Placki z Gruszkami

The best pancakes in the city recently got updated, the now defunct Mitzi’s got ousted by Saving Grace. And that is a good thing, I never really cared for Mitzi’s pancakes, too much mucking about with a good thing. I happily woke up early on a weekend to go stand in line for pancakes.

And we did just that, we stood there and had to listen while some girl droned on and on about her student loan problems. Once inside we thought we were safe. That is, until we sat down. We were sandwiched between two girls having a fight (one made fun of the other in front of her parents and it just went downhill from there with one threatening to leave and go abroad, thankfully we did not have to witness an awkward break-up) and the world’s most irritating man of all time. He was a comedian, which peaked my interest. My interest quickly waned as he continued talking. “I’m not saying I’m a superstar”, “I am very successful”, “I have travelled the world over”. He was so irritatingly full of himself that it almost made me regret our breakfast choice. They talked about women as if they were drawn to him like bees to a flower… yet he was somehow single and eating brunch with three other guys. His best line, to a friend: “She has a boyfriend, but she would totally leave him for you”. He also shared his views on the single women of New York City, that he had to fend them off.

Saving Grace’s saving grace was in fact their pancakes. It was worth sitting through all the awful chatter (even though I have one ear plugged, it was still unbearable). The pancakes were not your traditional giant flat round things with stuff atop them, oh no. They were Polish style! Like placki z jablkami (easily one of my favourite foods of all time) but with pears instead. The pear slice was baked into the pancake. They were a tad greasy, but that is part and parcel of placki. Best pancakes in the city, but not ever. That award still goes to that place in Quebec.