Deluxe, Broadway at 113th Street

It was a beautiful day and I went to Deluxe for a waffle, hoping for the kind of Belgian waffle that I craved when I didn't live in New York and would come to the city to eat to eat a waffle a day -- and sometimes two -- covered in strawberries or whatever fresh fruit was in season.

I sat at a cafe table on the sidewalk and ordered the Belgian waffle with strawberries that I ordered in 2001 when I'd come to Columbia to visit my daughter who was then a student.  We'd often go to Deluxe for the sandwiches or burgers (for her) and the waffles (for me).  The waffle I remembered was delicately crunchy on the outside and yeastily eggy like a crueler doughnut on the inside.

Alas, this visit nine years later brought disappointment.  The waffle was kind of tough -- like it had been cooked too long, so I sent it back, still hoping for the waffle of my dreams.  The second waffle was also tough -- just crisper and cooked longer, and it was then I surmised that the waffle they served during the week was likely a frozen waffle.  I could not eat it (why eat calories that are not worth it?).  The strawberries were good.

On another visit I longed for heartier, homier food and ordered the meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  I was not disappointed.  The "Made Like Mom's Meatloaf" with mushroom gravy was delicious -- a moist, aromatic mix of ground meats that satisfied that desire for comfort food.