Stacks & Yolks
S’mores – Chocolate Pancakes, Crushed Graham Crackers, Whipped Marshmallow Cream, Toasted Marshmallows
Alabama Slamma – Peanut Butter Pancakes, Bananas, Pecans, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Drizzle
Deep Fried Churro French Toast – Butter, Cinnamon, Sugar, ‘Maple Syrup’
Previously called Griddlecakes, a meal in April 2015 at the location on North Jones Boulevard so unmemorable that the connection did not become evident until viewing aged Social Media posts, it was as part of breakfast on Friday that a visit was made to Stacks & Yolks on South Durango Drive, a new name and updated menu from the same ownership seeing the place fare better despite a new set of faults.
Tucked away in a plaza also featuring fast food, foot spas and firearms suppliers, a fairly typical situation for many family-owned Restaurants spread across The Valley, those frequenting the area will likely know the space thanks to bold yellow signage visible from the street and with a large parking lot available those deciding to stop in will find the theme replicated many-fold on the inside where early morning remains fairly quiet save for weekends.
Once known for a fairly typical collection of Eggs, Hashes and Griddles but since going for gusto by way of oversized plates and Pancakes featuring a dozen different Batter flavors plus at least ten Toppings daily, it was immediately upon entry just prior to eight o’clock that guests were greeted and invited to “sit anywhere you like” by a lone young server prone to calling everyone “boss” or “my man” before knocking on tables as if by habit.
No doubt an all-ages environment, two men in suits discussing business at one table while two women, an infant and pre-school aged child occupied a four-top across the way, it was as current Pop staples played overhead that selections were made from a sizable collection, the ability to customize great for those who are picky or with allergies and the prices mostly on par with other independently owned Breakfast places.
Eventually settling on three individual plates priced $5.99 to $8.99, the “10-Pancakes and 10-Eggs in under an hour” challenge saved for another day, it was perhaps fifteen minutes before all three items were delivered in succession, the warm pseudo-Syrup quickly set aside in favor of the good stuff brought from home and first bites of the Churro-style ‘Short Stack’ immediately proving worthwhile as the fried Bread thickly coated in Cinnamon and Sugar offered a great crunch that quickly gave way to a soft custard-soaked center.
Moving next to the Pancakes, two $5.99 specialty singles requested and both barely visible beneath a mountain of toppings, it is surprisingly in their signature item that Stacks & Yolks comes up short as a result of flavors that simply taste ‘off,’ the use of syrups or concentrates likely at fault as the Peanut Butter’s faint taste was almost imperceptible while the Chocolate tasted mostly like Hot Cocoa Mix, though in both cases the combination of Whipped Cream and all the rest were enough to make them mostly enjoyable.
THREE STARS: In a city with no lack of Breakfast joints, both chains and independently owned, Stacks & Yolks falls somewhere towards the middle of the pack in terms of everything from price to service to the food itself.
RECOMMENDED: Churro French Toast.
AVOID: Flavored Batters seem to be a waste unless buried in toppings.
TIP: The social media #stacksandyolks offer featured on tables can only be applied to plain Buttermilk Pancakes without any toppings, IE you cannot simply take $3.99 (the cost of one Pancake) off of a Short Stack or Specialty Pancake.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.stacksnyolks.com
