Tag: dougie

Emerald City Waffle Con

Sweet Iron Waffle Bar
March 2017

T’was the 2017 nerd herd expedition to Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con and Moonie was a thorough waffle researcher and discovered a MAX CAPACITY: 12 person waffle joint. Danderson, Moonie, and Dougie took up 3 out of 12 seats in the closet-sized restaurant.

The menu was quite decadent with some of the most unique and gourmet waffles the group had ever laid eyes on.

Roasted butternut squash, blue cheese, honey walnuts was chosen by Dougie. The waffle was a yeasted brioche style batter with pearl sugar inside of it. The combination of sweet and savoury toppings was a culinary delight and flavour explosion. The waffles were a bit too heavy to be a crisp as Dougie prefers but the flavours were exceptional.

Rating:
4/5

美味しい – oishii

Kazoku
November 2016

Dougie has a confession to make.

Though this is blog dedicated to waffles she has to admit her deep love of noodles. Rice noodles, pasta noodles, buckwheat noodles, zucchini noodles, sweet potato noodles, cold noodles, instant noodles, hot noodles, deep fried noodles, udon noodles, spicy noodles, all of the noodles.

Anyways, Dougie and smoonie went out for noodles. Ramen noodles. Ramen joints have also exploded in popularity and Dougie says, “noodle on”.

Okay, Dougie got to make her confession… But, so what? Why do YOU, oh faithful Waffle Log Blog readers, care? Well, much to the surprise of Dougie and her noodle-companion, smoonie, there was a waffle on the dessert menu! What an unexpected treat! Noodles and waffles together at last!

Dougie and smoonie had spent an intensive day dealing with mouse-abatement in a hundred year old basement so they worked up a significant appetite. So, after devouring a bowl of the best ramen in town, they were still eagerly anticipating dessert waffles.

The “Waffle Yaki” came out: two golden waffles stuffed with sweet red bean paste, drizzled with chocolate, and topped with ice cream The waffles were a touch too soft but excellent flavor: that ideal balance of sweet and savory batter. The red bean added a nice semi sweet flavour and luscious texture to the dessert. This waffle is at it’s prime when when hot n’ fresh. Also, Dougie and smoonie would like to note that it was an excellent compact waffle, an appropriate portion, and had a strong presentation game; it was a feast for the eyes too.

The owner was very proud of their homemade and made to order status. It wasn’t lost on the Sylvias.

Rating:
4/5 Dougie
3.5/5 smoonie 

A Solo Yolk

Place: Yolks, Vancouver
November 1st, 2016

Dougie ventured out on her own for a second waffle adventure in Vancouver. She felt like a bit of a dolt ordering the sweet Belgian Waffles at an establishment called Yolks, prided on their perfectly poached eggs. But, alas, Dougie takes her role as a Waffle-officer seriously, it’s part of her waffle-osophy. So, with the promise of perfect yolks foregone she ordered that sweet Belgian Waffle with definitive resolve.

Let’s get down to business. Dougie was entertained by the lively foot and road traffic on Broadway as she perched on the cozy barstool in the window. ‘Oh my goodness,” Dougie exclaimed when the waffle arrived at her window seat. The presentation and dusting of icing sugar made for a whimsical display almost too delightful to eat (in fact the real estate on the rectangle plate was difficult to navigate with the tower of waffles. Dougie deftly dissected the display).

Overall flavour and crispy exterior were excellent but the interior was a little dry. The slice of triangular butter added to the layered display but wasn’t practical for spreading. There was a fantastic helping of bacon and the fruit bowl drizzled with honey, lemon, and mint was superb. The attention to fruit bowl elevation made a usually cheap breakfast addition really standout. Refreshing! 

Dougie also thoroughly enjoyed the service, her server was charming, kind, and gave her very helpful directions to navigate the transit system.

Rating:
3.7/5

An Endorsement & A Review from Guru Lou

A review to follow featuring DJ Guru Lou’s first appearance, but first, current affairs:

Dougie ended up at a show in a location that can best be described as a room resembling a basement from the 1970s. It was there that she ran into guest Waffler DJ Guru Lou.

cyqwznmvqaaykdu

“The Waffle Log Blog has inspired me to up my waffle game at home. I’ve just been using batter from a box.” said Guru Lou late on Saturday night. “It’s all about the butter and syrup.” Guru Lou added.

“The waffle is the vehicle.” Dougie nodded, sagely.

“Exactly,” Guru Lou said confidently and astutely added, “And, like, a Sunfire is a vehicle and a Ferrari is a vehicle. One is obviously better.”

DJ Guru Lou was one of the International Supreme Coucil of Waffle’s earliest adopter of the ISCoW’s standards and acute appreciation of the waffle’s delivery service. We are humbled that the Waffle Log Blog is inspiring higher standards and appreciation of the vehicle food.

The council thanks DJ Guru Lou (also read as: Bong Sample) for his musical contribution (read: granting Dougie permission to hijack the tracks) to the Waffle Log Blog Video (read: the video too long to actually watch) on the home page.

Place: Barb and Ernie’s, Edmonton AB
Wafflers: Fun Time Douglas, Critical Bill, Pete the Patient Pirate, and DJ Guru Lou
When: Summer of 2015

A long loved and lasting establishment in Edmonton, Barb and Ernie’s Old Country Inn was the destination and waffles the prize. The hospitality was supreme and service delightful, however, with only one in-house waffle iron the council put some strain on the kitchen. Without too much delay the council was feasting on beautifully topped waffles and accompanying sides.

Pete the Patient Pirate: Satisfied. The toppings of strawberries and whipped cream were delectable and the waffle had prime syrup soaking abilities. It was soft and squishy, and not too heavy.

DJ Guru Lou: It’s too big but nice and round. Easy 4/5 sans honeydew on the plate. Honeydew is bullshit.

Critical Bill: Soft in the middle. Could’ve been crispier.

Fun Time Douglas: Too soft, needed that extra crisp on the outside for a better syrup barrier. A bit unevenly cooked. Overall excellent balance of sweet and savoury flavour. Note: the atmosphere of this establishment is like the comfort of a Grandparent’s home, cozy as heck.

Unanimous four cheers for the bacon, A+ all around in that department.

Closing remarks from Guru Lou, “There are two Bus Drivers here. If it’s good enough for the Bus Drivers, it’s good enough for me.”

Ratings:

Pete the Patient Pirate: 4.7/5
DJ Guru Lou: 3.5/5
Critical Bill: 4.2/5
Fun Time Douglas: 3/5

Coming soon: the origin story of Pete the Patient Pirate!

For The Love Of Waffles

Place: Cha Island Tea Co. Edmonton AB
Wafflers: Dougie & Critical Bill

The unintentional inaugural Valentines Day meeting of the International Supreme Council of Waffles: “For The Love of Waffles” took place on February 14th 2015.

Before we begin, I must remind readers that the International Supreme Council of Waffles is in search of the best waffle. In order to achieve our goal we had to set high standards. So, if our critique on the waffle in question seems harsh it is because we are committed to our task. Also, the rules of the ISCoW are that each individual member makes their own criteria and/or waffle rubric. It allows for a diverse Council with a larger breadth of perspectives in the hopes of serving all waffle desires. So let’s get on with it, man…  

A nice cozy atmosphere was appreciated on this snowy and cold Saturday but perhaps reggae and waffles were not meant to be. Dougie suspects that it was an off night for the waffles as she had previously experienced delightful waffles from this establishment. One plain waffle was ordered, served with butter and syrup as a waffle was meant to be, and one special: topped with powered sugar, fresh strawberries, and chocolate (note: Dougie quite dislikes chocolate but finds it tolerable in small quantities. In this case it was a rich dark chocolate and complimented the strawberries).

The official report is: the waffle itself was too soft and battery, this waffle is in need of a more golden colour, a crispier outside, and fluffier inside. The beverages on the other hand were delicious. An old school chocolate milk for Bill and real brewed iced tea for Dougie. Critical Bill has a deep-seated philosophy regarding the purveying of the waffle: “They are best served in places with the words ‘cafe’ or ‘diner’ in the title by an older lady named Bev or Flo in a uniform and she calls you ‘hon’, if she is smoking all the better. A place with ‘Cha’ in the name and being served by a hipster dufus named Chad who calls you Dude probably is not going to resonate.” But, then again, Bill longs for a simpler time.

It should be noted that the company was quite enjoyable and thus the inaugural meeting of the International Supreme Council of Waffles marked the beginning of the mission to find the best waffle. Closing remarks, Critical Bill says the waffle was, “Dressed up but no party”. Rating: Dougie and Bill: 2/5 Waffles.

1-for-the-love-of-waffles
Archival photo from Dougie’s one of a kind analog Waffle Log Blog circa 2015

 

Prologue

Prologue to The Waffle Log Blog

We had our official welcome from Critical Bill and now it’s Dougie’s turn to chime and give you her welcome to the blog because some of you might be asking things like, “why?” and “what the hell?”
Perhaps this will clear things up.

Many might struggle to find purpose. Or find purpose in the struggle. Before I get carried away I will remind you, reader, that this will be a blog about waffles, so stay with me for a moment so we can get on with it.

I enjoy trying to find purpose through positive means. Means such as small celebrations. I don’t mean celebrations as in over-fraught birthdays, anniversaries, or graduations. I mean celebrations of very little consequence but symbolically they are meaningful. Some people call this celebrating “the little things”. Also, before anyone gets too excited, when I say meaningful I don’t necessarily mean profound, so calm down, life isn’t always a series of epiphanies and enlightening experiences. I simply mean recognizing the moment with others or alone, whatever little thing you are quietly celebrating, is nice. Another way of saying it is, let yourself enjoy little moments in your life by recognizing them.

With some of these little things, like visiting Café del Dave, I repeat the celebration almost every day. We have our coffee and discuss various topics at length until that moment comes when we realize our conversation has concluded and our work is done, Café del Dave has come to a close, until next time (tomorrow). It’s more than the sum of its parts though. It’s not just a routine. It’s not structured like a wacky ritual. It’s a celebration, of a seemingly small thing, but it has meaning to those involved, if you let yourself realize it.

So far this prologue has had nothing to do with waffles. I apologize. I have a shared a small piece of my personal perspective to give context for another one of my favorite activities. The International Supreme Council of Waffles. This is the search for the best waffle. The search has started in Edmonton but has already gone international.

Life can be hard. Have a waffle.

With each waffle review remember, it’s a little celebration and it’s nice.

Dougie signing off.