y4pcT1JaIwGptQJPO6l_mZmgv34 tiffin unboxed: LA Weekly's Pancake Breakfast

LA Weekly's Pancake Breakfast

The 3rd annual LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast will take place again on August 11th. This year chef, author and KCRW’s “Good Food” radio host, Evan Kleiman is curating the best 30 or so breakfast tastes of Los Angeles. She definitely knows her way around food and L.A.

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_sweet e Village Bakery donut muffins blueberry poppyseed cake
Village Bakery - donut muffins, blueberry poppyseed bundt cake

I missed the first year because of taking the name too literally and thinking most offerings would be sweet. However, in last year's event the mix ranged from sweet to savory with a great selection of beverages.

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_exterior a

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_exterior c

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_interior c

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_interior a

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_interior b

The setting at the Vibiana Cathedral is quite beautiful. It's just small enough where the lines are not exasperating.

This year I do not plan to attend, but that didn't stop me from taking a nostalgic look at last year's festivities and eats, highlights recapped below.


LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_people c

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_people a

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_people b

Drinks 

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_drinks d chai horchata
chai horchata
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_drinks b La Mill Ethiopian coffee
La Mill - Ethiopian Coffee
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_drinks c detox juice
detox juice
Lauren

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_people f lady rose dress 

They also had a couple of hosted bars with brunch type cocktails like Bloody Mary's, with a gourmet twist.

Sweets

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_sweet d BLD blueberry ricotta pancakes maple syrup
BLD - blueberry ricotta pancakes with maple syrup
 In terms of pancakes, of all that I tried, BLD's blueberry ricotta pancakes with maple syrup took top honors. Impossibly light and fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness.

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_sweet b Nickel Diner pop tarts whisky donut hole bacon maple donut hole
Nickel Diner - bacon maple and whiskey donut holes, house made pop tarts 
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_sweet a Nickel Diner
Nickel Diner display
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_sweet c Nickel Diner plate
Nickel Diner plate
Savories

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory h Gottsui okonomiyaki pancake
Gottsui - okonomiyake pancake
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory g Auntie Ems shrimp and grits
Auntie Em's - shrimp and grits
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory h Auntie Ems shrimp and grits
Auntie Em's - shrimp and grits
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory f Market chilaquiles
Market - chilaquiles
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory e Good Girl Dinette steak crostini
Good Girl Dinette - steak crostini
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory d Good Girl Dinette steak crostini e
Good Girl Dinette - steak crostini
The chilaquiles and crostinis really satisfied.

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory c Euro Pane sausage biscuit and gravy
Euro Pane sausage biscuit and gravy
Although I love Euro Pane, their sausage biscuit and gravy was lukewarm, which is not how I want to eat gravy.

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory a Hungry Cat
Hungry Cat - display with baby corn and oyster shells
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Aug12_savory b Hungry Cat salmon pancake
Hungry Cat - salmon pancake
Hungry Cat's salmon pancake, with mustard seeds and tangy dill sauce, took best in show for me. It's the only booth I went to twice. I could not contain my appetite for these one bite wonders.

Granted, my tastes lean toward the savory much more than sweet.

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_people e Lee Sunny

On such a hot day and packed event, it was a relief that besides the interior rest areas, they put up benches and umbrellas outside. That's my friend, Sunny, waving at me.

LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast Vibiana Aug12_people e Jonathan Gold Handsome Coffee
Handsome Coffee
And finally we got a late visit from LA Times Food Writer/Restaurant Critic Jonathan Gold, who had curated the 1st event.

Handsome Coffee stopped serving when they ran out of milk, even if you wanted black coffee.... I'm sure they managed to wrangle up a cup for Mr. Gold.

Nguyen
No event would be complete without Starry Kitchen owner, Nguyen Tran in costume. His lederhosen did not disappoint.

These selections represent only a fraction of the offerings. I took a lot of breaks vs. a marathon eating approach. Also avoided the very long lines, of which there were not too many. And the sun slowed everyone down a bit.

Even then I surely left with a very full and satisfied tummy.

If you are wavering on whether or not to attend, this recap may help you decide. I'm sure this year will bring a whole slew of new good eats.


1 Response to “LA Weekly's Pancake Breakfast”:

  1. Thanks for such a lovely post

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