It's the perfect balance between breakfast and dessert, light and filling, healthy and indulgent (oh come on, there are strawberries in there - they're healthy!). It's the Belgium Waffle, perfected with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.Consistently sweet, ripe strawberries layered beneath a thick layer of whipped cream certainly contribute to why these are the BEST Belgium Waffles. But, as you may have guessed, the star of the show is really the waffle itself. Crispy on the outside but warm and fluffy on the inside, taking a bite of this waffle is like wrapping yourself in a big, soft blanket and jumping into a giant pile of pillows - it's comforting, it's wonderful, and it's SO much fun. The waffle is moist and cooked to perfection (with lots of butter) with a subtle flavor of malt - or something else delicious that makes each bite taste homemade.
One of my favorite things about these Belgium Waffles is the ratio of ingredients. The light and plentiful whipped cream is in perfect equilibrium with the strawberries and the waffle foundation. There are enough toppings for every waffle square, down to the very last one on the very last quarter, so that with each bite you get the full experience. A testament to the great layering of this dish can also be observed by the fact that the waffle is hot, the strawberries are room temperature, and the whipped cream doesn't melt as it's only supported by the strawberries, not the hot waffle.
Where you can enjoy this yourself:
Original Waffle Shop
1610 West College Avenue OR 1229 North Atherton Street
State College, Pennsylvania
http://www.originalwaffleshop.net/
If you are in the area, there is "The Waffle Shop" and also "Original Waffle Shop." They are extremely similar (used to be owned by the same people) but their menus, recipes, and prices are slightly different. The waffles at both are REALLY amazing though - so even though the photos are from Original Waffle Shop, I'm tagging both restaurants in this post. Oh! And another great point to make: as you can see in the first photograph, there is a lovely glass of orange juice on my right side. That's not just any orange juice - that's freshly squeezed orange juice. That gives them an extra gold star in my book. Additionally, though it's not in the frame of the photo, they have a variety of real maple syrup flavors (maple, blueberry, strawberry) - but it's REAL maple syrup, not any of this sugar-fake-corn-syrup stuff. That elevates them to two gold stars for me.
My only regret is that I don't eat at either of the Waffle Shops every day. Maybe then I could something besides the BEST Belgium Waffles or the BEST Western Omelette (with the BEST Chocolate Chip Pancakes). Because, as it would seem experience tells me, they make one of the BEST breakfasts around.
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