The Pancake House – McCall, Idaho

A chilly morning in the mountains calls for a hearty breakfast, and The Pancake House in McCall looked like a sure bet to satisfy even the biggest appetite.

The building and grounds are absolutely gorgeous. And the flowers? They were everywhere! Flowers were spilling out of every possible container and basket. (The Pancake House must have a full-time gardener just to keep those plants watered and fed!)

If I hadn’t been so hungry, I would have spent more time marveling at the beautiful decor leading to the front door!

As soon as we stepped inside we were greeted by a smiling hostess who made us feel glad we chose The Pancake House that day. She led us through the beautiful dining room to a booth by a window.

The dining room was nearly empty since we arrived very early in the day, but it wasn’t long before the place was bustling with hungry diners and servers.

It was only a moment before Sheryl, our smiling server appeared.

She brought not one…but two jugs of ice water to our table. (Nobody dies of thirst at The Pancake House!)

Steaming cups of coffee weren’t far behind. Sheryl asked us if we had eaten at The Pancake House before, and when she realized we were “newbies” she was quick to answer our questions and help us to navigate the delicious sounding dishes on the menu. Peepaw and I learned that all of the jams and preserves they serve at The Pancake House are canned right at the restaurant, using Idaho berries and fruit. They only cook and bake with olive oil, and no preservatives are used in any of their baked goods. They only use real butter, and no margarine or hydrogenated oils are found anywhere on site. (Sounds just like Meemaw’s Kitchen!) They steam hundreds of pounds of Idaho spuds every week to make their famous hash browns, and their whole wheat sourdough pancake recipe is the original one from the 1950’s! What an amazing place…

Suddenly one word on that menu jumped out at me. Huckleberries! I just knew I had to try this in-season Idaho treat! I just wasn’t sure about the best way to enjoy them. That’s when our wonderful server, Sheryl, told me not to worry..she would bring me some to taste!

Wow! Those little beauties are packed with flavor! They looked like a small blueberry, and they had a similar taste, but with a tart finish.

Our server suggested I try them with a buckwheat pancake and some real maple syrup…and I knew that was the dish for me. My Grandma Grady (born in 1869) used to talk about buckwheat, and I wish I had been old enough to ask her how she cooked with it. I’m guessing buckwheat pancakes might have been on her breakfast table way back then.

My buckwheat pancake arrived…complete with some melting butter and topped with a slab of ham and a scrambled egg. (What’s not to love?)

It was a breakfast I wanted to savor…and to make it last for hours. It was that good. Every bite was filled with flavors that simply danced on my tongue.

Yes, Peepaw and I loved everything about The Pancake House. It was a perfect place to start our day.

And I just checked Huckleberries off of my Bucket List.