What makes a pancake a really good pancake? I found myself mulling that very important question during a recent brunch at Keith Corbin and Daniel Patterson’s West Adams restaurant. Before then, I’d thought that Corbin’s biggest flex was his oxtails, a supremely satisfying dish with an undercurrent of umami that comes from braising the meat in a Iiquid fortified with miso and soy. Or was it his fried chicken, magnificently crisp, juicy and well seasoned? My cornmeal pancakes arrived as big and wide as my car’s spare tire, impossibly fluffy and with lacy edges that resembled the crunchy parts of a really good cookie. The accompanying brown butter maple caramel sauce gleefully transformed breakfast into dessert. Brunch has quickly become my favorite meal here, mostly due to that short stack of pancakes. But also because you can order the fried chicken as three or six pieces, with a buttermilk waffle or in a biscuit sandwich dripping with honey. And those oxtails come heaped over a bowl of creamy grits. — J.H.

5359 W. ADAMS BLVD., LOS ANGELES, (323) 571-4999 l ALTAADAMS.COM