Food Find: Du-par's. Hotcakes at all hours.

I suppose that I've been hearing about Du-par's in some form or another since I moved to Los Angeles 4 years ago.

• I have a vague recollection of passing by hordes of pie purchasers outside the diner-esque restaurant at the corner of Fairfax and 3rd last holiday season.
• I am pretty sure there's a story of a certain friend of mine having a particularly good date that began at Dupar's.
• And then, most recently, I am certain I heard my very trusted culinary radio host, Evan Kleiman (of KCRW's Good Food), interviewing someone at Du-par's about its history and its participation in the Farmers Market's recent 75th Anniversary celebration.

I now believe this person I heard describing the supposed 'best pancakes in Los Angeles' to have been either a very savvy publicist. Or a liar. I have a distinct memory of this woman pining over pancakes that she was just sure must have been cooked with loads of butter.

Well, I went to Du-par's last night and NOTE: serving a bowl of melted butter aside the stack of pancakes does not qualify as cooking with butter. And this is not to be mistaken with a dislike of butter on my part. I love butter. I am actually all too happy to pour it over all my food. I just don't know if I feel comfortable doing it in public.

Also [and possibly most importantly], Du-par's, which fancies itself a 'coffee shop' (a term most Angelenos are not aquainted with) did not have a vanilla milkshake in stock. It had strawberry, sure. But strawberry doesn't say coffee shop. It screams highfalutin. And I am forced to question the authenticity of any coffee shop that doesn't have plain vanilla.

[Image credits: Du-par's]