Food Fight!

Just Fruit Me

Powell-based Kraft House No. 5 is all about unique twists on classic dishes, so when Belgian waffles became part of its brunch menu, the chefs knew their recipe couldn’t be familiar to diners.

The current offering – a waffle with strawberries, orange butter and spiced maple syrup – fits the bill ably, says Nick Pennino, general manager. It’s also popular as an accompaniment to the chicken and waffles dish, which loses the orange butter in favor of fried chicken and rosemary.

“The chefs just had an epiphany,” Pennino says.

-Garth Bishop

TCB (Taking Care of Breakfast)

Ryan Bryson was watching a special on Elvis Presley when he learned of the King’s favorite sandwich: bacon, banana, peanut butter and jelly. Why not, he thought, create a breakfast item that mirrored the sandwich?

In 2012, the Elvis Waffle became one of the first items on SuperChef’s Breakfast & More’s menu. The restaurant now has locations in Gahanna and downtown Columbus.

The dish comes with five stacked waffle pieces and is topped with whipped cream; layered with candied bacon, banana slices and brûléed banana; and drizzled with caramel sauce.

“People love it,” says Superchef’s co-owner Bryson. “It’s always a showstopper when it comes out to the table.”

-Hannah Bealer

Original Cin

In addition to the standard option, Jack & Benny’s Barnstormer Diner boasts a menu of nine types of pancakes – of which one of the most uncommon is the raisin cinnamon variety.

The diner – located at The Ohio State University Airport in northwest Columbus – is owned by the folks behind Jack & Benny’s in south Clintonville. And beyond those nine pancake offerings, it also has the occasional seasonal inspiration, from pumpkin and bananas foster to Hawaiian pineapple and ham.

“We have one rotating fresh fruit pancake,” says owner Geno Garcia.

-Garth Bishop

The Power of Purity

The waffles at Portia’s Café are known almost as well by what they do have (blueberries, bananas, apples and cinnamon, chocolate chips, sometimes strawberries) as what they don’t (gluten, animal products, GMOs).

Waffles are the centerpiece of the Clintonville restaurant’s Sunday brunch, and the recipe calls for rice milk and a custom flour mix developed by owner Portia Yiamouyiannis and her daughter. After the customer chooses from the above-mentioned fillings, he or she can add local maple syrup and vegan butter or coconut spread.

“(Customers) say it’s better than any other waffle (they’ve) had,” says Yiamouyannis. “When somebody tastes real food, it does have a different taste.”

-Garth Bishop

Having a Ball

They don’t look much like your average, garden-variety pancake, but the pancake balls have been an enduring favorite at Harrison West-based Katalina’s.

“(When) I opened my restaurant, that was the very first thing I put on my menu,” says owner Kathleen Day.

The spherical sweets may be crammed full of Nutella, dulce de leche or pumpkin-apple butter, and are served with Ohio maple syrup and Katalina’s signature sweet and spicy bacon. Day is quick to point out the positive effect of the stone-ground flour from Fowler’s Mill of Chardon, Ohio on the Danish-inspired treats.

“I’m really lucky that people love them so much,” Day says.

-Garth Bishop

Sweet & Salty

One crepe on the menu at the North Market’s Taste of Belgium stands out from the rest: the salty caramel.

The dessert crepe is prepared with fleur de sel – or “flower of salt” – that’s crafted in-house. A bit of powdered sugar improves the texture, and small pieces of toasted walnuts are sprinkled on top and inside the crepe. The dish is completed with a sweet caramel drizzle.

“People really love that we make the fleur de sel in-house,” says Brendon Fox, manager of the North Market location. “You can buy it, but I think it tastes much better when it’s homemade.”

-Hannah Bealer

Exotic Eats

The Arabian Night waffle is ZenCha Tea Salon’s nod to Middle Eastern culture.

The downtown Columbus, Bexley and Short North eatery’s focus is on international teas, and the brunch offerings follow suit. Arabian Night is baked with dates and walnuts and topped with fresh orange segments, toasted almonds and a lemon crème fraiche infused with a touch of passionfruit. The syrup is made from black tea with cardamom, ginger and orange, and the waffle itself is made with batter that has sat out overnight to ensure the dough rises properly.

 “This is why we follow the traditional recipe – because it delivers the best results,” says I-Cheng Huang, executive managing officer.

-Sarah Sole

Capitalizing on Candy

The Reese’s Pieces pancakes came purely by chance to the menu at Easy Street Café in German Village, when owner George Stefanidis received a bulk shipment of the candy by mistake about 14 years ago.

“I’m a big fan of peanut butter and chocolate,” says Stefanidis.

It was perfect timing for experimentation, since the café had recently added a brunch menu. Stefanidis added the Reese’s Pieces to some pancakes, and a popular dish was born.

The candies are baked into a buttermilk pancake and topped with maple syrup. And out of five pancakes on the menu, Reese’s Pieces is No. 1 in popularity, Stefanidis says.

-Sarah Sole