Flipping for flapjacks: In search of good pancakes

I know a guy who goes to restaurants with his own bottle of maple syrup. That's because so many places undermine their pancakes with artificially flavored substitutes for the real deal. The terms "table syrup" and "pancake syrup" are tipoffs that what you're getting is a cheap product whose main ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. Genuine maple syrup (costing at least twice the price of the imitation) is made from the sap of maple trees. Most of it comes from either Canada or Vermont. In the United States, the grades suitable for table use are categorized by color. Grade A, lighter in color and flavor, comes in light, medium and dark amber. Grade B is darker in hue and much stronger-tasting but no lower in quality.