Trenholm Plaza restaurant adds flavor to classics
Mention to a friend that you鈥檝e found a breakfast joint that serves crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and fluffy pancakes, and you might not elicit much excitement.
Isn鈥檛 that a bare minimum for a breakfast diner?
So how does Original Pancake House 鈥� the Columbia mainstay at Trenholm Plaza 鈥� differentiate itself from, well let鈥檚 say, IHOP? Time after time, the restaurant serves outstanding food, offers a wide array of options and provides stellar service.
There is always a wait, which is quite remarkable considering the cavernous restaurant serves food quickly and jams tables together so closely you can hear three conversations at once. On a recent Saturday morning, an awestruck couple gazed into each others鈥� eyes five feet to my left. To my right, another couple met a priest for counseling.
Diners at two-tops exchanged glances at dishes dripping with fresh fruit, specialty syrups and dollops of whipped cream 鈥� each new dish leaving diners envious of their neighbors, doubting whether they had indeed picked the perfect waffle.
Once you sit, you鈥檙e quickly prodded along to order. And that can be quite a challenge, because the menu is page after page of delectable options. There are waffles and chicken sandwiches, burgers and crepes. And everything looks equally appetizing.
The pumpkin pecan pancakes, served six to a plate for just over $6, are sweet enough that you barely need syrup. Pecan crumbles and pumpkin flavoring are folded into the pancakes and sprinkled on top, giving a consistently delicious taste to every bite.
An apple Belgian waffle 鈥� perfectly crisped and served with slivers of fresh apple and a ladle of the restaurant鈥檚 signature bright pink apple syrup that tastes like heaven鈥檚 honey 鈥� doesn鈥檛 disappoint.
The delicate crepes are jam-packed with fruit but don鈥檛 overpower. The strawberries inside always seem fresh, whether it鈥檚 May or December.
A simple platter of creamy grits, fresh eggs and 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒ed sausage will suffice for the simplest of diners, but the menu encourages adventure. The priest discussed earlier ordered a Dutch baby and stared at it incredulously when it arrived 鈥� the chain鈥檚 staple plate piles whipped butter, lemon and powdered sugar on the deep-dish 鈥淕erman pancake.鈥�
And although there鈥檚 enough on the breakfast menu to keep you occupied, the Pancake House does offer a smaller menu of lunch options. You won鈥檛 go wrong with the chicken cheesesteak or homemade burger, both of which drew raves from recent dining companions.
The restaurant does have a few downfalls. The coffee is average; you would be better served to stop by the Starbucks, conveniently located two doors away. And expect to pay at least $8 for breakfast and $10 for lunch or dinner if you want a drink.
And, yes, Original Pancake is a chain restaurant.
It is a chain restaurant without a chain feel, a place where you can quickly become a local and eat some of Columbia鈥檚 best breakfast food.
But please, don鈥檛 order just the grits and eggs.