Pancake Chef Deserved Being Given A 2Nd Chance

----------------- RESTAURANT REVIEW -----------------

Pancake Chef, S. 152nd St. and Military Road S., SeaTac. 431-9411. All major credit cards, personal checks accepted. Hours are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Smoking section. Take-out is available.

The first time I tried out the Pancake Chef in SeaTac was about two years ago. I'd heard plenty of people rave about the place, and a colleague suggested we meet there for lunch.

Though it was past noon, my colleague chose to order breakfast. I noticed that others in the restaurant were doing the same. He saw me looking over the lunch selection and tried to persuade me to go with pancakes or one of the other breakfast items the cafe is known for. But I insisted on a chicken sandwich instead. The place was crowded, staffing was minimal, and the wait was long. When our food finally arrived, we only had a few minutes left to eat. I was hungry and anxiously bit into my sandwich, only to discover that I was eating tuna instead of chicken. Frustrated at the mix-up but in too much of a hurry to make an exchange, I choked down the sandwich and left.

Hadn't gone back

The experience had its effect on me, and I hadn't returned since. In fact, I'd pretty much forgotten about the Pancake Chef altogether until recently, when a friend suggested we stop there for breakfast on the way out of town for a weekend camping trip.

I thought about the tuna sandwich and considered protesting. But then I remembered all the good things I'd heard about the place and decided to give it another try. I'm glad I did.

Situated on a slope just off 152nd Street and Pacific Highway South, the Pancake Chef has the look and feel of a truck stop cafe. A large yellow-and-white sign with a lighted arrow looms in front of the place, beckoning to the heavy highway traffic below.

Once inside, customers are met by scattered tables, lime green-and-brown vinyl covered booths and the kind of big bulb lights that hang down from the ceiling by chains and were popular in the '70s. A planter filled with plants runs down the center of the room acting as a divider between two sets of booths. The restaurant's back wall is done in red brick. The front wall is all windows and faces east.

It was only 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning when we stopped by, but the place was already fairly packed. My friend and I were led to one of the last remaining booths and scanned the large breakfast menu while waiting for our coffee. When our waitress came out carrying a coffee jug that she left on our table, the memory of the tuna fish sandwich began to fade. Nothing irks me more than an empty coffee cup in the early morning, and having a full pot on our table assured that there would be no waiting for refills.

Though the menu is loaded with a variety of omelettes, french toast, eggs and bacon and other typical breakfast standbys, pancakes - true to the restaurant's name - are the specialties.

Buttermilk pancakes, buckwheat pancakes, blueberry pancakes, Hawaiian pancakes, German pancakes and Swedish pancakes are among them. Then come the crepes, the cheese blitzes and the corn fritters. And don't forget the waffles, which range from sweet cream to bacon or ham.

After getting caught up on the buckwheat pancakes for a moment (the waitress described them as "dense with a distinct flavor"), I decided to go for the potato pancakes, which came with bacon and a bowl of apple sauce. I went with the half order, which included four pancakes ($3.20).

My friend chose the Denver omelette (ham, green pepper and onion) which came with choice of silver dollar pancakes, tossed green salad, hashbrowns and toast, or sliced tomatoes ($4.75).

Within 10 minutes, the food was at our table, accompanied by a bowl of whipped butter and three types of syrup: maple, apple and berry.

My pancakes were thin and moist. The potatoes and touch of parsley that were mixed into the batter gave it enough flavor that I decided to forgo syrup and just ate them with a little touch of butter. They were extremely tasty and though they were thin, they were filling. My friend gave the thumbs-up on his omelette and his generous serving of silver dollar buttermilk pancakes. We cleaned our plates, drained the coffee pot and went happily on our way.

To make sure I didn't just catch the Pancake Chef on a good morning (and because I was dying to dig into a German pancake - a huge baked pancake that comes covered in powdered sugar), I returned to the Pancake Chef a few days later. I was equally pleased with both my selection and the service.

Breakfast is served all day at the Pancake Chef and is the most popular among patrons. But there is a lunch menu that consists of a variety of soups, salads, burgers and grilled sandwiches, as well as a few "dippers" and cold sandwiches. To be fair, the tuna salad sandwich I had tasted just fine for tuna salad - I am sure it is well thought of by tuna lovers. The place is currently open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. But starting in July, hours will be extended until 7 p.m. to offer an early dinner. And the doors will be open seven days a week. Originated in 1959

The Pancake Chef originated in 1959 as part of the Clark chain of restaurants. Loren and Rachel Sisley bought out the place in 1973 and continued on with the pancake recipes that made the cafe popular. In 1985, the couple expanded with the Campus Cafe restaurant and catering in Federal Way. The catering business soared, the breakfast and lunch crowd became steady and the Sisleys decided to sell the Pancake Chef to get away from the long hours and seven-days-a-week operation. But things didn't work out and they ended up taking it back. Now, with the help of their son Greg, who does most of the cooking down at the Campus Cafe, they juggle both establishments.

The Sisleys have a philosophy about their restaurants that they've tried to adhere to since they've been in the food business. Undoubtedly it is this philosophy that has attributed to their success all these years and keeps devoted customers coming from as far away as Bellevue.

"Three loves have we," the motto on their menu reads. "A love of good food, tastefully prepared; a love of people and the wish to please them; a love of high quality, cleanliness and service.

Restaurant reviews are a regular Thursday feature of the South County Life section. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.