Justin and I took a lunch break in Union Square one afternoon because we read online that the Wafels and Dinges truck was set up by Trader Joe’s for the day (they change locations on a weekly basis). I’m really into food that comes out of a truck (DessertTruck, Chicken and Rice, bulgogi, smoothies, etc), and I’ve been meaning to check out the Wafels and Dinges truck for a while. It’s owned by Belgians that claim to have REAL wafels. [sic] I’m usually out of town on the weekdays for work, but luckily, I was in town and the Wafels and Dinges truck was close enough for me to stop by. Justin and I went down to 14th and 3rd and ordered from the truck:

I decided to order the Cinnamon liege:

Everything is pre-made (I didn’t see much batter lying around) and they take the liege or the waffle and heat it up using the wafflemaker. The cinnamon liege was chewy and …slightly soggy. Neither of us were fans.

Justin was contemplating what to order (there’s actually not that much on the menu) but we couldn’t decide what toppings to order. You can get the waffle with one topping, three toppings, or a combination of ALL of the toppings (I think the combination of all of the toppings costs around $7.50). We had to order the waffle with ALL OF THE TOPPINGS KNOWN TO MAN (duh!):

Okay, I exaggerated…just every topping known to the Wafels and Dinges truck. Dinges, if you were wondering, are the toppings you can add to your waffle/liege. Our waffle had strawberries, dulce de leche, chocolate fudge, butterscotch, whipped cream, AND powdered sugar. The chocolate fudge was my favorite - it reminded me of the cold fudge Jarlings Custard Cup serves (something I’d have EVERY summer). Other than the cold fudge, the waffle wasn’t very crispy and it was kind of stale.

After we ordered, a older Russian woman came by and asked the owner how much the waffles were. She decided to order a liege because it’s $1 cheaper, but after the owner told her it was still $4, she walked away and the owner said he’d sell it to her for $1!! WTF we just paid $4 for ours!! I didn’t know it was negotiable!!

How to get to Wafels and Dinges:

Wafels and Dinges - changes on a weekly basis, so check their website!

Moda, located in the Flatotel in the theater district, is a restaurant we visited based on a friend’s recommendation. The restaurant feels very lounge-like; dimly lit, large comfortable couches, and a well-stocked bar. The brunch at Moda is very reasonable - every entree is under $15 and everything comes with a free mimosa, bloody mary, or orange juice!

I went with the French toast:

If you’ve been following the site for a while, you know that I’m picky when it comes to French toast; the bread needs to be stale enough to hold the egg/milk combination but has to be moist (and not soggy). I mean, it can’t be that difficult to make good French toast (considering I can do it at home), but I feel like a lot of restaurants just don’t know how to make it. Moda’s French toast was prepared exceptionally well - just enough egg and milk combined with bread dusted with powdered sugar. Yum!

Chris ordered the standard cheeseburger:

Surprisingly, the cheeseburger from Moda was AWESOME! It had a nice grill flavor and there was a huge chunk of cheese melted on the big peace of meat - what else can you ask for? It’s not my favorite burger (that honor belongs to Goodburger), but it was definitely better than a lot of brunch burgers I’ve had.

Our friends both ordered egg white omelettes with hash browns:

They both enjoyed their egg white omelettes and the waiter even threw in an extra side of toast (I think the kitchen accidentally prepared it and didn’t want it to go to waste. Seriously, no one else was in the restaurant). I can’t see myself going back to Moda (it’s in a weird location for me), but I think their brunch is pretty decent (and you can make reservations on opentable!)

How to get to Moda:

Moda Restaurant and Lounge
135 W 52nd St
New York, NY, 10019
212-887-9880

On Tuesday, Pinkberry is revealing their newest flavor, COFFEE, which will be swirled with green tea. How did I find out? Chris and I went to Pinkberry on Friday night right after I got off the plane from Chicago! I spoke with my favorite swirlers (Jose, Raul, and JC) and they told me that the combo tastes pretty good. JC gave me the impression that you can only get the coffee flavor swirled with green tea (interesting combination, right?), but if you go on Tuesday and that’s not the case, please let me know!! I can’t wait to try it when I get back to New York!!

After catching the majority of Top Chef Season three, I’ve slowly become a fan of the crazy reality show (they’re currently taping season 4 in Chicago). I watched a couple episodes from season one and season two, but it’s one of those shows you watch when they have marathons, you know? Anyway, Harold Dieterle won season one and used his prize money to open Perilla in May 2007, a stylish restaurant in the west village. I’ve walked by Perilla a bunch of times (on my way to John’s Pizzeria or Pearl Oyster Bar), but I didn’t notice the small restaurant lining Jones Street until recently.

Large booths, a couple of four-top tables, and a small bar make Perilla for a small get together or a first date. The interior decor is minimal and welcoming and is a great addition to the west village. The hostess seated us immediately (not many people go to Perilla for lunch, apparently, because the restaurant was almost empty). The menu has a couple of options of unpretentious items, but there were only three things that interested us: the duck burger, the cubano, and the french toast. We ended up choosing the first two:

The duck burger has a layer of perfectly melted cheese (don’t you hate it when there’s a layer of grease on top of the cheese?), pickles, tomato, and Boston lettuce that all sits perfectly on top of a big bits of spicy duck. YUM. I’m used to Peking duck and have been disappointed with other ways people prepare duck, but Harold’s burger definitely makes me rethink the way I eat duck.

I ordered Harold’s Cubano:

To tell you the truth, I wasn’t impressed with the pressed sandwich AT ALL. It tasted like something I could ordered at Zabar’s a while back. Also, once you try the Spotted Pig’s cubano, there’s no way to eat another sandwich without getting the feeling that it’s inadequate. I didn’t really enjoy the sandwich but the side salad that came with my order was nicely dressed. I can never get my greens to stay so fluffy after I dress them - they always end up wilty looking (it looks like I cooked them or something). How do restaurants do it?

Overall, the experience at Perilla was very nice and I’d go back for dinner in the future, but probably not again for brunch. It’s convenient to make a reservation through opentable.com, but you can always call to make a reservations as well (I like opentable because I’ve thisclose to getting something for free!!)

How to get to Perilla:

Perilla
9 Jones St between 4th Street and Bleecker
New York, NY 10014
212-929-6868

In addition to the popular Grace faces that have recently been added to the site, today I happily announce the addition of PRICE SYMBOLS! Here are the details behind our newly minted coins:

- Cheap eats (Under $10 per person)

- Moderate Meals ($11 - $30 per person)

- Pricey Dining ($31 - $50 per person)

- Special Occasion ($51 - $70 per person)

- Dinner on the Client ($71+ per person)

Per person includes an entree and the cost of dessert (I usually dine with at least one other person and we share the plates). It doesn’t include drinks (beer/alcohol/soft drinks) or tax/tip. I hope the new price points are helpful for you when deciding where to eat!

Also, we’ve updated our Grace faces and I’m now adding half Grace faces:

I’m going to slowly change my previous posts (if they’re affected by the new Grace faces). To remind you of what the Grace faces mean, here’s a recap:

- Not so good - you probably shouldn’t go to this restaurant unless you want your stomach to hate you

- Eh, it’s okay, but not a restaurant I’d make a special trip for…I’d only return if I was in the area and I hadn’t eaten all day.

- Pretty good. A solid back up choice.

- Very good…worth a special trip or a good spot to take friends.

- Excellent - I’d definitely recommend this place to a friend.

- So bad I would never return and I’m scraping my tongue to get the bad taste out of my mouth.

- Grace’s Picks; places that I think are amazing and if you could only have one meal for the rest of your life, pick one from this list!

I hope you enjoy the changes and please let me know if there are any other things you’d like to see on gracenotesnyc!