Food Cart Review: Gaufre Gourmet

PIG OUT: The Gaufre Gourmet's crunchy, meaty maple-bacon creation.
By KELLY CLARKE

I know you love FlavourSpot—so do I. But Gaufre Gourmet, a little waffle cart on the graveled edge of Chinatown, is a whole other sweet and savory beast. Chefs Charlene Wesler and Michael Susak specialize in Belgian Liège waffles, which eschew batter for a yeasted brioche-style dough and pack every bite with crunchy bits of pearl sugar. Yeah, different. And positively wonderful: The sugar-ball-studded dough lends the waffles a chewy, caramelized texture that forms an excellent base for everything from bittersweet mocha chocolate sauce to goat cheese with honey-roasted pistachios ($5.75-$6). And Gaufre's maple-bacon waffle ($4.50) is just plain ridiculous, like a Voodoo Doughnut creation with exponentially more crunchy edges.

  1. BEST BITE: Try the savory specials: a meatball sub waffle ($6.50) translated to a gut buster of spicy marinara and giant savory balls, luxuriating on a bed of cheesy bread griddled in the waffle iron. 
  2. CHEAPEST BITE: The plain Liège with powdered sugar ($2.50) is sweet perfection.

EAT: Southwest 9th and Alder St, gaufregourmet.com. 7 am-3 pm Tuesday-Friday, 10 am-2 pm Saturday. $ Inexpensive.

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