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Richard Walker's Pancake House
What can I say about Richard Walker’s Pancake House that hasn’t already been said about the Mona Lisa? It’s simple, it’s elegant, it’s charming, it’s attractive, and it’s tasty! Yea I said it, Mona Lisa is hot, so are Walker’s Pancakes… it’s simple, it is breakfast; eggs, omelets, pancakes, sausages, potatoes, and French toast. It’s elegant, floor to ceiling marble, with stained hardwoods, and classical music in the background…It’s charming; plenty of people watching, very quaint, yet comfortable, friendly service, and a real sense of ownership is apparent in the quality and compatibility of the staff with patrons…It’s attractive; your food comes to you looking neat in presentation, prepped with care, and every nook crannied, and every cranny nooked. I drew a comparison to Mona Lisa early on because at the onset there is nothing extraordinary about the subject at first glance. However, once you take in the beauty and care that was taken to create such an artwork, one can gather how such intricacies can be placed into other aspects of life. Richard Walker has set a new bar in San Diego at the breakfast table, its not that his menu is that far off the charts or his prices are that inflated or that he has simply reinvented the wheel of breakfast…he has just captured the essential ingredients that it takes to create a memorable experience at the breakfast table, the same way DaVinci captured the façade of a young woman. Please enjoy, the experience will only appreciate with time.— November 19, 2008 10:29 p.m.
Richard Walker's Pancake House
I was a little hesitant to venture into this establishment on the weekend after what I had read on yelp about the wait. Really who likes to wait? Simultaneously, if I went to On Broadway at 10pm on a Saturday night, odds are there is going to be a wait. However, if I chose to hit a dive bar in the East Village, I could probably walk right in and have a drink in my hand in minutes. So my thought process was that if enough people are there standing in line, something good must be going on…think amusement parks. Same concept. After a 20 minute wait, on a gorgeous morning nonetheless, we often take for granted the San Diego weather…April in DC, where I grew up, doesn’t share the same luster. I was at the front of the line and greeted by none other than the owner himself. An eccentric character, but all the great ones are so I didn’t hold that over his head…long story short, I ask him is the line always this long, as not everyday can I wait that long for my turn at the trough. He replied that from 8:30am-1pm on the weekends there is a bit of a hold up…hence breakfast time, but if one were to show up from 6:30am-8:30am or after 1pm, not so much a dilemma…during the week, he explained, that it happens occasionally and rarely over 10 minutes. Fair enough, as I stated earlier, it’s all relative to what you consider worth spending time over, if it is a quality breakfast, then you won’t have to venture any further than 520 Front St. I came with pancakes on my mind, but then I saw a huge what appeared to be apple soufflé cross the restaurant…you would have thought she was wearing red the way my eyes followed the temptress. I didn’t need the menu any longer, sort of pointed with a Cro-Magnon like grunt and the server understood completely. Apparently she is fluent in low brow as well. I later discovered that my long lost love was an Apple Pancake, which is baked in an oven and takes roughly 20 minutes; they are passionate about their food and have it down to a science as you can tell. Less than 20 minutes later, packed house mind you, a delectable breakfast appears in front of me and it was a reunion of Harold and Kumar at White Castle…one man, one great breakfast, one mission accomplished.— November 19, 2008 10:15 p.m.