Sweet or Savory Waffles?

Sunday morning I ran in my first post Nelson race - the Chicago 10k. The fall like temperatures and the magnificent view of the lake made for an excellent inaugural race and has me itching to sign up for a half. We'll see about that, but on to waffles.

The finish line in Grant Park spit us out in the south loop so we ventured to Waffles for some post race calorie consumption. Waffles' website, while painful to listen to and navigate, boasts Time Out Chicago's Best New Breakfast of 2012. The scene is modern, simple and easy, welcoming kids of all ages. We chose to sit outside and ponder over which direction to take our waffle experience.

I have a hard time going all in for the sweet version of breakfast. I don't know what it is, but there is something about it just feeling like dessert and I feel cheated of an entire proper meal. This is one of the major benefits of dining with a 15 month old because I can order the sweet option "for him" and steal bites off of his plate while he is easily distracted by the closest "gah" - that's Nelson speak for dog. Yet, the menu looked so amazing here that I was willing to take a chance and I asked the waiter one simple question - sweet or savory?

Cheddar & Short Rib

With no hesitation, he said savory and pushed me towards the Cheddar and Short Rib, comprised of a 4 year cheddar waffle topped with coffee braised short rib and scallion. This was high risk for me, but he said it with such conviction, how could I go wrong? The flavor did not disappoint. The short rib was cooked to perfection and the waffle wasn't bad either, but it seemed like there was something missing. No grits or poached egg, just meat and waffle??? It lacked a mediator. Thankfully Brian shared one of his poached eggs from his Waffle Benedict - a liege waffle with slow roasted pork shoulder, poached egg and aleppo Hollandaise which was a real departure for the king of sweets. He was more than content with his choice. Thankfully Nelson's plain waffle with whip cream and old-fashioned syrup met my need to have it all. Whatever your breakfast fetish entails, you can find it at Waffles.