Fala-Waffle at Falafel Street
Can any batter get spread into the grooves of a waffle maker and suddenly become something creviced? Sure. Like a deconstructed Caesar salad, just because it can be done, doesn’t mean it should. But sometimes, this kind of ingenuity works. At the new Falafel Street in downtown Vienna, falafel batter morphs into a waffle, where it’s then topped with all of the customary and some new-wave toppings including a creamy, gorgeous hummus (there’s also one tinted pink), Moroccan lentils, chickpea salad, quinoa salad, avocado salad, yogurt, cucumber, baba ghanoush, feta, pickled cauliflower and sumac onions. (Tip: Avoid the dried-out eggplant and too-harsh harissa.)
The “fala-waffle” is soft and cushy and turns the normally balled experienced (the regularly shaped falafel is excellent, by the way) into more of a meal, and a work of art. Says the man dishing out my toppings before I take it to the table: “Make sure to take a picture.” // 235 Maple Ave. E, Vienna; falafelst.co
Egg Waffles at Kokee Tea
Egg Waffle. Bubble waffle. Hong Kong-style waffle. Puffle. Whatever it’s called, this flips the waffle paradigm. Where waffles receive praise for catching syrup, melted butter, whipped cream and chocolate sauce in their crispy pockets, the egg waffle reverses that concept. Instead of hollow squares, this waffle produces airy bubbles, protruding where the classic waffle is indented. The light, eggy batter lends this waffle flexibility, encircling ice cream and an assortment of Asian and American decorations.
Kokee Tea, quickly spreading locations across Maryland and Virginia, offers a dozen or so ice cream flavors, plus sauces (chocolate, sweetened condensed milk) and toppings (cut fruit, Oreo cookies, M&Ms and Pocky sticks). // Multiple NoVA locations
Roti Milo at Magnolia Dessert Bar & Coffee
Magnolia Dessert Bar and Coffee utilizes the waffle maker in both savory and sweet applications. There’s a standard Belgian waffle, but also one made with roti batter. The latter turns the waffle into something a little flaky and a little crispy with a bit of a crunch. For dinner, it’s paired with skewered pieces of chicken and a sweet peanut sauce. For dessert, the Thai flatbread-as-waffle works even better, drizzled with sweetened condensed milk and Milo (chocolate) powder, paired with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream. Little crumbles from leftover waffle are scattered around the plate for extra bite. // 431 Maple Ave. W, Vienna; magnoliaofvienna.com
Cinnamon-Baked Apple Waffle at Nectar
This coffee shop in Del Ray dedicates a separate menu, about a half-dozen versions, to Belgian waffles. In the fall, pumpkin puree complemented the standard batter as a base for cinnamon-baked apple slices, apple puree, whipped cream and a miniature glass pitcher filled with syrup. There’s a savory version too, dubbed the loaded potato, with shredded hash browns, cheddar, bacon and sour cream, but the common combination of flavors doesn’t come together quite right here. Stick with the sweet. // 106 Hume Ave., Alexandria; nectardelray.com
Also Spotted:
Fried chicken on a Hong Kong-style waffle for brunch at Bar Bao // 3100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington; barbao.com
Long, tubular-shaped waffles on a stick, in flavors like red velvet and cinnamon bun, and decorated with an assortment of sweets like Nutella, honey and, of course, syrup at the food truck and pop-up caterer Golly Waffles // gollywaffles.com
Waffle pops in two shapes—with a quarter of a Belgian waffle on a stick and another long and puffy on a stick—decorated with the likes of hazelnuts, sprinkles, chocolate sauce and caramel at Dolce & Bean // 2003 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; dolceandbean.com
