Yesterday Ashley and I set out on our quest to discover the best pancake house near the Smokies. Since the Log Cabin Pancake House is right across the street from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Gatlinburg, we decided to invite the pastor, Fr. Joe Brando, along. He was happy to join us for our first taste of Smoky Mountain pancakes. Fr. Joe had pancakes of the cornmeal variety, while I went for you basic old fashioned, with Ashley settling for chocolate chip.
Fr. Joe warned us that we may be attempting an impossible task, due to the number of pancakes houses in the area. He likened it to trying to eat at every restaurant in New York City. This did not deter us from beginning our search for the best pancakes in the area, however, and I must say that the Log Cabin Pancake House has the best pancakes we have tasted so far. Fr. Joe also unwittingly helped us begin another recent humdinger project suggested by friends, that being an exploration of the area wedding chapels. Gatlinburg has often been called the Las Vegas of the South due to its numerous wedding chapels and the relative ease of obtaining a civil marriage license in Tennessee. Fr. Joe spoke to us about the numerous Catholic weddings that occur at St. Mary's.
It seems that in this regard, Catholics are very similar to other tourists and that many call upon St. Mary's as a place to tie the knot. Fr. Joe explained that many couples complete their preparation at home and bring their own priest for the celebration. He noted that the parish charges a 300 dollar fee for the use of the facility.
It was a beautiful day in Gatlinburg for a pancake lunch and I am glad to have our first pancake companion in Fr. Joe Brando.
