Bruxie (Gourment Waffle Sandwiches) - Brea, CA

Do you like waffles? I like waffles. On one of those travel shows, I saw that waffles were eaten sweet and salty in Belgium. So when I heard about this place, I really wanted to try it out. Waffles all day? Sounds great!

Roasted Mushroom & Goat Cheese

I tried the savory Roasted Mushroom & Goat Cheese waffle. There's goat cheese, basil, arugula, mushrooms, and a balsamic reduction. It's pretty much a sandwich but with waffles as bread instead. At first bite, there was hardly any goat cheese, and it didn't taste so great. After a couple of bites, you get into the more heavily spread goat cheese and the combination was perfect. Like this one a lot!! Just have to open up the waffle to spread the goat cheese more evenly for myself (since I like more evenly spread items).

Bacon, Egg & Cheddar

The Meat-eater liked his Bacon, Egg & Cheddar waffle as well. Asked for no mayo on this one.

Seasonal Creme Brulee

Afterwards we wanted something a little sweet and tried the Seasonal Creme Brulee. There's vanilla creme with burnt raw sugar pieces in it with the strawberries. The fruit is seasonal, so maybe there's blueberries or something during other times of the year. In any case, this was also good. I think having a whole one would be too much, but since we each had a piece, it was the perfect amount of sweetness.

So what do you like about waffles? If you like a flavorful sweet waffle, then this may not be for you. I cannot attest to how authentic these are since I have not been to Belgium. However, if you like a crispy on the outside, non-doughy light inside waffle (like myself), then you will enjoy these. There is no flavoring to the waffles as the food on it takes center stage. I think it's perfect this way, since the food inside is flavorful enough for me. Thumbs up!

Note: If you get something juicy, then the crispiness of the waffle will of course disappear quickly due to the moisture. Also these locations have enclosed patios with heaters for the winter. It's not a restaurant setting. Dress warmly if it's cold.

Bruxie

http://bruxie.com/

Eaten at Brea Location:

215 W Birch Street, Suite 1

Brea, CA 92821

714-255-1188

Sun to Wed: 9am - 9pm

Thurs to Sat: 9am - 10pm

Corner Bakery - Irvine, CA : Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

Corner Bakery is cool because you can easily customize your sandwiches. They're pretty cool about it. Some places are not so cool about it. I mean, they'll do it, but they really don't mind here. Generally speaking, the staff here has been pretty good. =) Yay good staff. (I do frequent this place.)

Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

This sandwich is usually Tomato Mozzarella on Ciabatta Ficelle. I think it probably tastes better on the ciabatta, but to make it a bit more "healthy" I decided on their whole wheat bread (harvest toast) instead. It comes with mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula, peppers, and basil with some balsamic vinaigrette. I think in this one, I left out the peppers. I usually don't like those too much. Tasted pretty good. I also substituted the side of chips with some salad. Simple and filling meal.


Corner Bakery
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/home.aspx

Degnan's Deli at Yosemite National Park

Camping at Yosemite with your dog really does limit where you can go. Initially we weren't going to bring the dog, but she got an eye infection so we had to bring her and give her eye-drops regularly. 

Taking in the view of Half Dome

We pretty much just walked the valley floor. They really don't want dogs there and it really is not dog friendly at all. They say you can go to paved areas to walk your dog, but there is no map of all paved areas. And some paved areas do not allow dogs. Phooey! There were a few people with dogs, and you can hang out at your campsite with your dog, but that's about it. No hiking on any trails in National Parks. National Forests are okay though.

Vegetarian Sandwich

During our visit at the valley floor, we stopped by Degnan's Deli for lunch. They had a vegetarian sandwich, so I was good to go.

Veggie Sandwich

It was a huge sandwich! I had it for 2 meals. Tomatoes, cheese, sprouts, greens, carrots on multi-grain bread with pesto mayo spread on it. Pretty darn good. You won't starve at Yosemite at all, since it's such a touristy spot.

Degnan's Deli
http://www.yosemitepark.com/yosemite-village-restaurants.aspx
Yosemite National Park

Corner Bakery Cafe - Irvine, CA : Egg Salad Sandwich & Salad

Corner Bakery is a good place to eat when you want something pretty quick and can be pretty healthy. Well...quicker than a restaurant...slower than fast food. You can pretty much customize your order however you want it...as long as it's not pre-made....like I have done below.

Mom's Egg Salad Sandwich with  Mixed Green Salad

Mom's Egg Salad Sandwich is usually on white bread and comes with chips...but you can make it healthier by changing those items. The sandwich above is on toasted wheat bread and the side was changed to the Mixed Green side salad. The salad is a tad spicy as they use a sweet and spicy house vinaigrette and spicy croutons. That's the only thing I don't like since I don't like anything spicy...but I can handle it most of the time.

Outdoor Seating

You can also bring your dog and sit on the patio...as we did on this day. The weather was nice and cool. This particular Corner Baker is also right next to the movie theater...so there's a lot of foot traffic and gets busy during mealtime.

Corner Bakery Cafe
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/home.aspx
Location this was eaten at:
Irvine Marketplace
13786 D Jamboree Rd.
Irvine, CA 92602
(714) 734-8270

Pane Bianco - Phoenix, AZ : Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil

Highly recommended. Vegetarians and non-vegetarians can enjoy this sandwich.

Housemade Mozzarella, Local Tomato & Basil:

Paper wrapped

Handmade bread

Fresh ingredients

This sandwich is delicious. I am not a bread person but this bread is awesome! Chewy but not doughy. All the ingredients are fresh.  Plus it comes with handmade candy (in middle of first photo). I'm not into candy either but their stuff is so good. The Meat-eater also likes this sandwich the best.

The website says Pizzeria Bianco.  It's their pizza place which has a different location and hours.  They make one of the best pizzas. Sorry...don't have pictures from there. There's always a line for the pizza place so get there early if you're interested.

Pane Bianco

4404 N Central Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85012

http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/pane/index.html