Photos: the Gena's Pancake Challenge

Last Saturday, a bold three of us attempted the Gena's Restaurant pancake challenge: eat three of their whopping pancakes in one sitting, and you'll get your picture on the wall. Over the years many have attempted it; only 14 have succeeded. Some strategies we discussed:
- don't use too much syrup (the advice given by the servers)
- listen to relaxing music ahead of time
- drink water
- drink coffee
- put something in the pancakes (blueberries, chocolate chips, etc)
- use whipped cream instead of syrup
- vary the texture of the pancakes (this is what really did us in: the constant texture of the pancakes. Your body just gets sick of it.)
- order something salty to go with it: bacon, eggs, etc
- order the pancakes to go (they appear smaller that way), but then stay to eat them

The four of us made a valiant effort, but alas, none of us succeeded. The servers from Gena's brought the pancakes out one at a time. We delightfully sank our teeth into the first pancake, everyone eating at a moderate pace. Contrast that with the second pancake, in which we all slowed down or ground to a halt. We even took the suggestion of the servers and all ordered blueberry pancakes. They said we can add anything to the pancakes, and a little bit of tart fruit seemed to make sense.

Megan making steady progress.

Chip taking one for the team.
Jeremy is defeated.

I am overcome by pancakery.

The taste of defeat is the taste of pancakes.

Just looking at this makes me feel ill.

All of our third pancakes to go.

The final tally:
Chip: 1.1 pancakes
Jeremy: 1.2 pancakes
Megan: 1.5 pancakes
Nick: 1.5 pancakes

Jeremy certainly led the pack with his "in it to win it" attitude, but I think Megan gets the victory here. She calmly ate half the challenge, then stopped while she was ahead. She probably could have kept going, but she wisely quit.

Cafe Hon | Baltimore, MD

Cafe Hon
1002 West 36th Street
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 243-1230
Open Mon-Fri, 7 am - 9/10 pm (bfast served till 11a);
Sat & Sun, 9 am - 10/8 pm (bfast served all day)
Accepts cash and credit cards

Date of Visit: Friday, March 26, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.

IMPRESSIONS: How do you find Cafe Hon? Look for the giant pink flamingo on the side of the building! Inside you'll find one of my top picks for breakfast in Baltimore, and a surprisingly big cafe dedicated to celebrating all things Bawlmer. J'eet yet, hawn?

ATMOSPHERE: Cafe Hon is a fun little spot situated in the Hampden district of Baltimore. We made a quick stop there on our way out of town, and I wish we had had more time to explore the neighborhood. Cafe Hon's funky sense of humor seems to fit the area well. You can find plenty of metered parking on the street, or you can find a small lot tucked down the alley next to the Cafe - just look for the sign.

The Cafe itself is a great old space with big wooden floors and old cabinets and bars. It's bigger than it looks on the outside, with an additional dining room branching off the main one. They really cash in on the kitschy decor made popular by the original John Waters' film Hairspray, with funky touches like leopard print booths, pink flamingos, an Elvis doll dressed in feathered boa, and lots of mismatched decor.

FOOD: Cafe Hon's food may not have had the same fun specialties as, say, Blue Moon Cafe, but it's a solid breakfast: simple menu, filling portions, freshly-prepared. First up was the Hon Bun, a giant, warm cinnamon bun with a slightly tangy frosting.

My wife ordered the Steelcut Oatmeal. Nice big bowl of homemade oatmeal with sides of brown sugar, blueberries, and raisins. Our son devoured the whole thing.

A breakfast sandwich with Hon potatoes. I forget exactly which one, and I can't look it up because their menu online is incomplete.

Texas style French Toast with strawberries and bananas. Really picturesque. I'm more and more convinced that the key to good French toast is thick slices of bread.

I'm an all-around type of guy, so I chose their all-around dish: the Avenue Breakfast, with pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, and Hon potatoes (never quite figured out what those were). I like the fact that I can have it all with this meal: some proteins, some potatoes, and some sweet pancakes.

All of this gets washed down with good coffee served in huge custom mugs.

Another look around the restaurant.

SERVICE: I think our server did a very good job with our large group. She didn't smile as much as she could have, but overall she handled all the details of a large group of adults and kids well.

OVERALL: Cafe Hon gets my vote for best breakfast in Baltimore. It's just kooky enough to keep it interesting but maintains enough diner standards that it stands out above Broadway Diner, but it's got more seating, cheaper prices, and better service than Blue Moon Cafe. The place certainly isn't perfect - their website needs a serious update, for starters (their incomplete online breakfast menu is frustrating). And there is a definite touristy-gift-shop air to the restaurant and website. But if you look past those, you'll find a comfortable little cafe serving a great breakfast in a funky neighborhood.

OTHER LINKS:
-> Follow Cafe Hon on Twitter!
-> For you linguists out there, study the Baltimore dialect

Photos: Taste of Dine Originals Part 3

The third and final set of photos from Taste of Dine Originals. First, a look in the main hall.

Beautiful views of Columbus from the Smith Brothers Hardware Building.

Lots of amazing sponsors, including Robin Oatts of Spindle Studios and Genre Creative.

Beautiful displays everywhere. Like I said, you spend your entire visit just taking pictures.

The folks from Stauf's Coffee Roasters at work.

One of those ideas I kept hearing whispers about. "Have you tried...?" Strawberries rolled in salted caramel and nuts from Black Creek Bistro.

Bexley Monk's profiteroles. Yes, please.

And finally another view of Burgundy Room 's pork tacos. So those are the highlights of the pictures. Can't wait for next year!

Photos: Taste of Dine Originals Part 2

Part Two of pictures from Taste of Dine Originals. This is a view of the Venue at the Smith Brothers Hardware Building.

Basi Italia gets the award for best display.

They featured tiny pastries with either a lobster/ginger/lemon filling, or a sweet pea mousse filling.

Colleen Braumoeller and Michael Jones representing Local Matters and The Greener Grocer.

I totally forget what this is, but it was delicious!

Kathleen and Elizabeth, the new owner and manager, respectively, at Cafe Corner. Look for them to reveal some new branding and menu items in the near future!

These were their Latin-style gougeres, a soft, savory, and delicious pastry!

Plus their amazing cheesecake filled cookies. I hope to heaven that both of these items make it to their regular menu.

And finishing this round is Burgundy Room's delicious pork taco.

Photos: Taste of Dine Originals Part 1

Here they are! A few of my photos from Taste of Dine Originals last week Thursday. The experience was completely overwhelming, and mostly in a good way. It's difficult to balance a plate of food, a glass of drink, and your camera all at the same time. You could do one full trip just to try the food, and then another full trip just to take pictures. But no complaints here: everything was delicious.

Tasi Cafe's setup. The first one I tried, right near the door.

Tasi's tortilla bite with black bean puree.

I forget what/whose this is. But rest assured, it was delicious.

The folks from Cotter's Restaurant. I loved everything of theirs: crab cakes, beef short ribs, and tiaramisu.

Inside the big tent.

Due Amici's seared tuna on cucumber with an olive and tomato tapenade.

Followed up by their smores.

One of my first favorites: shrimp and grits from G. Michael's Bistro...

...prepared fresh at the table by Executive Chef David Tetzloff.

Two more rounds of photos to follow! Thanks for the folks from Dine Originals for the invite!