Panclog #8 – IHOP
Hyped for HOP
October 25, 2012 – 5:03 P.M.
IHOP is a chain restaurant with numerous locations nationwide. You already know this, dear reader.We visited the location at 9099 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, KS. Most locations are 24 hour diners (including the location we visited). Their menu is available on their website. They also have Facebook and Twitter.
Location/Environment: This particular location has been open less than a year. We celebrated the location’s opening with a baby shower only months ago. It’s fresh and sprite – it has a very unlived-in feeling. This is a plus, because it’s clean and crisp. However, it doesn’t give you a good idea of how it’s going to be down the road.
Service: Nick, also known as Captain Awesome via his nametag, was our server. He was friendly and kind, making sure we were taken care of but also giving us our privacy.
Wait time for food: 14 minutes
Menu/Selection: They offer options for every time of day, but that doesn’t mean you’ll want to order willy nilly. Stick with what you know. While everything will probably be fine, it is the International House of Pancakes for a reason. They don’t specialize in steak. Ya dig?
Food:
Original French Toast (Stephen)
IHOP’s original french toast has become my standard idea of what french toast is or should be. When I think french toast, I think of three pieces of bread, cut diagonally and placed symmetrically on a plate with a dollop of butter placed in the center. And it’s not just the aesthetic of french toast, it’s the taste. IHOP’s french toast is dependably the same, every time, and in a completely suitable fashion. Warm, soft, perfectly rich, and a perfect match for a few strips of bacon. At $6.29, it’s an affordable meal. It’s not the best french toast I’ve ever had, and that probably won’t change, but it’s something I crave often, which says something.
Build Your Own Omelette with pancakes (Jared)
IHOP is a special place to me. I have been calling this my favorite restaurant ever since I tasted sweet pancakes on my tongue. I have had many wonderful experiences with IHOP. I have skipped school to be with IHOP. I have waited terribly long to get free pancakes on National Pancake Day. I took my wife to IHOP on our first date. IHOP is also the place where we had our DTR. (A DTR is a Define The Relationship talk. We became girlfriend/boyfriend.) I even celebrated this specific IHOP’s baby shower. IHOP and I have been through thick and thin. SO…. needless to say IHOP holds a very special place in my breakfast-loving heart.
This is my go-to order at IHOP. It is the build-your-own-omelette. This include a burrito sized omelette with 3 pancakes, all for $5.99. You can add toppings to your omelette for 59 cents each. I added fresh tomatoes to make it “healthy”. IHOP has a nice array of different syrups: Old-Fashioned, Blueberry, Strawberry, Butter Pecan, and my favorite Boysenberry. The pancakes I had were of the pumpkin variety. The pumpkin pancakes are not on the IHOP menu all-year. They are one of their seasonal pancakes. IHOP’s menu is always changing because of the seasonal items which is a +. These did not have a dollop of butter, but a swirl of whipped cream with cinnamon on it. These pancakes were very good. It had a creamy texture with a nice nutmeg-y twist. These pancakes being of a savory flavor would not be a good pairing with a fruity syrup. I used butter pecan syrup.
This meal has great size for an appropriate price.
Price: Being the standard in chain 24 hour breakfast joints, you’ll find the pricing pretty steady. Maybe not as cheap as Denny’s, but the service and food quality is slightly better, in our opinion. Of course, this will vary by location. They often have specials which are actually enticing, and quite a bit of food for the price.
Overall: IHOP is a staple in the national breakfast landscape. It is truly the easiest way for a breakfast rookie to taste the breakfast rainbow. You can try almost any breakfast food for a reasonable price. While you can try most traditional breakfast items at IHOP, local breakfast nooks are a better place to find a more unique, higher quality breakfast.
Grade:
Jared: B+
Stephen: B-
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