Out To Lunch: Sweet Iron Waffles

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Waffles for lunch? Sweet Iron Waffles makes a distinctly persuasive argument

The waffle iron at Sweet Iron Waffles is a beast. It is to your home waffle maker as a Siberian tiger is to your cat. It runs on 50,000 volts of electricity and figures in the murder of a thug in an upcoming gangster flick.

OK, I made up that last part, but the heavy-duty, imported waffle tiger sure makes sweet, crisp Belgian waffles. They’re modest in size, but simultaneously light and gutsy: The crackly exterior yields to an airy crumb.

Before you pull into Sweet Iron for lunch, however, a caution: This place wears its sweet tooth on its sleeve. Order a savory waffle—I recommend the prosciutto, crème fraîche and scallions ($4.99)—and you will get a sweet-savory hybrid. The bits of sautéed ham and cream meld with the waffle to create a familiar taste…what is it?…got it! Grand Slam Breakfast.

I have no quarrel with a Denny’s homage or a sweetish lunch. I’m already thinking about my next visit. But I’m yielding the rest of my space here to my own sweet tooth, which would like to tell you about the ice cream waffle ($5.99).

The ice cream waffle is a sundae served on a waffle. The best part of this sundae is the perfectly toasted Holmquist hazelnuts from Whatcom County. Oh, and the fact that it’s served ON A WAFFLE! It’s a hot and cold sundae. To continue the fast-food theme, it keeps the hot side hot, and so on. (But eat fast.) Sweet Iron has three small tables inside, and a few outdoors, and its gooier concoctions are less than portable. Go early, go late, or get a plain waffle to go. And don’t stand too close to the beast.

Bottom line: It’s sweet, sweet waffle goodness…did we mention sweet?

Originally published in July 2010