THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504180511
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BY RUTH FANTASIA, ASSISTANT TO THE FOOD EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 119 lines
THE INTERNATIONAL House of Pancakes in Virginia Beach was a favorite haunt when my husband and I were dating.
We became acquainted over omelets, crepes, coffee and hash browns in the wee hours of the morning, after I finished tending bar.
So we were pleased to see the opening of the area's newest IHOP on Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake, just a few miles from our home. Recently, we returned for the first time, as a family.
A friendly hostess greeted us and gave our daughter a strip of Hops - cardboard disks with riddles on them.
We entered the large dining area, which is divided into three rooms, decorated in light wood tones and burnt orange vinyl. On the tables are blue-topped pitchers of flavored syrups.
Our waitress immediately took our beverage order. She returned minutes later with three 22-ounce colas and asked whether we were ready to order. We weren't.
With more than 100 items, this menu takes a while to digest. Along with basic breakfast fare, there are sandwiches, salads, burgers and an assortment of roadside-diner-style dinners. All are available 24 hours a day.
The special that evening was a T-bone steak with choice of three vegetables, for $5.99 (regularly $7.99). You can choose from four styles of potatoes - baked, hash browned, fried or whipped - onion rings, soup, a tossed salad and a vegetable. On this night, the vegetable was peas and onions.
I sank to a new low and ordered french fries and onion rings - and the tossed salad.
The salad - a mound of iceberg topped with a green pepper ring, onion rings, a slice of seasonably ripe tomato, black olives, cucumber slices and seasoned croutons - was topped with a generous helping of dressing. It arrived quickly. Before I finished the salad, the main course arrived, piping hot.
About 3/4-inch thick, the steak was prepared as ordered and was accompanied by bottles of Heinz 57 and A-1.
A half-inch of fat circled the edge of the meat and a bit of gristle was along the edge. But it was flavorful and juicy. The fries and onion rings were plentiful, golden brown and hot.
Other dinner choices include liver and onions ($5.49), pork chops ($5.99) and fried fish ($5.49). A hot roast-beef sandwich served to a nearby table ($4.99) looked mouth-watering with its mound of mashed potatoes and dark gravy.
My husband tried to revisit our dating days by ordering the same thing he did 11 years ago, a build-your-own omelet ($4.99, plus 59 cents for fillings). Stuffed with ham, mushrooms, cheese, onions and peppers, the creation was the same as he remembered.
The joy of an IHOP omelet, he says, is they make it in layers so you never bite into plain egg, and there's none of that undercooked goo. Omelets are served with a triple-stack of buttermilk pancakes. A side order of corned beef hash ($1.99) was crispy and flavorful.
Our daughter chose the Silver Five, five silver-dollar pancakes, a strip of bacon and a scrambled egg. (It's regularly $1.99, but children's meals are free between 4 and 9 p.m.).
The eggs were layered and nicely done. The bacon was softly cooked, not crisp - our child proclaimed it the best she'd ever had.
But pancakes built IHOP. Our buttermilks were light, fluffy and accompanied by hot maple syrup. The restaurant also offers banana nut, buckwheat, harvest grain and nut, and chocolate chip versions, to name a few.
Waffles, crepes, steak and eggs, and other breakfasts round out the menu.
With dinner aside, our child moved on. The dessert menu was outdated: Only two items were available.
Our waitress explained there is a large selection of unlisted sweets to choose from. So our daughter requested the hot-fudge sundae, hold the whipped cream and cherry. Vanilla ice cream came topped with fudge and crushed M&Ms, a nice touch that delighted its recipient.
In our previous visits to IHOP, the short time between dinner and the check's arrival was filled with ``coffee and lying to each other,'' my husband says. This night, it was an eternity, punctuated by our child asking, ``What do tropical fish wear on hot days?''
``I don't know.''
``Tank tops. He-he-ha-ha-ha. These Hops are funny. Can we come back here again?''
``We'll be glad to. The next time you get invited to a sleep-over.'' MEMO: Reviews of chain restaurants with stores in Hampton Roads are based on a
single, unannounced visit by a party of two or three, unless otherwise
noted. The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star pay for the reviewer's
meal and those of the guests.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
The menu at the International House of Pancakes contains more than
100 items.
Photo
ROY A. BAHLS
General Manager Lance Reas oversees the IHOP, where the 100-item
menu includes Harvest Grain 'N Nut Pancakes (whole grains, oats,
almonds and English walnuts).
Graphic
CHAIN REACTION
International House of Pancakes, 641 N. Battlefield Blvd.,
Chesapeake.
Hours: Open 24 hours daily.
Prices: Breakfasts from $3.69 for a stack of pancakes to $7.99
for steak and eggs. Lunch from $4.19 to $6.09; dinner from $5.49 to
$10.99.
Reservations: Accepted only on weekdays for parties of 10 or
more.
Smoking: Two of three dining rooms are designated for
non-smokers.
Franchised by: International House of Pancakes Restaurants,
Glendale, Ca., which owns or franchises restaurants, including one
each in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.
by CNB