This is a good idea, because the cramped waiting area and the overpowering smell of flapjacks will have you feeling like a cub in a cave of ravenous, pancake-eating tigers. What if there's not enough? But thankfully, that danger is nil at the OPH, where a customer has not left feeling hungry since the great buckwheat shortage of 1998.

But back to the Dutch Baby. Cut off the top portion of a chef's hat; invert it; swaddle it simply in butter, lemon, and powdered sugar; and there you have your Dutch Baby ($8.25). Of course, the Dutch Baby is hot and airy, just as the chef's hat is filled with hot air, but you get the picture. Apple pancakes are for those who like their breakfasts to have some semblance of healthfulness, even though the apples come baked with scads of butter and caramelized sugar and the whole thing is large enough to feed a herd of buffalo ($9). They are best eaten hot, before the fried batter turns leaden.

If you have not called ahead or you simply cannot wait 20 minutes for your meal, order one of several other variations of pancakes; there’s one to satisfy every mood. There are fresh banana pancakes with hot tropical syrup, Georgia pecan pancakes, and the dubious clam pancakes, which Pancake House avows is "a true taste from the sea ... DELICIOUS."

Crepes are also in the house, along with waffles, omelettes, and a handful of salads and sandwiches for those who've already crossed over to a lunch state of mind. Orange juice is freshly squeezed and sugar-sweet, and coffees are regularly refilled. I guess the folks at OPH know you'll need a whole lot of coffee to wash down that entire pancake.