Panclog

Panclog #1 – Gomer’s Chicken

Across from The Afrobeat.
May 15, 2012 – 11:00 A.M.

We decided to start our pancake conquest by taking a recommendation. Being the beginning of our journey, we simply are not aware of every breakfast joint in the KC metro area. Recommendations are vital to a start up such as the Panclog.

The Panclog-ologists were recommended Gomer’s Chicken by Carrie Freuck.

Gomer’s Chicken is located at 615 E 99^th Street. Kansas City, MO 64131. Gomer’s would most likely be placed in the Hole-In-The-Wall category. They serve breakfast until 2pm daily, although they are closed Mondays. Gomer’s currently does not have a website, although they do have a Facebook page.

Location/Environment: Located at 99^th & Holmes, Gomer’s is an easy destination to find. Upon arrival, it’s quickly evident that Gomer’s is the epitome of a “hometown chicken joint.” It’s quaint; it has that small town charm. From the moment you walk in, you feel as if you’re at Grandma’s house for breakfast. Plastic wrapped silverware and jumbo neon plastic water cups are what to expect on the table. There’s a radio on, but what you really pick up is the soft hum of local chatter.

Service: The feel is no sham, as you’ll find the service is perfectly complimentary to the environment. It’s fast and friendly, as if you’re part of the family. Not overly chatty but very hospitable, warm, and sincere. And flexible as well, happy to accommodate a substitution or tweak in a meal. You can pay at the table or the counter, very laid back.

Wait time for food: 10 minutes

Menu/Selection: The menu is limited to what you would think of being at a fried chicken joint, however the selection is admirable. The breakfast menu carries all the major players in the breakfast group (pancakes, waffles, biscuits & gravy, French Toast, etc.), as well as all your common sides (bacon, hash browns, eggs, however sausage was nowhere to be seen…). If you happen to be visiting for lunch or dinner, they do have the local rarities of chicken gizzards and hearts.

Food:

Pancakes (Jared!)

Being the man that I am, I knew that pancakes would be my choice before we even got out of the car. Pancakes are my forte. I ordered the three pancake combo. The combo includes obviously three pancakes, two eggs (I chose over-hard) and two slices of bacon. The plating was great. They laid the bacon right over the eggs, just how I like it. Everything was on one plate. This seems important to me for no reason at all. As long as the plate doesn’t look cluttered, use one plate. The pancakes were of a very nice size. These were incredibly fluffy without being light. The pancakes were of original buttermilk flavor. They had just the perfect amount of butter to cover all of the pancakes. Gomer’s carries only maple syrup. These pancakes had a great initial taste offering. This taste was present up until the ¾ mark. Then the pancakes started to taste somewhat stale. This must be due to a molecular breakdown caused by the syrup’s PH level dissolving the yeast in the pancakes. I do not find this pancake problem everywhere but when I do, I am fairly devastated. This nice combo was $6.59. I believe this is a good price for the amount of food I received. Solid Breakfast.

French Toast (Stephen)

I ordered the standard French Toast without any accompanying sides. I’m a French Toast aficionado, my favorite being the thick, home-style Texas toast right off the griddle. I wasn’t disappointed. Two thick slices (cut in half) served with a dusting of powdered sugar and a generous dollop of butter in the middle. The batter was a sweet, not overpowering mixture that really held the “flavor of the griddle.” A perfect mixture of the batter and bread mixed with the accompanying butter and syrup. The texture had the perfect balance, not too loose or dense. The melt in your mouth style of French Toast that I’m always looking for. The portions were decent. I would’ve been stuffed if I had gotten the accompanying bacon and eggs. At $4.39 (a few dollars more if you would like to upgrade to the combo), it was a good overall value.

Price: The pricing of Gomer’s was fair and reasonable.  We believe that this is standard pricing within the Breakfast industry.

Overall: Gomer’s Chicken was a great experience and a wonderful launching point of the Panclog.  Good Food, great service, awesome environment. A solid breakfast destination. We would both definitely return.

Grade:

Jared: B-

Stephen: B

Email recommendations and feedback to thepanclog@gmail.com