"The Manitou Pancake House? That place is for tourists," a friend and longtime Manitou Springs local told me when she declined an invitation to go there with me for breakfast.

That certainly is the reputation for the place. In the summer, when the RVs roll in, the parking lot is full. In winter, spots are always available. But, the same is true of a lot of Manitou restaurants, including tasty classics like The Loop or Dutch Kitchen. Just because the Texans like it doesn't mean locals can't.

So we went to check out the Manitou Pancake & Steak House on a recent weekend morning.

I had been prodded by regular calls from Joseph Freyre, who told me it was too good not to review.

Freyre, an impeccably dressed Peruvian immigrant, has a long history in the Colorado Springs restaurant scene. For 10 years he was the maitre d'hotel of the Penrose Room at The Broadmoor hotel. He owned Joseph's Hatch Cover and last year opened a very good little bistro on Eighth Street called Joseph's Fine Dining.

I figured with Freyre at the helm, the Pancake & Steak House would be a step above. It turns out I should have listened to the locals. There is nothing truly disastrous about the restaurant, but nothing really fantastic about it either.

When we arrived on a Sunday morning, the place was jumping. Freyre flitted about so energetically and meticulously coiffed first thing in the morning, I had to wonder whether he'd ever gone home after a night searing pepper steaks at his bistro.

He showed us to a wooden booth, and a young server soon came with coffee.

I scanned the menu in the deranged way only restaurant reviewers do - not looking for what I want to eat, but for out-of-the-ordinary or "signature" stuff that sounded weird enough to be interesting. There was nothing. Nothing at all. Think Denny's 20 years ago: omelets, pancakes, biscuits, waffles.

Manitou Pancake & Steak House is best known for its all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet ($11), which includes all that stuff, plus potato pancakes, sausage, bacon, sweet rolls and fruit. It seems nice enough, but a little expensive for what you get, and the discount for kids (younger than 12, $7.69; younger than 6, $5.59) is not much of an incentive. I mean, how many eggs can a 6-year-old eat?

We ordered French Toast ($7.69) and a spinach-and-tomato omelet ($7.89), and they came out before we'd finished our first cup of weak diner coffee. Both were competently made - crisp bacon, just-right over-easy eggs - but unremarkable. They could have been from anywhere.

The service at the Pancake & Steak House is excellent. Whatever Freyre learned at the Penrose Room, he brought with him. No coffee cup ever goes unfilled. The dining area is a little dated but spotlessly clean. And best of all, when I tried to order the Chicken BLT ($8.29), the server kindly shooed me away from a dish she knew was a dog and steered me, instead, to the much-better Santa Fe Turkey Sandwich ($6.79).

Lunch, like breakfast, is classic diner fare that has some nice touches but lacks distinction.

The only steak on the menu, a rib-eye ($9.39) - tender, and even a little pink, served on toast with real, homemade mashed potatoes on the side - was the best steak dinner I've ever had for $10.

The Philly Cheese Steak ($7.89) arrived value-challenged in comparison. The small sandwich had only a few shavings of beef, laid flat on a deflated roll with a dice of onions and peppers. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't much.

A better deal is one of the burgers, or the good, gooey, patty melt.

Don't go near the Cobb salad ($7.29). The menu promised "seasonal greens." The plate delivered a small pile of chopped romaine buried in shaved turkey, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, prefab guacamole and a generous blizzard of blue cheese crumbles.

I had never tested my theory that blue cheese and guacamole don't go together. Now I have.

There is a niche for a place like the Pancake & Steak House. It is convenient, not too expensive, and you can usually get a table. If you have family in town and a limited amount of time to grab a bite before taking the train up Pikes Peak, a buffet is a nice option.

And it serves another purpose. It gives the tourists someplace to go, freeing up tables at other breakfast spots in Manitou.

Manitou Pancake & Steak House
** (Leave it for the tourists)

Address: 26 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs
Phone: 685-9225
Entrees: $4.95-$9.89
Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m. daily
Vegetarian: Eggs and pancakes
Alcohol: No
Credit cards: Yes