I’m not by nature a waffle person, but when I heard the word on the street about how gourmet waffle stand Bruxie was breaking all kinds of lunch- and dinnertime rules, I had to check it out.

So did a bunch of other people, apparently.

The last time I was there, a Saturday, I stood in line for 20 minutes along with Chapman University students, antiques shoppers and foodies from afar who came to sample some of the creations.

Bruxie, which opened in Old Towne Orange one year ago, is so popular that the owners opened a sister stand last week in Brea.

The waffle house in Old Towne has a retro vibe that pays homage to the 61-year-old former burger stand it inhabits. There is a walk-up counter where you order through a window. All the tables are outdoors on a patio. And the music is a mix of mostly ’70s pop. Think Cat Stevens.

Bruxie’s soda fountain uses cane sugar syrups blended by a local soda specialist. And the frozen custard, creamy but not too sweet and so much better than soft serve ice cream, is the real deal, imported from Wisconsin. I know because I grew up eating it on the New Jersey boardwalks. You can buy a custard waffle cone or have it blended into a shake. They also serve it in a grape soda float ($3.95) called the Purple Haze.

But the coolest part about Bruxie is that everything there, as weird as this sounds, arrives on a waffle. It’s rethinking the waffle as bread, or a crepe, or pita, or tortilla, if you like. Bruxie calls it The Bold Fold.

I’ve never even ordered waffles for breakfast, but it works. The menu is simple and split into two categories: savory or sweet.

Everything arrives on Bruxie’s Brussels waffles, which are made with batter and come off the grill airy, crispy and yeasty, not at all sweet, like bread out of the oven. They’re made thin for easy folding.

Every item on the regular menu is under $8. The only problem is ordering only one item. The daily specials complicate matters.

The other day, for instance, I arrived determined to try the Parma-imported prosciutto and Gruyere ($7.95) slathered with whole-grain mustard and chives, but then I saw the daily special: the boneless red-wine braised beef short rib ($9.95), shredded and topped with caramelized onions and bleu cheese-crusted fries, all smashed into a waffle and served with a side of pan gravy. My game plan went out the window and I still haven’t tried the prosciutto. But it was worth it. I have tried two other top-selling menu items: the Bruxie burger ($6.95), with a hefty Angus chuck patty, amply juicy, topped with melted Tillamook cheddar. And the buttermilk fried chicken ($6.95), a boneless breast marinated and then dusted in seasoned flower and deep-fried. It’s folded into the waffle with some cider coleslaw and chili honey.

My favorite is the Carolina pulled pork ($7.95). The pork is slow-roasted overnight, tossed with barbecue sauce and then topped with melted Tillamook cheddar and house-made sweet cider coleslaw for some crunch. But, then, I missed the July special: waffles loaded up with chunks of lobster flown in from Maine.

On the sweet side of the menu, the crème brulee ($6.50) with fresh sliced strawberries started out as a special but was so popular it’s now a regular, as well it should be. I also tried the lemon cream & berries ($6.50), which was very lemony, as the menu says.

Bruxie also sells a Liege waffle, which is made with dough instead of batter, and has pearl sugar from Belgium in the mix, which caramelizes when it cooks. You can get this plain or stuffed with Belgian chocolate that melts in the warm folds.

The three Bruxie partners, by the way, are keeping their waffle mixes a secret. The story goes that Dean Simon and Philippe Caupain took a business trip to Caupain’s homeland of Belgium in 2000. There were waffles everywhere, and Simon became obsessed. Back in Orange County, they came up with their own recipe and began selling it to high-end hotels, like the Ritz, and cruise lines.

They didn’t hit on the idea of turning the waffles into a platform until a couple years ago. Simon says Caupain’s family has called from Belgium, baffled, asking, “What are you doing with the waffle?” But he says that there are actually some spots over there now that are following their lead.

My question: Will Bruxie be the Wahoo’s of waffles?

ï¿½

Contact the writer: 714-932-1705 or lbasheda@ocregister.com