'Real' Belgian waffles served in Newark

When Jeanne Kress opened the Perfect Blend, her funky little downtown Newark coffee shop last August, she made sure there was a piano in the front room.

Kress doesn't play the piano, but she had it tuned so it is always ready anytime someone wants to sit down and tickle the ivories.  

"When you walk in and see the piano, it's welcoming. Anyone can come in and play it," she says. "Music is something we love here." 

Filling the Perfect Blend with good tunes, great locally roasted coffee and Liège Belgian waffles is what Kress believes makes her business stand out from others.

"What do you have in mind today?" Kress asks two customers who stand at the counter. "Waffles!" says one. "And coffee!" adds the other.

The white coffeehouse at 249 E. Main St., which shares space with Quest Diagnostics and is next door to Bing's Bakery, is a dream come true for Kress, a first-time restaurant owner. 

The Elkton, Maryland, resident, a former caterer who also did party rental sales, says she has long been a coffee shop enthusiast. She and her husband decided to open their own business – "I said, 'Let's just jump off the ledge and make it happen'" – and began looking around for sites for about two years before finally settling on a historic building, last used as a doctor's office in Newark, not far from the University of Delaware campus.

The approximately 1,000-square-foot space near the Newark Shopping Center includes tables and chairs for about 15 people, walls featuring photos and paintings from local artists and cozy nooks for tapping on laptops. Wi-Fi is free, and the coffeehouse has two fireplaces. Free parking is available next to the building.

"We picked Newark because we loved this area," Kress says. "You walk in and you see the sofa and chairs by the fireplace. It's like walking into someone's home. People just sit and relax. Students come in who are homesick."

Kress hosts musicians and birthday parties. She serves coffee from Pike Creek Coffee Roasterie – she has her own customized flavor that has hints of chocolate – and pairs her coffee drinks with Liége Belgian waffles.

"This is something you can't get anywhere," Kress says of the treats. "They're made with yeast, like a brioche dough." 

Kress says initially she thought about serving pie and coffee but changed her mind after testing out a few pie recipes on her family members. "I won't make any money baking pies; I'm terrible at it. I admire anyone that can bake a pie."

Kress says she also thought about specializing in muffins, but "I heard in the back, 'whomp-whomp – who's going to come in for muffins?'"

After deeming muffins are too boring, she was introduced to Liége waffles and then, "never looked back."

Liège waffles ($4.50 each and $2 for "minis") are different from regular waffles in that the exterior of the waffle has a crisp, caramelized surface that some compare to creme brulee. Key ingredients are pearls of sugar that add crunch along with an extra layer of sweetness. The oblong waffles, named after a town in Belgium, are golden brown with uneven, almost ragged edges.

Kress says her rich waffles are slightly more dense than those found on the streets in Belgium. There, waffle makers use a flour that has more ash. Kress says she can't find yet a substitute.

She uses sugar pearls, made from beet sugar, that are imported from France. The waffles aren't made with a batter, but rather are formed into dough balls. The dough is placed on a deep, honey-comb patterned, wrought-iron griddle, and the waffles are made-to-order.

Kress offers a variety of sweet and savory flavors such as crushed Oreos, marshmallow Fluff, crushed graham crackers, bacon, sausage, walnuts, cream cheese, strawberry preserves and $2 scoops of ice cream made by the Elkton dairy Kilby Cream. Seasonal flavors include apple butter and pumpkin pie spread. Free sauces include real maple syrup, peanut butter, chocolate and caramel. Additions are 50 cents each.

The waffles are served on paper plates, along with plastic knives and forks. Or, you can do as they do in Belgium, and pick them up and eat them with your hands. Traditionalists will skip the syrup.

We recently got a Nutella waffle topped with sliced bananas and a tower of whipped cream. Want less sweet? Try a waffle topped with cheese and two sausage patties.

"The combinations you can do with these waffles are amazing," Kress says.

The Perfect Blend is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit www.theperfectblendinc.net.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico