Friday, March 25, 2011

Saus: Frites, Eggs & Waffles

A new restaurant serving Belgian pomme frites, fried eggs and waffles. How could I not be drawn to such an appealing trio? Saus, open less than one month, is located on Union Street, relatively close to Fanueil Hall, the North End and City Hall.  I had eagerly followed the progress of Saus on Twitter, and stopped by the other day for my first taste. And I will be returning.  

The restaurant is small, able to seat around 20 or so people, and has some interesting decor, lots of pictures of French comics. I like the decor, and think it injects some originality and personality into the space. 

You order your food at the counter, and the menu is small, concentrating on frites and waffles.  Pomme frites can be ordered in three sizes, costing $4, $5.50, and $7, and you receive a free sauce with your order. Additional sauces, of which there are at least a dozen varieties, cost $0.75 each. The sauces range from Truffle Ketchup to Cheddar & Duvel Ale. You can also get Poutine, in two sizes costing either $6 or $8. There is also the option of getting a Fried Egg atop your frites for $1.50. Finally, the Belgian Liege Waffles cost $3.50 and Dipping Sauces at $0.75 each.

I began with a Regular order of Pomme Frites, topped by a Fried Egg, and accompanied by two sauces, Truffle Ketchup and Bacon Parmesan. The frites are prepared to order, and come in a paper cone sitting in a metal holder. They look appealing and the frites have a very crispy exterior. I liked the flavor of the frites on their own, but they were also very good with both sauces, as well as the egg yolk. I do recommend ordering the egg with your frites.  The bacon parmesan sauce had an excellent smoky bacon flavor.  Next time, I will try the poutine.

After finishing my frites, I ordered a Belgian Liege Waffle with the salted caramel sauce, but also asked that they did not add any powdered sugar. The waffle is already sweet, made with Pearl sugar, and the sauce adds even more sweetness. Powdered sugar would simply be overkill, quick to put you into a sugar coma. The waffle is denser than other waffles, being made more with a dough than a batter, and was crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy inside. The salted caramel was quite delicious, the saltiness helping to offset the sweetness. This is definitely a dessert waffle, not a savory choice.

The servers were very pleasant, welcoming and accomodating, offering free tastes of the dipping sauces. I think prices are reasonable for the quantity and quality of food you receive. My favorite pomme frite restaurant is Pomme Frites, in New York City, and Saus does a very good job though still not as good as Pomme Frites. My personal preference is for a bit of a thicker frite, so you have more of the fluffy potato interior. That certainly though won't prevent me from returning to Saus for their frites.

Plus, consideration has to be given to the fact that Saus is still very new, and still working out all of the kinks. It will be interesting to continue following their progress. I recommend that you check them out, a good spot for a quick snack or dessert. 

Saus on Urbanspoon

1 comment:

Jitti said...

Thank you for the review, sir. I am going to check this place out.