The little bee’s sweet and savory sting

Though the food was variably delicious, Petite Abeille already had me at hello. The restaurant’s endearing décor evoked both a countryside feel and a fairytale like atmosphere that fed my eyes with a view of tasteful colors.

While its lemon meringue walls displayed different pieces of art—a chalkboard showing the menu in a neat script on one pillar, the restaurant’s symbol of a bee on another—its tables were covered in blue and white checkered table cloth and arranged in a comfortable array that easily invited me in as if for a picnic.

As a Belgian restaurant and bar, Petite Abeille (French for “little bee”), is best known for its variety of sweet waffles and beers. However, it also offers a number of savory entrees and selection of omelets with their own Belgian twists, heavy on the mushroom, cheeses, and Belgian fries with just about any meaty dish.

Primarily a halal or vegetarian diner, I thought I’d try an omelet, but found them way too pricey at $12.50-$13. Instead, I opted for the $5 Petite Abeille Egg Sandwich. Normally served with spinach, bacon and cheddar on ciabatta bread, I asked them to hold the bacon and add tomatoes.

Waiting a long half hour for my sandwich, our charming waiter was extremely attentive to our table. However, the lunch rush hour arrived soon and the wait staff was far to busy to tend to us the same way throughout. So I recommend coming in the wee hours of the day to get the best out of this little bee. Still, with such a wait, you can be sure your food is fresh. I was confirmed of this when I received my fulfilling egg sandwich.

Smoke steaming out of the crisp ciabatta, the gooey cheese and vegetable combination oozing within and its salty scent wafting out, my mouth was watering immediately. Well seasoned, the melted cheese had a slightly bitter aftertaste, but it was quickly sweetened with the chunks of tomato, while the spinach balanced both tastes. After a bit of struggling to eat as neatly as possible and avoid melted cheddar streaming down my chin, only crumbs remained. At just $5 and a far cry from the much beloved Dunkin Donuts croissant, egg and cheese equivalent, this gourmet egg sandwich was a steal.

I attempted to then satisfy my sweet tooth with the  $9 Gaufre Banana Split: a waffle with vanilla ice cream, banana, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I love bananas, but with a waffle, chocolate and whipped cream, they were absolutely scrumptious. A dismissible flaw, however, was that the chocolate sauce tasted too watered down. I dipped the cut corners of my soft and chewy waffle into the syrup to get just the right amount and texture. But the Wafels & Dinges truck’s thick and creamy toppings definitely beat the little bee’s.

Still, tantalized by the sweet aroma engulfing my senses, I almost forgot about the ice cream! Hidden beneath the whipped cream and I had to carve it out to taste it. The frigid contrast of the vanilla ice cream can be off putting with the rest of the warm, sugary goodness, though. So maybe I’d have this dessert sans ice cream next time. It would definitely be worth the visit. You could say Petite Abeille had me at goodbye as well.