Panclog

Panclog #2 – Le Peep

Toppings on Top.
May 22, 2012 – 10:40 A.M.

Our second journey in pancakehood took us to Le Peep Restaurant.

Le Peep is a chain restaurant with three locations in the KC area, and numerous locations nationwide. We visited the location at 7218 College Blvd (corner of College & Metcalf) in Overland Park, KS. Their hours are Monday-Friday, 6:30am-2pm, and Saturday-Sunday, 7am-2:30pm. They’re on board with many social media/apps, including Foursquare and Frontflip. Additional information about Le Peep is available on their website, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Location/Environment: Our visit was on a Tuesday, before the lunch crowd. We were seated immediately and the restaurant was only sparsely filled. However, it felt busy. It wasn’t quiet, it wasn’t overwhelmingly loud. The atmosphere felt like something of a corporate brunch. The feel is perhaps a little disingenuous. They seemed to have slightly missed the mark of the hometown niche feel they were attempting to achieve. Thus creating a somewhat false, corporate facade of such a place. Better for the 9-to-5ers. Le Peep does offer outdoor seating, weather permitting.

Service: The service was minimal, neither poor nor outstanding. Our server felt rushed, seemingly concerned with only getting the job done.

Wait time for food: 15 minutes

Menu/Selection: Le Peep offers a wide selection of both breakfast and lunch meals. From cereal to burgers, they’re sure to have something for everyone in your party. The menu is laid out very well, separating pure breakfast from lunch. They offer a full espresso bar while you’re waiting to be seated. This surely would come in handy on busy weekends, easing the wait when seating times can be lengthy.

Food:

Cranberry & Almond Pancakes (Jared!)

I wanted to branch out and try some nice flavored pancakes.  In the past year, I have grown a great appreciation for the nut of almond.  I also believe that cranberries are good for you.  This is what led to my decision for Cranberry Almond pancakes. So the pancakes were presented in a way that looks a lot like the picture above.  The pancakes were of a nice size.   They looked like they made regular pancakes and threw the almonds and cranberries just on top of it.  The pancakes were served with a huge dollop of whipped butter.  I really enjoyed the fact that the butter was whipped. Whipped butter is much easier to spread than regular butter.   The pancakes were served with delicious hot maple syrup.  After the first bite my initial thought about the presentation was deemed true.  There were virtually no almonds nor cranberries in the pancakes. This saddened me.  These pancakes were of standard taste. Priced at $6.99 this meal is in average of higher-end breakfast eateries.  Cranberry Almond pancakes are a great choice for someone who is hungry but doesn’t want to feel like they have a food-baby.  Cranberries and Almonds are both easy going flavors which makes them an easy combination.  I partook in some coffee intake whilst pancaking.  The coffee was good but Le Peep did not have any flavored creamers.

My pancakes were normal.   There were no outstanding qualities to these pancakes.  I enjoyed them but I didn’t fall in love.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes (Stephen)

Ordering blueberry, chocolate chip, or similar pancakes can be a mystery of sorts. Many places put the additional ingredient straight into the batter. IHOP even uses chocolate pancake batter in their chocolate chip pancakes. I personally enjoy my blueberries or chocolate chips included in the batter, thusly melted and delicious inside the actual pancake. Le Peep’s chocolate chip pancakes were not so. They were two quite delicious, plate filling flapjacks with a smattering of chocolate chips on the top, accompanied by a generous dollop of whipped butter. Despite the lack of creative batter mixing, it was quite enjoyable. However, I’m not sure how much I truly tasted the pancakes. The mixture of chocolate, hot maple syrup and butter coating the pancakes is a bit overwhelming, particularly the chocolate chips (although the coffee was a nice accompaniment). It’s a rich, filling mixture. I finished the plate, absolutely stuffed and perhaps just a bit sickly. Priced at $6.29, I felt it was adequately priced seeing the quality and portions provided.

Price: The price is on the higher side of equivalent restaurants. The portions are generous and the quality is there, but you  might be looking at over $10 by the time you add coffee or a side. They do have a loyalty punch card (Clucks for Bucks) that offers a $10 credit after spending $100 (through combined visits). We were glad we visited on a Tuesday, seeing that Tuesdays are double punch days. It’s not something we would particularly go to Le Peep for, but if you’re spending the money you might as well.

Overall: All things considered, we enjoyed the experience, but found much to be desired. All aspects of the meal were adequate but nothing more than that. We would return, but only at a guest’s request.

Grade:

Jared: C+

Stephen: C+

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