pumpkin pancakes are back!

so we got up this morning and went to j-christophers, a breakfast place.

j-christophers : cracker barrel :: target : walmart

that is to say, the j's is more expensive, but also cleaner, less fried-ish, and they bring you a whole pot of coffee they leave on the table. why cracker barrel hasn't gotten on the pot-of-coffee-at-table bandwagon is beyond me. it's a customer service boost while being simultaneously a relief to the wait staff. seems like a win-win, yes? i drink a lot of coffee, don't like having to wait for someone to bring me more, and don't like having to continually ask for more, so at the least it's a win. for me.

and... there's really nothing more important than a win for me.

this morning i selected the pumpkin pancakes and they were good. not great. not exceptional. but, a solid B effort. the pumpkin flavor was not fakey, and the cakes were moist, if somewhat thin. i ordered them with pecans, and the cook was a bit stingy with the little broken nut pieces. the pecans added a nice touch of flavor, but i would have liked more of them for the protein value. i have given up syrup because... well... i don't know... i just don't like how it tastes anymore. i'll use some butter if the cakes or waffles are dry, but these cakes didn't need any help in that area. (i got mine without whipped cream because whipped cream is foul.)



another nice feature of the j's is the wanderer. this one young man in a logo tee shirt was constantly circling, circling. he stopped on one circuit to give us the "how's everything" and we stopped him on a later circuit because we were out of coffee. this is much more efficient than having the entire wait staff circulating. that would be a parade. the other option is that no one is checking on anyone, which is basically the cracker barrel method.

j's is clean and bright with blonde wood furnishings, large windows, high uncluttered ceilings, crazy art, colorful fiesta-ware, discreet television over the bar area, freshly ground coffee, designer pancakes, excellent service, and customers who are mostly fit young families with toddlers. cracker barrel is dingy and poorly lit with dark wood, shaded windows, duct-inhabited ceilings, antique art, plain white dishes, no television, stale coffee, over-fried pancakes, sketchy service, and customers who are mostly middle-aged fat-fatties.

where would you want to eat breakfast?