Illinois couple embark on mission to try every pancake house in state

The Associated Press

If you've ever beheld a stack of freshly made pancakes and felt sure you could eat every single one, then you might begin to appreciate Amanda Steiger's and Joe Niemczyk's mission.

They adore pancakes so much that they've embarked on what they expect to be a decade-long journey to sample flapjacks in every, or nearly every, pancake house in Illinois.

Steiger, 24, of Lemont, Ill., and her boyfriend, Niemczyk, 27, of Aurora, Ill., have already begun offering accounts of their culinary road trip via an online blog.

It's unclear just how many restaurants in Illinois serve pancakes, but Niemczyk estimates the state has a few hundred eateries that feature the food. The Illinois Restaurant Association reports there are 21,000 eateries, but has no statistics specifically on pancake houses.

Whatever the number, Niemczyk said he expects it will take the couple until 2018 to hit all or most of the state's pancake places.

The couple point to childhood memories and to the homey atmosphere at most pancake houses to account for their pancake passion.

"You feel comfortable when there's food like this being served," said Niemczyk. "It's a comfort food -- but there's a lot of room for variation at the same time."

The couple's blog, entitled Illinois Pancakes, provides detailed descriptions of both the pancake houses and their pancakes.

Their review of Aurora's Mother's Pancake House & Restaurant notes there were "enough retirees reading newspapers and sipping their midday coffees to give it that old school, pancake house charm." It adds: "You'd think that the unexpected Italian disco music ... would undercut this vibe, but it doesn't."

Among the other pancake houses the pair already visited and wrote about are the Original Pancake House in Park Ridge and Apple Villa in Batavia.

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On the Net:

Illinois Pancakes blog: http://illinoispancakes.blogspot.com