Belgian Waffle Sandwich Shop Opens Monday in Orange

Despite what Eggos might lead you to believe, waffles aren't just for breakfast. A few years ago, I was in Brussels. After a morning hunting chocolates and settling on a box from Leonidas, I had a few Euros left in my pocket, and a hunger for a snack–something to tide me over until dinner.
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I'd done the whole Belgian fries thing a few hours prior, and now I craved something else. Something sweet. That's when I came across a waffle stand, a simple cart next to a river, on a cobblestone courtyard where people sat out in the sun and sipped beer in the middle of the afternoon. I didn't see the waffle stand as much as I smelled it. The wafting scents snaked through the air and hooked on to the nostrils of whomever just happened to pass by.

I ordered one and a woman prepared it fresh, poured from a jug of batter and crisped to brownness on what looked like ancient equipment. After a dusting of powdered sugar, a thin-wrapper of paper, I ate the square-shaped treat right there on the street with my hands. It was one of those indelible food moments.

I was reminded of it when a press release went out yesterday to all the local food press about a waffle joint opening in Old Towne Orange. This won't be the first or last time you hear about Bruxie, which touts its Belgian-style waffle (and a name that recalls Brussels itself), but also the waffle as the bread for sandwiches filled smoked salmon and dill cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, or even a burger.

It takes the space from a retreated Dairy Treet, and will, in fact, still continue offering the soft-serve custard its predecessor plied for over 60 years. It officially opens next week, on Monday, November 8th. I've not yet tried it, but I plan to. I already have my eye on a buttermilk fried chicken waffle sandwich, which I don't expect so much to remind me of my trip to Brussels as it should my last car ride to Long Beach…for Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.

The menu is as follows–

Savory
Bacon, Egg N Cheddar
Prosciutto N Gruyere
Smoked Salmon N Dill Cream Cheese
Sun-Dried Tomatoes N Goat Cheese
Buttermilk Fried Chicken N Waffle
Bruxie Burger
Cheesy Bruxie

Sweet
Fruit N Cream
S'Mores
PB N J
Nutella N Bananas
Lemon Cream N Berries
Ogura Bruxie
Brussels Waffle
Liege Waffle

Bruxie, 292 N. Glassell Street (at Palm Avenue); Orange, www.bruxie.com.

*Thanks also to OC Weekly's #1 Fan, Diamond Dog, for the early tip on this place!