For the best experience at Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn, remember the name.
Our family headed for the inn, which looks sort of like a German barn, on a recent week night. I'd visited a couple of times before and remembered waffles were pretty good but hadn't explored the rest of the menu.
Turns out, you don't need to. Unless you've got a problem with crispy waffles and fluffy omelets, stick to what the inn is named for and you'll most likely enjoy a good meal at a great price.
The menu features nine kinds of waffles — basically every possible combination of fruit, cream and ice cream, plus your basic butter-and-syrup variety. You also can choose from among 16 omelets, or personalize things by adding various ingredients for an extra fee.
I chose the Denver omelet with added mushrooms. It arrived hot and smothered in melted cheese. The eggs were fluffy and nicely seasoned, and the inn doesn't skimp on fillings. There was plenty of ham, onions, peppers and mushrooms in every bite. The mushrooms tasted canned but decent. On the side was a generous mound of hash browns, which at the inn means sliced, skin-on potatoes with plenty of griddle-cooked crustiness. They were a little undersalted, but I took care of that at the table.
My husband's meal was disappointing. The chicken-fried steak was greasy and not very meaty. The predominant flavor was the breading. On the other hand, his mashed potatoes were well-seasoned and seemed mashed from real spuds.
The kids squealed in delight when our friendly server brought their meals. My oldest daughter had a waffle with peaches and cream, and our 3-year-old ordered a corn dog from the children's menu.
The waffle was delicious, cooked crisp outside but still tender inside. It was topped with real whipped cream and loads of canned peaches. I had visions of fresh fruit, but this is, after all, January. The corn dog was a foot long, a real kid-pleaser, but the highlight of that meal was the french fries — big hand-cut planks of potato cooked just right.
For dessert, there's a rotating selection of cakes, pies and sweet rolls available, but we went for ice cream, sharing the ice castle sundae. It's a giant ball of pink peppermint ice cream nestled in a bed of marshmallow fluff and topped with hot fudge and whipped cream. It's the kind of old-fashioned sundae, goopy and flowing over the top of the glass, that I haven't eaten in a long time.
My husband and I also ordered shakes — chocolate for him and the double-thick fresh banana malted for me. The chocolate was strongly flavored and so thick my husband could hardly get it through a straw at first. My banana malted was luscious, with a strong malted flavor and plenty of fresh banana in every slurp.
Overall, Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn does enough things well that it's easy to see why it's survived for 25 years. But I couldn't help thinking that just a little more attention to detail would make the place not just an institution but a local treasure.
Appetizers and sides, 75 cents-$5.25; omelets and waffles, $4.50-$6.50; entrees, $3.25-$7.95; sandwiches, $3.50-$4.95; children's menu, $2.50-$4.25; desserts, $1.50-$4.45.
If you go
What: Belgian Waffle and Omelet Inn
Rating: **
Where: 7331 S. 900 East, Midvale
Hours: Open 24 a day
Phone: 566-5731
Payment: Checks, major credit cards
Reservations: None
Stacey Kratz is a free-lance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret Morning News. E-MAIL: skratz@desnews.com