Archives for August 2012

Last night Boo wanted me to make pancakes for dinner.  I mentioned IHOP as a possible alternative and she had no idea what I was talking about (how is it that I’ve never taken my kid to IHOP?). Taking notes on her first experience at IHOP, I’ve written the review from her perspective. I thought about using a 30 point rating scale like Zagat, but since Boo can barely count that high….. let’s stick with stars. So here’s the first “review” from Boo:

International House of Pancakes | 72363 Highway 111,  Palm Desert | (760) 674-3125 | ihop.com | Sun – Thu 6am – 11pm; Fri & Sat 6am – 12am | Entrées $5-10 | Reservations not accepted | No valet parking

IHOP Palm Desert: A hidden gem. At first I couldn’t figure out what all the hype was about…..why had such a place gone international? (IHOP stands for International House of Pancakes ya’ll…sorry if I’m late to the party.) What does international even mean?!

I was nervous as I sat down. It was eerily quiet because we were the first customers of the night. The ambience reminded me of Daddy’s office but with comfy, cozy booths. I saw gum under the table top as I laid down to ignore the story Mommy kept trying to tell me about this breakfast buffet called Shoney’s from the olden days.

As soon as I opened the menu I KNEW that IHOP was going to be 4 or 5 stars. It’s definitely going to be a foodie destination for the 13-and-under-crowd once the word gets out.  Breakfast for dinner? Brilliant (said with a British accent.) I ordered the Rooty Jr. and Danny, our waiter, never once balked at all my usual substitutions.

My meal arrived….it looked Photoshopped…….finally a kitchen that understands the often under appreciated art of batter. The glazed strawberry-whipped-topping-smothered pancakes deserved a standing ovation.  And then there was the bacon…..perfectly crisp….one piece was folded into the shape of a 7, or maybe it was an L. It was the best bacon I’ve ever had. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the array of syrups line up. Four different kinds of syrup? For reals?

Plates such as “Create-A-Face-Pancake” feature artistic flair…..but man cannot live by pancake alone. IHOP is definitely more “diner” than “pancake house” in my opinion. For anyone that finds pancakes too pedestrian, there’s a wide variety of French cuisine: French toast, crepes, French fries……indeed adding international flair.

The reason for only 4 stars? Well, my fruit bowl was kind of a disappointment.  The photo on the menu had watermelon but I only got honeydew. That’s a half star deduction. Honeydew has to be the lamest fruit on the planet. I don’t even eat green vegetables…..so I’m definitely not eating green fruit. The other half star was because I only got 2 crayons with my menu: red and green……what new colors could I possibly make with those? What if I needed to draw a lake? Or a ray of sunshine? Or a blueberry?!

All in all…..it was a great meal. I left feeling full. There was no need for dessert. The only thing that could have made it better would have been Daddy…..but he was glued to the computer at home doing his draft picks.

Stay tuned for more restaurant reviews soon!