The Battle of the Belge
Belgium Lands in Union Square

Between renegade trucks, dueling carts and secret recipes, the city's waffle game has gotten pretty cutthroat in the past few weeks. But if you're after a wafer from somewhere a little more stationary, we know a good place to look.

Just find your way to 14th Street, duck under the Magritte-style waffle painting and mosey up to the counter at Le Petit Belge, a fresh Belgian import to the city's suddenly turbulent waffle scene.

The item that caught our eye was the Poffies, Dutch crepes in a paper cone with toppings piled on ice-cream style, but you shouldn't underestimate the waffle, a straight-outta-Brussels confection that may have you reconsidering your morning routine.

Instead of the usual cane sugar in the waffles, the Belge boys use beet sugar that doesn't fully dissolve, so you'll taste little caramelized crystals mixed in. The Belgians eat them plain, but they have toppings on hand in case you need to satisfy an American lady friend's sweet tooth. The toppings include caramel, kiwis and housemade chocolate ganache, so you can customize the level of sweetness to her taste.

Of course, if waffles aren't your pastry of choice, they've got madeleines, pralines and enough Belgian fudge to keep you two sluggish until dinnertime. The pièce de resistance (or however you say it in Flemish) is the Fondant, a volcano-like cake with a liquid chocolate reservoir inside.

Think of it as French pastry without the attitude.