Pancakes just one of the tasty breakfast items at The Griddle

It takes a certain level of skill to make a Hollandaise that doesn't break, a souffle that doesn't collapse.

But so, my friends, does it take skill to make a plate-sized pancake that's light and fluffy but still substantial enough to hold together and porous enough to soak up the butter and syrup that help make pancakes pancakes. And that skill is possessed by the kitchen staff of the aptly named The Griddle.

We stopped by the original Griddle on South Eastern Avenue on a weekday morning, noticed that most of the indoor seating and nearly all of the outdoor seating was occupied and wondered just how busy things get on weekends.

The reason for that would be in large part, we suspect, because of the things that come off of The Griddle's griddle.

We discovered the pancakes as part of The Lumberjack ($9.99), a platter that's actually two platters and involves three eggs, two pancakes and three pieces of bacon or link sausage. The pancakes were available in a number of varieties (including the ever-popular Red Velvet), but we stuck with the standard - only to find they were anything but. Again, perfect texture with a fluffy interior, and lightly flavored with a buttermilk tang that only got better after we added the butter and syrup. The eggs were eggs (although properly sunny-side as ordered) and the link sausage had more flavor than fat, which is always a good thing. And yes, the name fits; this was a lot of food.

The Griddle also offers a variety of "Benedicts," a growing genre based on riffs on the traditional eggs Benedict. We chose the crab cake Benedict ($9.99) from the list. It turned out to be two thickish cakes, with little filler, that were about the size of the English muffins. The crab flavor was strong enough that it would have been objectionable had the cakes been served on their own, but with the reasonably rich and nicely lemony Hollandaise and two perfectly poached eggs, it was brought into balance. On the side: fried fresh-from-the-peeler potato cubes, lightly browned and lightly seasoned.

Service throughout was fine. The interior was streamlined and bright, decorated in kind of citrusy colors.

We chose to sit at one of the outdoor tables. The Griddle is in morning shadow, and with a gentle breeze blowing through - and with the quality of our breakfasts - it was a pleasant morning indeed.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at 383-0474 or email her at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com.