My parents called me at work the other day and said excitedly, “We’re downstairs! At that waffle place!” Huh? Oh yeah, that waffle place. The one right below my office that I walk past nearly every day. Sweet Iron Waffles has been open for several months now but, for whatever reason, I had never thought to check it out. Today, I decided to remedy that. Sweet Iron serves what are known as Liège Waffles, a type of Belgian Waffle. Liège Waffles are richer, denser and sweeter than the Belgian Waffle most Americans are familiar with. They are made from a brioche-like dough and contain chunks of pearl sugar which caramelizes on the outside of the waffle while it cooks. Liège Waffles are sold by street vendors all over Belgium. I opted for a plain waffle my first time out in order to get the purest sense of what a Liège Waffle truly tastes like. It reminded me more of a sticky bun, than a waffle. It was yummy but very sweet. So sweet, in fact, that I really can’t imagine getting one topped with anything sweet (the bacon-topped waffle, on the other hand…) Sweet Iron’s waffle toppings range from the expected – chocolate, strawberries, etc. – to the more unusual such as bananas brûlée with caramel or brie and basil. They also offer seasonal waffles; current choices include cranberry-orange and date-blue cheese. The date-blue cheese waffle sounds awfully tempting. I might need to convince a co-worker to split one with me as an after lunch snack!

Robert and I had a fantastic dinner last night at Anchovies & Olives. Halfway through, we had already declared it the best meal of the year! Like many dining establishments, Anchovies & Olives was doing a special prix fixe menu for New Year’s Eve – five courses at $75 per person. That’s not cheap, but in this case it ended up being worth every penny. Each course came with a choice between two different dishes. We decided to keep it simple and order one of each to share. Might as well sample everything, right? Highlights for me included the tiny kusshi oysters topped with green apple ice, the hamachi crudo (raw yellowtail served with blood oranges, shaved beets and horseradish) and the seared arctic char with trumpet mushrooms and braised radicchio. Robert enjoyed the escolar crudo which came topped with spicy coppa, persimmon and arugula. Our favorite dish of all, however, was the squid ink spaghetti with sea urchin, mussels and bread crumbs. The pasta – made fresh in house – had a wonderful firm, chewy texture. Combine that with super-sweet mussels and perfectly crunchy fried bread crumbs and you end up with one truly unforgettable dish. Talk about closing out 2009 on a high note!