Shaky Alibi, Los Angeles CA

Shaky Alibi

Liege Waffle with Salted Caramel and Pecans

Chocolate Dipped Waffle Shot Affogato with Caramel Chip Ice Cream and Bacon Crumble

In the midst of planning a trip to Belgium, fine dining the impetus but undoubtedly planning to sample through several waffles and confections along the way, it seemed all-too-fortuitous that an early start to the day saw me discard much of “first breakfast” as I headed towards Fairfax for brunch, a quick stop into Shaky Alibi finding a few patrons sipping coffee while browsing the internet as a friendly staff of three stood by.

More or less a “do one thing and do it well” sort of spot, though a few egg dishes do join the Liege Waffles on the menu, it was after a brief perusal of the various toppings that an order was placed and deemed a “great choice” by my waitress as expectedly “hip” coffee house favorites chimed overhead.

Long and narrow in size, local artists invited to display and sell pieces hung along the walls, it was the work of a hirsuit young man to individually craft each Waffle and sampling a piece of the original with powdered sugar while I waited the exterior crunch and sugar pearls were immediate reasons for optimism, though it was somewhat disappointing to learn the baked goods at the register are not made in-house.

“Pricy” to an extent, though quality butter, sugar and spreads show Shaky Alibi’s commitment to doing things right, it was as the Waffle was being prepared that I decided to indulge in one of the restaurant’s more recent creations and although generally a coffee “purist” aside from a bit of sweetener I have to admit the chocolate coated waffle shot glass is a clever little invention, the double shot of espresso poured over ice cream from McConnell’s even more outlandish when sprinkled with crispy bacon.

Watching the cook carefully knife my waffle from the press, a golden hue dominating the crisp exterior as pockets of butter and punctuation marks of sugar compete for top billing in the fluffy core beneath, it was only after toasted pecans and a layer of imported Belgian Caramel were added from a small jar that the $7.75 treat arrived at the table, each bite every bit on par with Liege waffles experienced to date Stateside and filling me with hopes that those overseas may indeed be as memorable at “half the price,” as trusted sources say.

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