Easy PETA, I'm talking about Denny's pancake puppies--the somewhat revolting breakfast appetizer I ordered last Sunday. I rarely get pancakes, but something was oddly intriguing about these bite-size balls of fried dough. Maybe it was just my sixth sense of the impending National Pancake Day.

You've got two options when it comes to Denny's pancake puppies--blueberry/white chocolate chip or plain. I hate white chocolate and figured little chips scattered throughout greasy dough, accompanied by blueberries, would wreak havoc on my bowels. So I played it safe, well...safer, and ordered the plain version.

After about ten minutes I heard our frantic waitress scream at the cook, "Where are my puppies?" Two minutes later, her puppies were on the table, thus now becoming my puppies. The pancake balls got an "A" for presentation and a "D+" for taste. They were dense, and several were quite bland due to the uneven distribution of cinnamon and sugar. Dipping each piece into the accompanying maple syrup helped their cause, but still not enough to even rate these as average in the taste department.

Here's the worst part--nothing about the pancake puppies reminded me of...pancakes. Hush puppies? Maybe. Beignets? Conceivable. Pancakes? Not a chance.

I'll continue making my yearly pilgrimage to Denny's, but don't count on me ordering the puppies again. Maybe next year, Denny's still will be promoting the hamburger special, with a side of pancakes. You read right -- that's no joke. Because who doesn't enjoy a monster burger chased with a short stack?

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