On Nov. 5, 2005, Mike and I were married at Orr Street Baptist Church in my hometown of Alexander City, (“Eleck” City to the locals). We married fairly late in life for most people: Mike was 46, and I was 42, almost 43. I may have mentioned this before, but when my favorite pastor of all time, Brother George Stewart, said, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Mike Wallace,” the applause was deafening. We were so old; everyone had long given up on either one of us getting married.
When Mike and I returned to Long Cane Middle School in LaGrange, Georgia, after our honeymoon, our students asked us about our nuptials. One boy asked me, “Did you marry Mr. Wallace?” “I did,” I said. Another boy asked, “Do you live with him?”
The first student, with disgust, said, “They’re married; they have to.” A student of Mike’s was a little confused. He asked Mike, “Did you marry Miss Patton?” Mike said, “I did.” The boy asked, “What’s your new name going to be?”
Ah, I do love middle school students; they are so funny without meaning to be, and they’re never dull. But I digress.
When we married, Mike and I received many wonderful gifts from our family and friends. Luke and Lindsay, our nephew and niece, gave us a griddle, which we really enjoyed. For about the first six months of our marriage, every Saturday morning, I made pancakes on that griddle, and Mike cooked turkey bacon.
Well, as I’ve mentioned before, Mike and I don’t like to cook, but we LOVE to eat, so the Saturday pancake tradition slowly faded. However, our love of pancakes has remained.
Therefore, a while back, I met my friend Leslie at Staks Pancake Kitchen at 145 E. Magnolia Ave. in downtown Auburn.
I really liked the restaurant’s bright, cheerful atmosphere. Also, I was really impressed by the service we received. Emma, our first server, was so sweet, helpful and patient, as were Claudia and Mary Daniel, who also waited on us. This retired English teacher gives all three young ladies an A+.
Leslie, who eats gluten-free foods, ordered the smoked salmon omelet, which includes capers, pickled red onions, cream cheese and a balsamic drizzle. She had fresh fruit as her side. Leslie said that her omelet and fruit were really delicious. Her order was much healthier than mine, surprise, surprise, as Gomer used to say. I was also impressed that the menu had a large variety of gluten-free foods.
I chose the cinnamon roll pancakes, which had brown sugar, a cinnamon swirl and a vanilla glaze. I also had a side of Kelley sausage patties. My pancakes were slap your Grandma three times good. Also, they were almost as big as the plate. Staks’ slogan, “So flippin’ good,” is certainly appropriate. Trust me, run and do not walk to Staks.
The restaurant also offers diners some tasty-sounding starters. Some of these include Conecuh dogs, Oreo beignet bites, fried banana bread, avocado toast and French toast sticks.
Besides our delectable dishes, Staks Pancake Kitchen also serves a great selection of French toast, pancakes, omelets, Southern breakfast favorites, brunch items and light & fit breakfast dishes.
In addition, Staks serves lunch. The restaurant offers diners: salads, wraps, soups, sandwiches, burgers, signature coffees and teas.
Staks Pancake Kitchen is open seven days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Staks Pancake Kitchen makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear every other week in The Observer. Wallace may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@admin-2
