Time For An Oil Change?

Over the summer I caught an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and Guy was at a restaurant in Phoenix that served the most amazing looking pancake ever.  Since I grew up in Phoenix, though I almost never go back, I made a mental note of the restaurant on the off chance I would have an opportunity to go there.  Flash forward to late December and I'm booking a trip to Phoenix to see my close friend and his family, and while we're on the phone talking about the trip he says that he wants to take me to St. Francis for breakfast on Sunday.  What a happy coincidence!!!  Especially since my mental note had failed me until just that moment.

Back home in L.A. if you aren't at a breakfast spot by 9am, then you can expect long lines getting in to any restaurant.  St. Francis doesn't even open until 9am, so we arrived at 9am on the spot as we were a party of six and needed to make sure we got a table.  We arrived just in time and were seated in their loft area.  While we were up there I realized that the restaurant was in a converted oil-n-lube garage and still had the roll-up door.

Without hesitation I ordered the Iron Skillet Pancake.  I knew it would be sweet and I would need something salty to counteract it, so I made sure that my husband ordered a side of bacon.  And boy was I right!  The pancake was pure decadence.  It was fluffy, with the chocolate chunks melted perfectly inside.  The warm caramel apples were on top and merged with the maple syrup.  And the creme fraiche added the needed creaminess to the whole dish.  My only regret is that I was dieting, so I limited how much of the pancake I would eat, and ended up leaving slightly more than half on the table.  I had originally hoped that my husband would finish it, but he was full of sweetness from his own breakfast, and turned off by the chocolate.  I definitely need to go back when I'm not dieting.

Iron Skillet Pancake (olive oil, dark chocolate, caramel apples, maple syrup, and whipped creme fraiche)

One big positive of St. Francis is that children under 10 eat for free.  And they also get to order the Iron Skillet Pancake.  Its the same size as the adult version, but it doesn't come with the caramel apples or the whipped creme fraiche.

Iron Skillet Pancake - Kiddo Version

My husband decided to indulge in the cinnamon roll.  It was probably at least six inches long.  I only had a small bite, but it was yummy.  And my husband was thankful that I had ordered him that side of bacon as he too needed something to counteract the sweetness in his mouth.

Cinnamon Roll with caramel sauce

My friend, on the other hand, chose to go the more traditional route and ordered the eggs benedict.  That said, St. Francis foregoes with the traditional Canadian bacon, and instead lets you choose between prosciutto, smoked salmon, and avocado.  The dish looked delicious and I did get to taste the crispy potatoes which appeared to be fingerling potatoes that pop when you cook 'em.

Eggs Benedict (poached eggs, english muffin, hollandaise sauce, crispy potatoes with smoked salmon)

My friends are always trying to find ways for me to come visit them more often, and I think they might have found their hook.  I can't wait to go to St. Francis again for breakfast, and want to try them for the other meals of the day too.  Yummers!