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Bruxie (Orange, CA)

Bruxie
292 N Glassell St
Orange, CA 92866
Dining date: 8/12/11

Bruxie opened late last year and quickly became one of the most popular restaurants in Orange County. The concept here is based on waffle sandwiches…think fried chicken & waffles in a sandwich form. It seems like such a logical idea I’m surprised it hasn’t inspired some large fast food chain to follow suit. As far as I know, Bruxie is the first to base a restaurant on the idea…at least in this area.

business card

Usual suspects such as a burger and fried chicken sandwich are featured, as well as some more interesting ones like prosciutto & gruyere, smoked salmon & dill cream cheese, and a bacon/egg/cheddar. Of course, there’s a variety of sweet waffle sandwiches to go along with the savory.

I’ve been to Bruxie once (camera-less) and enjoyed that visit. An afternoon work meeting in Orange was the perfect opportunity to pay another visit. Clearly, it’s still a popular place (picture taken at 11:30).

exterior

Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Waffle Chili Honey and Cole Slaw, 100% Pure Maple Syrup

chicken waffle

Even though the menu has a number of intriguing options, each one of us (party of four) couldn’t resist getting this one. I first tried the waffle: warm, crispy, light and airy – excellent. The chicken was fried to a nice crisp and was surprisingly moist for breast meat. If I had one complaint, I wanted just a little bit more flavor in the chicken..maybe in a brine?  The accompanying cole slaw added a subtle acidity, while the honey really stepped it up a notch for me, adding a hearty sweetness.

I’m not sure how we forgot to order the waffle fries (waffle fries…of course), but I had them in my prior visit and liked them a lot.

Liege Waffle with Caramelized Pearl Sugar Nutella

<liege

I found the sweetness level to be right, but I wanted the exterior to be a little crispier. It may have been because the waffle sat out a little bit (all items came out at once and we ate the chicken sandwich first), getting slightly soggy.

Seasonal Créme Brulée Classic Vanilla Créme with Burnt Raw Sugar and Seasonal Fresh Fruit

creme brulee

The seasonal fruit in this was strawberries. Tasty. I’m not sure where the burnt sugar was, so this was sort of like a custard sandwich for me. Rich custard, light crispy waffle, and sweet strawberries. Good way to end the meal.

Bruxie offers food that is playful, comfortable and delicious. And given that everything on the menu was under $8, it was easy to see why it’s so popular. I’d come back if I am in the area again; I’d love to try more of the waffle sandwiches.

8 Comments

  1. There are so many scrumptious options (pulled pork, short ribs, prosciutto, etc.) I’d love to try, but the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich has a strange, invisible electro-magnetic pulse that tells me to order it every single time I’m there.

  2. The chicken and waffle sandwich holds such promise! I wish they would bump up the chicken’s seasonings too. Stuff is so bland! I think the winning-est Bruxie is the smoked salmon one.

  3. My favorite Bruxie sandwich is the wild mushrooms one (but swap out the goat cheese for gruyere) — definitely messy, but soooo delicious!

    Shamefully I have yet to try the chicken one… extra hard to try a few when I go there solo (or w one friend)… and usually after snacking & beering it up @ nearby Bruery Provisions (not to mention picking up some backup emergency bottles, haha!)

    1. Seriously, wish I could’ve stuffed in another sandwich just to try. Given I had to go back to work (and a 3 hour meeting), I couldn’t risk the surefire food coma.

      Loved Bruery Provisions…made a stop that evening too (and restocked my bottles at home!).

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