A Reason to Wake Up - Good Breakfast Eats in OC

A few months ago, I noticed the local IHOP reopened as Pancakes R Us. I wondered about it, but then again, might as well go there and try it out. Pancakes R Us is on Costa Mesa’s 17th Street between Santa Ana and Tustin Avenues. The only visual difference besides the sign, is that the roof has been painted red from the standard IHOP blue color.

The inside of Pancakes R Us is basically a long narrow A-framed hall with several rows of booths and a dine-in counter, typical of most older IHOP restaurants. The restaurant was quite busy, so we put our names in and waited a few minutes. I found myself gazing at a display by the entrance that featured newspaper articles about the owner. Apparently the owner of Pancakes R Us was once an Afghan freedom fighter working with the CIA to helped drive the Soviets out of his old homeland. And a few of the newspaper articles featured his photo circa 1980’s with full Afghani garb, including AK-47. These articles made for some very interesting reading.

We were seated in a comfy booth and given our menus. The menu features pretty much your standard breakfast joint fare, such as omelets, waffles, pancakes, and other breakfast specialties, as well as lunch and dinner favorites. My friend chose the cream cheese pancakes topped with strawberries, and two eggs, bacon, and hash browns. I always love a good chicken fried steak, so I chose that with eggs, hash browns, and of course, pancakes.

After a short wait, our breakfasts came out, and they looked quite hearty! My friend loved her cream cheese filled pancake, topped with strawberries and sauce, and whipped cream. It seems to be a pancake cooked on one side, then cream cheese filling is added, then it’s flipped onto another pancake. I’m only guessing on how it’s made since I plan on making it myself…yes, it’s that decadent. My chicken fried steak was very good, with a nice savory country gravy on top. While I’m sure it isn’t 100% hand made, it’s still very good. My pancakes were nice and fluffy and soaked up the syrup quite well.

Our total bill came out to $16 including drinks. I think when this place ceased being an IHOP franchise and broke out on it’s own as Pancakes R Us, it’s definitely a good thing. The food seems to be better and the service more friendly and attentive. If I had a choice between some big pancake chain and Pancakes R Us, I’d rather eat here and support the little guy that came from a war torn country to live the American dream and make us great American breakfast dishes.

The Original Pancake House is a chain of specialty breakfast restaurants with a focus on pancakes, naturally. I went to the one in Aliso Viejo with two friends on Sunday Morning. There are other location in Orange County in Yorba Linda and Anaheim.

There is always a line and a wait. We waited about 25 minutes outside until they called our name. Once inside and seated, the decor is very plain, simply a breakfast/coffee house with no real decoration. But we're not here to stare at the walls, we're here for the breakfast.

We were served our coffee and juice quickly. My friends ordered the strawberry pancakes with a side of bacon, and the eggs benedict. I ordered the eggs and links. As we waited and chatted, we saw The Original Pancake House specialties come out of the kitchen, the Dutch Baby and the Apple Pancake. The Dutch Baby appears to be a sweet souffle that deflates when you put a fork into it. The Apple Pancake looks like a huge apple fritter donut.

Our orders finally came out. The strawberry pancakes were a collection of 8 smaller pancakes, arranged in a circular overlapping pattern with plenty of strawberries and whipped cream on top. My friend said they were totally delicious. The eggs benedict came out with four potato pancakes, and were pretty good. My friend said the only thing she would have liked were gooier egg yolks, but that's her personal preference. My eggs and sausage came out over easy and I gobbled them up rather quickly.

Our bill came out to about $41 for two coffees, one large orange juice, eggs benedict, side of bacon, strawberry pancakes, eggs and links, including tax and tip. The food is pricier than at most other breakfast restaurants, but it's worth the difference.

Plum’s Café is a nice little restaurant located in a strip mall off 17th Street in Costa Mesa near Irvine Blvd. Known for their breakfast, it’s a very popular place during weekend mornings, which was unfortunate for us, since that’s when we decided to go. We checked in and waited outside for about 45 minutes before we were seated outside on the patio.

Being as we were there during the weekend, we scored the weekend brunch menu. Plum’s brunch menu can be best described as "Pacific Northwestern." Most of their dishes are standard breakfast favorites with a slight Oregonian twist, such as campfire trout, northwest berry waffles, Willamette hazelnut pancakes, and smoked salmon hash, just to name a few. The menu also has wine pairings and states that Plums Café has a full bar.

I chose the omelets special and my friends chose the campfire trout, turkey avocado sandwich, and another omelets special. As we waited, we ended up chatting and looking around. The inside dining area was fully packed and made for good people watching.

After about 20 minutes, our food finally came out. My omelet special has smoked ham, bell peppers, cheddar cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and topped with more cheddar cheese. It’s served with a side of Plum’s potatoes, which are thinly sliced potatoes with skin on, and fried up with onions and herbs. I loved my omelet, the potatoes weren’t bad, they were tasty, but I would have liked the potatoes to be a little crispier and have less moisture. My friend’s omelet special was identical except she had Swiss cheese instead of cheddar. She also found her omelet quite good.

My other friend had the campfire trout, which is pan fried, cornmeal encrusted trout, served with two eggs, bacon, and Plum’s potatoes. My friend normally doesn’t like white fish unless it comes in some sort of battered and fried concoction, but he said the campfire trout was quite good, a slight bit drier than he had thought, but very tasty. My other friend had the turkey avocado sandwich, which is sliced turkey breast with avocado slices, cilantro mayonnaise, tomatoes, lettuce, and Oregon pepper bacon on a toasted organic nine grain bread. It’s served with a nice little side salad of field greens, sliced strawberries, and a balsamic vinegar dressing. She said the sandwich was pretty good, the bread was soft, although the natural turkey breast was a slight bit dry. The salad was excellent, with the strawberries providing some sweetness, while the balsamic vinegar dressing brought just the right amount of tang.

Plum’s is also a place to people watch, as there’s plenty here to look at, for both men and women. For 4 breakfasts and drinks, our total bill was $52. While on the pricey side and usually busy, it’s still a nice place to catch something different and healthy for breakfast every now and then.

Also referred to as the Costa Mesa Omelette Parlor, The Omelette Parlor is a little restaurant off 17th Street in Costa Mesa, just east of Newport Blvd. in the Von's Shopping Center. It was a little hard to find as the actual name on the storefront is Chester Drawers Inn. The Omelette Parlor opens at 7am until 3pm, at which time it effectively becomes Chester Drawers Inn.

The Omelette Parlor has an eclectic flair. It's adorned with high wooden booths and butcher block tables. There are historical photographs of Costa Mesa circa the 1920s. Old metal milk jugs and antique egg cartons decorate the walls. Although the atmosphere is a bit hokey, it feels like you're at the county fair when dining at The Omelette Parlor.

The staff were very friendly and attentive. We ordered our drinks and browsed the menu. There are a lot of breakfast items on the menu, some standard, such as pancakes and bacon, oatmeal, etc. They also have a large selection of unique menu items, such as English muffins with walnuts, a marinara omelet, and other yummy creations. My friend had hard about their wonderful burgers, so he chose their blue cheese burger and I chose the combo Belgian waffle with a side order of sausage.

After about 10-15 minutes, our food came out. My friend's bleu cheeseburger was huge. It's a big meaty burger with bacon, bleu cheese, and the works. Served with seasoned curly fries. My friend really enjoyed the juicy burger. He would have liked the fries a little more done, but he enjoyed them nonetheless. My huge combo Belgian waffle was topped with whipped cream, under that was a layer of sliced fresh strawberries, under that was a layer of bananas and walnuts. The bananas and walnuts were topped with a warm butter/brown sugar sauce, reminiscent of Bananas Foster. My side of sausage patties was scrumptious, if a bit oily. I also had a freshly squeezed orange juice, which was very fresh, but can be a bit overripe, depending on season.

We were both quite fat plump and happy after our brunch. Our total bill was $23 for two drinks, burger, waffle, and side of sausage. The Omelette Parlor does become very crowded during weekends and peak times.

Both of us were quite impressed with The Omelette Parlor. While there are a fair number of chain breakfast restaurants such as Denny's and IHOP, The Omelette Parlor blows them away with the selection and quality of their breakfasts.

Polly's Pies is a local small chain of bakery restaurants specializing in pies and other baked goods. They have locations throughout Orange County, parts of Los Angeles and Riverside counties as well. We visited the location in Laguna Hills. It's located in a mall on Moulton Parkway between Ridge Route and Lake Forest Drive.

Upon entering, the bakery kitchen is off to the side, filled with racks of muffins and other freshly baked goods cooling off. One can't help but to take a whiff of the aroma of these freshly baked goodies. There's a counter display with fresh baked goodies such as muffins, pies, and quiches, and a separate counter with frozen quiches and other dinners prepared by Polly's.

We were seated at a comfy booth by the window. Unfortunately the mall that shares the parking lot with Polly's was under construction, so we were subject to a bit of the construction noise.

Polly's menu is similar to a family restaurant menu such as Denny's or Carrow's. There are standard breakfast items and entrées such as burgers, dinner favorites, and all sorts of pies and other baked goods for dessert. My friend ordered the stuffed cinnamon raisin walnut bread and I ordered the Belgian waffle combo breakfast.

After about 10-15 minutes, our food came out. My friend's stuffed cinnamon raisin walnut bread is made of four thick slices of fresh baked cinnamon raisin walnut bread stuffed with cream cheese and orange marmalade. It's lightly smothered in egg batter and golden-grilled to perfection. Served with two fresh eggs and choice of two bacon or sausage. She chose the bacon. I tried a bit of her stuffed cinnamon raisin walnut bread. It's almost too sweet, with the marmalade and cream cheese inside.

The menu said my Belgian Waffle was baked in special "old world" cooker, giving the waffle a light, crispy texture. It's served with butter and syrup, two eggs, and choice of two strips of bacon or sausage. I chose the sausage. I really liked the waffle, especially smothered in maple syrup. The sausage was very flavorful and full of spices and seasonings. Both of us finished our breakfasts, which left us no room for any of Polly's famous pies.

I'll have to try the pies next time I visit Polly's. I hear that they are much better than Marie Callendar's.

Our total bill was $18 for two breakfast entrees and two drinks. The food and atmosphere is pretty good at Polly's. At this particular location, the construction can't go on forever, so we weren't too bothered by that.

Haute Cakes Cafe is a very popular cafe in Newport Beach. It's hidden in an outdoor food court of a strip mall on the south side of Westcliff just east of a medical plaza.

When we arrived for breakfast, there was a considerable line leading out the door. After about 10 minutes, we found ourselves at the counter ordering and paying for our food. The menu board had a fair amount of breakfast items, egg scramble breakfasts, hotcakes (haute cakes,) and fresh fruit. The menu is also filled with gourmet sandwiches, salads and a large selction of coffee. My friend ordered the combo breakfast with French toast and a cappuccino, and I ordered the blueberry cornmeal haute cakes.

After ordering at the counter, we found a comfy booth in the corner. Haute Cakes Caffe resembles an upgraded Starbuck's that serves full meals. Especially the warm and inviting coffee aroma. Haute Cakes is a great place to people-watch, both outside seating and inside (especially if you're a guy...). It seems like everybody in Newport Beach dines here. We spotted couples leisurely enjoying their breakfasts, to a group conducting a business meeting, to a local mom's club organizing their next event.

A minute later, the staff called out my friend's cappuccino for pickup at the counter. A few minutes later, the staff brought out breakfasts to our table.

My friend's haute cake combo included two huge slabs of french toast made from fresh baked bread, two eggs, bacon, and a small cup of fresh fruit. There was a very good amount of food on the plate, so much that I had to finish off her breakfast!

My entrée was four blueberry cornmeal haute cakes sprinkled with powdered sugar and a small cup of fresh fruit. I must give kudos to the often overlooked cup of fruit. It's a mix of fresh strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and melon. It's very sweet and fresh. I enjoyed my blueberry cornmeal haute cakes. There are canned blueberries incorporated into the cornmeal batter. The cornmeal gives it a unique and gritty, yet wholesome taste and texture.

Our total bill was $24.51 for two breakfasts and a cappuccino. It was a bit pricey, but not too bad for the occasional visit. Breakfast is not served all day, on weekdays, it's served from 7am to 11am, on Saturday it's served from 7am to 11:45am, and Sunday it's 8am to 2pm.