backstrEATS at a glance:

www.wafelsanddinges.com

Location and Time: Located in the Big Apple, the hours and location of this lovely vendor vary by day. But do not despair they cover a great portion of the city so you will never be too far from the deliciousness. The Wafels and Dinges company owns 1 truck, 1 mini truck, and 2 carts. They are referred to as Wafel and Dinges Truck (or Le Truck), Goesting “cart”, Vedette Cart, and Bierbeek Cart respectively.

You can find their locations and hours of operations here on their website. Or call them! The Waffle Hot Line will tell you of the nearest location and the secret password of the day! (866) 429-7329.

Atmosphere and Attire: The city is your table and the street noise your ambiance music. Anything goes for attire… that is in accordance with New York City Law. So some form of top and bottom please.

Seating: I’ve only been to the Truck on Christopher street. No place to sit except the curb of the sidewalk. But I believe standing is half the experience when partaking in street food!

Cost: Moderately cheap. Wafels (Yes. That’s how they spell it) are $5-6 with the first topping for free, $1 for the second, or $2 for unlimited toppings. It’s roughly $7-8 when all is said and done.

Coke products: Hells to the yeah~ Coke and Diet Coke cans, water, hot apple cider, hot cocoa, coffee, tea, Pellegrino Aranciata and Limonata are the beverage selections.

Important Notes: Cash only. Follow them on facebook and twitter! They have trivia questions and secret codes that lead to special prizes.

Six months have passed since my arrival to the east coast. After reflecting on all that I have experienced, I have come to one very important conclusion.

Te Amo, Nueva York

Je T’aime, New York

사랑해, 뉴욕.

I FREAKIN’ LOVE YOU, NEW YORK!

(Throws confetti and sings rendition of Sinatra’s New York, New York off key)

Yes, you are indeed the “apple” of my eye, the empire of my state, the capital of my world and the Batman of my Gotham. I cannot be more grateful to all the lovely food adventures that I have experienced thanks to you, you spectacular city. A city so nice they named it twice? Abso-freakin’-lutely.

Picture it.

It was a cold, blustery night in February when a friend and I left the subway station on Christopher Street in search of  dinner. The city wind nipped harshly at our cheeks as it gathered speed around every street corner. I wrapped my scarf grudgingly around the lower half of my face.  You must know that A. I don’t particularly like scarves (they choke me…) and B. due to the cold, I had just purchased said scarf in Chinatown from a stall that sold Tiffany with a -ph…  (I’m a slight hypochondriac. Sue me.) As I made adjustments to my scarf, I scolded myself for even shivering in 28 degree weather. I am a Michigan girl, after all. This would have been “a sweater and short shorts” weather for many of my friends back home (Surprisingly not all girls.) We pulled out our maps and scanned the street signs for direction when a luminous glow and a gentle waft of cinnamon and vanilla caught the attention of my eyes and nose.

And there it was in all its glory. Painted all over with a vibrant yellow and a large golden waffle sculpture sticking out on the side, the Wafels and Dinges truck beckoned us over.

This is the only instance where you should definitely "go towards the light"

The hood of the truck. Mmm Mmm Mmm Tasty.

The Back of the Truck. Still tasty.

Dessert before dinner? Don’t mind if I do. In a New York minute, we fell in love with Wafels and Dinges.

The Backstory:

Thomas DeGeest, Founder of Wafels and Dinges, on far left. All rights and credit go to Laurie Wiegler from Toquemag.com

I managed to get in contact with Ellen from Wafels and Dinges to ask about the history of the company and to inquire about the owner.

His name: Thomas DeGeest. His occupation: Envoy of the Wafels. This native of Belgium broke away from a 12 year stint as a management consultant of IBM to pursue one of the biggest American dreams, owning a business. With sweat, determination, some elbow grease, and a dream,  DeGeest opened Wafels and Dinges in October of 2007.

But why waffles you may ask?

Like most kids in Belgium, I enjoy waffles as a snack growing up. In my travels across many states during my consulting days, I found it very hard to find a decent waffle here in my new home country. Places like IHOP and Waffle House just don’t cut it. I was also looking for a business that would have meaning. I enjoy bringing a happy moment to people’s days by providing them with an affordable indulgence. Waffles definitely do that.

Indeed they do! A tip of the hat and a wave of the monocle to you, Mr. DeGeest. Bravo for all your efforts in all that is golden and delectable.

Since then, the company has grown steadily adding a catering business and allowing their products to be sold in other stores. Ellen has informed me that they will be adding a second truck and perhaps a second cart to better serve the wafel-loving community.

And if you’re wondering what “Dinges” are, let me quote Ellen as the way she describes it: “Dinges is a Flemish word. It’s really slang for “Whatchamecallits.” Our toppings – strawberries, whipped cream, or our signature chocolate fudge – are all “dinges.” ”

The Location:

As I had mentioned before, we were introduced to Wafels and Dinges at the Christopher Street location in the Greenwich Village area. Most Saturday evenings to nights, the truck is at the same location. The 1 and 2 subway lines bring you right to the truck as you exit the station. I have not had the pleasure of strolling around Greenwich Village much, but there are many food experiences to be had. It’s a trendy, chic area of the city that I will definitely be looking into.

The Service:

As we oggled at the menu and our noses hoarded all the smells, a friendly voice interrupted our trance. As if we were his first customers, he flashed us a million dollar smile and asked if we had ever experienced the joy that was called “Spekuloos” (To be explained later…) He handed us samples of the glorious condiment and began giving us an enthusiastic rundown of the menu. I’m sure he has given this speech a million times and will be giving it a million times more but you would never be able to tell by his cordial and gregarious manner. From what I had experienced, all the wafelers at Wafels and Dinges are cheerful, attentive, and charmingly witty. Definitely a Grade A in my book!

The Food:

Yes... my pretties.. Excellent...

Waffles are actually an idea stemmed from wafers, like those used in religious ceremonies. The word “wafer” in English stems from the German and Anglo-Saxon root word: weben, also known as “to weave”. This refers to the pattern that one would usually see on wafers in those days. According to the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, the word “wafer” also “…appears in medieval Frankish as wafel and later in medieval French as waufre, now written gaufre, with the diminutive gaufrette. Gaufre can also be a honeycomb and in that sense may refer to an ancient pattern imprinted on certain wafers.” (Encyclopedia of Food and Culture 2011).

Unlike the wafer, the more secularized waffle was made from eggs, cream, and other rich ingredients. “Where the wafer served as a metaphor for fasting and self-denial, the waffle became the Protestant symbol of festive luxury.” (Encyclopedia of Food and Culture 2011)

For more on the history of the waffle, click here.

They serve two main kinds of wafels at this lovely establishment, the Liège and the Brussels.

*Side note: Ellen informed me that each region of Belgium has their own style of waffles. What the Americans know as the “Belgian waffle” is actually  the “Brussels waffle”. *

The Brussels (Formerly known as Belgian) waffle is light and crispy. It’s so light and airy that putting a whole bunch of dinges on it may mask the flavor of the original waffle.

I prefer the Liège. It was the first waffle we tried on our first encounter with Wafels and Dinges. And let me say… B-E-A-UTIFUL. It’s so dense, soft, chewy, and that vanilla taste?? FUHGETTABOUTIT! Liège must be a beautiful city to lend its name to this heavenly treat.

Liège wafel with spekuloos, strawberries, and powdered sugar. Wow.

My friend's Liège wafel with spekuloos, strawberries, bananas, nutella, whipped cream.

That's right. They wrote it for me. Thanks to the wafelers on Christopher street!

Their topping range from mostly sweet with occasional appearances from the savories. They have dulce de leche, strawberries, bananas, nutella, vanilla ice cream, and real maple syrup to name a few. They are always coming up with new dinges ideas so be sure to check back! I believe they had a chili con carne wafel at one point during the week. Just. plain. Awesome.

Before I forget to mention it… TRY THE SPEKULOOS. There have only been two condiments in my life that made me jump up and scream, “Good LORD, how do I replace my blood with this?” And now that list just added a third member. It looks like peanut butter but has a smoother spread.  AND THE TASTE? A spread of cinnamon, slight graham crackery taste, and a taste that is purely divine all rolled into one. Ellen refers to it as “liquid Teddy Grahams” but I believe words fail at the sheer awesomeness that is Spekuloos.

“Spekuloos” actually originates from the Dutch word Speculaas, which is a sort of shortcrust biscuit that is generally served on St. Nicholas’ Eve in the Netherlands and Belgium. They are thin, crunchy, and traditionally have images of St. Nicholas’ Eve stamped onto the front. Spices used in the original speculaas cookie recipe consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves,ginger, cardamom and white pepper.

I <3 Wafels and Dinges

Wafels and Dinges sell this glorious condiment online and on the truck. (I’m not quite sure if they sell them at the carts)

It took all the will power in the world to not break down and buy one. I knew that I would have finished it..,scooping the last dollop with my fingers by the time we rounded the corner.

But perhaps next time… I will not be so lucky…

I would definitely chock this down as a food win! Thank you, Wafels and Dinges, for bringing us Good … no GREAT things Belgian!

Until then, my lovely friends, Eat on <3