This is a guest post is by Jessica Marko, a recent culinary grad with an interest in local artisan foods and creating recipes inspired with their ingredients. Her column focuses on both, with the history and passion behind these foods and their creators.

In New Jersey, a state known for its surplus in diners, determining which breakfast place is worth your time can be a bit intimidating. The best places however, generally make everything by hand, in house. The Original Pancake House in Fort Lee is doing exactly that and more. Not only do they make everything from fresh-squeezed orange juice, syrup, pancakes and whipped cream from scratch but they also use the ‘perfect’ recipes. The Original Pancake House uses recipes that were created in the 1950’s by a chemist and his secretary. The secretary provided old German recipes while the chemist was able to create the scientifically proven ‘perfect’ recipes.

Accompanying these ‘perfect’ pancakes are their house made syrups. The syrups are proprietary recipes made to pair with the variety of pancakes and crepes. The syrups range from traditional to banana which is surprisingly creamy and bright. Many of the pancakes use a sourdough starter which adds a savory quality to the pancakes and also a unique depth of flavor. Aside from their pancakes and syrup, they also have thick cut bacon, made in Utah, that is reason enough to stop in. They also have unique coffee mugs, made by a family in Minnesota. The mugs are sold and the proceeds go to St. Jude’s Hospital.

The most difficult part about eating at the Original Pancake House is choosing what to order, so below are some of the dishes that are a must for both regulars and newcomers:

49’er Flap Jacks. Massive pancakes made without the sourdough starter. These pancakes are soft and sweet, pairing perfectly with their traditional house made syrup.

Eggs Benedict. The hollandaise is made each morning and has a slight kick to offset the buttery home fries and perfectly poached eggs.

German Apple Pancake. One of the harder dishes to describe, it is similar to a thick bread pudding, or a creamy French toast. Regardless of the description is it an oven baked pancake with granny smith apples, which makes it an acceptable breakfast option.

Vegetable Omelets. Their omelets are hand whipped and baked in the oven. They are packed with flavor from the vegetables and local cheddar. They are also a great source of protein, containing 8 eggs each.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes. These pancakes are made using a sour dough starter so they have a yeasty, savory quality which goes well with Hershey’s chocolate chips and fresh whipped cream. If they aren’t sweet enough already however, feel free to add a bit of the house made syrup.

Original Pancake House 1638 Schlosser Street, Fort Lee, NJ Website