Watch the whole video, after the jump…

I must admit I was a bit skeptical when Wafels & Dinges announced their newest creation, De Strawberry Short Wafel. It sounds like a delicious option for summer time when strawberries are fully in season, but here we are in the mildly freezing month of January. And while I know that strawberries are now available yearlong, it’s still not the first flavor I’d think of for the winter.

Of course, that didn’t stop me from trying it. And I must say that the waffle geniuses in that big yellow truck have figured out a way to winterize strawberries. It’s not the prettiest of desserts, but it’s mighty tasty. Instead of fresh cream and honey, they spread a layer of sweet and tart mascarpone cheese on a warm liege waffle and then top it with cinnamon sugar, crumbled spekuloos cookies, and the aforementioned berries. The strawberries have a surprising crunchy caramelized sensation since they’ve been coated with cookie crumbs. Together the ingredients give this a rich, spiced flavor that is somehow reminiscent of Christmas in July. The winter treat is available at all their locations (including the extended Bryant Park kiosk) through next week.

The newest special from our favorite Belgian waffle truck is De Bumpin’ Pumpkin. It seems a little late in the season for pumpkin, but I’m a big fan of squash desserts (no joke) and was totally pumped when I read about it on Twitter earlier in the week. I’m totally happy eating pumpkin ice cream in July!

I chased down the truck to give it a try. It’s offered on either a liege or Brussels waffle, although the guys recommended trying it on the lighter and airier Brussels style since the liege might be a little too sweet. The warm waffle is topped with a maple pumpkin spread, two mounds of whipped cream, and pecans.

It’s got the right texture components going on and the flavor of pumpkin really came through.  It wasn’t too sweet, but if you like your pumpkin pie a bit on the spicy side, with stong hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove you might be disappointed. They’re pretty subtle in this guy.

All in all it’s still pretty delicious, but then again you could put just about anything on one of these waffles and I’ll probably eat it. They’re offering the special at least through the week and most likely up until Christmas. If you want a last taste of the fall, this is a pretty filling, tasty choice, even at $8. Of course, check the ML Twitter Tracker to be sure, but the truck should be parked at 49th and 3rd today, in addition to their holiday markets and cart locations.

We announced recently that you can now get bacon at every single Wafels & Dinges locations. Up until recently, the bacon waffle was only available at the mother truck. This is because it was paired with the lighter Brussels waffle and due to space restrictions on the four carts, they only offer the chewier denser liege waffle. Well, the people want bacon, so the people get bacon. Now they’ve started serving it on the aforementioned liege.

Since the truck itself rarely comes to Midtown West any longer, I went by one of the carts last week to check this out. I had never had the Bacon Waffle at the truck – I was always partial to the surprisingly awesome pulled pork waffle – so I can’t compare it to the original. I imagine there’s a little less sweetness with the Brussels making it a more solid lunch option, but the liege version is pretty darn good.

The only problem I see is that the flavors are a bit too reminiscent of breakfast. I had this waffle around 4pm and it didn’t quite work for lunch and it didn’t quite work for dessert. You know how when you get a breakfast buffet and you put the bacon, french toast, and pancakes all on one plate and they get mixed together to form a sweet, salty, meaty delight? That’s what this thing reminded me of. It’s drowned in sweet maple syrup and studded with bits of smoky bacon. The waffle grooves prevent any decadent flavor from escaping. I also recommend eating it rather fast (which shouldn’t be a problem) as it can get soggy if you wait too long.

But the flavors are all around awesome. Seriously, how can you go wrong with waffles, bacon, and maple syrup? And if you didn’t know, Wafels & Dinges opens at 8am every day, the perfect time for one of these breakfasty gutbombs. Check the ML Twitter Tracker to see where the carts (or the truck) will be this week.

Wafels & Dinges has been keeping it seasonal and mixing it up with summer specials for the last few weeks. I was quite disappointed I missed out on their Feelin’ Peachy Waffle last week. So the other day, in celebration of National Waffle Day (it seems there’s always some cause to celebrate with waffles), I decided to hunt down their current special.

I missed most of the Waffle Day festivities, including the crowning of Mr. and Mrs. Wafel, but I did get to see all the waffle-inspired art work created by customers taped up on the truck. It looked like an elementary school classroom. And I also got to sample their latest concoction: De Island Hopper.

There was no Bob Marley music playing as I bit into the waffle, but there may as well have been. This was a crispy, crunchy Brussels wafel topped with dulce de leche, fresh pineapples, shredded coconut, and a scoop of their Raspberry Ripple ice cream. The other two flavors (speculoos and Belgian Madness) have been getting most of the attention, but this ice cream is nothing to sneeze at.

The classic combination of pineapple and coconut worked perfectly, but this did not taste like a piña colada doughnut. Instead, the dulce de leche balanced things out, keeping it sweet and sugary. And the raspberry ice cream gave it an extra tropical kick. It’s summery, fresh, and makes you forget about the hustle and bustle of the city for as long as it takes to snarf that waffle. But just like the summer, it’s fleeting, so enjoy it while you can.

The special will be available the rest of this week – Wafels & Dinges is has their entire fleet in Midtown today (one truck and two carts). Check the ML Twitter Tracker to confirm locations.

On Saturday we gathered together at City Winery with a couple hundred of our closest friends to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Midtown Lunch (yes, we too are surprised this thing has been around for 5 years!)   A great time was had by all thanks to the amazing food (provided graciously by Kwik Meal, The Biryani Cart, Cer Te, Ma Peche, Food Gallery 32, El Rey del Sabor, Tri Tip Grill, Wafels & Dinges, Miss Softee & the Rolling Cones, Kelvin Slush, and Momofuku Milk Bar) and the endless drinks courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery and GuS’s soda.

Check out the highlights, after the jump…

Bian Dang’s colorful truck was there, serving up their tasty, meaty Taiwanese style pork chops with pork gravy and pickled veggies over rice with a smile. It was contributor Donny T’s favorite of the day.

They were parked next to their Food Gallery 32 co-horts, Boon Sik Zip, who served up delicious made to order kimbap featuring your choice of beef, tuna and veggie flavors. So good!

Eddie’s Pizza showed off their brand new cart (the very first of its kind!), serving up a light and shatteringly crisp tomato and basil bar pie.

Má Pêche Chef, Tien Ho, and his crew brought their A-game, serving a special banh mi that was conceptualized just for this event. This sandwich featured a ridiculously juicy and rich slab of pork belly, paired with crunchy pickled daikon beef,
crab mayo and green papaya, in a good crusty roll. Mamacita was a fan, saying “their pork reminded me the strong richness and fattiness that I would expect from an old school carnitas store in East LA. A heavy squirt of shiracha sauce just put a happy ending to the whole mouthful. I should mention the serving size demanded a two hander, my boyfriend had to hold my beer while I took this thing down.”  And Chris H appreciated how juicy and messy it was. ”I want stuff falling out of it and juice to be running down my wrists when I take a bite – this sandwich did just that, and it was awesome!”

Based on hear-say from the crowd, the Tri-Tip Grill crew earned themselves some new customers, as people buzzed about the lusciously meaty Baby Buck sliders.  Thinly sliced, super tender roast beef dipped in debris and topped with bbq sauce and horseradish… it was perfection on a potato roll.

Our friends over at Cer Te, not to be bested by Má Pêche, also came up with a new menu item for this event. Their contribution was a hearty house made lobster sausage in a snappy natural casing. They paired this ‘haute dog’, with a truffled fingerling potato salad, sprinkled with lobster infused salt. This dish ended up as contributor Brian Hoffman’s favorite dish, as he raved,

“It was so unusual and the flavors worked really well together. The truffle creamed potatoes on the side and a garnish of an inventive and out of control lobster salty put the dish over the edge for me. I don’t see this on their regular menu, but if they ever do add it, I know where I’ll be spending the majority of my summer lunches.”

El Rey Del Sabor showed up with their signature tacos, which were available with pork, beef, or chicken. The folks that opted for spicy were treated to an exhilarating but tongue searing level of spice. Luckily there was plenty of suds by Brooklyn Brewery and GuS soda available to put out the fire.

Muhammed Rahman and the Kwik Meal Cart team stuck with the stuff that made them famous… handing out samples of their pita stuffed with their signature chunks of whole, juicy lamb. A Midtown Lunch classic!

Meru and the Biryani Cart offered samples of another iconic aMidtown lunch, chicken biryani and kati rolls.

The crummy weather didn’t stop people from gulping down cup after cup of refreshing ginger and Arnold Palmer slushes from Kelvin Natural Slush. (And we may or may not have spotted Zach behind the prize table adding something from a flask into his…)

For dessert, attendees were treated to the always scrumptious Wafels and Dinges liegewafels, which were topped with a swipe of nutty spekuloos and a swirl of whipped cream.

And Chrissie (aka Miss Softee), ringleader of The Rolling Cones, was there to hand out her innovative ice cream creations, including the infamous Potato Chip Choco Dip cone and the Watchamacallit cone.

But the “genius of the day” award goes to Blondie, who sandwiched Miss Softee’s soft serve between two cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar!

Although food was the focus of the event, it was also a chance for friends and family of Midtown Lunch to meet, eat, drink, and be happy. And there was probably no one happier in attendance, than little Harry the unofficial Midtown Lunch mascot, who was able to escape the stroller and stretch his legs.

In addition to all the great food and drinks, thanks to all the vendors who donated prizes! Including, Sweetery NYC, Bon Chon, Goodburger, Mooncake Foods, Beacon, BeerParc, Schnitzel & Things, Eddie’s Pizza Truck, Bistro Truck, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, Yushi, The Counter, Glaze Teriyaki, Taim Mobile, Kimchi Taco Truck, Mai Cuisine, Macaron Cafe, ‘wichcraft, Hertz Connect, Seamless Web, Not For Tourist Guides, and Bouchon Bakery. You didn’t have to be present to win, so we’ll be sending out the rest of the prizes this week!

And finally a big thank you to everybody who came out to the party to support Midtown Lunch and the Street Vendor Project. You guys made this birthday one we’ll always remember!