On a recent crowded Sunday afternoon, I stopped by Ethos Vegan Kitchen hoping for Brunch. Undeterred by the long wait time I’d been given, I read and waited with visions of pancakes in my head.
It was worth the wait.
Restaurant: Ethos Vegan Kitchen, Winter Park in Orlando, Florida
Dishes: Short Stack and Biscuits & Gravy
Reading: The Other Side of Sadness by George Bonnano
It was a close call, but I made it to my table before brunch ended at 3:00. I was safe. I celebrated with two breakfast options.
Finding vegan pancakes at a restaurant is a treat. Pancakes are ubiquitous at almost every restaurant that serves breakfast, from fast food on up to fine dining. But, finding plant-based breakfast options can be hard at restaurants and you may be limited to oatmeal, toast, fruit, and potatoes. Huge sections of the menu are off limits.
Thankfully vegan breakfasts are getting easier to find in Orlando.
The Short Stack is served in two ways: two pancakes plain – which means vegan butter and maple syrup. Or two specialty pancakes – which means topped with fruit or with chocolate syrup. I chose the plain option. There is a Double Stack option, too. Those are four pancakes, also either plain or specialty.
The Ethos pancakes are perfect. Two large plate-sized portions, with melted butter goodness from the vegan butter and as much or as little sweet maple syrup as you like. They are fluffy, well-cooked pancakes.
Instead of ordering a side of plant-based sausage, I ordered the Biscuits & Gravy because I’ve still got a craving for biscuits after my Dajen biscuit a few weeks ago. The Ethos dish came with two biscuits cut in half and covered in the gravy. The gravy was very peppery, which was a good counter balance to the sweetness of the maple syrup on the pancakes. The biscuits were fluffy and possibly made with whole wheat flour, a plant-based plus.
I’d been worried I’d still be hungry afterwards, but everything was definitely filling and satisfying.
The solo dining challenge today was one I’ve never had happen to me. I was seated at one of those corner booths that seats four or five people. Happily, it was by the windows, so the lighting was good. But the server who seated me said it was “the next available.” I was just happy to get a table before brunch ended. Didn’t matter how big it was.
Can I make this at home? Not really. When I make pancakes they are never quite cooked inside. Even if I make them the standard small size and not plate-sized. So my made from scratch ones are usually underdone. I used pancake mix for years before learning I had a dairy sensitivity. I’m not sure there’s a vegan or plant-based pancake mix out there. If so, I haven’t tried it. But Trader Joe’s has frozen vegan pancakes that taste similar if you add vegan butter and maple syrup. So in a way, they can be made at home. Just place them in the toaster and you’re done! (Though Trader Joe’s here has challenging parking, which is probably a good thing since then I won’t eat as many pancakes.)
I’ve not mastered gravy making, either. I also used a gravy mix to make the gravy for biscuits and gravy in the past. Also another item I can no longer use. So while a lot of people could make their own milk gravy with pepper at home, I’m not sure when I might try it again, now that I’ve found Ethos.
While waiting for my table and also while eating, I made progress on my book. And came across the following quote:
We are not accustomed to thinking of grief as a process of finding comfort. The idea seems a bit odd, but this is precisely what resilient people do.”
page 72
I mentioned in my March TBR post that the book The Other Side of Sadness is not a heavy, downer book. It’s been another pleasant surprise.