Shoot First Eat Later

Breakfast at The Original Pancake House

Whenever I go to Virginia to visit my 2 cousins they know my usual request is to eat at The Original Pancake House.

I first tried The Original Pancake House in Chicago and Dallas. I’m so glad that Virginia has 1 branch and it’s near my cousin Sharon’s place.

We usually go on weekend mornings since that’s when they don’t have work. I’ve never gone there without waiting for at least 15-30 minutes. There’s usually an overflow of people waiting who have no choice but to sit outside.

This is the big and always full waiting area.

cousin La in yellow and cousin Sha in white

Whenever we eat here we always order their signature items – the apple pancake and Dutch baby. All their portions are HUGE and are definitely for sharing.

The apple pancake is a baked pancake topped with sautéed apples and Sinkiang cinnamon sugar glaze. It’s so rich and delicious and overwhelming. With 4 adults and 2 kids we barely finished half.

apple pancake $9.95

My other favorite is the lighter Dutch baby. It reminded me of an airy souffle and thicker crepe in one. To eat it you squeeze fresh lemon on it then sprinkle powdered sugar and slather with whipped butter. It was a welcome contrast to the sweet and heavy apple pancake.

Dutch baby $9.25

To balance things out we also ordered a couple of savory dishes. It was the first time for all of us to try the chicken crepe. The crepe was smothered with sherry sauce and filled with chicken, green pepper and mushroom. It was just satisfactory for me. I liked the potato pancakes that came with it more. Specially when topped with applesauce and sour cream. Delish!!

chicken crepe

It’s not in the pictures but this giant omelette came with 3 buttermilk pancakes which the kids ate. I wonder how many eggs they used for this monstrosity. They didn’t bother with rolling it into a classic omelette. This big omelette was baked right in the pan. It was soft, fluffy and filled with veggies and cheese.

vegetarian omelette $9.25

sides of corned beef hash and shredded hash browns

Everything was American sized! We took home so much left-overs it was enough for lunch and dinner at home (on different days of course).

There were many things in the menu I wanted to try but I always end up ordering the apple pancake and Dutch baby. I’ve tried the bacon waffle before and it was out of this world. Next time I promise to order something different. See you in a couple of years Original Pancake House!

menu

The Original Pancake House
370 West Broad St.
Falls Church, Virginia 22046-3319
telephone: (703) 891-0148

Trapper’s Smokehouse at Busch Gardens

There were several dining options at Busch Gardens. There was a buffet, Irish fare, British pub, Italian choices and many more.

What lured us to Trapper’s Smokehouse was the wonderful aroma of smoked meats cooking right in front of the restaurant.

The food was laid out cafeteria style and there were more than 2 lines going but we it still took us more than half an hour to get our food.

The desserts were up first. They were smart in the lay-out. While we patiently waited for our turn we were faced with all kinds of tempting desserts from fresh fruit to pies and cakes.

I gave in when I saw the chocolate cake. I got a slice for Erin. She loved it.

Ethan got a kid’s meal with his favorite chicken and fries.

The side dishes looked tempting too.

We got a mac and cheese for Erin.

All the barbecued meats from chicken to beef brisket and ribs were at the end of the line.

The adults shared an order of smokehouse sampler which had bbq chicken, smoked beef brisket and bbq ribs and country waffle fries. It was actually good. Finger lickin’ good!

smokehouse sampler $13.59

Busch Gardens

The highlight of my trip to Williamsburg, Virginia was Busch Gardens theme park.

Busch Gardens was only a few minutes drive from our hotel. It took a longer time to get into the park. It was the beginning of summer and it seemed everyone was at the park.

There were lines to get in.

The theme of Busch Gardens was the history and culture of old Europe. It was divided into 5 countries – England, Italy, Ireland, Germany and France. Each country had it’s own rides, entertainment, food and ambiance.

Getting into the park was high tech. My cousins were residents of Virginia that’s why they were entitled to a pass that will allow them to come back as many times as they want for the summer. They paid the same amount as my single entry pass which was $63.99. To make sure the same person uses the pass they scanned your fingerprint and embedded the information to the ticket.

Kids are checked for their height at the entrance and are given colored bracelets to wear. The color corresponds to the rides they can ride. Smart and efficient!

We started with Ireland.

Our first ride was Europe in the Air, a motion simulator that took us around Europe in a few minutes.

I love scary rides and they had a lot in Busch Gardens. The Alpengeist was one of the top 10 steel roller coasters in the world. It reached a speed of 67 miles per hour!

Alpengeist

This was one of our last ‘dry’ pictures.

Der Wirbelwind

The roller coasters were great but we loved the water rides the most. It was a very hot day and getting wet was messy but a relief. We didn’t get wet much on this time but fun ride.

Le Scoot

It was mean but we laughed at Erin and Ethan who got soaked in this ride. Us adults got off relatively dry.

Roman Rapids

There was no escaping getting wet from this ride.

Escape from Pompei

If you didn’t get wet during the ride then the huge wave of water at the end of the ride will surely get you drenched. It’s good I brought a plastic bag to keep my camera dry. This was the best ride!

We missed this ride because it was closed when we wanted to ride it. It finally opened late in the day and we were too tired to line up. According to Wikipedia the Griffon is the world’s second tallest and fastest Diving Machine roller coaster, named after the legendary creature, the griffin; contains a ninety-degree drop from over two-hundred feet and a “splashdown” finale.

Griffon

We ended our day with a relaxing and peaceful ride on the Rhine rive cruise.

Rhine River Cruise

Busch Gardens is truly a beautiful theme park. Amidst all the steel rides is a man made river surrounded by beautiful trees. The water was as green as the trees.

We even saw this ‘radioactive’ turtle.

Yes, they had horses too.

I liked Busch Gardens because it wasn’t too big and we were able to walk around the whole park. It also had enough rides to keep the youngest to the oldest visitor entertained. We were all tired at the end of the day but we had so much fun.

2010 Regular Admission Rates
Regular Admission – $63.99
Child Admission (ages 3-9) – $53.99
Children 2 and under – Free
Parking – $13

Busch Gardens
1 Busch Gardens Boulevard
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8785

Colonial Williamsburg

We had to walk after our heavy and yummy lunch and what better place to do that than at Colonial Williamsburg which was one of the top tourist attractions in Virginia.

There was a guided tour you can join but we decided to walk around ourselves.

Colonial Williamsburg is all about the sights and sounds of the 18th century.

Experience life as it was in our nation’s yesterdays. Explore the homes and buildings where men like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Patrick Henry inspired the fight for independence.
from History.org

weaver

All the performers were in costume and always in character.

colonial garden & nursery

Bruton Parish Church

Ethan was hot and bored.

off with their heads!

Want some refreshments? Drinks and snacks were sold here.

carriage ride anyone?

One of the most popular places was the Market Square where they sold replicas of merchandise from the 18th century.

These were the toys kids played with before. There were no ds, ps3, iPhone, etc. Just imagination and fun.

Erin reminded me of Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. Of course she had no idea what that was when we told her.

shoemaker

This was the Merchants Square which had over 40 shops and services.

Colonial Williamsburg was a pretty place to visit specially if you’re a history buff.

Lunch at Peking Restaurant, Williamsburg VA

By this time I have been in the US for almost 3 weeks. Not once did I look for Chinese food. I’ve tried Chinese food in Virginia/DC before and honestly it wasn’t worth it. After checking in at Residence Inn it was already 2:00 pm and we were ravenous. We wanted food fast and plenty and so we went to Peking Restaurant.

This Chinese restaurant was also a Mongolian and Japanese restaurant. Immediately I had my doubts. It’s never good when a restaurant is so diversified. On the other hand they’ve been open since 1988 and that’s quite a long time in the restaurant industry.

Well, they had a lot of awards and recognition.

What! $7.99 for buffet? I was already imagining Panda Express quality food. (Panda Express is a Chinese fast food establishment in the US.)

Sorry for this blurry picture. My camera must have been in the wrong setting or I was just really shaking from hunger. I still posted it though to give you an idea of the nice decor of the place.

They had a giant griddle for cooking the Mongolian barbecue. There was a lot of meat, veggies, fruits, sauces and spices to choose from. I skipped this part.

The buffet selections began with the rice table. Imagine 4 kinds of rice to choose from. I started to feel giddy.

So much soup!

The buffet was very, very long. What I liked about it was the portions were small so you know that these are replenished often and hopefully cooked fresh.

I only took pictures of some of the food. There were too many choices and I was already excited to eat.

clams in black bean sauce

giant clams

baked salmon

fried tofu

chicken dishes

chicken teriyaki

beef teriyaki

potstickers

They even had a sushi conveyor.

sushi train

The sushi were all new to me. Boston roll, fruit maki, fried banana roll, OMG roll and many more. My favorite was the OMG roll. I really did say OMG after a bite.

I was pleasantly surprised with their food. It was actually good. Some more than others. But with the wide variety of choices you are sure to find something great. For me my favorite was the baked seafood in a shell. It was creamy, cheesy and filled with all kinds of chopped seafood. I ate 2 of those. The beef and chicken dishes were also good.

There were plenty of dessert options like almond jelly, gelatin, fresh fruit. But Erin and I chose to have brownie a la mode. And it was yummy!

For $7.99 you can get a cold deli sandwich or a burger or even a pizza and a drink. At Peking restaurant $7.99 you get food that’s well cooked, hot, flavorful and you can eat as much as your tummy can hold. Going to Peking restaurant is really a no-brainer. If you’re in Williamsburg, Virginia a trip to Peking restaurant is a MUST. Consider it part of your tour along with Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens and Prime Outets.

PEKING RESTAURANT 中式自助餐
120 Waller Mill Road,Wiliamsburg VA 23185 USA

telephone: (757) 229 – 2288

Open–11:00am
Lunch $7.99
Dinner $11.99
7 Days a Week
Taste of Thai service begin at 4:30pm to 8:30pm

Residence Inn Williamsburg VA

We said goodbye to Virginia Beach after that scrumptious breakfast at Pocahontas Pancakes. We then headed to Williamsburg which was less than 2 hours away.

We checked in to Residence Inn which was part of the Marriott group. It was my first time to stay at a Residence Inn which was billed as an “extended stay” hotel.

The dining room was right at entrance across the registration counter.

The outdoor area was where free barbecue dinners were held.

Most of the rooms were suites. As usual I got the sofa bed.

The bathroom was pretty basic but it was clean and satisfactory.

What amazed me was the full size refrigerator, microwave oven, cooktop and dishwasher. There were also plates, glasses and cookware. It was like a serviced apartment.

Next to the free wifi the best thing about Residence Inn was the FREE full American breakfast buffet. Of course it wasn’t as good as Pocahontas but there was enough variety to satisfy everyone.

juice and coffee bar

The most popular part was the waffle station where you make your own waffles.

The waffle batter was in a big metal container and dispensed into disposable plastic cups. A timer will buzz telling you when to flip the waffle maker.

Erin’s waffle didn’t come out as nice as the one below.

yogurt

milk, fruit cocktail, and waffle toppings

bread

oatmeal and cereal

I literally squealed with joy when I saw the biscuits. My cousin La can’t understand my fascination with biscuits since she hates them. I love biscuits specially when they are hot and flaky. Biscuits don’t exist in Manila or Hong Kong that’s why when I’m in the US I eat it as often as I could.

biscuits and corned beef hash

pork sausage

eggs and tater tots

sour cream, salsa, cheese and jalapeno – for the eggs?

Now I know to look for a Residence Inn when I go on vacation. Nice fully furnished room, free wifi, and free breakfast. What more can I ask for?

my breakfast

Residence Inn Williamsburg
1648 Richmond Road
Williamsburg, Virginia 23185 USA
telephone:(757) 941-2000

Breakfast at Pocahontas Pancakes & Waffle Shop

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But most of the time we’re in a rush and don’t get to relax and enjoy a hearty meal. Since we were on vacation we wanted to have the best breakfast and we accomplished that by going to the most popular breakfast place in Virginia Beach.

Pocahantas Pancakes was another discovery from Yelp. It was really popular with the locals and tourists and there was a constant line outside. We didn’t wait for a long time though.

We really had a hard time making up our minds since everything on the menu looked good. Our first order which all the adults unanimously agreed to was the blue crab meat omelet. I really loved this omelet because it wasn’t too big. There was actually more crab filling than eggs. It was light and the taste of the crab was the star of the dish.

blue crab meat omelet w/ cheese $8.95

We let Erin choose which waffle to order and boy was I glad she chose the chocolate chip waffle. The egg rich batter of the Belgian waffle gave it a soft and rich interior and a crisp exterior. It was one of the best waffles I’ve ever eaten. There was enough chocolate chips to make the kids and adults happy.

succulent chocolate chip waffle

The kids had their own side order of plain pancakes. Wow even the plain, unadulterated pancakes were yummy!!

The side order of corned beef hash was a bit disappointing since it was the canned variety.

This was our order the first day. This was shared between 3 adults and 2 kids. Let me tell you there was nothing left on our plates. NOTHING.

Before leaving Virginia Beach we had to go back to Pocahontas again for our farewell breakfast. This time we tried the waffle topped with sweetened pecans. It was good too. What would be even better are chocolate chips and pecans together. I hope you take note Pocahontas.

pecan-topped waffle

I decided to go for broke and ordered their breakfast sandwich. I chose this because of the biscuit underneath the sausage patty, cheese slice and sunny side egg. Incredible! Now this IS a breakfast sandwich. Thankfully it wasn’t greasy at all. I ate 1 and my cousin La ate the other. Ethan ate the potatoes.

breakfast sandwich

La’s hubby decided to eat healthier and ordered a veggie omelet. I didn’t bother trying it. Between the pecan waffle and breakfast sandwich I was beyond full. And happy. Very happy.

Veggie Omelet

If I can have breakfast like this anytime of the day I would eat here for lunch and dinner too. Pocahontas Pancakes is strictly a breakfast and brunch place. They close at 1:00 pm daily.

Pocahontas Pancake & Waffle Shop
Atlantic Ave. & 35th Street
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451
telephone: (757) 428-6352
hours: 7:00 am to 1:00 pm
7 Days a week

Dinner at Pelons Baja Grill

When we were in Virginia Beach we relied heavily on Yelp on our iPhone to look for places to eat at. Pelons Baja Grill had very good reviews specially with their famous fish tacos. So that’s where we ate for our first dinner.

Pelons was a very short walk from our hotel.

We started with some tortilla chips and queso dip. The dip was so yummy!

chips & queso dip $6.25

The salad had a generous serving of sauteed pepper shrimp and the it was served with Pelon’s cilantro pepper dressing. The salad had nice mild spicy flavor.

surfside salad $9.25

This was my first time to try fish tacos. I was surprised with the use of shredded cabbage instead of lettuce. I think they were after the crunch from the cabbage. The fish was coated in thick breading and deep fried. That in itself was nothing extra ordinary. What made this taco stand out was the spicy Baja cream sauce. It was the perfect topping for a crunchy taco.

fish tacos $7.50 for 3

I really liked the taco filled with grilled steak cubes, guacamole, cilantro, onion and a choice of red or green sauce. The beef was tender and very flavorful.

carne asada tacos $7.50 for 3

No wonder Pelons Baja Grill was a popular place. They had a wide variety of food at reasonable prices. The taste was quite authentic too. It’s a good place for a quick, casual and satisfying meal.

Pelons Baja Grill menu (click to enlarge)

Pelons Baja Grill
3619 Pacific Ave
Virginia Beach, VA 23451-2712
telephone: (757) 417-3970

Virginia Beach

We finally arrived at Virginia Beach after a 4 hour drive and a quick bbq lunch. The weather unexpectedly dropped and it was quite cool for summer.

We checked in at Marriott’s Courtyard Virginia Beach Oceanfront hotel. The hotel was right on the beach.
.

This was the view at the back of the hotel’s lobby.

My cousin got a 1 bedroom suite. That’s my bed below.

The room even had a microwave, mini refrigerator and a coffee maker.

This was the view from our balcony. I could see a long stretch of the beach and the beautiful and clean 3 mile long boardwalk.

There were all sorts of bikes for rent that you could drive on the boardwalk.

The boardwalk was lined with hotels and apartment buildings. Our hotel was at the north end where it was quiet and there were less people.

Virginia Beach boardwalk

our hotel

cousin La and her family

It was freezing! The weather was in the 60s and with the wind from the sea it was too cold for a dip. That didn’t stop the kids from jumping in the water though. I was happy to snuggle under my towels.

Poor Erin, we made her carry all the beach gear. 😉

When the waves in the ocean got too strong we moved to the fun pool. It was warmer there too.

At night the beach was deserted and all the action moved to the boardwalk and Atlantic Avenue.

We celebrated Ethan’s 13th birthday with a yummy ice cream cake from Harris Teeter supermarket.

There were free nightly concerts near the center of the boardwalk.

We walked along the main street called Atlantic Ave. which was lined with souvenir shops all selling the same stuff.

Erin and I counted about 7 Sunsations along Atlantic Ave.

We had some delicious custard at Kohr Bros.

The next day we took another walk on the boardwalk before saying goodbye to Virginia Beach.

Courtyard Virginia Beach Oceanfront
3737 Atlantic Ave. Virginia 23451 USA
telephone:(757) 437-0098

Lunch at Willie’s Smoked Carolina BBQ

Summer in the USA means road trip! It was the kids’ first weekend summer break and we went to Virginia Beach for the weekend. After a couple of hours on the road we started to look for a place to eat lunch. We passed the usual McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and the usual fast food chain. Our patience paid off when we saw the small sign for Willie’s BBQ.

La’s hubby, Chee was in charge of getting us to Virginia Beach while La and I were in charge of looking for a restaurant for lunch.

me with Ethan and Erin

Willie’s BBQ was on the same lot as a gas station and a convenience store. It didn’t look like much from the outside but we took a chance anyway.

To be honest the sides excited me more than the BBQ pork.

My nephew Ethan loves chicken so he got his own plate. I guess it was good since he finished it rather quickly. I did get to try a potato wedge and it was good.

1/2 bbq chicken and potato wedges $8.95

Erin had the kids meal with 2 small but generous sides of baked beans and candied yams with marshmallows. I found the yams yummy but a bit too sweet. Erin loved it all.

child’s plate -1 roll, pork or chicken, 2 small sides, and a drink $4.00

Chee had this generous plate of pulled pork. I tried it and found it to be tender and smoky but a bit dry. A quick dip in some Carolina bbq sauce and it was perfect.

pulled pork, cornbread, 2 regular sides & a drink $8.95

La and I shared an order of baby back ribs. They were finger lickin good! It was so much better than the pulled pork. The mac and cheese were also amazingly good. The baked apples were just ok. What really blew my taste buds was the awesome cornbread. It was so buttery, crisp on the outside and so moist and tender on the inside. It was the best cornbread I’ve ever tasted.

1/2 rack of baby back ribs, cornbread, 2 sides & a drink $15.95

We were really happy with this discovery. La and her family went back to Virginia Beach before the summer break ended and they went back to Willie’s BBQ for another satisfying meal.

menu from Willie’s BBQ

Willie’s Smoked Carolina BBQ

2245 Pocahontas Trail
Quinton, Virginia 23141
telephone: (804) 932-9333