Petite Abeille – Plate 82

Worst Latte Ever

The coffee at Norma’s (link) was just absolutely effing horrendous. I mean, it was undrinkable. And it was frickin’ NORMA’S. This one was just as bad. Maybe it’s because I don’t have a taste for skim milk in my coffee … I don’t know what it was, but this latte was just downright bad. I can say this because I paid for this meal.

So freeing, to say whatever I want about a place. I mean, it was great; the atmosphere, the fire, the other patrons were cool (and Belgian even, so you know it must have been a well-respected Belgian establishment), but this latte was Fucking AWFUL. Seriously, I might take a cup of Changaa (wiki) over this terrible, horrible, no good latte.

Mochaccino

This mochaccino, on the other hand, was actually pretty good! Maybe they had a hungover barista make the latte and the mochaccino was prepared by our waiter (quite a personable chap). I really enjoyed this one; Michelle had a few sips and it won her over for obvious reasons. It had a dollop of whipped cream on it as well as the steamy milk. C’est magnifique!

The Cocotte

This was our favorite. Probably because of the two types of cheese (gruyere and goat cheese). I still can’t get over how gorgeous the tomatoes and eggs were in Shanghai … simple elegance. This tomato and egg combo almost reached those heights, but just barely fell short. If you’re here, don’t get the waffle, get the Cocotte. It’s filling, it’s intricate, it’s luxurious, and it’s just damn good. I would go back for this. Skip the latte, obviously, but I’d go back for this.

Belgian Waffle with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

Back in HS, there was a Belgian exchange student whom I met at this party to start the summer off, but this other girl that I went to the prom with was there. The year before, she had some kind of intimacy issue that we were never able to get through, but she was drunk that night and decided to kiss me. The Belgian girl kissed me, too, but she kissed me a lot more than my prom date.

That one little peck I got from my prom date screwed with my head for the summer and caused me to forgo a summertime tryst with Corrihne (I think that’s how she spelled it). I met the prom date for ice cream a month later and saw her two years later … nothing. I think she went to play for the other team.

A few years later, Corrihne was back, visiting friends for the summer, and we saw each other at the Clam Festival (yeah, I know – how small town of me – link to the festival). I had a girlfriend at the time, standing right next to me, so all I could do was smile.

I think I might still have one of her postcards in my box. Either way, I’m not putting enough SEO anchors in this text for her to find me. Like I said, it was just a tryst.

But the waffles here, they were good. A taste of Belgium right here in downtown NYC. One thing that you have to do when you make Belgian waffles is to let them cool. I learned this from Thomas (link). These were good and cooled down, crispy, and sweet. Nice work, lil’ bee.