For many people, nothing but Mom's pancakes will ever do. But one visit to the Original Pancake House might find you worrying that Mom will learn of your betrayal.

As local franchises of The Original Pancake House Restaurant, started in 1953, the Scott and Ross pancake houses boast they use the same "authentic national and ethnic pancake recipes" developed by the founders Les Highet and Erma Hueneke.

The menu is so extensive that it features something for everyone, and not only pancakes in 18 varieties, but crepes, blintzes, omelettes, waffles and French toast. Still, it's not hard to convince children to eat out at a restaurant with the word "pancake" in its title. After all, who doesn't love pancakes?

The child-friendly atmosphere at the Original Pancake House starts with the owners, Chuck and Nelly Schweinsberg, who opened their first pancake house franchise in Ross in 2001 and their second one, in Scott, in August. Taking the family-restaurant theme to heart, the couple made their 21-month-old son, Chuckie, a co-owner.

Chuck Schweinsberg started his restaurant career 25 years ago as a dishwasher in the Del Ray Beach, Fla., Original Pancake House. Now, it's not uncommon to find him and Nelly in the kitchen, at the front door greeting customers or among the tables helping servers bring out food. The owners' presence gives the restaurant a personable feel you might not expect in a chain offering similar fare.

Their dedication to the restaurant is evident in their presence and number of years with the restaurant. Chuck Schweinsberg says he is able to maintain quality control by training employees well and offering children a complete meal at an affordable price.

"Freshness and the quality of our food" is what makes their breakfast spot different from all the others, he says. "Everything is made fresh daily."

Regular pancake house diners know to come early -- or be prepared to wait 20 to 30 minutes for a table. My family visited twice on Saturday mornings and had no wait either time, but noticed long lines by the time we left, around 9:30 a.m. the second time.

The children's menu comes on a paper coloring-page placemat, which scored a homerun with my 5-year-old. Parents will be pleased that, for about $3, your child can order three pancakes and a drink -- and probably take some of it home. The Chocolate Chip Pancakes ($3.25) were served with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream and loaded with miniature chocolate chips. Likewise, the Buttermilk Pancakes ($2.95) were light and fluffy.

Young diners can choose from rainbow, banana, blueberry, strawberry and even peanut butter pancakes. Top it off with freshly squeezed orange juice or hot chocolate, and many kids will be in breakfast heaven.

The restaurant's attention to freshness and quality is matched by the friendly service and high-quality place settings and atmosphere. Inside, the pancake house seems more like a high-end restaurant than a roadside diner -- clean, well lit and cozy.

From the moment you are seated, servers promptly start taking orders for freshly squeezed juices and a specially blended coffee. After food orders are placed, the table quickly becomes covered with little plates of fresh berries, butter, cream, confectioners' sugar and maple syrup.

We appreciate the forthright servers, who told us two of the house specialties we ordered could take as long as 30 minutes to prepare. But even on a busy Saturday morning, they came in 15 minutes and were well worth the wait.

One of the specialties, the Dutch Baby ($7.50), is a baked pancake treat that is light, fluffy and the size of a plate. It has been featured on a Food Network show about pancakes. Servers suggested spreading a light layer of whipped butter, squeezing fresh lemons and adding a light dusting of confectioners' sugar.

I promise you this treat will mark a new moment in your life, hereafter known as life after the first Dutch Baby. You might even find yourself daydreaming about its many layers that, in a flash, melt in your mouth as a regular pancake could never do.

The other most popular dish is the Apple Pancake ($8.25, or $9.25 with French vanilla ice cream). Never has our family tasted so much pancake and sweetness combined on one plate. This oven-baked specialty is so sweet and dripping with sauteed apple goodness that it's hard to imagine one person eating an entire helping alone. The dish is large and puffy, after being baked in the oven, and our children marveled at how it deflated after sitting for a minute.

Even ordinary pancakes here were delicious, largely because of the great lengths the owners go to keep their old-fashioned recipe and its tradition alive. The sourdough starter takes five days to ferment and is made from scratch daily.

The Blueberry Pancakes ($6.95, or $4.95 for a short stack) were served with butter and warm compote of fresh blueberries. Topped with maple syrup, these were truly scrumptious.

The Swedish Pancakes ($7.50) came with a bowl of lingonberries -- a tart berry sometimes described as a cross between a blueberry and a cranberry. They were heavenly when paired with fresh whipped butter and maple syrup.

The Potato Pancakes ($6.95, or $4.95 for a short stack) were very thin and wonderful with a smear of sour cream and applesauce.

There are more than 15 ways to order pancakes. I suggest you come back many times and try them all.

A close cousin to the pancake is the crepe -- a very thin pancake that is truly blissful. Eaten plain or with one of the many toppings available, the crepes were a family favorite. Many youngsters seem to enjoy picking them up and dipping them, almost like bread. The French Crepes ($7.95) are rolled with fresh strawberries, dusted with confectioners' sugar and served with strawberry syrup.

Another close relative to the crepe is the blintz, made with crepe batter and filled with fruit, such as apples, strawberries, mandarin oranges or blueberries. The Cherry Kijafa Blintz ($7.95) are filled with mixture of cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla, and topped with a cherry Kijafa wine sauce.

If you're not in the mood for pancakes, try one of the omelets. Made with six eggs, each omelet takes up almost the entire plate and is most likely eaten in more than one sitting.

The Western Omelette ($8.95) was a classic preparation of little bits of ham, chopped onions, green and sweet red peppers, and cheese. Each one is served with -- you guessed it -- three buttermilk pancakes.

Ticket restaurant reviewers visit restaurants anonymously. They pay in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews are done only after meals and services have been appraised.

Additional Information:

The Original Pancake House

Cuisine: Breakfast

Entree price range: $2.95-$9.95

Notes: Reservations accepted weekdays only. Accepts all major credit cards. Offers seasonal specials, such as pumpkin pancakes.

Hours: 7 a.m.-3 p.m. seven days a week for the Scott store, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays for the Ross store

Locations: 2229 Swallow Hill Road, Scott, and 8300 McKnight Road, Ross

Details: Scott, 412-279-1999; Ross, 412-358-9622; or online

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