Waffle Bar
Chicken & Waffle – Chicken Tenders, Liege Waffle, Butter, Syrup, Seasoned Potatoes
Cinna-bomb Waffle – Liege Waffle, Cinnamon Butter Glaze, Cream Cheese Frosting
With two locations in Las Vegas, one in the Venetian/Palazzo complex and another at recently-rejuvenated Tivoli Village, Waffle Bar promises to deliver Liege Waffles and Crepes to an City where such things are slowly gaining traction, a sizable off-Strip crowd on Saturday admittedly a surprise as the Restaurant was found 3/4-full just past ten in the morning.
Visited entirely as the result of a Holiday Groupon Gift Certificate, the competing dining options either previously visited or otherwise of little interest, it was immediately upon entering the tightly packed space just a few yards from Brio that guests were greeted by a middle-aged man conveniently gathering menus for the hostess stand, a two-top near the window soon filled as iHeartRadio tunes chimed overhead and College Basketball played on Television.
Most certainly another eatery prior, par for the course at Tivoli where little save for Echo & Rig, Brio or Leoné Café has managed to sustain any test of time, it was shortly after seating that Water was poured and an order was placed, the volume level moderate save for a particularly loud pair of friends plus a couple and their fussy infant.
A pleasant enough place, walls including quotes from the likes of Lady Gaga surrounding an L-Shaped floorplan that extends to an outdoor patio during warmer months, it was no more than fifteen minutes before two entrees emerged from the kitchen, the question as to whether Maple Syrup was real never answered save for “I’m not sure, I’ll go find out” though a taste suggested no.
Thankful that the real stuff out of Vermont had been brought from home, a taste of the Waffle before topping medium-crispy and slightly sweet but lacking the smooth caramelization of those found in Belgium or nearby at Andres or the Waffle Love truck, it was after a slathering of Butter and pour of Syrup that the Chicken and Waffles was compared to so many others, the Waffle itself standing up to the test but Tenders no better than store-bought with dried out Meat and flavorless Breading.
A bit confused by the “seasoned Potatoes,” for all intents and purposes flaccid French Fries cut into thirds and pan-fried with Herbs, it was by way of a bit of Ketchup that the Spuds achieved mostly edible status, a shift from savory finding the “Cinna-bomb” Waffle expectedly sweet thanks to Cinnamon Butter, Cream Cheese Frosting plus a spray of Reddi-Wip-esque topping.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Probably best judged as an alternative to the ever-popular Leoné Café, the price-point similar and both offering Coffee, Waffles and Crepes at Tivoli Village, Waffle Bar offers good service and pleasant environs for those at the Shopping Center while unfortunately lacking the ingredient quality or kitchen skills to make anything about the food memorable.
RECOMMENDED: Waffles are fine.
AVOID: Chicken Tenders, Whipped Cream, Artificial Maple Syrup.
TIP: For those still interested, Groupon offers $20 of Food for $10 vouchers while Social Media Check-in scores $10 off orders over $30.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.wafflebar.vegas
