the BEAT of the week: L.A. Weekly's Pancake Breakfast.

L.A. Weekly may have recently lost its foodie guru, Jonathan Gold, but that doesn't mean it's giving up on the parties. Take note: it's 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast. Does it get any better than a good excuse to indulge in the best meal of the day with some of L.A.'s best chefs? (Answer: No.)

The big soiree won't be happening until August 5, but you'll be smart to get your tickets once they go on sale today. And you should probably just start dieting now, because the event's lined up more than 25 different restaurants to offer their own tasty versions of the old breakfast standby, including: Salt's Cure, Langer's, The Nickel Diner, LA MILL, BLD, Tiara Café, Fred 62, Auntie Em's, The Hungry Cat and Square One.

What a great way to start off your morning.

The L.A. Weekly Pancake Breakfast takes place August 5 from 11am-2pm at Vibiana, located at 214 S. Main St. in downtown. Tickets are $30 each.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Anne Fishburn / L.A. Weekly

Do It. LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast with Jonathan Gold.

LA Weekly's food critic Jonathan Gold puts on his annual Gold Standard event every spring, featuring his picks for the best of L.A., and it's always a huge success. Now he's narrowing it down and focusing on just one basic food groups: Pancakes.

Alas, you're surely not to get just simple flapjacks at the LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast happening later this month. With participating restaurants like Warszawa, Salt's Cure, LAMill and Playa, the menu promises to be fun, inventive and still completely delicious.

Having brunch with J. Gold! We're a lucky city.

The LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast takes place 11am-2pm on Sat., Aug, 28 at Vibiana, located at 214 S. Main St. in downtown. Tickets are $25 each and are available here.

-- Chau Tu

Eat Out. Free pancake day at IHOP.

Yes, today is the day. While the International House of Pancakes usually reserves its Free Pancake Day for Shrove Tuesday, the diner fave is celebrating a week early and consequently starting March off right.

Head out for your free short stack of pancakes at your local IHOP today from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (limit one free short stack per guest! And beware of lines!). And while the fun of it all is to get free pancakes, why not throw in a buck or two or more and help support the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals? It'll still be a good deal, and you're sure to leave happy in your stomach and your peace of mind.

Check out more info here and Happy Pancake Day!

-- Chau Tu

Eat Out. Blue Plate [Sunday Brunch].

Santa Monica is full of great brunch options, and Blue Plate is just another one of those always-busy spots that, thankfully, lives up to the hype.

The negatives first: Blue Plate is crowded, for the simple fact that it is in a tiny space and on the lively street of Montana Ave. (be prepared to pay for parking, by the way). Tables are uncomfortably close together, so expect to get cozy with your neighbors (my date and I seemed to get snooty looks from ours--not our fault!). Also, although I appreciate that the coffee and tea is fair-trade, $3 (the same price for juices and other drinks) just seems like a bit much.

But once you get down to the food, all can be forgotten. I was already saddling up to get a big meal by ordering the breakfast combo of two eggs plus a half-stack of blueberry pancakes, but then was informed that I would also have two sides on top of that! For $9.95! Our small table, needless to say, ended up pretty loaded. (Sorry for the lack of photos, by the way--we were starving.)

And all that food turned out great. The pancakes could have been a bit fluffier, but with so many blueberries packed in there, it was still delectable. My date's challah French toast was dreamily soft and sweet--probably some of the best French toast I've ever had. The fruit side I had had really good pineapple and strawberries, which tasted fresh and light. Altogether a well-made, simple brunch, hitting all the right spots to start off your day.

Oh, but one more downside, that my date pointed out: our plates were not blue. What gives? But we didn't even notice until we scraped all our food right off.

Blue Plate is located at 1415 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Blue Plate