakfast restaurant, but breakfast was always on the menu, and the atmosphere felt like a pancake house, or at least a family restaurant. Though unfortunately, I never saw any actual families at any of the tables. They were probably at the Denny's across the street on Algonquin Road, or in the IHOP a half mile to the north on Golf Road. Their loss.

So maybe I should have seen it coming, but I was still shocked and saddened when we pulled into the Higgley's parking lot, found it to be distressingly empty, and then saw the neon green posterboard taped to the front door.



So what's the story? "CLOSED DUE TO NON-RENEWAL OF LEASE" doesn't really explain why Higgley's closed. As a restaurant that had been open and operating successfully for years (more than ten, at least twenty, I'm assuming), surely the owners of the business itself would also own the actual property that it was housed in. Right? Or so it would seem. So did Higgley's bow out on their own free will, or did CVS put up an offer that the landowners couldn't refuse?

I could have sworn that Higgley's was open during the past few times that I've driven past it. Should have stopped in while I had the chance, but apparently that chance passed by a long time ago. This blog hosts the only complete news story on the matter that's still online, and the article is more than a year old. So strange to see the same sign still taped to the window today. The latest rumor is that a new BP Station could be moving in, demolishing Higgley's as well as, wait for it... the old BP station next door! This new station would be complete with an AMPM store. If you haven't been inside one, it's a laughable "store-within-a-store" that sells ordinary gas station food and soft drinks in appallingly giant cups. Sometimes those also have a Wild Bean Cafe inside. If you loved the authentic, retro-'50s experience of Wal-Mart's Radio Grill, you'll love the friendly baristas, comfy armchairs, and the Friday night poetry slams at the Wild Bean Cafe.

Ayinsan here. I've only been to Higgley's once. This was back when Joe lived in Arlington Heights and the two of us went there. I had their pancakes, which were decent. The only detail I remember clearly is that their syrup came in little packages rather than the traditional container with a pour-spout and handle, but I, too, was sad to see this little restaurant close down, especially since it might be replaced with yet another CVS. Honestly, how many of those do we need?

Gigi's Pancake House & Restaurant, Naperville

Gigi's Pancake House & Restaurant
2728 W. 111th Street
Naperville, IL 60564

October 9, 2007



Not every pancake house has its own website, so on the uncommon occasion where I find one that does, I'll usually read it pretty thoroughly before heading out the door. Who wouldn't want a sneak preview of where they're going to be spending the next hour in, not to mention a good hour or two's pay? When I first saw the website for Gigi's, I paused to wonder if maybe I should look for some place a little more casual. Flash animation and a snazzy jazz soundtrack? Pretty impressive, maybe even a little intimidating for someone who just wants to get a plate of pancakes. Photos of a sprawling banquet room, tables adorned with expensive silverware, customers wearing designer suits and dresses, toasting Champagne... can I really afford this?

Imagine my surprise when we pull up to the address and find a standard pancake house: no dress code, no maître d', and no white tablecloths in sight. The exquisite pastries featured on Gigi's website? Possibly hidden in the back, though there's a display case full of basic cakes and pies. I've checked and rechecked this site a number of times since then, just to make sure I wasn't looking at a different Gigi's restaurant. Surely there are a few out there that begrudginly share the same name. But the Gigi's online seems to be the same one that we dined at, despite the misleading impressions of its website.



We arrived at mid-afternoon and nearly had the place to ourselves. Pretty standard but inviting interior that does its best to make you forget that you're stranded in a wasteland of suburban strip malls and big box stores. Their breakfast menu features a decent selection of pancakes, and more. I ordered the banana pancakes, pictured below, lurking in the shadows.



Sliced bananas on top, mushed bananas inside, moist, fluffy, and a bit on the heavy side. Whipped cream was provided on the side, which is a good placement for it in this case. Take it as you need it. My freshly squeezed orange juice was like sunshine in a glass. Recommended.



Ayinsan here. Not a whole lot to say about Gigi's. It's cozy, low-key, and has some autumn-y decorations--no tacky paper jack-o-lanterns or dancing skeletons, just some orange leaves festooning the light fixtures. The waitress brought out a bread basket to our table before the meal, which is always nice. Often, when we visit these types of restaurants, we'll be sitting there hungry and we'll be the only people in the restaurant who don't have a basket of succulent muffins and soft, chewy rolls sitting on our table. I don't know if we just send out some kind of anti-bread vibe, or what. We usually either have to request a basket or go without...so it's a pleasant surprise when a basket does show up, even if it's just your basic rolls and crackers, like this one.

I got the blueberry pancakes. In addition to the blueberries baked into the batter, there's some warm blueberry compote on top. Compote is a terribly unappetizing word--it sounds too much like "compost"--but nonetheless it's really good on pancakes. Especially when combined with whipped cream. By the way, I usually have to ask for whipped cream, and some places will even charge extra for it. Here, it came automatically with the pancakes, but it's on the side, so if you don't like whipped cream (but hey, who doesn't?), you can ignore it.

Gigi's might warrant a future visit, if it was a little closer. As it was, we had to drive for what felt like hours, across miles of unknown terrain. I think we crossed a desert at some point, and then had to drive through pirahna-infested rivers in a sweltering jungle. But it was worth it for those pancakes heaped with warm blueberry compote. Mmm, compote.

Grandma Sally's Pancake House, Naperville

Grandma Sally's Pancake House
450 E Ogden Ave.
Naperville, IL 60563

September 8 and September 25, 2007



The actual name of this restaurant is unclear. While it's referred to as "Grandma Sally's Waffle House" online, the name on the sign is "Grandma Sally's Family Restaurant." Whatever you call it, it's a place where you can get breakfast all day, and in my mind that qualifies it as a pancake house, which it also says on the awning.



We've been here twice now. On our first visit, the food was excellent. I got the strawberry blintzes and received a full plate of blintzes, along with an entire bowl of warm, gooey strawberries on the side. They certainly didn't skimp on anything. If you're a blintz person, this is your restaurant.



On the second visit I thought I'd try something different, so I got a cheese omelet with pancakes. Now, omelets are generally not something I get in restaurants, so I don't have a lot to compare this to, but I can't say it was anything to get excited about. The eggs were kind of tough, and rather than being evenly mixed into the omelet, the cheese was all kind of concentrated in a little pocket in the center. The pancakes were passable, the hash browns were pretty good. Though really, it's hard to screw up hash browns. Mix in a little ketchup and salt and you're set.



The interior of the restaurant sports a large painting of Grandma Sally herself, watching over the customers. I'm not sure whether this should give me a warm, fuzzy feeling, or a sort of, "Grandma Sally's got her eye on you, so you'd better not dine and dash or she'll come after you with her razor" feeling.



The front of the menu also sports a painting. There's Sally serving some food to kids at a table. The boy in the center is named Chris (you have to look really closely--his name is on the front of his shirt). The other children, I guess, aren't important enough to get names. It makes me wonder what sort of strings this "Chris" pulled to get his name on the menu while his fellow children languish in obscurity.



Joe here. I don't know why it took this long for us to check Naperville for a pancake house. It's only a few minutes away, and being the fourth largest city in the state -- it doesn't seem to be a question of if it will ever pass Rockford for third, but when -- and is the perfect suburban setting for the pancake house and/or family restaurant. Maybe a little too perfect? I'd post some of those anti-Naperville shirts that were popular two years or so ago but now they only seem to be available as toddler-sized onesies for Wicker Park grups to dress their kids up in. The irony of it all.



The blueberry pancakes I had on my first trip were excellent. Didn't get any blueberry syrup with them, but that's fine. I'm starting to think that flavored syrups were only invented to compensate for bland, dry pancakes, anyway. I had these more than a month ago so I'm afraid I don't remember much about them, except that I was very satisfied and was already looking forward to coming back to Grandma Sally's again soon. Maybe I'd found a new favorite pancake house?

My hopes were dashed upon the second trip. I ordered the Swedish pancakes, the hardy perennial dish that I can always count on, no matter where I go. Grandma Sally's serves theirs with a big bowl of lingonberries, which was a promising sign, but it was much more runny than I usually like. The pancakes themselves were soft and chewy, almost to the point of being soggy. There doesn't seem to be any cut and dry way of making Swedish pancakes, but I prefer a crispy edge to them that these didn't have. No lingonberry butter, either, but less than half of the places I've been to seem to offer that. I don't want to say these were terrible, they just weren't satisfying. Ayinsan's American cheese omlette was disappointingly runny and bland.



I do like the interior of the restaurant; lots of browns and greens, plenty of brass fixtures and hanging plants. You see this sort of thing a lot, but that's precisely the point. It's like an unspoken agreement in the pancake house underground: keep the same motif in every restaurant and customers will feel at home no matter where they go. It's more of a loose tradition than any kind of a corporate-mandated commitment to standards. It's a far cry from Grandma Sally's days of feeding orphans in a log cabin (partially pictured here behind the shoulder of the lonely gentleman). These days, her altruism towards children only only goes to ones that can afford it.