If you heard a new restaurant was opening up and all it was serving were fries and waffles, would you go? I wouldn't have to think twice. And I shouldn't say just fries and waffles -- fries, waffles, and a crazy variety of dipping sauces! That is exactly what Saus does... and does well.
"Part classic Americana, part authentic European, Saus takes the best of both worlds by fusing traditional made-to-order pommes frites (Belgian fries) with an ecelectic menu of dipping sauces." -Saus website
On Thursday night, I met up with a group of friends at Saus to sample some of those made-to-order pommes frites and dipping sauces. I trekked over after work, hopping from the redline to the sardine-packed greenline, tumbling out of the train at Haymarket, and meandering my way to Union Street.
I knew Saus occupied a very small spot on the street and walked slowly so as not to miss it. I caught sight of the sign over the doorway, the chalkboard menu in the front window, and then Daisy, Michelle, and Meghan inside.
While we waited for everyone else to gather (Lizzy, Rachel, Bridget, Elizabeth, and Bianca), we snapped some pictures of the interior and talked with Chin, who is one of the owners and also a former Flour coworker.
Chin explained that the comics on the walls are a tribute to Belgium. Even the Smurfs originated there.
The restaurant is small, with a long bench and row of two-tops as well as a large community table for seating.
Some of these photos are of Belgium while others are of the Freedom Trail. The photos give the sense of connection -- bringing a little Brussels to Boston.
We all bought some sodas in preparation for the frites to come -- Saus offers Virgil's root beer and cream soda and Boylan's ginger ale, as well as a number of other soft drinks, coffee, and iced tea. I hadn't had cream soda in years, so I went for one of those. While they do want to serve Belgian beer eventually, it's not an option yet.
Once everyone got there, Chin brought us out two cones of fries and one of every dipping sauce Saus offered.
These ranged from Saturday night chive to presto pesto to truffle ketchup. All of the sauces are bold and flavorful, so if you're ordering a sauce with your favorite flavors, you will really taste those flavors.
The Pegasaus, a special, made with feta, was my favorite sauce of the night. The cheddar and Duvel ale, which had just the right proportions of cheddar and ale, was another of my favorites. And I, of course, loved the bacon parmesan sauce.
We went through those two cones pretty quickly, snacking and dipping and deciding which sauces we liked best, so Chin brought over two more cones. And then we started talking with him about the deep-fried egg option, so he brought us over another cone of fries with the egg on top.
After we all got pictures of this interesting combo, we nominated Bianca to break into it.
As she pulled the egg apart, the yolk immediately starting running out onto the fries below. I liked these eggy fries best with the truffle ketchup.
We took a little breather and chatted and caught up with each other for a bit, and then Renee, another of the owners, brought us some waffles to try. The waffles are Belgian liege waffles, which are prepared with a dough rather than a batter, and they have pearl sugar mixed in for added crunch. They are also served in adorable dishes. I told you in my post about Towne that I don't normally order things like waffles when I go out because I can make them at home... well, these are worth ordering out!
The first one came with the berry berry sauce.
The next one had the salted caramel sauce.
And the last one was topped with lemon cream. Renee also brought out some containers of each sauce, so I ended up dipping the waffle topped with lemon cream into the berry berry sauce. It was the perfect combination.
We all had a wonderful time catching up over fries, waffles, and soft drinks, and I can't wait to get back to Saus... especially if that Pegasaus is still on the menu! The restaurant has a very relaxed, casual vibe, and I can see it being a hot spot for the late-night bar crowd.
In my opinion, it's also a great place to grab a late-afternoon or after-work snack with friends.
Our food was complimentary, but as always, my opinions are my own.
Would you get frites or waffles? And which sauce would you most like to try?
