How Would You Descibe the Waffle? It Was Good

Wafel of Massive Deliciousness -- Wafels & Dinges
Wafels & Dinges

We owe an apology to The Waffle Truck.  For years, we had bypassed their yellow carts which can always be found sprinkled around the city, mistaking their prevalence and lines of tourists for gimmicky, unappealing food.

There's a Waffle Hidden In There Somewhere, We Promise

Never having tasted a single waffle from their premises, we head to the location of the main truck reluctantly after our Shopsin's breakfast, grumbling about our inability to find it and about the waffle we are about to order (we would spell the word 'wafel,' like the truck does, but we are ugly Americans who refuse to bend on our spelling conventions).

And While We're At It, We Also Keep Pronouncing 'Dinges' Incorrectly

"I feel like we're going to hate the toppings," Vodka states.  "But we have to get them anyway."  After all, if Sunny Anderson said on the STREET FOOD episode that we should order the "wafel of massive deliciousness" with dulce de leche, strawberries, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and walnuts, than the rules of this Best Thing I Ever Ate tour dictates that we must follow her directions.

We Are Nothing If Not Obedient

Now, we are not, generally speaking, street food people, and this lack of truck eating stems from both our doubts about a mobile kitchen's cleanliness (Vodka) and annoyance at having to track down one's sustenance rather than finding it in a permanent location (Ginger).  For instance, when we spot the truck's yellow facade hovering near Astor Place, Ginger grumbles, from two avenues away, "I would hardly call that 'between 2nd and 3rd Avenues,'" as the Waffle Truck's website had indicated.

So Far Away... Doesn't Anybody Stay in One Place Anymore?

We shuffle up to the waffle truck window and Vodka, having learned her lesson from the banana ebelskivers incident, orders our waffle before Ginger can open her mouth.  She chooses the liege (round) waffle rather than the Belgian variety (rectangular), only because she has vague visual recollections of Sunny eating the liege variety on the episode.

My Waffle, It Has No Corners, No Corners Has My Waffle

As she takes our order, the waffle truck girl asks for our "team name."  Vodka glances at Ginger out of the corner of her eye, silently asking for permission, before answering "Not Even Noon."  Instantly regretting her decision to "out" us, we begin speaking in vague terms when we are asked the reasoning behind our name, acting like certifiable members of the witness protection program rather than two second-rate food bloggers.  We eventually explain our blog (and thankfully, Waffle Girl does not seem to care enough to reveal our identity), and we head off with our overflowing waffle box in tow.

Can We Also Have a Wet Nap?

And it is at this moment that we fall head over heels in love with Wafels & Dinges.  Not because of the warm, soft waffle.  Not because of the overwhelming pile of chocolate-sprinkled whipped cream.  Not because of the red specks of strawberries or gooey dulce de leche topping or crunchy walnuts.  No, we fall in love with Wafels & Dinges because Waffle Girl has full-on Pictionaried our "team name."

Perhaps We Can Hire Her As Our Web Designer

After Vodka spends a full five minutes photographing our new graphic imagery, we hover by an East Village stoop and contemplate how to consume our creation.  While we have brought utensils with us, they prove fruitless in the face of the thick, hearty waffle, and Vodka instead shimmies the waffle partly out of its container and opens her mouth wide.

Waffle, Incoming

And when she emerges from behind the pile of WMD a second later, she does not even care that the full contents of the waffle toppings are now spread across her face -- the stuff is that good.  Handing the box over to Ginger, she confirms that all of our years of skepticism towards Wafels & Dinges was for naught -- the stuff is downright delectable.

Leggo Our Non-Eggo

First, there is the waffle itself -- warm and sweet, it is just about as far from an Eggo as one can get, and we are very pleased to have chosen the liege variety.  Of the toppings, the whipped cream is far and away our favorite -- sugary but supremely light, it is among the best we have ever tasted, and thankfully, Waffle Girl has distributed it generously.  The chocolate and dulce de leche serve their respective saucy roles, while the walnuts add crunch, and the strawberries, tang.  While we had initially doubted Sunny Anderson's combination, we are more than pleased to report that, for once, our typical cynicism was dead wrong.

Good Work, Not Even Noon Team

By the time we consume the whole waffle, we are wearing half of its contents on our faces, and it takes a full bushel of napkins to clean us up (and renders Ginger's ability to describe the waffle's flavor as anything but "good" impossible).  With so many other menu items to choose from (including the truck's famous spekuloos spread, which tastes like graham crackers), we are certain that since we've been initiated, we will become frequenters of the Waffle Truck's greatness.

And we are now supremely grateful that their carts can be found on every other Manhattan street corner.

Newbie Waffle Truck Groupies

Wafels and Dinges's Wafel of Massive Deliciousness: 5 stars*


*Certifiable Best Thing We Ever Ate