Petite Abeille

We met Angela N. some 7 months ago, thousands of miles away Down Under. We met over a sausage, actually, so it was only fitting that our last hurrah end with another food adventure. With only a day left to spare in America, Jenny, Angela Z, and I decided to ask Angela N. to join us for brunch at Petite Abeille, home of the famous waffles here in NYC.

We met around 11am, and the place was only partially filled. We were able to get a seat immediately and they seated us in the back garden, which was sealed off from the cold. As a side note- it is a bit cold if you’re sitting next to the “window” so you might want to reconsider a seat in the back area.

All four of us knew what we wanted immediately. We could smell the waffles the whole time. I wanted to make sure that we were getting BELGIAN waffles, and not just any Bisquick mixture. I specifically asked the waitress whether the waffles mentioned on the menu were “Belgian” and she replied yes. So, I went ahead and ordered waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Imagine my surprise when the waffles came and lo and behold, they were NOT Belgian.

They did look very pretty indeed and tasted quite delicious, but they weren’t anything out of the ordinary. I was extremely disappointed. We saw some Belgian waffles outside so they obviously did exist at the restaurant. Later, I found out that you have to specifically request Belgian waffles (which I thought I did) and make it very clear. It’s probably more expensive since they’re actually imported from Belgium.

For those of you who are wondering, just what exactly is the difference? Belgium waffles, or the Liege waffle as I’m referring to, is smaller, denser and crunchier. The crunchiness comes from a burnt sugar coating that is naturally formed when the dough cooks on the machine. In Brussels, they were made from a ball of dough as opposed to the batter that we’re generally used to. Personally, I’d take a Belgian waffle over an American one any day.

I think I might just have to come back and request that imported Belgian waffle.

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44 W. 17th St., New York, NY 10011
nr. Sixth Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions
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