Potato Pancakes Found Beyond the Jewish Delis

As a kid, latkas, or potato pancakes, were something that I looked forward to every Hannukkah. What was not to love about the shallow-fried pancakes made from grated or ground potato with matzah meal or flour, egg, onion and seasoning? My grandma would make them for the holidays and I thought she made the best ones. When we weren't eating latkas during the Jewish holidays, I would order them whenever we went to a Jewish deli because I just loved potato pancakes with sour cream or applesauce. They were not my grandma's but they would still satisfy me. Now you no longer need to head to a Jewish deli to have potato pancakes because restaurants have integrated them into their menus for brunch, lunch and dinner. I recently visited three restaurants in Los Angeles that are very distinct. One is a neighborhood restaurant with a diverse menu, another is a wine bar and restaurant featuring Italian tapas and the third is a steak house. It would seem that none of these restaurants have anything in common but in fact, they all have a potato pancake on their menu. Each has put their own spin on the traditional potato pancake and made it work with their menu.