Live like a Belgian!

It's not every day that Tuesdays get as much love and attention as Mondays, Wednesdays, or the weekends. Today, with the gift card that I received at a Cincinnati USA CVB volunteer appreciation event, I decided to show some Tuesday love and treat myself to the Taste of Belgium for lunch.

ToB came to be in the early 2000s. Jean Francois Flechet brought back a 120lb cast iron waffle maker from his hometown of Liege, Belgium. He set up shop at Findlay Market inside one of the market's produce stores. His waffles became so popular that he eventually outgrew that space and, from there, he began a chain of these bistros. Today, with its five locations in Cincy and one in C-bus (Columbus), ToB has become a true regional staple.

Each waffle is made with buckwheat flour and infused with pearlized beet sugar imported from Liege, thus eliminating the need to put maple syrup on them.

Belgian Cuban with frites and chipotle mayo

This go around, I wanted to give a shout out to Yasiel "El Caballo Loco" Puig, former Afro Cuban right fielder for the Cincinnati Reds (P.S.& BTW, ToB is the official waffle of the team), by having the Belgian Cuban (for posterity and nostagia, here is a cool promo for the sandwich). Made with pork belly, ham, Havarti cheese, pickle, and mustard, this is a local take on the classic Cuban sandwich. The sandwich itself goes back to the mid 1880s. Both the cigar and the sugar industry were huge in Cuba, and Cubans, Spaniards, and Italians created the sandwich for their lunches. The cigar industry eventually moved to Tampa, Florida, and the Cuban sandwich came with it.

I know what you're thinking, but I had to get this key lime tart to juxtapose the heaviness of the sandwich. Don't judge, it's Christmas!

Now, you don't have to just feast on waffles alone. ToB also has an assortment of classic American fare, salads, and galettes (crepes), desserts, beer, and coffee, so you have pretty much the whole world right there.

ToB has also been featured in Diners, Dine Ins, and Drives, named Best New Restaurant (2012) by Cincinnati Magazine, and voted Best Brunch by CityBeat (2014, 2015, & 2016)

Today was starch and sugar overload, but who's cares? I just wanted to have some Europe with a side order of nostalgia.


If you want to go to a part of Europe without leaving the 'Nati', give this local staple a try! Trust me, you won't look at Belgian waffles the same way again!