Ode to Pancakes: National Pancake Day

There it was. A triple stack- fluffy as the marshmallow man from "Ghostbusters”- banana and blueberry pancakes, I made myself. The blueberries popped and oozed; the bananas ripened with the heat. It was my homage to womanhood and the first thing I made from scratch that actually tasted good. And not only to me, the taste testers agreed. They even asked for more.

My dog Bob, housed four before I could finish my one. I poured my warm pure, maple syrup over my masterpiece and had a piece of heaven. That was five years ago.

Today my tribute to the great pancake was at restaurant in Largo. I had the mini cakes and maple syrup, but a friend ordered wheat pancakes with blue berries and strawberries. Surprisingly the wheat pancakes tasted just as good as the traditional ones.

Since pancakes legitimately brought me to the stove for a good and tasty cause, I paid my respects to National Pancake Day. Now you can too. 

Here’s a list of places where you can get some pancakes in Largo. 

796 Indian Rocks Rd N

(727) 585-9777

For a taste of France, specifically those delicious crepes, head over to Le Bouchon Bistro.  Get your brunch on with your choice of a light, paper-thin crepe stuffed with chicken and chives, vegetables in a Boursin herb cream sauce, or seafood du jour, which is made of the fish of the day and shrimp. All crepes are $7.50 at Le Bouchon Bistro.

Frog Pond

16909 Gulf Boulevard N.

(727) 392-4117

Frog Pond serves up breakfast classics with a creative spin.  They offer crepes, as well as an assortment of other sweet-minded breakfast staples. Bacon Waffles ($7.10) stick out as the weirdest. It's one of those, “I must try that,” items on the menu. To settle that sweet tooth, the bananas foster Belgian waffles ($8.15) sound absolutely delicious.  They offer two varietes of crepes as well:  fresh fruit crepes ($8.30) as well as crepes of the day ($8.50) served with homefries and fresh fruit.

7800 Ulmerton Rd.

(727) 524-868

A chain restaurant, but a quality one nonetheless, IHOP does not mess around when it comes to their beloved buttermilk pancakes and savory crepes.  From blueberry to cinnamon apple, even New York cheesecake, IHOP’s got their bases more than covered when it comes to a wide variety of inventive and flavorful pancakes.  The menu of crepes is also diverse, including garden stuffed Swiss cheese and eggs scrambled with fresh spinach, mushrooms and onions. Topping include hollandaise, diced tomatoes, bacon, and cheddar; and scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and bacon.

Largo Patch food writer Andy Silverstein contributed to this report.