Eat This: Dutch Pancakes at Lale

It seems as though brunch is the one meal where it's 100 percent socially acceptable, and welcomed, to go to town on the sweets. That's not counting the afternoon snack or dessert (sometimes lovingly referred to as second or third dinner), of course. With that being said: Put Dutch pancakes on your list to try next if you haven't yet already.

Even a cursory search for anyone with Internet access will already yield generous results when it comes to the brunch joints in San Francisco with delicious pastries, french toast, and pancake options. These days, expensive toast has also been generously added to the mix. A personal favorite of mine that I haven't seen as often is the Dutch pancake, also known as the Dutch baby. (Note: Contains no baby. Sorry, had to.)

A Dutch pancake/baby is inspired by traditional German egg pancakes (which are called eierkuchen), and it's essentially an eggier pancake with crispy edges. Dutch pancakes are made of eggs, milk, flour, and sugar, and then baked in a cast iron or metal pan — hence those delicious crispy edges. They're usually served with butter and powdered sugar, and/or topped with fruit (strawberries, bananas, and apples are all popular). Basically, just imagine that a crepe met a pancake at a bar, and they invited a popover in on the fun, and after too many shots of syrup came their lovechild: the Dutch baby. In other words, it's far more superior than the American pancake. Yes, I said it.

Lale in the Inner Sunset (which quietly took over the slightly dated and old Villa Romana space — rest in peace) has delicious Dutch pancakes. These dessert-like, breakfast-appropriate pancakes are only available on the weekends, and come with a couple of different options for toppings, including caramelized bananas and whipped cream (again, still breakfast appropriate). I prefer their version to Outerlands', because Lale's Dutch pancakes are thicker and heftier, almost more custard-like with their fluffy centers, and still have those deliciously crisped edges.

They also feature a menu with a Mediterranean flare, with a popular lamb wrap available during lunch and dinner, alongside a fairly traditional and San Francisco-approved breakfast and brunch on the weekends (with other notable items here including their Jerusalem Benediction, a corned beef hash eggs benedict atop a homemade English muffin).