Pancakes

The Pancake House

At The Original Pancake House, we occasionally get letters from our customers letting us know about their experiences at our restaurant.  We want to share this very special letter from one of our youngest customers, Sophia, a 4th grade student at Slavens School.  Sophia’s 4th grade Language Arts teacher, Bo Sager, requested that each member of his class write about their favorite restaurant and then mail a copy of the letter to the owner of the restaurant.  We are so touched by Sophia’s kind words and happy memories of breakfasts with us!  Thank you, Sophia, for sharing your love of pancakes with us!  We look forward to seeing you and your family again soon!

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The Pancake House

The Pancake House is a family friendly place.  You can be loud without any rude comments.  It is a cozy place it not too fancy but everyone is always nice.  The Pancake House is an amazing restaurant.

You might guess what is on the menu.  Pancakes of course.  While there are other things on the menu, pancakes are their best.  They are so good they must put buttermilk because they are full of greatness.  They don’t only use the pancake batter for pancakes.  They also use it for crepes.  They put jelly, fruit, and chocolate on the crepes.  Man the crepes are good.  It feels like a party in your mouth.  I do not like eggs at all.  But the way they cook it makes it great.  The best thing they make with egg is their omelets.  You can ask for stuff like vegetables or bacon.  Might I say that when you ask for bacon it makes it a 100 times better.  If I didn’t get so full after this breakfast I would eat the whole egg omelet.

In one word to explain the service: great.  They are quick to get you a table.  In less than a minute they will have a server at your table.  All of the servers are nice to you.  They always make sure that you are taken care of and the food is good.  This one time for my birthday I went to the Pancake House.  They asked if it was my birthday and I said yes.  10 minutes later, they came with the most delicious crepe. It had jelly and strawberry on it. 

The Pancake House is a great place.  Their food is incredible and it’s at a fair price.  So go now go to the Pancake House the best place to eat in the world.

By Sophia


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Meet Jennifer Cheshek!

Have you met Jennifer Cheshek, our wonderful manager at our Denver Tech Center location?  Jennifer’s big smile and a warm welcome are hard to miss and brighten even the cloudiest day.  We thought you might like to get to know the lady behind the smile.  Read on to learn a bit more about our wonderful DTC General Manager, Jennifer!

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Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from.

A:  My name is Jennifer Cheshek, I was born in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.  I have lived in the Denver metro area since 1986.

 

Q: How long have you been with the Original Pancake House?

A: I have worked at OPH Denver since October 2001.  I started as a server and became a general manager in November 2002.

 

Q: What is your favorite part about working at OPH?

A:  What I love most about my job are all the wonderful guests and the great staff I have had the pleasure to work with.  I am very blessed to work for amazing owners as well.

 

Q: What is your favorite menu item?

A: My favorite menu item is hard to say, there are so many delicious options! I will give my top three:  the Apple Pancake, Cherry Kijafa Crepes, and of course the Bacon!

 

Q: If you could have breakfast with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and what would you eat?

A: I have always said the two people I would love to have a conversation with would be Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.  They seem to be genuine people with great sense of humor.  I would eat our Cherry Kijafa Crepes.

 

 

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing a little bit about you!  The next time you are out for breakfast in Denver at our DTC location, be sure to say “hi” to Jennifer, she loves getting to know her customers!


Congratulations to the Class of 2016!

It is cap and gown season again and we are so proud of our local high school graduates!  We will certainly miss your smiling faces around the breakfast table, but we wish you the best of luck as you head off to college and careers!

In honor of your special day, we’d like to share with you a few of our favorite inspirational graduation high-school-graduationmessages.  Hopefully these words will encourage you and help guide you through the next few years!

 “Just because you don't know what you want yet, it doesn't mean that there's nothing to want.” — Emily Henry

"It’s your turn. And the good news is, you’re ready. And when your journey seems too hard, and when you run into a chorus of cynics who tell you that you’re being foolish to keep believing or that you can’t do something, or that you should just give up, or you should just settle — you might say to yourself a little phrase that I’ve found handy these last eight years: Yes, we can." — Barack Obama

"Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art." — Neil Gaiman

"You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world." — Tom Brokaw

And of course, we have to add a few of our own words of wisdom to the list.  Remember the following and don’t forget to come see us for breakfast out in Denver!

“All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” – Unknown

Good luck Class of 2016!


Celebrate Mom!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner!  We love this special holiday as it is a time to celebrate all of our moms and thank them for their love and support.  Of course one of the best ways to say thank you to mom is to take her out for a nice breakfast in Denver.  We’ll be happy to host your whole family so that you can give mom a much needed and well-deserved morning off!

Here are a couple of other cute gift ideas to show mom that she is special:

 

 

Hand Print Flower Art – Great for kids ages 0-5art

Little ones will need a bit of help from Dad to work the paint, but will love covering their hands in bright colors to make the flower prints on this cute homemade card for mom.

 

 

 

 

Fruit Flower Bouquet – Great for kids ages 6 and up6a00d8341c7dce53ef013480a85771970c-pi

This is a wonderful project to do with young children and makes a very special treat for moms on Mother’s Day.  It would be a great gift to tide everyone over before going out to brunch later in the morning.  Little one’s may need some help from dad to cut the shapes, but then can arrange the fruit flowers on their own!

 

 

 

Homemade Chocolate Truffles – Great for kids ages 10 and upchoco

Instead of buying mom a box of chocolates from the store, gather the whole family (minus mom of course!) and make your own!  Homemade chocolates are easy and make a very fun project for older children.  Plus mom will love this sweet, homemade gift!  Check out the recipe here.

 

 

To all our moms, we wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day from your Original Pancake House family!


Add a little SPRING to your breakfast

Spring is finally in full swing in Denver!  We love the sweet smells of flowering trees and plants, bright green grass, and warm sunshine.  This time of year, we really like to enjoy breakfast dishes that utilize fresh spring produce – both at home and when we go out to breakfast in Denver!

For a comforting and healthy spring breakfast at home, we love this recipe for asparagus and prosciutto strata which utilizes all the fresh flavors of spring.  Served warm on a lovely spring morning alongside a warm cup of coffee and a bright spring berry salad, you’ll be in heaven!  Read on for the recipe below!

Asparagus and Prosciutto StrataBR8331_Norman

Ingredients:

2 slices dense multigrain bread

12 large eggs

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/2 cup dry white wine or low-fat milk

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups halved and very thinly sliced sweet onions

1 cup thinly sliced leek(s), white part only

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch thin asparagus (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup chopped scallions or fresh chives

3 very thin slices prosciutto (about 1 1/2 ounces), torn into strips

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons lemon zest (optional)

 

Directions

  1. Cut bread into 1/4-inch cubes. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in milk, wine (or another 1/2 cup milk), dry mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in the bread. Let stand at room temperature while you prepare the vegetables. (If baking the next day, cover and refrigerate the egg mixture.)
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, leek and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking very gently, stirring occasionally, until the onions have a little color and appear almost melted, 30 to 45 minutes more.
  3. Meanwhile, bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a medium skillet. Add asparagus, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool; pat dry.
  4. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or similar 3-quart dish) with cooking spray.
  5. When the onions are done, stir in scallions (or chives) and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the asparagus over the onion mixture. (If baking the next day: cover and refrigerate the vegetables in the baking dish.)
  6. If the egg mixture and vegetables were refrigerated overnight, remove from the refrigerator, uncover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  8. Scatter strips of prosciutto over the vegetables. Stir 1/4 cup cheese, parsley, mint and lemon zest (if using) into the egg mixture until well combined, then pour the egg mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top.
  9. Bake the strata just until firm to the touch in the middle and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers at least 160°F, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, very carefully cover with foil to keep warm and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare egg mixture (through Step 1) and vegetables (Steps 2-5) and refrigerate separately for up to 1 day; remove from the refrigerator about 1 hour before baking (2 hours before serving).

 

And of course for those days that you’d rather have us cook up a delicious spring breakfast, we have many dishes that will brighten your day including our Seasonal Berry Crepes, Blueberry or Strawberry Waffles, our Garden Benedict, or the Vegetarian Omelet!  Happy Spring Denver!


Breakfast

Celebrate National Hot Breakfast Month!

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We all know by now that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.   If your normal routine of cold cereal is giving you the winter blues, it might be time to spice up your morning with a hot breakfast.  February is the perfect time to switch up the menu as this month is National Hot Breakfast Month.

For those who are on the go and need a very quick meal in the morning, hot oatmeal might be just the ticket.  Simply boil water, mix with instant oats, and you are ready to go.  If you plan ahead, you can even make traditional oats in the slow-cooker overnight and have them piping hot and ready for you as head out the door, check out our recipe here.

In our house, we like to make egg sandwiches each morning.  They are quick, easy, filling, and healthy!  Simply toast English muffins, fry up a couple of eggs, add cheese and ham if you like, and you are ready to eat in just three minutes.  You can even wrap these yummy breakfast sammies up in tin foil and eat them during the morning commute.

On weekends, when we have a little more time, we try our hand at homemade pancakes, waffles, and muffins.  And of course on lazy weekends we celebrate with breakfast out in Denver!  Sometimes it is nice to have your friends at the Original Pancake House do all the work, and clean-up, for you!

From our breakfast table to yours, happy National Hot Breakfast Month!


Chef

Meet Karen Kinney!

You’ve probably seen Karen Kinney’s smiling face around the Original Pancake House each time you head out for breakfast at our Cherry Hills location. Karen was the Manager of our Denver Tech Center location for ten years before she transferred to Cherry Hills to become a General Manager this past October.  We thought you might like to get to know the lady behind the smile.  Read on to learn a bit more about our wonderful General Manager, Karen Kinney!

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Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from.

A: My name is Karen Kinney, and I am from Canada. I was born in a small town in Alberta called Medicine Hat, and raised in British Columbia in a place called Invermere, just outside of the Banff National Park. I met my husband Troy skiing in Kimberley B.C. and moved to Spokane Wash. where we lived until moving to St. Louis Mo. for 2 years, and Clovis Ca. for 8 months, before settling down in Highlands Ranch where we have raised our 2 children.

 

Q: How long have you been with the Original Pancake House?

A: I started as a server for the Original Pancake House Denver Tech Center when my daughter was 4yrs old, and she is now 16 and works as a Host for our Cherry Hills location. Our son also worked for me at the DTC location as a Host while he was in High School. I became a Manager at DTC the same year I started working there and have been with the Franchise for 12 years now. I was promoted in September of last year and given the position of General Manager for the Cherry Hills location.

 

Q: What is your favorite part about working at OPH?

A: My favorite part of working for the Pancake House is the people! I love the staff and guests as they have become my family since my real family is in Canada still. They make me laugh, cry and smile with all of their stories, jokes and antics.

 

Q: What is your favorite menu item?

A: My favorite menu item is always changing; I eat something different every day! But interestingly enough before I started working here I did not like to eat eggs. Now I will crave a simple side of scrambled eggs almost every day.

 

Q: If you could have breakfast with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and what would you eat?

A: It I could have breakfast with anyone I suppose I would choose Lady Diana. She was such an amazing and poised person that had so much to offer in the short time she was with us. With her I would love to show off our delicate Dutch Baby and that would be my breakfast choice, along with a side of our infamous bacon, and hot tea of course!

 

Thank you Karen for sharing a little bit about yourself!  The next time you are out for breakfast in Denver, be sure to say “hi” to Karen, she will always treat you as family.


our Company

Fireside Chat with Melodie Polidori of Polidori Sausage

We love our Polidori Sausage links any time of year, but one of our favorite holiday special menu items is the Polidori Sausage holiday links!  As the holiday links recently made their annual debut on our holiday special menu, we thought it might be fun to sit down with Melodie Polidori and learn a bit more about sausage!

Q:  Polidori has a long history in Denver, can you tell us a bit about how Polidori Sausage began?

Polidori Sausage just celebrated its 90th year in business.  It all began back in August of 1925 when my great grandmother Ana Polidori and her husband Rocco bought a grocery store in North Denver. My grandmother was the butcher at the store while my grandfather ran the grocery part of the store.  When my grandmother was not busy cutting pork chops and steaks for customers she would cook up her family heirloom Italian sausage for customers to sample.  The aroma of the sausage made customers curious how to get Polidori Sausage.  She would sell the sausages from the butcher case.  90 years later we still make her family Italian sausage recipe the same as she did back in 1925.ourCompany_2

 

Q:      What are some of the Polidori Family favorite holiday traditions?

Food---Having stuffed shells with Polidori sausage at my grandparents’ house for Christmas and eating turkey with a to die for stuffing with Polidori Stuffing!!  Another favorite tradition was making Pizzel’s with my grandmother!!!

 

Q:      Can you tell us what special ingredients make your holiday links so delicious? Or is it a family secret?

It starts with the finest cuts of pork and fresh spices.  Cinnamon and nutmeg are two special ingredients as well as fresh currant berries!

 

Q:      What is your favorite breakfast meal?

A breakfast soufflé with Polidori Sausage.

 

Q:      Other than at OPH, where can people find Polidori Sausage in Denver if they need to feed their sausage fix at home?  Do you make other types of sausage in addition to breakfast links?

Polidori Sausage can be found at King Soopers, Safeway, Albertson’s, Spinelli’s Market and Max Market.  We do make maple sausage links as well commonly used at breakfast restaurants.

 

Thanks Melodie!  The next time you join us for breakfast in Denver, definitely try the special holiday sausage links!  You won’t be disappointed. Have a wonderful holiday season!

 


food

FALLing In Love With Apples

When golden fall leaves start to pop against bright blue skies, we know fall has arrived in Colorado.  And when we think of fall at The Original Pancake House, we think of apples!  Apples signify the beginning of harvest season and bring a delightful range of flavors to any fall meal.  Our favorite fall breakfast in Denver is our Apple Pancake with oven baked fresh Granny Smith apples and pure Sinkiang cinnamon glaze.  Read on to learn how to bring the flavors of fall to your breakfast table with this recipe for Apple Pancakes.158

Apple Pancakes

2 eggs, well beaten
1 ½  cups of milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
3 medium apples, peeled and coarsely grated

½ teaspoon cinnamon
Vegetable oil, for frying
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

 

  1. Mix the eggs with the milk in a large bowl.
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar together.
  3. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients and stir in the apples and whatever other flavorings you see fit.
  4. Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over low to medium heat. Drop large spoonful of batter into the pan and cook until golden brown underneath. Flip the pancakes and cook them for an additional two or three minutes.
  5. Either dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately, or keep on a tray in a warmed oven until you are ready to serve them.

From our kitchen to yours, we hope you enjoy this season of sweater weather!  Bon Appetit!


gluten free pancakes

Make it at home: Bacon Pancakes!

Bacon and pancakes are two of the most popular items people order when they go out to breakfast in Denver. gluten-free-maple-bacon-pancakes-1What could be more delectable than a stack of warm pancakes and a side of bacon?  The answer: Bacon Pancakes!  We receive many requests for our Bacon Pancake recipe at The Original Pancake House.  Read on to learn how to make this decadent breakfast treat at home.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 8 slices bacon
  • Pure maple syrup, (optional)

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, and egg. Whisk flour mixture into buttermilk mixture just until moistened, with small to medium lumps remaining.
  2. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet or on a griddle, cook bacon over medium-high until fat is rendered and bacon is browned on one side, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook until golden and crisp on underside, 1 to 3 minutes. Drain bacon on paper towels; pour off all but 1 teaspoon fat from skillet (reserve for another use). Finely chop bacon into small bits and mix into existing batter.
  3. Heat skillet over medium. Pour 1/4-cupfuls batter into skillet. Cook until some bubbles appear on top of pancakes and a few have burst, about 2 minutes. With a spatula, carefully flip pancakes and cook until browned on underside, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and loosely tent with foil. Keep pancakes warm in oven and repeat with remaining batter, adding more bacon fat if needed. Serve with pure maple syrup if desired.

From our kitchen to yours, bon appetit!


Salad

DIY: Homemade Granola

In the heat of summer, one of our favorite breakfast items is our homemade granola with milk or our Fiesta Bowl which includes granola with fresh fruit and yogurt.  Granola makes a nice light breakfast when you are short on time or looking for a healthy start to the day.  Here is one of our favorite homemade granola recipes.  It is a great item to have on hand in the pantry when you don’t have time to join us at The Original Pancake House for breakfast out in Denver!

Homemade Granola62

Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
¾ cup vegetable oil
½  cup good honey
1 ½  cups small diced dried apricots
1 cup small diced dried figs
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a large cookie sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries, and cashews. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.

 

We like to get the kids involved when we make this recipe; everyone enjoys stirring the granola and licking sweet and sticky oats off their fingers!  From all your friends at The Original Pancake House, have a wonderful summer!


todd helton

Peanuts & Cracker Jacks: Funny Food Superstitions of Major League Baseball

Baseball season is in full swing across the country!  We love to take our family to Coors Field each summer ttodd_helton21o cheer on our Colorado Rockies and check out the fun and crowds in downtown Denver.  On a recent trip to the ball park, we got to talking about Major League Baseball players and their superstitions.  Many players have a special song that they play before each at-bat, or a routine that they follow before each game.  One of our favorite (now retired) Rockies players, Todd Helton, used to start a game with a full beard.  If he didn’t get a hit by the fifth inning, he would shave his beard to a goatee.  If he still didn’t have a hit by the seventh inning, he would shave his beard entirely!

We also learned that some players have a special food or meal that they must eat before every game.  Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs used to eat chicken before every game. Retired Chicago Cubs pitcher Lee Smith used to sleep through the first four innings of every game and have his teammates wake him up before the fifth inning with a cheeseburger.  Drew Storen, relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals, had a grilled cheese sandwich and glass of milk every day during the 2011 season.

Our favorite superstitious player is C.J. Wilson who plays for the Los Angeles Angels.  On the days that he is scheduled to pitch, Wilson eats a very specific breakfast.  His game day menu includes a vegetable omelet with an English muffin.  However, he is allergic to butter, so his English muffin has to be served without! Next time C.J. is in town, we hope he joins us for breakfast in Denver.  We would be happy to serve him a lucky veggie omelet and English muffin without butter.

To all the superstitious Major League, Minor League, and Little Leaguers, we wish you luck this baseball season. We are happy to serve you a lucky breakfast before any game, just swing on in to The Original Pancake House!