For lunch yesterday, Alison and I hit the new Jace Gace spot on 20th and Belmont (2045 SE Belmont, to be precise). The space itself is fantastic, with a big front sidewalk seating area, which is sometimes preferable to the cloistered back patio that seems more common here in Portland. Inside it’s clean, modern, and casual. For one thing, this’ll be the ‘round the corner spot for whoever is moving into the condos on the corner of 20th and Morrison—smart business move on the location hunting, and it easily serves as a friendly coffee shop where you can buy powdered waffle snacks in the pastry cake. You can also find a selection of beer and wine, and of course, waffle meals. They have several choices for both sweet and savory waffles. Being that it was lunch (and sweets repel me), we tried a couple of the savories: Alison had the grilled cheese waffle, which besides cheese came with tomato and dill, and pickles on the side. She says: “It was a nice idea, but there was too much cheese on it, so it got congealed pretty quickly. But it tasted good until that happened. I would definitely go back, but I think the sweet waffles would be easier to execute. And I really like the space.” I had the juevos rancheros waffles, which were completely serviceable but didn’t blow me away. However, I concur that I would go back. I love cheese so much that I am the kind of person who will peel it off the cardboard of a pizza box, and I want to take a crack at the grilled cheese myself. My primary suggestion for the establishment is that they should take advantage of their chosen medium’s versatility and go nuts with the varieties. It would be great to see as many variations on the waffle as we see with crêpes, but there were only 4-5 savory options on the board. (Further inspection and official review forthcoming.)