Clinton Street Baking Co. & Restaurant, New York City, New York

We had been warned. "Last time I was there, I arrived two hours (15 minutes) before opening time, at 6am (8:45am), and even then there was already a waiting list of one and a half hours..." Pablo said. "But", he continued "they were the best pancakes I have ever tried". We thought we would beat the hordes if went to Clinton Street Baking on a Friday instead of during the weekend. We were partially right, since we only waited for 45 minutes. As Pablo had said, the pancakes were pretty amazing. So much so, that they serve them all day long, not just for breakfast.

The pancakes come in three varieties: blueberry (Diego's choice), banana walnut (mine) and chocolate chunk. At first sight they all seem to be the same except for the toppings: A stack of three perfectly fluffy but succulent pancakes with a barely-there -but very important- crust. This, I believe signals that a fresh batch of butter is used for every pancake, and really adds to the pancake-eating experience. As it happens, in between each pancake -specially nearing its center- there is a large spoonful of topping. It is not exactly clear whether this "filling" comes in the batter or is added afterwards. That does not really matter; it is a welcomed surprise to find that filling after the first couple of forkfuls.

Both Diego and I were very happy with our respective

choices. Diego argued that his was best because the blueberry preserve added some moisture to an otherwise dry plate. However, that's not exactly true. Instead of the traditional maple syrup, the pancakes come with a heavenly maple butter. The rich texture accomplishes what most syrups fail to do: adding a little bit of sweetness without feeling that you are pouring caramelized water.

To ease all this down we had iced latte and OJ (Diego), cafe con leche and a sparkling rhubarb-mint lemonade (Ani). The iced latte and lemonade were huge and clearly we did not need as many drinks. However, they were delicious and the lemonade super original. We barely took a sip while eating the pancakes, but we then realized we needed liquid if we didn't want to roll out of the place.

Of course, pancakes are not the only items in the menu. There are different breakfast combinations, french toast, several egg-based plates, granola and potato pancakes. Probably next time's strategy will to share some pancakes and try one of the other fares. We will surely be back.