Pancakes with panache at Grand Lux Cafe
Banana pecan pancakes at Grand Lux Cafe Credit: Newsday Photo/Joan Reminick
Sunday afternoon at Grand Lux Cafe by Roosevelt Field. I’m seated outdoors in the shade, where it’s temperate and breezy.
And I make the mistake of not ordering the banana pecan pancakes pictured above. They sounded sweet. Icky. Heavy. But they appeal to my guy, so, good thing he gets them.
Available only at weekend brunch, the buttermilk hot cakes turn out to be airy-light — foamy, almost — so delicate in flavor. Instead of being studded with bananas and pecans, they're topped with them. And just the right amount of a warm brown sugar butter. Who needs syrup? Add these to the list of LI’s top pancakes. I can't keep my fork away from them.
My plate, in contrast, is a letdown. I order the Vietnamese chicken summer rolls, thinking they’ll be similar to the shrimp version at the affiliated Cheesecake Factory. They're not even close, thanks to the presence of mayo and dry chicken. No complaints about the crunchy julienne vegetables and fresh cilantro, though.
Weekend brunch runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Grand Lux Cafe is near the northwest side of Roosevelt Field, 630 Old Country Rd., Garden City, 516-741-0096
Above: Banana pecan pancakes at Grand Lux Cafe
