In Search of The Dr. P.

Here’s the thing: Dave loves breakfast, and loves it even more if it’s in a restaurant. At some point (and I’m thinking it came from spending way too many hours home alone working on his dissertation), he decided that the true mark of success will be when a local flapjack joint names a breakfast sandwich after him. You know, somewhere quaint and casual where he can walk in, hair all disheveled, looking all professorial in his socks and sandals and wrinkled shirt and five-day-old beard, and the kind waitress who’s been working there for 25 years will say, “the usual, Dr. P?”. Whereupon, Dave will nod his head, a foregone conclusion that, of course, he will be having the same thing he’s had for the past hundred breakfasts, and that thing will be named The Dr. P.  (Note to self: this is what happens when you spend too much time alone working on your PhD).

What is The Dr. P? It’s very complicated. I know because I’m the only one who’s making it right now so I’m equally as excited to find another locale to share in the morningtime fun. You’ve got your two eggs over easy, placed on two slices of toast – preferably english toasting bread – with a slice of melted swiss cheese, and two vegetarian sausage links (Morningstar Farms only) on the side. Coffee is a must. It doesn’t sound too difficult but getting those eggs just right is the hard part. I’ve had to employ my mother’s methods but she’s the Master, the Queen of the Unbroken Yolks, and my egg-flipping pales in comparison. In fact, my dad always said no one could cook an egg for him like my mom could. I fear Dave’s standards may becoming similarly high.  

So, we’re on the hunt for the perfect breakfast place to begin the The Dr. P campaign. It was going to be Dodie’s in Highland Square which has, unfortunately, closed. We ate there when we first looked at houses in Akron and again when we signed the offer papers on the house I’m sitting in now. A few weeks later, this landmark in the Square shut down. Very sad for the neighborhood and incredibly sad for Dave who was all set to order caseloads of veggie sausages and back the truck up to Dodie’s kitchen door.  Also incredibly sad for me because Dodie’s had awesome oatmeal and that’s my favorite for breakfast.

Without Dodie’s, we scoured the streets for other possibilities. This brings us to Wally Waffle off Exchange Street in downtown Akron. A mere few miles from our house and, from the outside, it looked like just the little dive we were hoping for. However, once inside, it wasn’t so dive-ish at all. Bright, clean, cheery. The staff was happy and awake. I mean, just saying “Wally Waffle” brings a smile to your face. How can you not have fun saying Wally Waffle and how can you not immediately imagine a dancing cartoon waffle with a tiny whipped cream cap and dancing shoes made out of chocolate chips? Dave even made up his own Wally Waffle jingle as we were waiting for our coffee.

The menu, obviously, is filled with waffles and pancakes, but also lunch sandwiches and salads. Dave went with the Liberty Waffle (see photo above), a Belgian with strawberries, bananas and blueberries. Get it – red sauce, white sauce, blue sauce. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of breakfast and all that. Other waffles had equally clever names so we’re thinking chances are good that they’d be open to the Dr. P in the future. 

The only downside was no oatmeal for me. I went with my backup – hashbrowns (called Wally Fries here) and an english muffin. The hashbrowns rival Waffle House and you can get them “loaded” (those would be the Loaded Wally Fries) as opposed to your scattered, smothered, and covered at Waffle House.  Dave got an order too and approved of the taste and level of crispiness – crispiness being incredibly important to the shredded potato connoisseur.  Two cups of coffee and all this for less than $15.

Even better news for the Dr. P pursuit is that our waitress knew everyone sitting around us. In fact, she joined a few regulars at the booth behind us. It’s that kind of friendly place. And she’s just the kind of person we could get to know and begin working to get The Dr. P into the mix. Until then, we’ve got plenty more options to test out at Wally Waffle.