It's a Flaky, Gooey, Crusty, Sugary, Savory Morning
Fri., June 3, 2005
Waffles
It was a good morning when pancakes were on the menu. But on those occasions when we spied the heavy waffle iron on the counter and a bowl of pale batter resting beside it, it was a glorious birth to a fabulous day. Basically, waffles are pancakes made crispy and with warm cubby holes for harboring melting butter and syrup. Waffles are at once more posh and more down-home than pancakes. How they are able to be both at once is part of their mystique. Thomas Jefferson came back from one of his trips to France with America's first waffle iron, but Waffle House restaurants dot the South, and waffles are reputed to have been one of Elvis' favorite foods. At the 1964 World's Fair in New York, Maurice Vermersch debuted the Belgian Waffle, a big, yeasty waffle served with whipped cream and strawberries setting off a culinary sensation still celebrated today. Thanks to the miracle of the frozen waffle, mediocre waffles are standard fare in homes across America. But a waffle pulled fresh from a well-seasoned iron, golden and crispy, is another thing altogether. If you don't have the patience and appliance to create your own, some area restaurants oblige.
The mecca of the pastry is the Waffle House (7809 Ben White, east of I-35, 389-0444), which mercifully opened a shop in town to the relief of many who previously had to travel south or east for a fix. The Georgia-based chain is celebrating its 50th year of serving up crispy breakfast treats along with other diner fixins. The central and original location of Kerbey Lane Cafe (3704 Kerbey Lane, 451-1436) serves up a traditional waffle with syrup and butter in addition to its touted menu of pancakes.
Refined, elegant waffles are available at the Cafe at the Four Seasons (98 San Jacinto, 478-4500), where both the traditional and Belgian varieties are available. Likewise, the 1886 Cafe and Bakery located in the Driskill Hotel (604 Brazos, 391-7121) has a toasted pecan, banana, and blackberry jam waffle that reflects the Texas-chic style of the Austin landmark.
Denny's restaurants (all over town) offer an Americanized Belgian waffle plate, as do IHOP restaurants (various locations), with swirls of whipped cream and mounds of strawberry preserves.
For the true Belgian experience, you can't do better than to sample Brussels Sweet Feast, available at the Sunset Valley Farmers Market (Toney Burger Center, 3200 Jones Rd. on 290 West) on Saturdays from 9:30am to 1pm. Proprietor Oliver Buntinx is a native of Belgium, and he serves up two varieties of the treats. The Brussels waffle is the low-sugar, high-walled variety that can be piled with strawberries, bananas, sautéed apples, chocolate sauce, Nutella, whipped cream, powdered sugar, strawberry preserves, and/or ice cream. He also creates the Liege waffle, a pastry less common in the States but a street-food staple in Belgium. The Liege batter contains Turbinado sugar, which caramelizes during the cooking process. If that isn't enough for you, Buntinx will dip these beauties in melted chocolate, thereby creating the trifecta of delicious and sinful snacking: carbs plus fats plus chocolate. Good morning, indeed!
– Barbara Chisholm
