Hell's Kitchen Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes: 100 Favorite Dishes, No. 86

Kei Terauchi

Fluffy, tangy, sweet, and everything nice

Within my dog's limited human vocabulary, the word "treat" has a special meaning. His eyes twinkle. And with his tail wagging, he opens his mouth slightly, panting a steady rhythm. A pool of drool starts in the sides of his mouth.

This is the emotion I associate with when I think about Hell's Kitchen's Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes. Fluffy, warm, and tangy, with just the right amount of sweetness, it's a real treat in the most glorious sense of the word.

Thank goodness, then, that you can order them almost any time of day. Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes are like sunshine on a plate in this dungeon-like basement restaurant.

Skip the syrup and ditch the knife: The powdered sugar and berries give just enough sweetness without overwhelming the delicate lemon fragrance. And these babies are so fluffy a fork alone can easily cut through three stacks.

Kei Terauchi

Hell's Kitchen's famed Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes were even tasted and approved by Conan O'Brian

Take one bite to revel in its warmth and tenderness. Take another to explore the gentle citrus flavor. One more bite, and you will be hooked, salivating like my dog at the word "treat" from this day forward.

HELL'S KITCHEN
80 S. Ninth St. Minneapolis,
612.332.4700; Hell's Kitchen website

Hungry for more? The dishes in our countdown thus far are linked below:

No. 87: Blackbird Cafe's bahn mi
No. 88: Tank Goodness Minneapolis
No. 89: Sole Cafe's gal bee
No. 90: Porter & Frye's El Pelon
No. 91: Coffee News' fish and chips
No. 92: Bread & Chocolate's Fabulous Fudge Bar
No. 93: People's Organic Panna Cotta
No. 94: Sea Salt Eatery Crawdad Po' Boy
No. 95: Fuji Ya's Tofu Don
No. 96: Ike's Food and Cocktails The Weekender Bloody Mary
No. 97: Punch's Toto pizza
No. 98: Stockholm Pie Company's peanut butter fudge cream pie
No. 99: Dogwood Coffee Co.'s macchiato
No. 100: Al's Breakfast buttermilk pancakes