Off the Map: Corn Dogs Would Be Better in a Waffle

Waffle Dogs -- Over Easy, Scottsdale, AZ
Over Easy

Arizona might be good at many things: cacti, sand, mountains, dry heat.

Wait times at restaurants are not one of the areas in which Arizona excels.

So Many Bread Clocks, So Little Telling of Time

We arrive at a bustling Over Easy in Scottsdale the next morning and are told by the hostess that the wait will be thirty to forty minutes, unless we want to eat outside, where the wait might be slightly less.

The Early Bird Catches the Patio

"No!" a shivering Ginger demands.  "Inside!"

Trying to Persuade Ginger That This is the Sun

Eventually, after much persuasion, Vodka and friends manage to convince Ginger that she is going to spend much more time standing outside waiting for a table than she would if she just allowed us to sit at one in the sunshine.  Ginger relents, and we tell the hostess that we will take a seat on the practically-empty patio.

Arizona's Idea of "Bustling"

"Okay, it will still be a bit of a wait," the hostess tells us for no explicable reason.  The patio is stuffed with at least twenty tables, two of which are currently occupied.  Plus, there is barely a crowd still waiting for a table -- surely not enough to fill all eighteen of the remaining patio offerings.

Listen Over Easy - Not Sure You Know Who You're Dealing With Here: We're Food Network Groupies

So why have we been left to stand aimlessly near the hostess stand for a solid twenty minutes before we are granted a table?  The explanation never comes.

As Her Next Trick, Ginger Will Reward This Feat of Service with Her Stapled Dollar

While we are left to languish in the front vestibule of Over Easy, we notice a sign announcing that their so-called "Happy Hour" seems to last most of the day.  "That's not happy hour, that's just life," Ginger remarks, and when we are finally seated, the first thing we do is order ourselves some $5 mimosas.

It's Not Even Noon in New York, Let Alone in Scottsdale

As Ginger drags her chair closer to the sun's rays and Vodka tries to hide in the shadows under the table, we decide that along with Beau MacMillan's Best Thing I Ever Ate FOR BRUNCH dish, the waffle dogs, we will also order the toasted brioche with sauteed spinach, egg, bacon, and scallions, along with both regular and sweet potato tater tots.

So We Pretty Much Don't Care That We Have a Full Day of Eating Ahead of Us

As we sip our mimosas, we notice that Over Easy is directly next to a gym -- motivation for a work-out if we ever had such motivation, which we never do.  Instead, we are much more concerned with shoving our waffle dogs into our mouths as quickly as possible.

Why Work Out Your Body When You Can Work Out Your Teeth?

When they arrive, we find three corn dog-like sticks of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar on each plate.

You're Once, Twice, Three Times a Waffle Dog

Recalling our complete ambivalence towards Shake Shack's thrice-annual corn dogs, we are somewhat skeptical as we prepare our dipping condiments of maple syrup and Cholula hot sauce (at the congenial waiter's suggestion).

And then, we bite into the dog.

Waffle Dog Cyclops

Inside, we find a tender sausage cemented by a layer of sweet waffle batter, the whole thing fried to a soft, doughtnuty texture.  While none of the components would be particularly memorable on their own, together, they are a revelation, especially with the addition of the maple syrup/hot sauce combo.

How We Like to Live Life: With a Proliferation of Condiments

Vodka feels that the waffle dogs rival the breakfast choices at Matt's Big Breakfast, but Ginger maintains that she could never finish all three of them on her own, so she is holding off on a 5-star reward.

It Seems Ginger Suddenly Thinks She Has Relinquished Her Membership to the Clean Plate Club

Our other menu choices do not begin to compare to the scrumptiousness of the waffle dogs -- the brioche is pretty but dry and unimpressive, the brunch equivalent of a Lady M Confections cake.

Pretty Colors Do Not Equal Pretty Flavor

And while the regular tater tots are as crunchy and salty as the best of what we remember from our high school cafeterias, the sweet potato (a food that Vodka hates -- HATES -- anyway) variety is slightly squishy and requires its own dipping sauce, because ketchup, hot sauce, nor maple syrup is doing the trick.

Gotta Get the Tots

If we ever find ourselves a) in Phoenix, and b) at Over Easy again, we would make it a point to order the waffle dogs as an appetizer to split amongst the table.

And/or with which to taunt the svelte gym-goers next door.

Over Easy's Waffle Dogs: 4 stars