Chez Ma Tante

The spot, the food, and the reaction

The whole video is basically chef Jake Leiber showing why Chez Ma Tante’s pancakes have become such a Brooklyn obsession. They make around 1,200 of them on a busy weekend, but the method still feels surprisingly hands-on. Jake adds extra egg yolks for richness, mixes the milk in gradually so the batter stays even, and keeps the batter thick and cold instead of letting it turn loose and flat.

The big secret is clarified butter—and a lot of it. The pancakes fry in what he jokingly describes as an ocean of butter, which gives them those crisp edges while the center stays fluffy. He also pushes the color much darker than a typical diner pancake because he wants toasted-marshmallow and almost burnt-caramel flavors.

They cook mostly on the first side for roughly eight minutes before being flipped. It is a simple dish, but the video makes clear that the texture comes from patience, temperature, and not being shy with the butter.