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| - About 8 years ago, my wife and I travelled to Bruges in Belgium with our wonderful friends from London and our 8 month old son. We had a wonderful time and brought back with us a love of many things Belgian. 1. Fries, the Belgians are brilliant at fries, and as a sign of good fortune, a few years ago, Point Brugge opened up in Point Breeze and catered to our cravings. 2. Beer, the Sharp Edge has been around for long enough that we have never felt a deficit on this one. 3. Chocolate, Chocolate Moose, and Eureka and others have made sure that we have access to the really good stuff. But.....Number 4 True Belgian Waffles have been denied to us UNTIL NOW. Real Belgian Waffles are NOTHING like their Eggo kin, or even like the waffle press stuff that we can find at breakfast buffets all over. These waffles are not just pancake batter thrown into a waffle iron. This is thrice leavened sweet dough with pearlized sugar that results in a layered waffle that is both delicate and chewy in texture. As I sat in this very cute, very tiny space, I saw a number of folks pass (I assume based on the $3 price for a basic waffle). This is only because they know not what they miss. For one thing, the best (and I apologize the the good proprietors of Waffalonia if this hurts revenue) way to eat these waffles is straight up and plain (they are sweet on their own with no accouterments). You take them wrapped in a napkin/paper, and you can walk around Squirrel Hill tempting everyone that you pass with their aroma. This is pretty much the way it works in Belgium--at least in Bruges. The ice cream toppings, Nutella, etc. are great but not really critical, although as long as the toppings allow you to walk around afterwords, pile 'em on. The point is that these waffles are designed not as breakfast treats, but sweet treats that you can walk the lovely eclectic shops of Squirrel Hill with (too bad they are not in Shadyside). These are not your mom's waffles, unless you came from Belgium and your mom had a special waffle press, access to the right type of sugar, and the patience to let her waffle batter rise three times in order to create the perfect waffle. If all of that applies, I humbly stand corrected.
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