Meet "Billy" (The Goat)
It's a warm breezy afternoon and I am driving to a "private tasting" at a lovely home in West Sacramento. I am greeted with an instant feeling of "Aloha" and "Mahalo" as the homeowner is Hawaiian and she has brought the island culture to West Sacramento; no Shoes, a warm welcome, and a spark of instant friendship.
But the food I will be tasting is Belgian, as in "Waffles like I have never seen before". I have had waffles before. You know the idea: batter, syrup, wishing you hadn't had a sugar-bomb. But my new friend, Mike Donoho, Chef at The Waffle Experience, promised me it would be different this time.
And that is when Mike and his team introduce me to Billy. In these parts he is known as, "Billy the Goat". He has me at "hello."
The combination of blue cheese, fig, prosciutto, and much-much-more dance upon a waffle made from dough-not batter- sweetened with Pearl Sugar ever so slightly. I am transported to the feeling of eating a farm-fresh Arugula salad in a pear orchard. It's not a "waffle" at all. It is enjoying a new romance with food-something I haven't had the pleasure of in years. Finally a new "beau" to dine with! In a world where the metaphorical conversation has halted in the Waffle dialog, I now have Billy to introduce me to a whole new Waffle language....
The Waffle Experience will be located in Natomas and should open in the next few weeks. I look forward to seeing Billy the Goat again and meeting his friends. Chef Donoho is a culinary wizard. He offered pairings that evening with wines from Rendez-vous Winery and coffee from Liberty Coffee Roasting Company. The wines and coffee were locally sourced and carefully planned with the selections of the evening creating a sensory delight that they have coined, "The Waffle Experience". To see more, please visit www.thewaffleexperience.com.
