Just-opened Le Petit Belge, a tiny storefront near Union Square, serves street-style Belgian waffles, made-to-order. Street-style waffles, or liege waffles, are somewhat different from the puffy Brussels waffles served with syrup at pancake houses throughout the US. The Liege waffle is smaller, flatter and irregular in shape; with a distinct crunchy texture. Instead of batter, Liege waffles are made with dough mixed with pearl sugar. The sugar kernels caramelize on the crust; forming a sweet, crunchy outer layer around a chewy middle. While street waffles are generally eaten plain on the go, Le Petit Belge offers a load of tempting toppings, including berries, caramel, frozen yogurt, and chocolate ganache.
I got my waffle ($3.50) with strawberries and whipped cream (.75/topping) but I wish I’d gotten it plain. The crunch and extra-sweetness of the liege waffles made the toppings seem superfluous. Plus, my tiny order came packaged in a bright-red barn of a box that looked like it was built to take thirty Dunkin Donuts munchkins on a trek into the wilderness. The waffle itself, however, traveled extremely well, and was delicious.
Le Petit Belge sells other Belgian goodies, such as chocolates, macarons (sweet merengue-like cookies), and poffies (mini crepes), as well as Tavalon teas. There’s no seating, but go on a nice day and you can snack in Union Square Park. With Le Petit Belge, in addition to the Wafels & Dinges truck parked just down 14th Street at Third Avenue, it looks like there may be a wave of waffle-appreciation afoot.
Le Petit Belge 22 E. 14th St., New York, NY
Mon-Fri 8am-11pm; Sat 9am-11pm; Sun 10am-10pm
Update 6/23/08: Dessert Truck has moved to Third Avenue and St. Mark’s Place
Maybe Dessert Truck is the future for the entrepreneur. Worried about high rent? Slow business? Get yourself a truck and keep your options open. The real stroke of genius, though, is that the truck appears at roughly 6pm, right about when most bakeries close and cravings for gourmet sweets kick in.
Novel “mobile food concept” aside, a dessert truck is only as good as its confections. And there’s some relatively high-quality ones to be had here, all packed in tin foil cups, with spoons for street-eating, and costing $5. There’s also a few unexpected touches–rotating specials, and oddballs like goat-cheesecake, and chocolate bread pudding with bacon creme anglaise.
In fact I was pretty pumped for the bread pudding, a favorite dessert of mine, but one that’s hard to evangelize because so many places do it badly. The version from Dessert Truck was surprising–instead of having a chunky, bready texture, it had the even consistency of a half-baked chocolate cake, with a bacon anglaise that tasted only of cream. It was chocolatey all right, but didn’t really hit the bread pudding mark, as far as I’m concerned. The chocolate mousse was redeemed by its creamy peanut butter center and caramel corn topping (a nice, junky touch). However, the slow-baked apples with cranberries, puff pastry, and whipped cream was like a light, cinnamony pie in a cup; and they do a very classic creme brulee–nicely caramelized, crackable crust over smooth custard dotted with vanilla beans.
Despite a few criticisms, I did scrape ALL of my foil cups clean. I may even smell a franchise opportunity here (Dessert Truck is the result of a mind-meld between a pastry chef and an MBA). What NY neighborhood couldn’t use their very own grown-up Mr. Softee?
A review of all six Dessert Truck desserts on Serious Eats
Dessert Truck, the corner of Third Avenue and St. Mark’s Place
6pm-12am every day
Note: Dessert Truck is usually closed when it’s raining. Check their web site if in doubt.
A few months ago wormwood absinthe was legalized for sale in the US. Now instead of hiding away in the Czech Republic, Baudelaire groupies and “The Perfect Drug” fans could openly sip the green fairy in a few reputable New York City lounges. Employees Only (fear not the psychic in the window–walk on by and through the velvet drapes) has the kind of high-class, speakeasy-inspired vibe ideal for quaffing vaguely-illicit substances. But Art Deco touches and Jazz Age tunes aside, the artistically mixed and presented cocktails are the big draw there.
My bartender charmingly answered all my questions about absinthe, despite teasingly asking if I was a cop. At Employees Only, instead of merely diluting the absinthe by dripping water over a sugar cube, they light the sugar on fire, which adds a carmelized flavor as well as a dramatic flair to the drink. He thought that the absinthe sold in the US still lacked a few ingredients one can find in their foreign counterparts, and although it is strong (about 120-140 proof), its hallucinogenic effects are much exaggerated. The “real stuff”–his eyes darted to a glass liquor cabinet–cannot be “sold,” he said carefully.
I wanted to try straight absinthe, but being a bourbon fan I opted for the billionaire cocktail–Baker’s Bourbon shaken with lemon juice, grenadine and absinthe bitters. The bitters are made in-house and stored in a glowing green stoppered bottle with “absinthe” etched on the side–how I coveted that bottle. My drink was strong and delicious, the bourbon tempered by grenadine, and the bitters adding a slight licorice kick. This probably ranks equally with the 19th Street Special at Death & Co. as my favorite bourbon drink.
The cocktails, at $15 bucks a pop, are expensive, and there’s only one bathroom in the joint, so my stay was a short one. But I’ll definitely be back next year for another buzz-inducing happy birthday beverage, (or possibly much sooner).
Employees Only 510 Hudson St. behind the psychic
A hole-in-the-wall pizza chain with locations on the North AND South sides of 23rd Street (like an interstate McDonald’s), and unconvincingly slaps “Gourmet” on its signage, Brick Oven happens to have a decent margherita slice ($3.25). Don’t be tricked by the three-dollar price point into ordering the merely above-average regular slice ($2.25). The margherita really shows off their tangy tomato sauce, which is topped with a daubs of melted fresh mozzarella, instead of buried under processed cheese. My slices came with a subtle top-layer of grease, and the thin crust is easily folded in half. My only gripes would be that a little more char on the crust would serve this slice well, and the seating, of course, is limited. But then standing around and eating pizza is an essential NY skill.
If you’re anywhere near the West Fourth subway, definitely still head to Joe’s Pizza, but Brick Oven’s a good standby further uptown. They’ve just opened a spotless, heavily windowed location at the people-watching extravaganza that is the corner of 14th St. and 6th Avenue, so I’m guessing we’ll be seeing a few more blue Brick Oven awnings popping up around town.
Brick Oven 33 – 527 6th Ave at 14th St., 268 W 23rd St. at 8th Ave, 171 W 23rd St. at 7th Ave, and 489 3rd Ave. at 33rd St.
Indian Bread Co. Vs. Kati Roll Company, Inc.
Kati Rolls are Indian mini-burritos, or the hungry pub-crawler’s holy grail, depending on how you look at it. They’re fast, “cheap,” portable, and greasily filling, unleashing a spiciness on your tastebuds that penetrates even the most drinky numbness. Since I live near two contenders (literally around the corner from each other), I decided that the only way to settle which would satisfy my kati jones would be a head-to-head battle. I purchased one aloo (potato) masala from each joint, ate them immediately, and judged them as follows:
Price: Indian Bread Co. ($3.50) Kati Roll Company ($4.00)
Size: Roughly the same
Sit-Down Atmosphere: Indian Bread Co. wins hands-down for spaciousness (nine tables!) and its wall-length bar ideal for the solitary diner. Kati Roll Company by contrast (three or four tables, maybe), feels somewhat claustrophobia-inducing.
Portability: Kati Roll was the winner here–the rolls were easy to unwrap and travelled well in insulated bags. Indian Bread Co.’s roll was bundled in several confounding layers of aluminum foil.
Points off: Indian Bread Co. had a random open trap door to the left of the register that had me worried I’d somehow theatrically trip and disappear forever. At Kati Roll, the counterperson placed my dollar change on TOP of another diner’s food. Even though they were partially wrapped in wax paper, this poor man’s exposed kati roll tips were in imminent danger of touching my filthy money. Be ready to grab your food as soon as it’s called.
Tastiness: While the rolls at Kati Roll seemed slightly greasier, the paratha had a pleasing flakey crispness on the outside and the potato filling was milder and more delicately spiced. The sweetness and crunch of red onions added a nice contrast. Indian Bread Co. was the spicier of the two, but the filling was a uniform mush and offered less complexity.
Winner: Kati Roll. But at Indian Bread Co. I did have a decent chicken naanini (naan filled with tandoor chicken, lettuce, slathered with peppery mayo and toasted on a press – $6.50). I’d probably check out more of their menu – after all, it’s just too much fun to say “naanini.”
Indian Bread Co. 194 Bleecker Street, Sun-Thu noon-midnight, Fri-Sat noon-5am
Kati Roll 99 MacDougal Street, Sun-Thu 11am-midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-5am