frites

Frites, fries, chips, call them what you will, but one of Western Europe’s favorite street foods is definitely my healthy-eating downfall. I can easily pass up cake, candy, or any other sweet, but put a plate (or cone) of good fries in front of me, and I am happy.

I’ve eaten them in chip shops in Ireland, from windows in Belgium and from stands in Amsterdam, and I have rarely found fries that were as satisfying as those in Europe.

Boston got exactly what it needed this week with the opening of Saus, Boston’s first Belgian street food café, near the Faneuil Hall area of the city. Located in a row of bars that includes Paddy O’s and the Purple Shamrock, I can pretty much guarantee this spot will be packed on weekend nights, and based on the tasty fries, sauces, and waffles, I am pretty certain it will attract traffic from all over during the rest of the week.

I headed toward Faneuil Hall early and met Michelle to walk over to Saus for some daylight photos. Snuggled in a row of bars, Saus is absolutely adorable.

More café than fast food joint, Saus offers a high table with stools in addition to some tables and chairs and some standing room. A blackboard lists options for frites, dipping sauces, waffles, and drinks.

And in true Belgian style, cartoons like Tintin decorate the space, giving it a fun and whimsical flair.

It reminded me of a conference I went to once in Brussels; our company actually had its dinner at the Belgian Comic Strip Museum.

While Michelle and I waited, we checked out the Saus menu and were tortured with wonderful smells of fries and dipping sauces. I could not wait to try everything!

Let’s get to the eating, shall we? The owners of Saus could not have been more welcoming, and we had the chance to chat with them while we tried all of the dipping sauces.

And there were sauces. There was truffle ketchup, bacon parmesan, spicy samuari, cheddar and Duvel ale, vampire slayer (roasted garlic), mayonnaise, ketchup, curry ketchup, presto pesto, Saturday night chive, and two specials, Green Monster and Pegasaus.

I started by trying all of the sauces and then made repeat visits to my favorites. I really have to say I enjoyed every single sauce, but I loved the truffle ketchup, bacon parmesan, cheddar and Duvel, and samurai sauces the most. I should mention that all of the sauces, including the classic ketchup are made in-house. And they definitely show that homemade quality you can’t just get anywhere.

In addition to the frites and sauces, we also had a chance to check out the deep-fried egg over frites.

A runny egg yolk over fries? As a few people mentioned, this would be a good breakfast the morning after a night out.

Clearly, bloggers + a table full of fries and dipping sauces = lots of fun

As though all of the fries were not enough, before we left we also sampled homemade Belgian Liege waffles topped with different sauces, berry berry, salted caramel, and lemon cream. I only had enough room for a bite of the salted caramel, but it was incredible. I’ll return with more room for waffles next time.

It was great to get together with my fellow Boston blogger ladies (in addition to Michelle, Megan, Daisy, Bianca, Elizabeth, Rachel, Lizzy, and Bridget) . I always have such a fun time with this group, and it was a nice pick-me-up after a couple of artic days! I should add that because Megan knows one of the owners, all of our food was complimentary which was incredibly generous of Saus. It was really quite the treat to get to try everything!

Your mouth is probably watering at the above photos; Saus really offers some great options whether you enjoy salty or sweet, so if you are anywhere in the Boston area, definitely add it to your must-visit list. I will definitely be returning soon with my husband (who loved the takeout I brought him!) and friends soon. I wish the owners of Saus the best of luck for a booming business, but somehow I don’t think they will need luck!

What is your favorite street food? Are you a fry person like me?