When we went to Hershey Park back in September, we visited the Waffle House one morning. It was the first time I had ever been – they’re not really prevalent in New Jersey and I guess I just haven’t been lucky enough to visit them when we’ve left the state. And I just checked to make sure I didn’t overlook a nearby location (since I only recently found out we have a Hooters fairly close by, who knows what else I’m missing?); the closest Waffle House is some 60 miles away, not terrible though.
When we walked in on a busy Sunday morning, I wasn’t expecting that they could seat us any time soon. There were 12 of us, and let’s face it, the restaurant is pretty small. But the staff went to work right away combining tables and figuring out how best to work our crowd, and within minutes, they had all the kids seated at the counter, and 5 adults (and Madeline) seated at a table. They were off to an awesome start.
Have I mentioned I don’t like waffles? Waffles and pancakes just rarely do it for me. I have never made waffles, though occasionally buy the frozen ones when Nick goes through a random and infrequent hankering for them. But here I am at the Waffle House – how could I not give them a try, right? I’ve got to say, they smelled amazing.
When I saw the menu and all the different variations you could get for hash browns, I was instantly smitten. Especially with ooey gooey melty cheese over the top. But I restrained myself, clean eating and all, and stuck with the waffle. I don’t mind eating a little out of the box, but I wasn’t going to completely abandon the mission, you know?
When the pecan waffle came, I was pleasantly surprised. It was thinner than most waffles, slightly crispy but still soft, carefully studded with little pecan pieces. So good. I still am not a huge fan of waffles, but Waffle House waffles are another story entirely.
The service we had that morning deserves a special mention. I don’t know if it’s true of all Waffle Houses across the board, but I swear it felt like good old-fashioned Southern hospitality, right there in Pennsylvania. Each staff member that we encountered went above and beyond to be courteous and accommodating. When Madeline’s hat ripped, they came right over with a replacement for her. When one of the waiters saw me taking pictures, he adjusted a few things to make the view neater for me. Just the fact that they were able to seat 12 on a very busy weekend morning made me an instant fan (especially after we had just walked out of another restaurant after waiting for 45 minutes, watching as they sat group after group after group).
And the prices? I mean, look at the menu! Better bargains would be hard to find.
Have you been to Waffle House? Favorite menu item? Share with the class.
As we were getting ready to pay the bill (which, by the way, was $41 for the whole group), the waiter asked me where we were from. When I told him “New Jersey,” he said, “But you don’t have an accent!” I looked at him for a second and then it clicked. “You mean like on TV?” I asked. He nodded. “Right, well, the people from New Jersey I know don’t talk like The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the cast of Jersey Shore or even the Sopranos. And I’m born and mostly NJ bred.” He laughed. “No, huh?” “No, sorry.” New Jersey totally gets a bad rap with some of those shows, and it doesn’t just stop at the accent, but I assure you … those people you see on tv are the exception, not the rule.
Project 365
November 4, 2010, Photo #205
In typical New Jersey fashion, Fall seems to have come and gone in a blink-and-you-missed-it manner. Today was cold. Like a can’t get warm, better stay in bed, have soup kind of a day. I miss Summer already. I definitely miss Spring. I think I missed Fall.
Here in the south, there is a Waffle House on every corner, it seems! In my college days, the post-bar hopping carb-fest at Waffle House was a sacred tradition. I haven’t eaten at one in years though…maybe I’ll take my family in for breakfast this weekend! :)
Waffle House…ah….that is one of my memories from vacation! We would ALWAYS go to waffle house, even though there was one in the town I lived in (we rarely went there). My favorite is the hashbrowns…they’re THE BEST! No smothered, covered, or anything else…just the hashbrowns! The waffles are pretty good, too.
I grew up in Alabama and I love Waffle House. It was a staple in University for those late night carb fests. My favorite dishes are the pecan waffles and the hashbrowns with onions (don’t remember which word that is….maybe scattered). YUM!!!!!
Haha if anything all of the TV NJ-ers have more of a brooklyn or long Island accent than anything else…at least in my experience. My whole family has NY accents except for me, although they are in severe denial about it. It’s definitely endearing at times.
YOu are totally making me wish there was a waffle house around here! Sounds delicious.
We have them here in Virginia but I have never been to one. I will have to go now! Love that menu. I have a good friend who also lives in NJ and when he comes to visit he always stops at Waffle House and raves about them. Your picture of the tree is great…I love that you can see the moon over in the right corner.
waffle house is the best. i love an extra crispy pecan waffle with a side of bacon. and if i’m really hungry, some cheese grits. it’s the southern part of me coming out i think. and when my parents drive back to FL from NJ every year (and vice versa), it’s their first stop. i wish we had one closer than near easton.
OMG>>>> when i was in school in the south this was the best place to go to after studying and studying hard (wink wink) going there and eating and eating and filling up was the BEST
Yummy!!! They are everywhere here in TN. We don’t go all the time, but I LOVE the waffles and you gotta have Hash Browns Scatter, Covered and Smothered!!
Glad you and the family enjoyed them, too.
Philly Cheesesteak Omlet and load up the hashbrowns.
I luv their waffles and plain hashbrowns for me with 2 over easy eggs.
Hubby will order a triple hashbrown, scatterered, smothered, covered and chunked.
There are quite a few WH’s here in Mississippi.
Dang it! Now I want to eat at Waffle House!! I love the hashbrowns – chunked & covered.
I love Waffle House! That hospitality is at every single Waffle House I’ve been to. I don’t know where they find those folks, but you always feel welcome there, and the food is consistently great. My favorite is the hash browns, which are true shredded hash browns, and not those undercooked cubes of potato some places try to pass off as hash browns.
Love the Waffle House and have a very specific order that I get every time – a waffle and hashbrowns – scattered, smothered, double covered and chunked (that is with onions, ham and 2 pieces of cheese). And of course their coffee!!
Here in Florida, you can find a Waffle House easily. Whether or not you really want to eat in one is the problem with the ones here. They are usually not the cleanest places to eat. Sounds like yours up there are much nicer!
Ah…memories. We’d always go to the Waffle House, late on Friday nights, after the football games. My heart belongs to the hash browns – smothered & covered!
i LOVE waffle house, i have been south and i swear i love them …love …..