The interior of the restaurant looks like a really over-stylized southwestern cliché, think pinks and turquoises, geometric patterns and airbrushed American indian paintings and you’ll get the picture. The clientele was somewhat less interesting, people wearing cheesy hawaiian shirts and the like. I felt like we had entered a tourist trap on Route 66.

After our initial impression we sat down to peruse the menu and enjoy some chips and salsa. I noted right away that their chips and salsa were pretty bland, not a good sign. I also noted that their menu was more like Southwestern Fusion than traditional Southwestern cuisine. Every dish has a creative twist to it, which is nice but sometimes you just want to get something traditional, classic or familiar, and they fail to provide anything like that on their menu. The menu is a little on the pricey side too.

In the end we decided to try several items from their menu and share. We ordered the Hacienda Fajitas Enchiladas, Apache Chicken Quemada and Citrus Swordfish Skewers. Our waitress wasn’t very friendly and up to this point I really wasn’t expecting much of the food at the Blue Agave. It may be because of my lowered expectations, but when we got our food I was pleasantly surprised, it’s was pretty good!

It wasn’t perfect though, everything we tried had good flavor but also was a little on the over-cooked side. Nothing tasted really very fresh. Overall the food at Blue Agave is really tasty but there is definitely room for improvement.

I’ve never been to an eating establishment that had that one characteristic and been disappointed! The Original Pancake house is no exception, and if you are in the area or within reasonable driving distance, the trek down to Yorba Linda is well worth it on a Sunday morning. And so is the wait, though it can be frustrating if you’re really hungry, which I usually am on Sunday mornings. I recommend you arrive early, put your name in, grab some bench and read through a complimentary newspaper.

Pancake House delivers on the failed promise of IHOP, namely a menu loaded with exotic and foreign breakfast creations. German pancakes, Swedish pancakes, Idaho potato pancakes, Belgium waffles, crepes… the list literally goes on and on! If you don’t believe me check out their website. We’ve visited Pancake House dozens of times and I’ve ordered something different every time and I haven’t made a dent in their menu. Everything there is excellent!

In particular I’m very fond of their apple creations (pancake, crepes or waffles), the potato pancakes and they have really good coffee and hot chocolate. The place is always packed and the service is brisk since they are trying to move so many people through. The prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food, you won’t walk away dissatisfied!