BIGGEST Pancake in the Country

Imagine a pancake the size of most medium pizzas and you somewhat have an idea of what it's like to eat a pancake at THE COUNTRY PANCAKE HOUSE in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Paul, Mike, and Fusco walked into the pancake house when they were not so busy (on prime days, you could be waiting up to an hour plus) but there was still the bustle of college students from the local campus. The setting was nice...almost reminded us of Greenwich, Connecticut: high end shopping outlets distributed on a slanted road with lawyer's wives walking their dogs and German automobiles occupying meter spaces.

We sat down in the joint almost right away. Odd pictures of farm animals were painted on the walls. When it came time to order, Fusco, in an unprofessional move, decided to get the omelet while Paul ordered the banana pancakes and Mike just the regular pancakes to judge the quality of the batter (a pet peeve).

Sure enough, when the pancakes were served, they were as large as advertised and the smile on our faces were uncontrollable.

HOWEVER, BE WARNED---at Belly Busters were pull no punches and the honest review of this experience was a C+. All The Belly Buster members were very happy they went to the Country Pancake House just to see the large pancakes but THEY WERE NOT TASTY. The pancakes were dry (even though Paul says his was slightly more moist due to the banana) but it is our belief that they are able to sell such large pancakes at such a reasonable price (5.99 for the two) by using incredibly cheap batter.

If you are a food aficionado, you can tell when your local diner has skimped out on their pancake mix. You see excellent pancakes are ones that taste exactly like the name denotes...essentially like a light cake: a warm, moist and fluffy center. When was the last time you had a thin and dry cake and said "Oh, this was good...?"

Pancakes that are made properly? Look at DOTTIE'S DINER in Woodbury, Connecticut which has such great pancakes because they use the same batter that they have for their homemade donuts, which requires a heavier and more expensive batter. However, batters that are light and watery will create a pancake that is dry and has a cardboard like texture (almost like the bread at Church). Ultimately, the pancakes were more satisfying to play with and look at than eat.

VERDICT: Go for the size, not the taste or service.

2 belly bustins' out of 4