The Best Pancake for Grown Up Kids

The competition for brunch customers in this city is fierce. New Yorkers know how to do brunch like no one's business and restaurants have to do their best to please the palettes of people that have tasted the finest. Sarabeth's is a fine example of a restaurant that's here to please. Sarabeth's is well known in this city and highly regarded, which is why there is always a long line on weekends for their famous brunches. We were finally able to eat brunch there - when we went at 3:52 PM (we just made it by 10 minutes). This is their Central Park South location where we went (and if you end up at this location, you will be in the company of some expensive- looking people, but we hardly noticed them because we were all about the food).

Wow! Wow! And Wow! This is THE BEST PANCAKE we have ever tasted in our lives. This is Sarabeth's Lemon and Ricotta Pancake. I'm sure we'll try many more pancakes during our time here, but we cannot imagine finding one that will top this one. Everything about this pancake was perfect. The lemon and ricotta gave this pancake its unique yet delicately sweet flavor. The lemon flavor really made this one to always remember. The ricotta provided the nice moisture. The fluffiness was just dreamy. There was also this wonderfully weird aftertaste too - it was that of Fruit Loops. Strange, but true. So even when you weren't eating this incredible thing, your taste buds were aroused by the Fruit Loops flavors. You felt like a kid again, but a kid wearing your mom's pearls and your dad's suit. Life can be sweet.


Again, another super French Toast. What is it with this city and French Toast? It's like there's a weird culinary competition in NYC where people are trying to outdo each other with French Toast. This almond crusted French Toast with strawberry and raspberry sauce was incredible. If the pancake didn't ruin us, we'd be raving much more about this.


Both dishes were served with Doerfler Farms maple syrup, which wasn't as sweet as other traditional syrups but paired nicely with the already sweet dishes. Their house coffee and hot chocolate were also splendid. I mean, look at their brunch menu - is it not drool-worthy? What should we try next? Their Apple-Cinnamon French Toast? Their Cheese Blintzes? The Pumpkin Waffle? Their Farmer's Omelette with leeks, ham, chunks of potato with gruyere (which we learned was the best cheese to go in an omelette)? The only thing that sounds really scary on their brunch menu is The Holy Mole (hot chocolate, absolut peppar, amaretto, and cayenne) - that sounds like a diarrhea aftermath waiting to happen.

Perhaps our next Sarabeth's journey will be to their Sarabeth's bakery in the Chelsea Market (where they sell preserves, cookies, and cakes) and order their Jennifer's Dream Omelete (with cheddar cheese and legendary apple butter). Cheese and butter - definitely Jennifer's dream come true.