Waffle Sandwiches at Bruxie

I love waffles.  I can go to town at a hotel’s “deluxe” continental breakfast making my own waffles (I kick up the texture and nutrition factor by mixing some instant oatmeal into the batter).  I thought I loved Belgian waffles.  After visiting Bruxie in Brea, I’ve realized that I’ve never actually had a real Belgian waffle.  Now I can truly say that I loooooove Belgian waffles.

Both kinds.

Think of the pizza controversy we have here in the good ol’ U-S-of-A.  We’ve got the thin crust perfection of New York-style and the biscuit-like buffet that is Chicago-style.  Belgium’s second greatest contribution to civilization is its two styles of waffles: Brussels and Liege (its #1 being, of course, chocolate).  The Brussels waffle is unsweetened, light and yeasty with a crispy exterior.  The Liege waffle is quite sweet, its density and richness accented by the pleasant pop of pearl sugar mixed throughout the batter.  Structurally, they’re polar opposites (much like the aforementioned pizza styles).

Bruxie boasts “Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches”.  Leaving boring old bread to “new world” restaurants, veggies and meats find a home within the “bold fold” of a Brussels waffle.  The menu includes burgers, smoked salmon and Boar’s Head pastrami.  I had to go with the L.A. classic, fried chicken!   A super-savory buttermilk marinated chicken breast is slathered with chile honey and garnished with a tangy slaw.  In my humble opinion, it’s better than Roscoe’s.  A warning to Roscoe’s die-hards, Bruxie uses quite a heavy hand with thyme in their fried chicken batter.  It’s an herbaceous smack that may be unpleasant to some.  So the protein portion is an understandable matter of taste.  But I would be shocked if anyone thought Roscoe’s waffle, while good, is better than Bruxie’s.

My wife went with a sweet sammie, which makes perfect sense since she’s a sweetie!  Hers had bananas, Nutella and sweet cream and was cuh-razy good!  As we both took our very first bites, we had one of those rare moments when a restaurant instantly became one of our faves.  Seriously, just one bite, and Bruxie found it’s way into our unwritten, but heart-felt, top three.

We also had a chocolate Liege waffle, which was stuffed with Belgian chocolate.  Yes, you read that right, Belgium’s two greatest contributions to civilization together!  Upon closer review of the menu, I’ve come to find that you can get the Liege waffle as a Sundae.  If you like Eggos, you must go to Bruxie.  You know what, if you have a pulse, you must go to Bruxie.

Fried chicken and Brussels waffle.

Chocolate filled Liege waffle.

But, wait, there’s more…

They serve Peet’s coffee!